"O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 136:26)

This is the final verse in the unique Psalm 136 in which all 26 verses end with the thrilling testimony: "His mercy endureth for ever!" This same affirmation occurs 15 more times in the Old Testament. How important it must be for us to remember forever that God's "lovingkindness" (same word as "mercy") does endure forever!

But it is not only His mercy which is everlasting. He is eternally kind and loving, but He is also eternally just and righteous. "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever" (Psalm 119:160).

His Word of truth existed in the beginning, and will also exist through all the ages to come. "For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever" (Psalm 117:2). In this verse, the word "great" actually means "victorious." Nothing can ever defeat God's loving mercy and His truthful word, for they endure from eternity to eternity. Likewise, His "kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and |His| dominion endureth throughout all generations" (Psalm 145:13), and "the goodness of God endureth continually" (Psalm 52:1).

Finally, there is this all-encompassing testimony: "Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever" (Psalm 135:13). All the divine attributes and all the divine purposes are embraced in His holy name, and thus none can ever fail.

Now, note that in all the verses cited, the verb "endureth" was not in the original. The divinely inspired writers thus recognized that no verb was really necessary. The very concepts of the name, the truth, the righteousness, and the mercy of God must be everlasting, for He is the God of eternity! HMM