O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
The verse stands in the inspiring psalm David gave to be sung with gladness on the occasion of bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem. It teaches that God is good and His mercy endures forever, and that goodness and enduring mercy are the ground for giving thanks, praising Him, and magnifying His name in prayer. Mercy here is undeserved favor and loving-kindness shown even to people who are unworthy.
The call to give thanks for goodness and enduring mercy is joined with prayer to the God of salvation to save, gather, and deliver, so that thanks may be given and glory given in praise. That call was answered by all the people responding with amen and praising the Lord, showing the heartfelt response God wants as the word of life is spoken. So now all the people, men and women, are to testify that they receive the message as from heaven by responding in the same way with amen and praise. The chapter is parallel to Psalm 105:8-11, showing that the covenant includes both God's promise and the commandment on which the promise is based, with keeping God's commandments connected with a thousand generations.
The verse belongs to a call to proclaim God's salvation, goodness, and enduring mercy throughout the world to all people through His works and by His Word, showing that His grace had already gone out world-wide in the past. Israel was to declare Jehovah's glory among the Gentile nations so that the Gentiles might be converted, acting as God's priest to the world by living God's law before other nations to win them and by proclaiming His glory. That work was given not for Israel alone but for the world and is continued in the Christian church, so that when people of the nations give themselves to God one law stands for both. The passage containing the verse is associated with the period when the gospel is proclaimed and with the judgment that comes at the close of probation, when God's enduring mercy and the call to give Him thanks are still set forth.
The verse stands in the inspiring psalm David gave to be sung with gladness on the occasion of bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem. It teaches that God is good and His mercy endures forever, and that goodness and enduring mercy are the ground for giving thanks, praising Him, and magnifying His name in prayer. Mercy here is undeserved favor and loving-kindness shown even to people who are unworthy.
The call to give thanks for goodness and enduring mercy is joined with prayer to the God of salvation to save, gather, and deliver, so that thanks may be given and glory given in praise. That call was answered by all the people responding with amen and praising the Lord, showing the heartfelt response God wants as the word of life is spoken. So now all the people, men and women, are to testify that they receive the message as from heaven by responding in the same way with amen and praise. The chapter is parallel to Psalm 105:8-11, showing that the covenant includes both God's promise and the commandment on which the promise is based, with keeping God's commandments connected with a thousand generations.
The verse belongs to a call to proclaim God's salvation, goodness, and enduring mercy throughout the world to all people through His works and by His Word, showing that His grace had already gone out world-wide in the past. Israel was to declare Jehovah's glory among the Gentile nations so that the Gentiles might be converted, acting as God's priest to the world by living God's law before other nations to win them and by proclaiming His glory. That work was given not for Israel alone but for the world and is continued in the Christian church, so that when people of the nations give themselves to God one law stands for both. The passage containing the verse is associated with the period when the gospel is proclaimed and with the judgment that comes at the close of probation, when God's enduring mercy and the call to give Him thanks are still set forth.