God’s Favorite Song

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

Psalm 118:1 & 29  NKJV

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 20:21

I recently had one of those wonderful moments when two pieces of information suddenly come together in a way I never thought of before, and it got me fired up. For years, I’ve been convinced that the chorus from the story of Jehoshaphat’s army in 2 Chronicles is God’s favorite song! The musicians led a jubilant march to battle, singing their hearts out with the uplifting words of “Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever.” In an incredible turn of events, the enemy was conquered without even a shot being fired by Judah!

With some minor variations, that song shows up a lot. It was the commission given to the priests in charge of music when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the tabernacle of David (1 Chronicles 16:41). It was sung twice when Solomon’s temple was dedicated (2 Chronicles 5:13 and 7:3) They sang it at the celebration of the rebuilding of the temple after the exile (Ezra 3:11). In  Jeremiah’s jailhouse vision of the restored temple in the day of the bridegroom and the bride, guess what they were singing! (Jeremiah 33:11).

We find it in several Psalms. Take a look at Psalm 100, 106, and 107. Psalm 136 echoes it in all 26 verses. The one that clicked into place for me this week is Psalm 118. It’s the first verse and the last verse, sort of a song sandwich with lots of  meat in between. This is the last Psalm in the Hallel (113-118) and was generally sung after the Passover meal. It is probably the song that Jesus sang on his way to the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.  

I tried to imagine Jesus leading this hymn knowing what was about to happen. It begins with 4 repetitions of “The LORD is good, and His mercy endures forever.” Then it talks about trusting in God in every trial. He is always there. It extols the power of God’s right hand, and proclaims that “I will live and not die.” It talks about the gate of the LORD through which the righteous must enter, and about the stone that the builders rejected.

It zeroes in on this very moment in His life, calling it “the day the Lord has made” and telling him to rejoice and be glad. It foretold, and now recounts, the cries of  the crowd at the triumphal entry, which now echo in his mind from just a few days before: “Hosannah! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!” It reveals that the one who gave us light now wants the sacrifice to be bound to the altar. It’s time.

He knows who He is and why He’s here and what’s about to happen. Facing all of that, knowing that all this is written about him, Jesus closes with the beautiful benediction: You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (118:25-26).

We have the privilege of gathering with other believers today, members of the Body of Christ. No matter what you have hanging over you, or pursuing you, or weighing you down, Jesus knows about hard. He knows how to face the impossible and come out the other side. He will walk you through it. First step: Let’s say it with Him, “Praise the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever.” I still believe it’s his favorite song.