B-Side - Psalm 136
Based on the phrasing "God of heaven" (common in later books like Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel) and its placement right before Psalm 137 (which talks directly about Babylon), Psalm 136 was likely written after the Babylonian exile.
This psalm contains 26 verses, and every single one anchors a title or action of God to His very nature: "For His steadfast love endures forever."
The Hebrew word for God spreading out the earth over the waters implies beating or hammering something thin (cross-referenced with Isaiah 42:5).
Some modern worship songs take the glorious reality of creation bowing to Jesus and repeatedly change it to "my depression/anxiety bows to Jesus." While surrendering anxiety to God is good, this neuters the majesty of God. True worship should keep God high and lifted up rather than centering the worshipper!
The specific Hebrew noun used for God "dividing" the Red Sea in two is only used in one other context in the Old Testament: Genesis 15:17, when God divided the sacrificed animals to make His binding covenant with Abraham.
1 Corinthians 10 refers to passing through the Red Sea as a baptism into Moses. Passing through the divided sea was a covenantal act echoing Abraham's covenant.
Why highlight the defeat of Og, King of Bashan? Og was an Amorite giant whose bed was made of iron and measured over 13 feet long. Defeating Og was God directly answering the Israelites' deepest fears about the "giants in the land" that the 10 faithless spies had warned about.
Many modern people object to God commanding the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites. A few responses:
It's a Worship Song: The Bible expects us to worship God for these acts, not put Him in the moral dock.
God's Prerogative: God is the Lawgiver. All righteousness is derived from Him. He has the right to judge a deeply wicked culture that engaged in child sacrifice and demon worship.
Modern Hypocrisy: Modern man thinks he is more morally enlightened than Bronze-Age Israel. Yet, the entire population of Canaan (estimated at around 100k) was a fraction of the 1 million babies aborted annually in the US.
Judgment as Love: If an evil ideology is leading people to commit atrocities and go to hell, it is actually an act of God's "steadfast love" to put an end to it.
The four direct calls to "give thanks" in this psalm are attached to God's identity (He is good, God of gods, Lord of lords, God of heaven), not just His actions. We praise Him fundamentally for who He is.
The phrase "steadfast love" (Hesed) is often translated as "mercy" in the Greek and Latin texts. But God doesn't just do mercy or love; He is love (1 John 4:8).
If this psalm were written today, it would trace this exact same drumbeat of steadfast love through Christ's incarnation, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and the future New Jerusalem where the Lamb will be the light!