Psalm 136:24 NKJV
And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
From Remembering to Rescuing
MY NOTES
“And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;” > — Psalm 136:24 (NKJV)
In the previous verse, we marveled that God remembered us in our lowly state. But let’s be real: it’s one thing for a friend to remember you’re in a jam; it’s another thing entirely for them to show up with a tow truck and a checkbook. Verse 24 is where God moves from “thought” to “action.” He didn’t just look at our captive state and sigh; He staged a rescue.
The Price of the Rescue: The word “rescued” (or “redeemed” in many translations) carries a heavy legal weight. As Spurgeon points out, the Israelites weren’t just lost; they were slaves. You don’t just “ask” a slave owner to let people go; you either pay a price or exercise a greater power.
For us, the price wasn’t silver or gold. It was the “agony and bloody sweat” of Gethsemane and the cross. When we say His mercy endures forever, we are measuring that mercy by the height of the cross and the depth of the grave. God didn’t just open the cage door; He paid our bail with the life of His own Son.
Who exactly are the “Enemies”? While Israel dealt with literal tyrants and oppressors, our battle often feels more internal. The commentaries below identify the “Big Three” enemies we’ve been rescued from:
- Sin: The debt that kept us in spiritual bankruptcy.
- Satan: The tyrant who claimed ownership over our souls.
- The World: The system that tried to mold us into its own broken image.
A Distinguishing Mercy: Matthew Henry makes a stinging but vital point: this rescue was a “distinguishing mercy.” When the angels sinned, there was no rescue mission launched for them. But when we fell, God sent the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God to get us back. That should stop us in our tracks. We aren’t just “part of the crowd”; we are the objects of a specific, intentional, and incredibly expensive rescue operation.
If you are currently feeling besieged by “enemies”—whether that’s a persistent habit, a crushing fear, or a sense of condemnation—remember that your Rescuer has already paid the fee. You aren’t fighting for victory; you are living from a victory that was won long ago.
Key Takeaways
- Action Follows Affection: God’s remembrance (v. 23) always leads to God’s rescue (v. 24). He doesn’t just pity us; He delivers us.
- Redemption is Costly: Rescue isn’t free. Our liberty was bought with Christ’s “cross and passion.”
- The War is Won: We have been rescued from sin, death, and hell. These enemies may still bark, but they no longer hold the leash.
- Exclusive Grace: We enjoy a mercy that wasn’t even extended to the fallen angels. We are uniquely cherished by the Rescuer.
Cross References (NKJV)
Colossians 1:13–14
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Galatians 1:4
“who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
1 Peter 1:18–19
“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
Abba, Thank You for being my Great Rescuer, my Deliverer. When I was a slave to my own mistakes and a captive to the enemy’s lies, You didn’t just send a message of encouragement—You sent Your Son. Thank You for the price He paid on the cross to buy my freedom. Today, help me to walk in that liberty and to stop acting like a prisoner to the enemies You have already defeated. Your mercy truly is the greatest power in my life. I thank You for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Things to Think About:
- The “Checkbook” Moment: Looking back at your life, when was a time God didn’t just “comfort” you, but actually “rescued” you from a situation you couldn’t get out of yourself?
- Identifying the Enemy: Which of the “Big Three” (Sin, Satan, or the World) feels like it’s trying to reclaim territory in your life right now? How does the truth of Psalm 136:24 change your perspective on that struggle?
- The Worth of the Ransom: If you were “bought with a price” (the blood of Christ), how does that change the way you view your own value today?
Proverb for Today
Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; Proverbs 24:3-5 NKJV.
Daily Scripture
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
Bill
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Summary of Commentaries:
Redemption is more than a thought; it’s a costly rescue from slavery. Commentators emphasize that while Israel faced temporal oppressors, we face spiritual enemies like sin, Satan, and death. This “distinguishing mercy”—offered to humanity but not fallen angels—is measured by Christ’s agony and the cross. Because He paid the price and exercised His power, we are liberated. God’s enduring mercy is not just a sentiment; it is a finished work of rescue.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“And hath redeemed us from our enemies.” Israel’s enemies brought the people low; but the Lord intervened, and turned the tables by a great redemption. The expression implies that they had become like slaves, and were not set free without price and power; for they needed to be “redeemed.” In our case the redemption which is in Christ Jesus is an eminent reason for giving thanks unto the Lord. Sin is our enemy, and we are redeemed from it by the atoning blood; Satan is our enemy, and we are redeemed from him by the Redeemer’s power; the world is our enemy, and we are redeemed from it by the Holy Spirit. We are ransomed, let us enjoy our liberty; Christ has wrought our redemption, let us praise his name.
“For his mercy endureth for ever.” Even to redemption by the death of his Son did divine mercy stretch itself. What more can be desired? What more can be imagined? Many waters could not quench love, neither could the floods drown it.
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Albert Barnes
For his mercy … – By all that he has done in order to redeem us; and by all the prosperity, happiness, and peace which have followed as the result of that, he has showed his mercy. So it is in the greater work of the redemption of the soul. By all the love manifested in the gift of a Savior – by all the sufferings and toils of his life – by his “agony and bloody sweat” in the garden of Gethsemane – by his “cross and passion,” by all the blessings of salvation here, all our peace, all our purity, all our consolations, all our hopes, and by all the glories of heaven hereafter – the mercy of God in our redemption is to be estimated and measured. Who can take the full account of it?
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John Gill
And hath redeemed us from our enemies,…. Temporal enemies, tyrants, and oppressors: and spiritual ones, sin, Satan, the world, the law, death, and hell;
for his mercy [endureth] for ever; as is clearly seen in redemption by Jesus Christ, where mercy and truth have met together; and which is a distinguishing mercy to the sons of men, not granted to angels.
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Matthew Henry
In the redemption of his church, v. 23, 24. In the many redemptions wrought for the Jewish church out of the hands of their oppressors (when, in the years of their servitude, their estate was very low, God remembered them, and raised them up saviors, the judges, and David, at length, by whom God gave them rest from all their enemies), but especially in the great redemption of the universal church, of which these were types, we have a great deal of reason to say, “He remembered us, the children of men, in our low estate, in our lost estate, for his mercy endureth for ever; he sent his Son to redeem us from sin, and death, and hell, and all our spiritual enemies, for his mercy endureth for ever; he was sent to redeem us, and not the angels that sinned, for his mercy endureth for ever.”
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