THE GREAT HALLEL
Written by Pastor Don Kimbro Special to FGGAM Inspiration
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, His love endures forever. Give thanks to the LORD of lords: His love endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. – Psalm 136:1-4
Thanksgiving. I am told that this long weekend is the most heavily traveled of any in our country, even more than Christmas. Families return to their roots to be with mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and brothers and sisters. Turkeys roast away and our dinner tables are blessed with a bountiful array of our most appetizing and specially made dishes. Thanksgiving is a great feast day and can be a wonderful family time.
Thanksgiving is also a time when many in our country pause to give thanks to God for all that He has done for us. The day was actually modeled by our early Puritan forefathers who landed on our shores in the seventeenth century and bravely persisted to start a new nation. Their early celebrations always included a time of thanks to God for his protection and provisions in their new land.
The nation of Israel also set aside special times to praise and thank the Lord for all He had done for them and they did it by remembering songs of thanksgiving and praise written by men like King David and sung by the Levitical choirs and the people. We know them as the Psalms. Most were songs to be sung that recounted blessings, praise and gratitude to God. They were all written out of a deep love for Him.
Psalm 136 is one of those psalms. It is known as “The Great Hallel” or “The Great Praise” psalm. Hallel is the Hebrew word for “praise.” From it comes the word Halle-lu-yah, which literally means, “Praise the Lord.” Notice in the beginning verses above that the word LORD is capitalized. That tells us that the Hebrew word used is the personal name of God that was revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:6, 14). That name consists of four consonants, YHWH, which is pronounced Yahweh and is actually a verb which means, “I AM.” It is also a verb that is continuous in action and is more literally translated, “I AM that I AM and I WILL be whatever I WILL BE.” The LORD’s greatness, abundance, love, power and glory know no limitations. Nothing is impossible to Him.
So let me encourage you to read this psalm in its entirety to your family before you begin your meal together. It takes just a few minutes and everyone, even the little ones, can participate by taking turns reciting the well-known phrase, “His love endures forever,” that is repeated after each of the twenty-six attributes of God that are proclaimed.
What a beautiful way to remind ourselves of His infinite greatness and thank Him again for being our God on this Thanksgiving Day and every day of the year for truly, “His love endures forever.” Hallelujah!
Pastor Don Kimbro
