Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1-9)
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1-9)
This passage was one of those shared in my Bible study yesterday. It’s a passage that sometimes bothers me, and sometimes encourages me. The bother is the repetition. It’s one of the frustrations I have with praise music. How many times do you think you have to tell us in one song? At the same time, I have found words finally slipping past my mental and emotional walls after I’ve sung them two or three times.
As we read aloud yesterday, my mind focused on “endure forever.” Last night at my writer’s group meeting, someone used the phrase “descend downward.” The problem is that both are redundant. Have you ever descended upward? Descended implies downward. If something that endures stops enduring, doesn’t that mean it didn’t endure? Enduring implies forever to endure already has the “forever” implied.
Except, of course, it doesn’t. It should, but we seem to all understand the Second Law of Thermodynamics, even if we don’t know what it means. Things break down. Things stop. Nothing lasts or lives forever. Maybe that’s the reason that Hebrew poetry uses repetition to emphasize and word combinations like “endure forever.”
God says “My love endures forever.”
We say, “We get it, God. Your love endures.”
God says, “No, I mean it, my love endures forever.”
We nod, perhaps a bit impatiently. “Yes, we get it. Your love endures.”
God says, “Forever. Don’t forget the forever part.”
We say, “How could we forget. You’ve said it nine times.” Thirty seconds later, we question God’s love for us. So, here we go, one more time.
As we read aloud yesterday, my mind focused on “endure forever.” Last night at my writer’s group meeting, someone used the phrase “descend downward.” The problem is that both are redundant. Have you ever descended upward? Descended implies downward. If something that endures stops enduring, doesn’t that mean it didn’t endure? Enduring implies forever to endure already has the “forever” implied.
Except, of course, it doesn’t. It should, but we seem to all understand the Second Law of Thermodynamics, even if we don’t know what it means. Things break down. Things stop. Nothing lasts or lives forever. Maybe that’s the reason that Hebrew poetry uses repetition to emphasize and word combinations like “endure forever.”
God says “My love endures forever.”
We say, “We get it, God. Your love endures.”
God says, “No, I mean it, my love endures forever.”
We nod, perhaps a bit impatiently. “Yes, we get it. Your love endures.”
God says, “Forever. Don’t forget the forever part.”
We say, “How could we forget. You’ve said it nine times.” Thirty seconds later, we question God’s love for us. So, here we go, one more time.
HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.
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