Understanding His Mercies

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 

Psalm 136 has 26 verses and each verse ends with the refrain, “For His mercy endures forever.”  The opening verses bid us recall that God is good, that He does great wonders, that by His wisdom He created all things.  These are truths about which we can heartily respond, “For His mercy endures forever.” 

But further into the Psalm we read of God striking the firstborn of the Egyptians, and of God drowning the Egyptians in the Red Sea (v.10 & 15)!  Later we read of God striking down and slaying famous kings (v.17-18).  These too are echoed with the refrain, “For His mercy endures forever.”  But how are these understood as the mercies of God for which we should praise Him? 

Two thoughts: 

First, God’s mercies to some are often the result of God’s judgment on others.  When the wicked are justly beaten down, the righteous are delivered and raised up.

Second, we do not always understand God’s ways.  They sometimes make us recoil.  But His ways are always good, right, and equated with His mercies that endure forever.  The problem is never what God does or does not do.  The problem is our understanding.  And when our understanding is deficient, if we challenge God’s mercies, our faith is also deficient.

May we understand what we can, and trust Him when we cannot.