Psalm 136: 10-12 NKJV
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever;
And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever;
With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever;
God’s Mercy in Exodus: The Strong Hand of Deliverance
MY NOTES
“To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;” — Psalm 136:10–12 (NKJV)
Let’s be honest: at first glance, seeing “mercy” and “striking the firstborn” in the same sentence feels a bit jarring. We usually associate mercy with a gentle touch, not a national catastrophe. But Psalm 136 pushes us to look deeper. Having praised God for the creation of the world, the Psalmist now pivots to the creation of a nation—and he does so by showing that sometimes, God’s mercy has to have some muscle behind it.
Justice as the Servant of Mercy For generations, Israel had been held in a “permanent” grip by the most powerful empire on earth. Egypt wasn’t just a neighbor; it was a prison. Pharaoh had hardened his heart so tightly that it took a “conquering plague” to crack it. The Tenth Plague was justice striking home, but the motive was mercy. God wasn’t just punishing Egypt; He was rescuing His children. He was proving that His covenant loyalty (Hesed) is stronger than the most stubborn tyrant. If one plague wasn’t enough, He sent ten. Why? Because His mercy refused to let one single person be left behind in the dark.
No Sneaking Out the Back Door Notice the language used: “With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm.” God didn’t sneak Israel out through a clandestine, middle-of-the-night escape while Egypt wasn’t looking. He brought them out boldly. He “stretched out His arm” like a worker intent on His labor, rolling up His sleeves to get the job done in plain sight.
The Exodus shows us a God who isn’t ashamed to be seen acting on our behalf. He didn’t just open the cage; He walked His people out with “silver and gold,” making sure they left as a liberated army rather than a group of fleeing fugitives.
The Eternal Exodus This isn’t just a history lesson; it’s a shadow of our own story. The physical Exodus was a “type” of the redemption we have in Christ. Just as Israel was mingled among the Egyptians, we were once “mingled” with our sin and bondage. But God, through a “mighty Redeemer,” has severed us from our old taskmasters. The conversion of a heart is just as much a “wonder” as the Tenth Plague—it requires the “exceeding greatness of His power” to stir us from our complacency and lead us into the Promised Land of His grace.
If you feel like you’re in a “low estate” today, held by a habit or a situation that feels impossible to break, remember the “strong hand.” God’s mercy is not a passive sentiment; it is an active, rescuing force that does not stop until the work is finished.
Key Takeaways
- Mercy with Teeth: God’s judgment on oppression is actually a manifestation of His mercy for the oppressed. Justice and mercy are two sides of the same coin in God’s redemptive plan.
- A Complete Rescue: God “brought out Israel from among them”—meaning not one person was forgotten. When God rescues, He is thorough.
- The Boldness of Grace: God doesn’t do “clandestine” work. His “outstretched arm” signifies a public, undeniable display of power that leaves no doubt about who is in control.
- Breaking Complacency: Sometimes God’s mercy turns a “place of plenty” (like Egypt once was) into a “house of bondage” to make us willing to leave what is familiar for what is Holy.
Cross References (NKJV)
Exodus 6:6
“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.’”
Deuteronomy 5:15
“And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
Luke 1:68
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,”
Ephesians 2:4–5
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
A Closing Prayer
Abba, I praise You for Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm. Thank You that Your mercy is not weak, but powerful enough to break every chain and open every prison door. Forgive me for the times I’ve felt ‘stuck’ and forgotten Your ability to rescue. I thank You that You brought me out of my own ‘Egypt’ of sin and death through the blood of Christ. Help me to live today as one who is truly free, walking boldly in the light of Your eternal mercy. I pray for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Things to Think About:
- The Heart of the Plague: Does it change your perspective to think of God’s “striking” of Egypt as an act of mercy for His people?
- The Strong Hand: Where in your life right now do you need to see God’s “strong hand” and “outstretched arm” at work? Be specific about the “bondage” you’re facing.
- No One Left Behind: Reflect on the idea that God brought Israel out all together. How does it feel to know that God’s mercy is so thorough that He won’t allow His purpose for you to fail?
- Leaving Egypt: Is there an “Egypt” in your life—something familiar but harmful—that God is currently making uncomfortable so that you will finally be willing to depart?
Proverb for Today
He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning. Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:20-24 NKJV
Daily Scripture
And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2-4 NKJV
“With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 2 Samuel 22:26-28 NKJV
“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 2 Samuel 22:47-49 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 136:10-12 celebrates the Exodus as the creation of a nation. The commentaries below highlight the death of the firstborn as the “conquering plague” that finally broke Egypt’s obstinacy. God’s “strong hand” and “outstretched arm” signify a bold, public display of power. These acts of judgment were essentially acts of mercy for Israel, typifying Christ’s eternal redemption. Divine mercy stirred the people from bondage, ensuring every redeemed soul was brought into freedom by God’s unrivaled strength.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
We have heard of the glory of the world’s creation, we are now to praise the Lord for the creation of his favored nation by their Exodus from Egypt. Because the monarch of Egypt stood in the way of the Lord’s gracious purposes it became needful for the Lord to deal with him in justice; but the great design was mercy to Israel, and through Israel mercy to succeeding ages, and to all the world.
“To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn.” The last and greatest of the plagues struck all Egypt to the heart. The sorrow and the terror which it caused throughout the nation it is hardly possible to exaggerate. From king to slave each one was wounded in the most tender point. The joy and hope of every household was struck down in one moment, and each family had its own wailing. The former blows had missed their aim compared with the last; but that “smote Egypt.” The Lord’s firstborn had been oppressed by Egypt, and at last the Lord fulfilled his threatening, “I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.” Justice lingered but it struck home at last.
“And brought out Israel from among them.” Scattered as the tribes were up and down the country, and apparently held in a grasp which would never be relaxed, the Lord wrought their deliverance, and severed them from their idolatrous task-masters. None of them remained in bondage. The Lord brought them out; brought them all out; brought them out at the very hour when his promise was due; brought them out despite their being mingled among the Egyptians; brought them out never to return.
“With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm.” Not only the matter but the manner of the Lord’s mighty acts should be the cause of our praise. We ought to bless the Lord for adverbs as well as adjectives. In the Exodus the great power and glory of Jehovah were seen. He dashed in pieces the enemy with his right hand. He led forth his people in no mean or clandestine manner. “He brought them forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person in all their tribes.” Egypt was glad when they departed. God worked with great display of force, and with exceeding majesty; he stretched out his arm like a workman intent on his labor, he lifted up his hand as one who is not ashamed to be seen. Even thus was it in the deliverance of each one of us from the thralldom of sin; “according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”
“For his mercy endureth for ever.” Yes, even to the extremity of vengeance upon a whole nation the Lord’s mercy to his people endured. He is slow to anger, and judgment is his strange work; but when mercy to men demands severe punishments he will not hold back his hand from the needful surgery. What were all the firstborn of Egypt compared with those divine purposes of mercy to all generations of men which were wrapped up in the deliverance of the elect people? Let us even when the Lord’s judgments are abroad in the earth continue to sing of his unfailing grace.
Unto his name let us give thanks for this further proof of his favor to the chosen ones, For his mercy endureth for ever. Once the Israelites did not care to go out, but preferred to bear the ills they had rather than risk they knew not what; but the Lord’s mercy endured that test also, and ceased not to stir up the nest till the birds were glad to take to their wings. He turned the land of plenty into a house of bondage, and the persecuted nation was glad to escape from slavery. The unfailing mercy of the Lord is gloriously seen in his separating his elect from the world. He brings out his redeemed and they are henceforth a people who show forth his praise.
“For his mercy endureth for ever“—therefore his power is put forth for the rescue of his own. If one plague will not set them free there shall be ten; but free they shall all be at the appointed hour; not one Israelite shall remain under Pharaoh’s power. God will not only use his hand but his arm—his extraordinary power shall be put to the work sooner than his purpose of mercy shall fail.
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Enduring Word
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn: The previous psalm mentioned the deliverance from Egypt and the striking of the firstborn (Psalm 135:8-9). Here again God is praised as the One who rescued Israel from their slavery and degradation in Egypt – another expression of His never-ending mercy.
i. The singer recounted God’s great wonders flowing seamlessly from the work of creation described in Genesis 1 to the work of deliverance described in Exodus. We rightly regard (or should regard) the Exodus account as historical, describing what really happened. Therefore, the context and flow of this psalm demonstrates that what God described in Genesis 1 really happened. The psalmist does not treat them differently, as if one were a legend and the other actual history.
- David Guzik
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Albert Barnes
And brought Israel out from among them – From the land of Egypt. By all the wonders manifested in their deliverance, and in conducting them out of the land so that they should escape from their pursuers.
With a strong hand – A powerful hand; as by a hand that could grasp and subdue all that opposed.
And with a stretched-out arm – As if the arm were stretched out to strike with the utmost force, or to exert its utmost power. See Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 26:8; Jeremiah 32:21.
For his mercy … – It was in mercy to his people. It was the means of their deliverance from bondage, for the Egyptians would not otherwise have suffered them to depart. By all the results of their deliverance both to themselves and to mankind, the act was seen to be an act of mercy to the world. It was better for mankind that the Hebrews should be delivered even at this sacrifice than it would have been that they should not be brought into the promised land.
For his mercy … – The exertion of his power in delivering his people was the expression of a mercy, the consequences of which are to endure forever, for the results of that deliverance will never cease in the history of the world; will never cease in heaven.
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John Gill
And brought out Israel from among them,…. A wicked and idolatrous people, among whom they suffered great hardships; and this was done by means of God’s judgments on them, and especially that before related; and was an instance of the mercy of God, as follows, for which thanks should be given.
for his mercy [endureth] for ever; and this is a proof of it, bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, the house of bondage; when they cried unto him by reason of it, and he sent them a Savior to deliver them out of their distress, Exodus 2:23; an emblem of the grace and mercy of God, in delivering his people from a worse than Egyptian bondage; from the bondage of sin, Satan, the law, and through fear of death, into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm,…. Exerting his power in a very open manner, and continuing it till he had effected the work; bringing his people out of Egypt, which is always ascribed to his great strength and mighty power, Exodus 13:3. The redemption of the mystical Israel of God is by a mighty Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; who has redeemed them out of the hands of their enemies, that were stronger than they, and too strong for them: the conversion of them is by the power of the grace of God, even by the exceeding greatness of his power, and yet both acts of grace and mercy.
It is owing to the tender mercies of our God, and is a performing the mercy promised to the fathers, that Christ, the dayspring from on high, was sent to visit and redeem us, Luke 1:68; and the regeneration, quickening, and conversion of sinners, are acts of mercy as well as of power, Ephesians 2:4.
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Matthew Henry
He brought them out of Egypt, v. 10-12. That was a mercy which endured long to them, and our redemption by Christ, which was typified by that, does indeed endure for ever, for it is an eternal redemption. Of all the plagues of Egypt, none is mentioned but the death of the first-born, because that was the conquering plague; by that God, who in all the plagues distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians, brought them at last from among them, not by a wile, but with a strong hand and an arm stretched out to reach far and do great things. These miracles of mercy, as they proved Moses’s commission to give law to Israel, so they laid Israel under lasting obligations to obey that law, Ex. 20:2.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“To him that smote Egypt in their first-born.” The Egyptians are well said to have been smitten in their firstborn; because they continued in their outrageous obstinacy under the other plagues, though occasionally terrified by them, but were broken and subdued by this last plague, and submitted.
—John Calvin.
“To him that smote Egypt in their first-born, for his mercy,” etc. Remember his sovereign grace, when righteousness would show itself upon the guilty. There was mercy even then to Israel—drops of that mercy that for ever endureth—at the very time when judgment fell on others. Should not this give emphasis to our praises? The dark background makes the figures in the foreground more prominent.
—Andrew A. Bonar.
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