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0:20 Alright, welcome to a new week of the Daily Blade. 0:22 All week we're going to be looking at Psalm 136. 0:25 So the English Standard Version of the Bible names this psalm his steadfast love endures forever. 0:31 So the author of this exact psalm and the exact date of the writing of the psalm is not known, but it does have the earmarks of a post-exilic writing, so post-exile, which would place it near the 5th century BC. 0:43 So structurally, this psalm is a liturgical hymn of thanksgiving. 0:47 And it hinges on the antiphonal repetition of this one line, and it's this one line from the ESV, for his steadfast love endures forever. 0:57 And you may have heard it in some other translations, King James Version, for his mercy endureth forever. 1:03 The CSB, his faithful love endures forever. 1:07 And the Nazbi, for his loving kindness is everlasting. 1:11 So what is the central focus and reason for the repetition of this one line? 1:16 It is God's character, his defining attribute. 1:20 And it's the Hebrew word Hasid, okay? 1:23 And that's how God's character is the engine of history. 1:26 So Hasid can be difficult to translate, but the meaning implies that God's love is not just a feeling, right? 1:32 Not how we feel like we love something. 1:35 It is a binding commitment between God and each one of us. 1:38 And that refrain is repeated 26 times in this one short psalm. 1:43 So we're going to break this psalm up into five sections as we study this week, but I would highly encourage you to just read the entire thing every day this week as we go through. 1:51 Today we're going to look at verses one through three, and I'll read them here. 1:55 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2:00 Give thanks to the God of gods for his steadfast love endures forever. 2:04 Give thanks to the Lord of Lords for his steadfast love endures forever. 2:09 So in this first section, we need to focus on two things God's goodness and God's supremacy. 2:15 So let's start with God's goodness. 2:16 Again, verse one, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. 2:21 So as revealed in Scripture, God is good for a multitude of reasons. 2:25 He's good because morally speaking, he is perfect. 2:28 You know, he created the morality by which we even judge good and bad, right? 2:32 He's good because the default mechanism of his character is benevolence. 2:38 He's good because of his faithfulness and his faithful kindness towards all of his creation, to include all of us. 2:45 And ultimately, God isn't good because he does good stuff. 2:49 He's good because it is his essential attribute to be good. 2:54 So this is a common refrain throughout the Bible. 2:57 So Psalm 34, 8, O taste and see that the Lord is good. 3:01 Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 3:03 Psalm 100, verse 5, for the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 3:10 And as recorded in Exodus 33, Moses asked God if he will show him his glory, and God responded by saying, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name, the Lord, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. 3:27 And now we need to talk about God's supremacy. 3:30 So verses two and three of Psalm 136, give thanks to the God of gods, give thanks to the Lord of Lords. 3:37 So he is not a god amongst other gods, like he's not a little g god amongst other little g gods. 3:43 He is not a lord amongst other lords, lowercase l, right? 3:48 He is the god of gods, the capital G God of gods and the capital L Lord of Lords. 3:54 You see, our God is a jealous god because he is above all of the other little G gods and all the other little L lords, right? 4:01 That we are tempted to put in front of him throughout our lives. 4:04 And the little G gods and little L lords aren't inherently bad. 4:09 They're just inherently vacuous when compared to the goodness of God. 4:13 So, like building a successful business is a good thing, it just makes a terrible God or Lord. 4:18 Getting in really good shape is a good thing, and I talk about it all the time. 4:22 It just makes a terrible God or Lord, and even pursuing personal development, right, so that you can be better for those around you, that's a very good thing, but it just makes a very terrible God or Lord. 4:33 We would do well to remember what God says about himself in reference to everything else. 4:38 He is above all other gods, he is supreme over earth's kings and rulers, he is the ruler of heaven and earth. 4:47 Again, Psalm 136, one through three reminds us that God is good in nature and in deed, and his supremacy is unquestionable. 4:55 If your life does not align with that, then it needs to. 4:58 His steadfast love endures forever.