Psalm 136:3 NKJV
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
The Sovereign Master of Mercy
MY NOTES
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:” > — Psalm 136:3 (NKJV)
We’ve all had a “boss.” Whether it’s a supervisor at work, a local official, or even just that one person in the friend group who always has to be in charge, we are familiar with the concept of human authority. Sometimes that authority is kind, but often, it can feel heavy, unfair, or just plain small.
Psalm 136:3 takes our eyes off the “underlings” and points them toward the Lord of lords.
The Name of Sovereignty In the first three verses of this Psalm, we see a “Three-fold Thank You.” Verse 1 used Jehovah (the God of Grace). Verse 2 used Elohim (the God of Might). Now, verse 3 uses the title Adonai—which means “Governor” or “Master.”
While there are “many “lords in this world—kings, emperors, and presidents—Jehovah is the Lord over all of them. All lordship is actually “vested” in Him. He doesn’t just hold power; He is the source of it. Spurgeon points out that God is “more lordly than all emperors and kings condensed into one.” But here is the best part: He isn’t a distant, cold dictator. He is a Governor whose primary policy is mercy.
Mercy as Government Policy Think about the word Hesed again. It’s not just a nice feeling God has toward us; it’s His “steadfast, covenant-keeping loyalty.” In His role as the Lord of lords, His Hesed moves His hands and feet to:
- Curb the power of oppressors.
- Provide for the needy.
- Protect the helpless.
- Pardon the guilty.
If God had supreme sovereignty without mercy, we would be in a state of constant terror. But because He is “incontestably and uncontrollably supreme” AND “delights in mercy,” we can breathe easily. He is the “stay and supporter of all supports.” When every other human authority fails you or lets you down, the Lord of lords remains. He is the final court of appeals, the one who rectifies every injustice and reigns for the benefit of His subjects.
Today, let’s arouse ourselves to praise this glorious Lord. Whether you are in a position of power or under the thumb of a difficult “lord,” remember who sits on the highest throne.
As a final thought, today remember to give thanks to the Lord. In your prayer time, when you are out walking or having a quiet lunch. Start thanking the Lord, from the smallest of things to the most meaningful blessings of your life. He deserves it, He alone is worthy.
Key Takeaways
- The Ultimate Boss: All human authority is derived from God and is dependent on His will. He is the Governor of all governors.
- Justice is Coming: Because He is the Lord of lords, He will call every earthly ruler to account for oppression and injustice. He is the advocate for the “lowliest of the land.”
- Adonai’s Character: God’s rule is not a display of power only, but a display of “power declared chiefly in showing mercy and pity.”
- The Holy Trinity: The three-fold opening of this Psalm (Lord, God, Lord of lords) points us toward the full revelation of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Cross References (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 10:17 > “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”
Revelation 19:16 > “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Numbers 6:24–26 > “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
A Closing Prayer
Abba Father, I give You thanks today because You are the Adonai—the Supreme Governor of my life and this world. I thank You that You are the ‘stay and supporter’ of everything I lean on. When earthly authorities fail or when I feel oppressed by the ‘lords’ of this world, remind me that You sit above them all. Thank You that Your rule is marked by mercy, and that You use Your great power to protect and provide for me. I thank You for all these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Something to chew on:
- The Authority Audit: Is there an earthly “lord” (a boss, a leader, or a difficult person) who is making you feel anxious or oppressed? How does knowing that God is their “Lord” change your perspective?
- The Support System: Reflect on a time when an earthly support (money, a person, a job) failed, but God proved to be the “supporter of all supports.” How did His Hesed (steadfast love) show up in that moment?
- Active Mercy: Knowing that Hesed is “mercy with hands and feet,” how have you seen the “Lord of lords” move to meet a practical need in your life recently?
Proverb for Today
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 NKJV.
Daily Scripture
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Luke 11:9-10 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 136:3 honors Adonai, the supreme Governor holding absolute sovereignty over all earthly authorities. As the Lord of lords, He rectifies human injustice by holding “underling” rulers accountable while tempering His incontestable power with mercy and pity. Commentators identify this title with Christ’s divinity and the Trinity’s triune praise. By restraining oppressors and providing for the needy, God demonstrates that His governing heartbeat is Hesed—a steadfast love that remains our world’s only true, ultimate support.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“O give thanks to the Lord of lords.” There are lords many, but Jehovah is the Lord of them. All lordship is vested in the Eternal. He makes and administers law, he rules and governs mind and matter, he possesses in himself all sovereignty and power. All lords in the plural are summed up in this Lord in the singular; he is more lordly than all emperors and kings condensed into one. For this we may well be thankful, for we know the superior Sovereign will rectify the abuses of the underlings who now lord it over mankind. He will call these lords to his bar, and reckon with them for every oppression and injustice. He is as truly the Lord of lords as he is Lord over the meanest of the land, and he rules with a strict impartiality, for which every just man should give heartiest thanks.
“For his mercy endureth for ever.” Yes, he mingles mercy with his justice, and reigns for the benefit of his subjects. He pities the sorrowful, protects the helpless, provides for the needy, and pardons the guilty; and this he does from generation to generation, never wearying of his grace, “because he delighteth in mercy.” Let us arouse ourselves to laud our glorious Lord! A third time let us thank him who is our Jehovah, our God, and our Lord; and let this one reason suffice us for three thanksgivings, or for three thousand.
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Enduring Word
The Lord of lords: “All lords in the plural are summed up in this Lord in the singular: he is more lordly than all emperors and kings condensed into one.” (Spurgeon)
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Albert Barnes
O give thanks to the Lord of lords – The Lord or Ruler of all in authority – all kings, princes, rulers. He is supreme over all. This is an attribute of Divinity; yet this is ascribed to the Lord Jesus, thus proving that he is divine. See the notes at Revelation 19:16.
For his mercy … – The ground of praise here, as in the previous verse, is, that this God – the Supreme Ruler over all the potentates and magistrates of earth – is a merciful Being. He is kind and benignant toward those rulers, and through them to mankind.
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John Gill
O give thanks to the Lord of lords,…. Which is not only the title of the God of Israel, as the former, Deuteronomy 10:17; but of the Messiah, Revelation 19:16; who is the Prince of the kings of the earth; under whom they are, by whom they reign, and to whom they are accountable, being higher than they; as nature, so by office, Revelation 1:5, Psalm 89:27;
for his mercy [endureth] for ever; in putting it into the hearts of kings and princes, which he has in his hands, to show favor to his people, even to be their nursing fathers; and in curbing the power, restraining the wrath, of oppressors; and protecting his people from their rage and violence.
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Matthew Henry
To the Lord of lords, the Sovereign of all sovereigns, the stay and supporter of all supports; v. 3. In all our adorations we must have an eye to God’s excellency as transcendent, and to his power and dominion as incontestably and uncontrollably supreme.
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Miscellaneous Comments
The Lord of lords. The meaning of the title “Lord,” as distinct from “Jehovah” and “God,” is “GOVERNOR.” And in this view also he is eminently entitled to praise and thanksgiving, in that his rule and government of the world are also eminently marked by “mercy” and “goodness:” not the display of power only, but of power declared chiefly in showing mercy and pity: as again all subject to that rule are witnesses. Such is God in himself. Nor is it without intention that the doxology is threefold, indicating, doubtless, like the threefold invocation of the Name of the Lord in the blessing of the people (Num 6:24-26) God in Trinity, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” as now fully revealed.
—William De Burgh.
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