Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 115:1
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth’s sake.
1. Not unto us ] Strictly speaking, this is not a deprecation, but a protestation. ‘Not for ourselves or for our own sake do we ask.’ We have no merits of our own to plead; we do not ask for our own aggrandisement. But unto thy name give glory: work mightily on behalf of Thy people, and vindicate Thine honour, for if they are despised, Thy name is dishonoured. Cp. the similar plea in Dan 9:18-19; and see Isa 48:9; Isa 48:11; Eze 20:9; Eze 20:14; Eze 36:21-23.
for thy lovingkindness, and for thy truth’s sake ] If Jehovah does not interfere on behalf of His people, it must seem as though His fundamental attributes of love and faithfulness (Exo 34:6), exemplified in His choice of Israel (Deu 7:7-8), had vanished. Cp. Psa 77:8-9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1 3. An appeal to God to vindicate His honour by succouring His people.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory – This apparently abrupt commencement of the psalm was undoubtedly in reference to some circumstances which would be well understood at the time when the psalm was composed, but which cannot be definitely ascertained now. It seems to have been in view of some existing troubles, and the language at the same time expresses a hope of the divine interposition, and a feeling that the praise of such interposition would belong wholly to God. The phrase give glory means, give all the honor and praise. See the notes at Psa 29:1-2.
For thy mercy – The mercy or the favor which we seek and look for – thy gracious help in the time of trouble.
And for thy truths sake – Thy faithfulness to thy promises; thy faithfulness to thy people. The psalmist anticipated this manifestation of faithfulness with confidence; he felt that all the praise for such an anticipated interposition would belong to God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 115:1-18
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory.
Genuine religious consciousness
I. A consciousness of Gods greatness leading to a contempt for all idols.
1. The majesty of God.
(1) God is great in His moral excellence (verse 1). Mercy and truth lie at the foundation of all moral greatness. The grand mission of Christ was to bring these into the world in the most impressive forms. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ. All sound beliefs or convictions are based on truth or reality. Without love all is selfishness, and selfishness is the essence of sin. Without truth all is sham, and sham is the curse of the world. In God these two exist in essential unity and in infinite perfection.
(2) God is great in His sovereignty (verse 3). He is over all. There is no being above Him, the highest are infinitely below Him, and in all His operations He is absolutely free. He hath no counsellor to teach Him new methods of action, no power to restrain Him in any course. He acts according to His own good pleasure, the only being who is absolutely free, independent, and irresponsible.
2. The worthlessness of idols (Psa 115:4-8).
(1) Material productions.
(2) Human productions.
(3) Worthless productions.
(4) Lying productions.
(5) Symbolic productions. They are but the visible forms of the brutish ignorance, stupidity, and depravity of those who made and worshipped them, mere embodiments of their ideas and wishes.
II. A consciousness of Gods goodness inspiring the highest philanthropy. What is the highest philanthropy? That whose main object is to draw men to the One True and Living God; and the man who is conscious of Gods goodness, who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good, will surely address himself to this work–the work of drawing men to God (Rom 10:1). This is what the psalmist felt (Psa 115:9-15).
III. A consciousness of Gods property leading to a sense of our stewardship (verse 16). He who created the universe owns it, is is His absolute property, and how vast, how immeasurable it is! (1Ch 29:11). But this sense of Gods unbounded wealth leads to the impression of our stewardship of the earth which He hath given us. To the children of men, not to a class, but given to them as air and light, and fire and water are given for their common use.
IV. A consciousness of lifes termination urging the discharge of religious duty (verses 17, 18). (Homilist.)
Non nobis, Domine!
Every careful reader can see the connection between this 115th psalm and the one which precedes it. In the 114th psalm we see the gracious and grateful Jews sitting around the passover table, having eaten of the lamb, and singing of the miracles of Jehovah at the Red Sea and the Jordan. It must have been a very jubilant song that they sang, What ailed thee, O thou sea, etc. When that joyful hymn was finished, and the cup of wine was passed round the table, they struck another note. They remembered their sad condition, as they heard the heathen say, Where is now their God? They recollected that, perhaps, for many a year there had been no miracle, no prophet, no open vision, and then they began to chant a prayer that God would appear–not for their sakes, but for His own names sake, that the ancient glory, which He won for Himself at the Red Sea and the Jordan, might not be lost, and that the heathen might no longer be able tauntingly to say, Where is now their God?
I. A powerful plea in prayer: Not unto us, etc. There are times when this is the only plea that Gods people can use. There are other occasions when we can plead with God to bless us, for this reason or for that; but, sometimes, there come dark experiences, when there seems to be no reason that can suggest itself to us why God should give us deliverance, or vouchsafe us a blessing, except this one,–that He would be pleased to do it in order to glorify His own name. You may be emboldened to urge that plea, notwithstanding the vileness of the person for whom you plead. In fact, the sinfulness of the sinner may even be your plea that Gods mercy and lovingkindness may be seen the more resplendently by all who know of the sinful souls guilt.
II. The true spirit of piety. Not unto us, O Lord, etc. That is to say, true religion does not seek its own honour. For instance, suppose, in preaching the Gospel, a man has, even as a small part of his motive, that he may be esteemed an eloquent person, or that he may have influence over other mens minds;–for it is lamentably true that this mixture of motives may steal over the preachers soul. Ah! but we must fight against this evil with all our might. Somebody once told Master John Bunyan that he had preached a delightful sermon. You are too late, said John, the devil told me that before I left the pulpit. Satan is a great adept in teaching us how to steal our Masters glory. Glory be to God, should always be the preachers motto. And as it should be so with our preaching, do you not think that the same thing is true concerning our praying?
III. A safe guide is theology. When I am going to read the Scriptures, to know what I am to believe, to learn what is to be my creed, even before I open my Bible, it is a good thing to say, Not unto us, O Lord, etc. This is, to my mind, a test of what is true and what is false. If you meet with a system of theology which magnifies man, flee from it as far as you can. This is why I believe in the doctrines of grace. I believe in Divine election, because somebody must have the supreme will in this matter, and mans will must not occupy the throne, but the will of God. The words of Jehovah stand fast like the great mountains.
IV. A practical direction in life.
1. This text will help you in the selection of your sphere of service. You will always be safe in doing that which is not for your own glory, but which is distinctly for the glory of God.
2. Sometimes my text will guide you as to which you should choose out of two courses of action that lie before you. What flesh revolts against, your spirit should choose. Say, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory. I will do that which will most honour my Lord and Master, and not that which would best please myself.
V. The acceptable spirit in which to review the past.
1. This is the spirit in which to live. Has God blessed us? Do we look back upon honourable and useful lives? Have we been privileged to preach the Gospel, and has the Lord given us converts? Then, let us be sure to stick to the text: Not unto us, O Lord, etc.
2. Aye, and when the time comes for us to die, this is the spirit in which to die, for it is the beginning of heaven. What are they doing in heaven? If we could look in there, what should we see? There are crowns there, laid up for those that fight the good fight, and finish their course; but do you see what the victors are doing with their crowns? They will not wear them; no, not they; but they cast them down at Christs feet, crying, Not unto us, etc. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Glory to God for public blessings
The inspired author seems to have had his thoughts employed in the contemplation of some public blessing vouchsafed to the house of Israel, and to the house of Aaron; some late and remarkable instance of Gods having been their help and their shield; a devout sense of which made him break out into these words, fall of great humility and pious gratitude: Not unto us, O Lord, etc.
1. When the psalmist denies that the glory of those mighty and wonderful successes, wherewith Gods people are at any time blessed, doth belong to them, he intimates that men are apt to ascribe the praise thereof to their own merits, counsels or achievements.
2. When he with earnestness and vehemence repeats that denial, he doth by such reiterated negation imply the great folly and impiety of mens thus ascribing the glory of such successes to themselves, or to any of the children of men.
3. When he expresses his desire that the glory thereof may be given to Gods name, he directs us to pay the tribute of praise and thanksgiving to that sovereign Being, to whom only of right it is due.
4. When he requires that this glory should be given to God for His mercy and for His truths sake, he instructs us that when we receive such blessings from the hands of God, we derive them, not from His justice, but from His clemency; they are not such as we can of right claim, but such as He, out of His unbounded goodness, and regard to those gracious promises, which He hath made to His Church, vouchsafes to grant. (Bishop Smalridge.)
Giving God the glory
I was reading of the battle of Agincourt, in which Henry V figured; and, it is said, after the battle was won–gloriously won–the king wanted to acknowledge the Divine interposition, and he ordered the chaplain to read the psalm of David, and when he came to the words, Not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy name be the praise, the king dismounted, and all the cavalry dismounted, and all the great host of officers and men threw themselves on their faces. Oh, at the story of the Saviours love and the Saviours deliverance, shall we not prostrate ourselves before Him to-night, hosts of earth and hosts of heaven, falling upon our faces, and crying, Not unto us, not unto us, but unto Thy name be the glory. (T. De Witt Talmage.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
PSALM CXV
God alone is to be glorified, 1-3.
The vanity of idols, 4-8.
Israel, the house of Aaron, and all that fear God, are exhorted
to trust it the Lord, 9-11.
The Lord’s goodness to his people, and his gracious promises,
12-16.
As the dead cannot praise him, the living should, 17, 18.
NOTES ON PSALM CXV
This Psalm is written as a part of the preceding by eighteen of Kennicott’s and fifty-three of De Rossi’s MSS.; by some ancient editions; the Septuagint, the Syriac, the Vulgate, the AEthiopic, the Arabic, and the Anglo-Saxon. The old Anglo-Scottish Psalter reads it consecutively with the foregoing. Who the author of both was, we know not, nor on what occasion it was written. It seems to be an epinikion or triumphal song, in which the victory gained is entirely ascribed to Jehovah.
Verse 1. Not unto us, O Lord] We take no merit to ourselves; as thine is the kingdom, and the power in that kingdom, so is thy glory.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.] Thy mercy gave thy promise, thy truth fulfilled it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As we entreat thy favour and aid, and that thou wouldst work gloriously on our behalf to bring us out of our present straits and extremities; so we do not desire this out of a vain-glorious humour, as usually men do in such cases, that we may get renown by the conquest of our proud and mighty enemies, but that thy honour may be vindicated from all their contempts and blasphemies; and if thou wilt deliver us, we will not arrogate the praise and glory of it to our own worth or valour, but only to thy mercy and truth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1-3. The vindication of God’smercy and faithfulness (Psa 25:10;Psa 36:6) is the “glory”of His “name,” which is desired to be illustrated in thedeliverance of His people, as the implied mode of its manifestation.In view of the taunts of the heathen, faith in His dominion asenthroned in the heaven (Psa 2:4;Psa 11:4) is avowed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,…. There is no glory due to men; no, not to the best of men, not to be given them on any account whatever; neither on account of things natural, civil, and temporal, nor on account of things spiritual and eternal; but all to be given to the Lord: for, as for their beings and the preservation of them, with all the mercies of life, food, raiment, c. they are not of themselves, but of the Lord and so are the salvation of their souls, their election and redemption, their regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, their justification and pardon; whatsoever good thing is in them, or done by them: nor have they anything for the sake of righteousness done by them; nor do they desire to take the glory of past favours to themselves; nor request deliverance from present evils for their own merits, which they disclaim; nor for their own sakes, or that they may be great and glorious; but for the Lord’s sake, for his name’s sake, that he may be glorified; which is the principal sense of the passage. So the Targum,
“not for our sakes. O Lord, not for our merit, but to thy name give glory.”
Good men desire to glorify God themselves, by ascribing to him the perfections of his nature, and celebrating them; by giving thanks to him for mercies, spiritual and temporal; by exercising faith upon him, as a promising God; and by living to his glory: and they are very desirous that all others would give him the glory due unto his name; and that he would glorify himself, and get himself a glorious and an everlasting name. And indeed the words are addressed to him, and not to others; and particularly that he would glorify, or take the glory of the following perfections:
for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake; so very manifest in the salvation of his people, and in all their deliverances, and therefore ought to have the glory of them. His “mercy”, or his “grace” w, as it may be rendered, is displayed in the salvation of his people by Christ, in their regeneration, justification, pardon, and eternal life: and so is his truth, or faithfulness in all his promises; and particularly in the mission of his Son as a Saviour, so long promised and expected; and who is “truth” himself, the truth of all promises and prophecies; and by whom the truth of the Gospel came, the Word, which God has magnified above every name.
w “propter gratiam tuam”, Cocceius, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
It has to do not so much with the honour of Israel, which is not worthy of the honour (Eze 36:22.) and has to recognise in its reproach a well-merited chastisement, as with the honour of Him who cannot suffer the reproaching of His holy name to continue long. He willeth that His name should be sanctified. In the consciousness of his oneness with this will, the poet bases his petition, in so far as it is at the same time a petition on behalf of Israel, upon God’s cha’ris and alee’theia as upon two columns. The second , according to an express note of the Masora, has no Waw before it, although the lxx and Targum insert one. The thought in Psa 115:2 is moulded after Psa 79:10, or after Joe 2:17, cf. Psa 42:4; Mic 7:10. is the same style as in Psa 116:18, cf. in the older language , , and the like.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Absurdity of Idolatry. | |
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. 2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? 3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
Sufficient care is here taken to answer both the pretensions of self and the reproaches of idolaters.
I. Boasting is here for ever excluded, v. 1. Let no opinion of our own merits have any room either in our prayers or in our praises, but let both centre in God’s glory. 1. Have we received any mercy, gone through any service, or gained any success? We must not assume the glory of it to ourselves, but ascribe it wholly to God. We must not imagine that we do any thing for God by our own strength, or deserve any thing from God by our own righteousness; but all the good we do is done by the power of his grace, and all the good we have is the gift of his mere mercy, and therefore he must have all the praise. Say not, The power of my hand has gotten me this wealth, Deut. viii. 17. Say not, For my righteousness the Lord has done these great and kind things for me, Deut. ix. 4. No; all our songs must be sung to this humble tune, Not unto us, O Lord! and again, Not unto us, but to thy name, let all the glory be given; for whatever good is wrought in us, or wrought for us, it is for his mercy and his truth’s sake, because he will glorify his mercy and fulfil his promise. All our crowns must be cast at the feet of him that sits upon the throne, for that is the proper place for them. 2. Are we in pursuit of any mercy and wrestling with God for it? We must take our encouragement, in prayer, from God only, and have an eye to his glory more than to our own benefit in it. “Lord, do so and so for us, not that we may have the credit and comfort of it, but that thy mercy and truth may have the glory of it.” This must be our highest and ultimate end in our prayers, and therefore it is made the first petition in the Lord’s prayer, as that which guides all the rest, Hallowed be thy name; and, in order to that, Give us our daily bread, c. This also must satisfy us, if our prayers be not answered in the letter of them. Whatever becomes of us, unto thy name give glory. See Joh 12:27Joh 12:28.
II. The reproach of the heathen is here for ever silenced and justly retorted.
1. The psalmist complains of the reproach of the heathen (v. 2): Wherefore should they say, Where is now their God? (1.) “Why do they say so? Do they not know that our God is every where by his providence, and always nigh to us by his promise and grace?” (2.) “Why does God permit them to say so? Nay, why is Israel brought so low that they have some colour for saying so? Lord, appear for our relief, that thou mayest vindicate thyself, and glorify thy own name.”
2. He gives a direct answer to their question, v. 3. “Do they ask where is our God? We can tell where he is.” (1.) “In the upper world is the presence of his glory: Our God is in the heavens, where the gods of the heathen never were, in the heavens, and therefore out of sight; but, though his majesty be unapproachable, it does not therefore follow that his being is questionable.” (2.) “In the lower world are the products of his power: He has done whatsoever he pleased, according to the counsel of his will; he has a sovereign dominion and a universal uncontrollable influence. Do you ask where he is? He is at the beginning and end of every thing, and not far from any of us.“
3. He returns their question upon themselves. They asked, Where is the God of Israel? because he is not seen. He does in effect ask, What are the gods of the heathen? because they are seen. (1.) He shows that their gods, though they are not shapeless things, are senseless things. Idolaters, at first, worshipped the sun and moon (Job xxxi. 26), which was bad enough, but not so bad as that which they were now come to (for evil men grow worse and worse), which was the worshipping of images, v. 4. The matter of them was silver and gold, dug out of the earth (man found them poor and dirty in a mine, Herbert), proper things to make money of, but not to make gods of. The make of them was from the artificer; they are creatures of men’s vain imaginations and the works of men’s hands, and therefore can have no divinity in them. If man is the work of God’s hands (as certainly he is, and it was his honour that he was made in the image of God) it is absurd to think that that can be God which is the work of men’s hands, or that it can be any other than a dishonour to God to make him in the image of man. The argument is irrefragable: The workmen made it, therefore it is not God, Hos. viii. 6. These idols are represented here as the most ridiculous things, a mere jest, that would seem to be something, but were really nothing, fitter for a toy shop than a temple, for children to play with than for men to pray to. The painter, the carver, the statuary, did their part well enough; they made them with mouths and eyes, ears and noses, hands and feet, but they could put no life into them and therefore no sense. They had better have worshipped a dead carcase (for that had life in it once) than a dead image, which neither has life nor can have. They speak not, in answer to those that consult them; the crafty priest must speak for them. In Baal’s image there was no voice, neither any that answered. They see not the prostrations of their worshippers before them, much less their burdens and wants. They hear not their prayers, though ever so loud; they smell not their incense, though ever so strong, ever so sweet; they handle not the gifts presented to them, much less have they any gifts to bestow on their worshippers; they cannot stretch forth their hands to the needy. They walk not, they cannot stir a step for the relief of those that apply to them. Nay, they do not so much as breathe through their throat; they have not the least sign of symptom of life, but are as dead, after the priest has pretended to consecrate them and call a deity into them, as they were before. (2.) He thence infers the sottishness of their worshippers (v. 8): Those that make them images show their ingenuity, and doubtless are sensible men; but those that make them gods show their stupidity and folly, and are like unto them, as senseless blockish things; they see not the invisible things of the true and living God in the works of creation; they hear not the voice of the day and the night, which in every speech and language declare his glory, Psa 19:2; Psa 19:3. By worshipping these foolish puppets, they make themselves more and more foolish like them, and set themselves at a greater distance from every thing that is spiritual, sinking themselves deeper into the mire of sense; and withal they provoke God to give them up to a reprobate mind, a mind void of judgment, Rom. i. 28. Those that trust in them act very absurdly and very unreasonably, are senseless, helpless, useless, like them; and they will find it so themselves, to their own confusion. We shall know where our God is, and so shall they, to their cost, when their gods are gone, Jer 10:3-11; Isa 44:9, &c.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Psalms 115
Low State of Idolaters
Scripture v. 1-18:
This Psalm contrasts the Living God with the lifeless
idol gods, worshipped in gloom, hopeless and helpless, to give aid, relief, or benefit of any kind to their devotees.
Verse 1 addresses the Lord, appealing, “not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake,” for the honor of His name, because of who He is, Isa 48:11; Eze 36:32. His mercy and truth are evident in His mercy on His people, and His truth in keeping His promises, which merit man’s giving glory to His name continually, Dan 9:18; Psa 79:9-10; Isa 43:22-25; Isa 48:11; Eze 36:32.
Verse 2 inquires just why should the heathen sneeringly say, “where is now their God?” Though God, in wisdom, may chasten His children with affliction and withdraw prosperity, for a season, as a rebuke for their sins, the sneering of skeptics will surely be brought to vanity, Through God’s rescue of His own people, Psa 79:10; Heb 13:5.
Verse 3 affirms “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He pleaseth,” based on His knowledge or omniscience (knowing all things) and His power or omnipotence and His own will or volition; Such separates Him from the idols, lifeless gods, described verses 48; See also Psa 2:4; Psa 11:4; Psa 103:19; Gen 18:14; Eph 1:5; Act 1:6-7; Psa 135:6; 1Ch 16:26; Dan 4:35.
Verse 4 certifies that their most respected idol gods are made and consist of silver and gold, lifeless, insensitive, irresponsive things, the work of men’s hands, without any human or Divine quality or life, as also asserted by Paul, Act 17:24-25; Act 17:29; Deu 4:28.
Verse 5 explains “They (these idols) have mouths, but they speak not,” are speechless, dumb: “eyes have they, but they see not;” meaning they are blind, can see no devotee, none of their worshipers, in contrast with the living God who sees men, as they worship, 2Ch 7:12-16; Psa 16:4; Psa 95:3; Psa 96:5.
Verses 6,7 add “they have ears, but they hear not,” can hear no prayer, praise, or plea of her devotees. They are stone deaf! “Noses have they, but they smell not,” can not smell any incense or sacrifice smoke their worshipers burn or offer before them; for they have no olfactory (smellsense) organs of life, at all. It is added that “They have hands, but they handle not,” serve not, for they are cold, lifeless hands; “Feet have they, but they walk not,” can not lead, follow, or go any place. They are cold, dead cold! “Neither speak they Through their throat,” for they have no speech, live speech faculties to speak, instruct, or respond to their devotees’ worship. Would you buy .a horse or a dog of this kind? Or accept that kind even if it were a gift? Then why try to worship before such idols? Contrast them with our God, Psa 94:9: Job 28:10; Psa 11:4; Psa 34:15; 1Pe 3:12.
Verse 8 asserts that those who make or produce them art similar to them, Jon 2:8; Hab 2:15, deaf, dumb, blind, lifeless– spiritually, as well as each and all who trust In them as cold, dead, lifeless, Insensitive gods, Deu 7:25-26; Psa 135:15-19. People do not rise above their gods. We strive to be like ours, Eph 4:24; Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:1-2; 2Co 3:18.
Verse 9 appeals “O Israel trust thou in the Lord, He is their help and shield,” aid and protection, Psa 33:20; Pro 30:5. From speaking to Israel, the Psalmist turns to speak of them.
Verses 10,11 continue “O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is (exists as) their help and shield,” as ministers, rulers of the sanctuary, as spiritual, guides to lead the people of God in paths they were to follow, Mal 2:7. It is added, “ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and shield,” the help of Jacob’s seed who held Him in reverence, Psa 22:23, of all Israel, the priests and the laity, Psa 118:3; Psa 135:20.
Verses 12,13 declare “the Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us,” both the house of Israel and that of Aaron, the priesthood, Eph 1:3.
Verse 13 adds that “He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great,” as also certified Jer 31:34; Psa 128:1; Psa 128:4. Blessed still are all those who “fear God and keep His commandments,” Ecc 12:13-14.
Verses 14,15 certify that the Lord will bless Israel, His chosen “more and more,” increasing them and their children, as blessed of the Lord, the living God, “who made heaven and earth,” Deu 1:11; Gen 14:19. For He is able.
Verse 16 asserts that the heaven and the heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth has He given (doled out) for administration, “to the children of men,” Psa 89:11; Gen 1:28; Gen 11:1; Heb 2:7-9; Heb 2:15.
Verses 17,18 conclude that “the dead (dead bodies) praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence,” a thing that the body only does, Ecc 9:5; David continued “But we will bless the Lord (extol Him as great) from this time forth (with our souls) and for evermore. Praise the Lord.” Keep it up, Psa 118:17; Psa 6:5; Psa 30:9; Psa 88:10-12; Isa 38:18-19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1 Not unto us, O Jehovah! It is not certain by whom, or at what time, this psalm was composed. (365) We learn from the first part of it, that the faithful betake themselves to God, in circumstances of extreme distress. They do not make known their desires in plain words, but indirectly hint at the nature of their request. They openly disclaim all merit, and all hope of obtaining deliverance otherwise than God’s doing it from a sole regard to his own glory, for these things are inseparably connected. Deserving, therefore, to meet with a repulse, they yet beseech God not to expose his name to the derision of the heathen. In their distress they desire to obtain consolation and support; but, finding nothing in themselves meritorious of God’s favor, they call upon him to grant their requests, that his glory may be maintained. This is a point to which we ought carefully to attend, that, altogether unworthy as we are of God’s regard, we may cherish the hope of being saved by him, from the respect that he has for the glory of his name, and from his having adopted us on condition of never forsaking us. It must, also be noticed, that their humility and modesty prevent them from openly complaining of their distresses, and that they do not begin with a request for their own deliverance, but for the glory of God. Suffused with shame by reason of their calamity, which, in itself, amounts to a kind of rejection, they durst not openly crave, at God’s hand, what they wished, but made their appeal indirectly, that, from a regard to his own glory, he would prove a father to sinners, who had no claim upon him whatever. And, as this formulary of prayer has once been delivered to the Church, let us also, in all our approaches unto God, remember to lay aside all self-righteousness, and to place our hopes entirely on his free favor. Moreover, when we pray for help, we ought to have the glory of God in view, in the deliverance which we obtain. And it is most likely they adopted this form of prayer, being led to do so by the promise. For, during the captivity, God had said, “Not for your sake, but for mine own sake will I do this,” Isa 48:11. When all other hopes fail, they acknowledge this to be their only refuge. The repetition of it is an evidence how conscious they were of their own demerit, so that, if their prayers should happen to be rejected a hundred times, they could not, in their own name, prefer any charge against him.
(365) “As the former psalm ended abruptly, and this is connected with it by the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, Æthiopic, with nineteen MSS.; and as the following ejaculations so naturally arise from the consideration of the wonderful works of Jehovah just before recited, Lorinus’s opinion, that it is only a continuation of the former, is not improbable. Patrick refers it to 2Ch 20:2. Some suppose it to be written by Moses at the Red Sea. Others, by David in the beginning of his reign. Others, by Mordecai and Esther. Others, by the three children in the fiery furnace. Perhaps by Hezekiah, or some one in the Babylonish captivity. — See Psa 114:1.” — Dimoch. “There is nothing certain,” observes Walford, “to be concluded respecting the author of this psalm, or the occasion on which it was written. It is conjectured, however, to belong to the time of Hezekiah, and to have been composed in celebration of the very extraordinary deliverance which was afforded to that pious prince, and to his people, from the blasphemies and arrogance of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, 2Ch 32:0; Isa 37:37. Whether this conjecture be agreeable to the truth, we are unable to say, though a considerable probability that it is so, arises from the language of the psalm itself.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
INTRODUCTION
1. Date and authorship uncertain. Has been ascribed to the immediate post exilie psalmists, and to the poets of the time of the Maccabees.
2. Characteristics. Allusion to or quotation of Isaiah. The iterations (Psa. 115:9-13) suggest Temple service.
3. Ewald conjectures that the Psalm was sung while the sacrifice was offered, and that Psa. 115:12-15 were spoken by the priest declaring the acceptance of it; Psa. 115:1-11; Psa. 115:16-18 sung by the congregation.
THE SOLE GLORY OF GOD, AND THE ABNEGATION OF MAN
(Psa. 115:1)
The Bible everywhere gives bold prominence to the glory of God. That glory is said to be the end of all the divine works and ways. The heavens declare the glory of God. The whole earth is filled with His glory. Says the Old Testament Psalmist: Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name. Says the New Testament Apostle: Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Notice
I. That Gods glory consists in His own supreme and solitary perfection. Thy name. denoting internal essence, authority, rank, and dignity. When Moses inquired, What is Thy name? the reply was, I AM THAT I AM. The divine glory consists in God being Himself. There is no glory in imitation. The glory of man consists in his being a man. When he becomes a child or a beast he loses his glory. So Gods glory consists in His being what He is and nothing else; perfect and incapable of improvement in dignity, by time or through the homage of His creatures.
II. That Gods glory is expressed in the mercy and truthfulness of His works and ways. These two expressions sum up the divine perfections, and illustrate two sides of the divine character. Their harmony in actionforgiving, yet not so as to violate the law of righteousness; truthful, yet not so as to deprive the guilty of hopeis Gods glory, revealed to and manifested towards His creatures. This receives its full expression only in Christ, who is the brightness of His glory, &c. in His ministry and death.
III. That Gods glory should he apprehended and acknowledged by man. It must be apprehended before it can be acknowledged. No man can glorify God till he has some sense of His perfections as revealed in Jesus Christ. He must see the King in His beauty before he can admire Him. He must feel, in penitence and faith, that God is just and the Justifier, a just God and a Saviour, before he can adore Him. Then the honour due unto Gods name will be a thankful and spontaneous tribute, and herein will God be glorified that we bear much fruit.
IV. That Gods glory is not the object of Gods solicitude, but mans.
1. God has no need to seek His own glory. That comes in the nature of things. Even evil in some mysterious way subserves this end.
2. When God is spoken of as doing this or that for His names sake and for His glory, it means that He is not indifferent to what we think of Him, and that it is only by our right thoughts and actions towards Him that our well-being can be secured.
3. When man it solicitous to promote Gods glory, Gods object is secured.
4. Mans blessedness. The glory which thou gavest Me I have given them, &c. (Rev. 7:9-12.)
V. That Gods glory removes all ground of boasting on the part of man. Not unto us. Boasting is here for ever excluded. All the good we do is done by the power of His grace, and all the good we have is the gift of His mercy, and therefore He must have all the praise. All our songs must be sung to this humble tune. All our crowns must be cast at the feet of Him that sitteth on the throne.M. Henry.
A GODLESS INQUIRY AND A GODLY RESPONSE
(Psa. 115:2-3)
This is an everyday question, asked by various people and on various grounds, and should be met every day with its all-sufficient answer. While a Christian man should not court controversy for its own sake, he should be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in him.
I. The question, Where is now their God?
1. Why is it asked?
(1.) Because of the spirituality of God. God is invisible, and beyond the reach of mans physical sense.
(2.) Because of the fancied independence and power of man. Pharaoh in his vain pride asked a similar question. So did Sennacherib. Surrounded by marshalled hosts, or protected by material forces, man sees no need of God; hence this question.
(3.) Because of the disinclination of depraved humanity to serve God (Job. 21:14-15). Man is a sinner, and feels if there be a God that God must have vengeance on his crimes, and that that God has strong claims upon his gratitude and service.
(4.) Because of the folly of the human heart. If the evidences written on the heavens above and in the earth beneath are not enough, the question of our text must be regarded as the outcome of mental incapacity or moral obliquity.
(5.) Because of the apparent inequalities of Gods providential rule. (See Asaphs mournful wail, Psalms 73.)
2. By whom is it asked? By
(1) The Atheist who, as the Antetheist, dogmatically denies the divine existence; or, as the Agnostic and Positivist, maintains that God is unknown and unknowable.
(2) The Pantheist, who denies the divine personality, and if God be impersonal He must be unintelligent and unconscious, and therefore virtually non-existent.
(3) The Deist, who would acknowledge the existence of God as an hypothesis to account for the universe, but would deny his power to interfere with His works or the laws by which they are controlled. As Sir I. Newton remarked: A God without dominion, providence, and final causes, is nothing but fate and nature.
(4) Unitarian; for the only God we know of is He whom Christ reveals.
(5) By the Idolater. All these sections of modern heathenism are asking the question to-day.
II. To this question there is an all-sufficient answer (Psa. 115:3). The answer to the taunt of the heathen, who, seeing no image of Jehovah, mocked at His existence, is
(1) He is heaven, invisible indeed, yet thence ruling the universe;
(2) He doeth what He will, in fine contrast to the utter impotence of the idols of the heathen.
(3) Gods almighty power and absolute freedom. This, truthfully accepted, does away with all prioriobjections to miracles.Perowne.
1. God exists; as against the non-existence of idols. The world is full of thought and beauty and design which bespeak an intelligent mind and a powerful will. The universe is without a rational explanation on any other theory; and the human heart and mind are vacant without the thought of God.
2. God exists in the heavens. That accounts for His spiritual invisibility. Gods being is too great to be within the comprehension of our poor faculties, and too holy to be perfectly manifested to our sinfulness. It is irrational to question the unseen because it is unseen.
3. God does according to HIS pleasure, not according to MANS. This accounts for
(1) the fact that men question His existence. He permits it that He may ultimately show its vanity, and confirm His peoples faith. A grand old Methodist preacher, called John Nelson, was obliged to become a soldier, and as he was arrayed, a mocking, bad woman came to him and said, Nelson, where is now thy God? Thou didst say at Shents door that thou hadst no more fear of all His promises failing than thou hadst of falling through the centre of the earth. Where is now thy God? Nelson, in whom the Word of God dwelt richly, said, You will find the answer in Mic. 7:8-10 : Rejoice, &c. I have some reason to believe that the answer was literally fulfilled.Dr. J. Parker.
(2) For the apparent inequalities of His providential government. God bears with tyrants, hoping that their repentance may avert His vengeance (Luk. 17:1, &c). God permits the suffering of His people as the chastisement for their sin, the trial of their faith, or because His just designs for the whole of mankind could not be otherwise fulfilled.
IDOLS AND THE LIVING AND TRUE GOD
(Psa. 115:3-7)
The Psalmist having replied to objectors now carries the war into the heart of their camp. Nothing can exceed the contempt which the old Hebrew prophets poured on the various systems of idolatry. (Deu. 4:28; 1Ki. 18:27-29; Isa. 37:19; Isa. 40:19-24; Isa. 44:9-20; Jer. 10:3-5, &c.) The irony of Juvenal is very fine: Dost thou hear, O Jupiter, these things? Nor move thy lips when thou oughtest to speak out, whether thou art of marble or of bronze! Or why do we put the sacred incense on thy altar from the opened paper, and the extracted liver of a calf, and the white caul of a hog? As far as I can discern there is no difference between thy statue and that of Bathyllus. Bathyllus was a fiddler.
I. Idols vary in every age and among various nations. God remains the same. The inhabitants of the old Pantheon grew in number with the years. First the elements, then deceased heroes, then good things, then evil things, and finally everything. Idolatry still lives on. Men worship themselves, their friends, wealth, pleasure, power, &c. But all fluctuate and die. Only God lives on.
II. Idols are numerous and conflicting; God is one and in harmony with Himself. Olympus was a house divided against itself. The great Jove was supreme only in name. The suggestions of the patrons of all the virtues were met by the counter suggestions of the patrons of all the vices. The decrees of the goddess of wisdom were neutralised by the passions of the god of war; and so with the idols of modern England. The living and true God, on the other hand, is one, and eternally self-consistent.
III. Idols are the work of mens hands; God is eternal and uncreated. The same power which could make an idol can unmake it. An image can be worshipped one moment, used as a footstool the next, and destroyed the next. The living and true God is untouched by His creatures, and from everlasting to everlasting is God.
IV. Idols at best can occupy only temples made with hands. God is in the heavens. Men may erect their splendid temples and fashion their golden shrines. They may adorn them with the magnificent conceptions of human genius, with breathing canvas and speaking marble, and celebrate their worship with grand and costly ritual. But all is of the earth, earthy. The living God from His high and holy place looks down with pity and contempt on all.
V. Idols are senseless (57); but God is keenly sensitive of the wants of His creatures, and kindly attentive to their prayers.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
THE MORAL CONSEQUENCES OF IDOLATRY
(Psa. 115:8)
Men read into nature their own imperfect views of the supernatural, and thus their gods were like themselves; with the same bodies, parts, and passions. The gods again found their reflection in the hearts of their devotees. Both gradually grew worse and worse, till no passion was too vile for a god to feel, and no vice too bestial to be in some measure sanctified (Romans 1). And now a mans character is formed by the god he worships. Those that make them, and trust in them, are like unto them:
I. In mental incapacity. It would be hard to conceive the utter blindness of the idolater to the utter blindness of his god if it were not too sadly true. Wealth, personal appearance, pleasure, &c., are worshipped, in spite of the universal fact that they can of themselves do nothing for man; and yet man continues his mad and stupid idolatry. This worship blinds man to the inevitable result. He goes on till some rude shock wakens his mind into activity, and sometimes that shock comes too late.
II. In moral insensibility. The miser is as hard against moral impressions as his gold. The Midas fable is only too true. The self-worshipper is hardened in his conceit. The power-worshipper is encased in an ambition which few things can pierce. This insensibility is not of sudden, but gradual growth. The miser may have been tender at one time, but by degrees his love of gold has destroyed it all. Beware lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
III. In deep degradation. All mythologies have deities which are the proper object of execration rather than worship. In the elegant (?) classical mythology the father of the gods was a buffoon and a sensualist, his father devoured his offspring; the god of valour was an example of domestic treason; and the patron of commerce was the special favourite of thieves. The Egyptian and Oriental gods are even worse. Their worship is consistent with their character, and makes their votaries like themselves. What degradation does the worship of Isis, Bacchus, Venus, Vishnu, Baal, and Astarte, &c., reveal. And so with the idols of a mis-called Christian civilisation. Gold and pleasure are hardly less animalising.
IV. In malign harmfulness. Idols can of course do nothing of themselves. But the influence of their supposed example can have but one effect. What the effect is heathenism in all ages abundantly shows. Bloody, impure, and implacable deities have produced men who rivalled them in debauchery and crime. And the influence of the lust of power, pleasure, or gain, is to wither the affections, blight the intellect, and blast the soul.
V. In spiritual death. Idols having no life cannot nourish or sustain it. The soul goes to them in vain for pardon and purity. The mind finds no base for its operation, no satisfaction for its craving; the life no authoritative rule, no guide in perplexity, no encouragement in duty. Everything upon which this Upas casts its shadow, dies. Learn
(i.) The danger of idolatry. In itself and in the condemnation that rests upon it Ephraim is joined to his idois, LET HIM ALONE. (ii.) The missionary duty of the Churches towards heathenism abroad and at home.
(Psa. 115:9-11)
I. The nature of trust is need in two senses.
(1.) To hang upon something, to rely, to trust.
(2.) To live secure, careless, and calm.
1. The believer depends fully on the help and protection which God affords, and avails himself of them at all times and everywhere. He feels that there is no other security or strength but in the power and goodness of God.
2. Consequently he abandons all other refuges, and fearlessly casts himself on Gods care, and lives calmly in the midst of all his foes.
II. The grounds of trust. He is their help and their shield.
1. The divine help is omnipotent, and therefore sufficient; wisely made, and therefore to be depended upon; ever present, and therefore available; willingly vouchsafed, and therefore fearlessly accepted. This help is offered when wanted, and therefore never superfluously; in sin, to pardon it; in perplexity, to remove it; in physical distress, to alleviate it; in trials, to safely conduct us through.
2. The divine protection. This was specially Gods covenant character (Gen. 15:1; Deu. 33:29).
(1.) The believer wants provision for his safety in his warfare, and not simply help. The mightiest warrior is at the mercy of his weakest foe without a shield. So while the Christian wields the sword of the Spirit, he wears other accoutrements, and over all the shield of faith.
(2.) The believer needs protection in time of exhaustion. The strength of the stoutest warrior must give way in time, and woe to him if the fortified camp or citadel is not within reach. So, for the exhausted believer, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe.
III. Those who trust. Israel. House of Aaron. Ye that fear the Lord.
1. The whole body of Gods people. Because
(1) they are warranted in their trust.
(2) It is their duty to trust.
(3) Their trust is necessary to their safety.
2. Gods ministers. In whatever sphere, let those who are working for God
(1) Trust in the help of God, in the study and proclamation of His word; in their contest with infidelity; in their conflict with sin.
(2) Trust in the protection of God against temptations, spiritual monotony, indolence, doubt, and fear.
IV. The consequences of trust.
1. The believer is confident. He knows whom he has believed, &c.
2. The believer is TRUSTY. He is faithful; full of faith. Fulness of faith means full reliance on God, which guarantees fulness of sufficiency, hence fidelity.
IN CONCLUSION.(i.) A warrant. The Lord God is a sun and shield. (ii.) A command. Trust ye in the Lord forever, &c. (iii.) A promise. Be thou faithful unto death, &c. (iv.) A prayer. Lord, increase our faith.
GOD MINDFUL OF MAN
(Psa. 115:12)
This is a continuation of the controversy between the believer and the idolater. In answer to the question, Where is now your God? the Psalmist replies, In heaven, where yours is not. Your gods are silver and gold, articles of human manufacture, devoid of both sympathy and sense; but our God has been mindful of us, and will bless us.
This is one of the many proofs that the Hebrew faith was not an abstract monotheism, and that the Incarnation was its logical development. Jehovah was not some grand inaccessible power. He was their Father, brought into familiar contact with them, careful of their wants, and joyful when they were glad. This doctrine is followed by the revelation of Him who is the great expression of the mindfulness of God.
I. Why is God mindful of man? Scepticism scoffs at the idea as it did of old. Religious men sometimes wonder at it. The vastness of the universe, the enormity of mans guilt, the apparent insignificance of his age, size, actions, ever suggest the question, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, &c. God is mindful of man
1. Because He is God.
(1.) He is the Father of man, and naturally solicitous of the interests of His children.
(2.) He is the ruler of men, and it therefore behoves Him to protect and regulate His subjects.
(3.) He is the creator of man, and it is but natural that He should care for that which He was at the trouble to make.
2. Because of mans dignity. When He created him He pronounced him to be very good. Alas! it is not so now. Nevertheless, compared with the rest of the universe, he is still crowned with glory and honour. There is but one object greater than the soul, and that one is its Creator.Augustine. Man is a feeble reed trembling in the midst of creation. It does not need the universe to arm for his destruction. A breath of wind, a drop of water, would suffice to kill him. But, though the universe were to fall on man and crush him, he would be greater in his death than the universe in its victory; for he would be conscious of his defeat, and it would not be conscious of its triumph.Pascal.
3. Because of mans sinfulness. Sin is the disturbance of the moral order of the universe. The moral governor cannot be indifferent to this disturbance, and must as such endeavour to restore harmony.
4. Because of mans needs. Man comes into existence and continues a creature with wants which Omnipotence only can satisfy.
II. When and how is God mindful of man?
1. In need. This indeed covers the whole of his life. From the moment of his birth to that of his death. God provides for helpless infancy by natural love and paternal strength; for nakedness by the skins of animals, and the flax and cotton of the field; and for his food, drink, habitation, sickness, &c., all creation seems to have reference.
2. In sin. He has come so near to him as to be born of a woman. He has given His Son to be a sacrifice for his guilt; His Spirit to regenerate his heart; and His means of grace to support and strengthen the new spiritual life, so that he may resist sin and triumph over it.
3. In His moral capacity. Man cries out for the living God. God has given a revelation of Himself in His Word. Man needs laws, hopes, guidances, and Gods Word is revealed as a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path.
4. In trouble. God has given him the Comforter and the consolations and promises of His Word.
5. For ever. O Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place, &c. This God is our God for ever and for ever, &c.
III. For what purpose is God mindful of man? That man may be mindful of Him. I have created thee for Myself.
DIVINE BENEDICTIONS
(Psa. 115:12-14)
The Psalmist, drawing upon past experience, looks forward into the future and sees it luminous with the presence and blessing of God. So may the believer. God has been mindful of him; he may expect that God will bless him
I. The subjects of the blessing.
1. His covenant people as a whole. That is Gods part of the covenant. The Church undertakes to fulfil the divine commands, and God undertakes to crown that fulfilment with success and benediction.
2. His chosen ministers. Those whom He has called to arduous duty.
3. The great among His people. Those distinguished by extraordinary talent may expect that blessing without which all their talents are vain.
4. The small among His people. The weak. The lambs of the flock.
II The characteristics of the blessing.
I. It is a blessing. The pure, spontaneous gift of God, which can neither be merited, purchased, nor earned.
It is a suitable blessing. Given with exact references to need. His ministers may expect blessings which will help them in their work; enlarged views of truth, deep insight into the Word, power and success in its proclamation, strength in weariness, comfort in depression, and the crown of righteousness at the close. His people may expect spiritual enrichment and establishment; power to resist sin, subdue it, and triumph over it. The great among His people may expect special consecration for special talents, and special help in putting them to accent. The small among His flock may expect help in their weakness; and as for the lambs, did He not take them up in His arms, and bless them? He does so still.
3. It is an increasing blessing.
(1.) It increases those and theirs upon whom it falls. It enlarges every capacity, and widens every sphere of influence and usefulness.
(2.) It increases in proportion to the enlargement of their capacity.
It is grace upon grace, blessing upon blessing, until the whole nature is filled with the fulness of God.
4. It is a personal blessing. He will bless. All mediatory benedictions, except in His name and declaratory of His promise, are an impertinence. The blessings fall direct from Gods hands.
5. It is an hereditary blessing. Your children.
III. The conditions of the blessing. Them that fear Him. The God-fearing man is the God-blessed man, and as long as he fears God, and no longer, is he warranted in expecting the divine blessing.
THE CREATOR, THE CREATION, AND THE CREATURE
(Psa. 115:15)
A leading tenet of Jewish belief was the creatorship of God. This, too, is a foundation article of the Christian creed. All the blessings that man has enjoyed under all the dispensations may be traced to this
I. The Creator. The Lord.
1. The Creator is One. The dualistic theory is here answered by anticipation. God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good. The evil that is in the world has been introduced by the creature, and not by an equal or subordinate deity.
2. The Creator is yet the Divine Trinity. Lord, Thou art God which hast made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is. One Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things. The Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.
II. The creation. Which made heaven and earth.
1. Everything, Himself only excepted (1Co. 15:27; Col. 1:16; Heb. 3:4; Exo. 31:17, &c). Whatsoever hath any being is either made or not made; whatsoever is not made is God; whatsoever is not God is made. One independent, uncreated essence, all others depending on, and created by it; one of eternal and necessary existence; all others indifferent either to be or not to be, and that indifferency determined by the free and voluntary act of the first cause.Pearson.
2. The action by which the heaven and the earth were made was the production of their total being, so that whatsoever entity they had when made, had no real existence before they were so made, a manner of production we usually term Creation, as excluding all concurrence of any material cause, and all dependence on any kind of subject, as presupposing no privation, as including no motion, as signifying a production out of nothing.Pearson. (Rom. 4:17; Heb. 11:3.)
3. The manner of creation.
(1.) Absolute (Gen. 1:1).
(2.) The adaptation of existing materials to special ends (Gen. 1:11-12; Gen. 2:7).
III. The Creators benediction on the creature. Ye are blessed of the Lord. Gods end in creation was the enjoyment of the creature. The earth hath He made for the children of men. There is no natural gift from which man is debarred, and none but will in some way promote his wellbeing. It is natures gifts polluted and perverted that are the cause of misery. To the Christly man nature becomes a wonderful organ, and the opening of every stop can yield some tone of joy. The beauty of the wild flowers, the starsthe forget-me-nots of the angels, the loveliness of the butterflys wing, the glory of the forest foliage, the music of the bee as it hums, of the birds as they warble, of the wind as it sings among the trees and hills, or of the sea, in the everlasting thunder of the long Atlantic swell, will make him feel that all that beauty, all that music, is the gift and revelation of God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and, overborne by emotions utterly unknown to others, he will
Lift to heaven an unpresumptuous eye,
And, joyful, say, My Father made them all.
Thomas.
THE DIVINE DWELLING-PLACE
(Psa. 115:16, clause 1)
NOTE.The heavens (are) heavens (i.e., a dwelling-place) for the Lord (Act. 17:24).
I. The divine dwelling-place is exalted. The exact locality of heaven the Bible has nowhere chosen to reveal. The expressions high, lifted up, &c., are probably to be interpreted morally. God dwells at an infinite remove from the constant mutations and moral imperfections of the children of men.
II. The divine dwelling-place is holy. It is emphatically the holy place. Nothing that is defiled can enter there. Those who enter there have either never sinned, or have been purged from sin, and share the holiness of Deity.
III. The divine dwelling-place is to be the dwelling-place of man.
1. Now spiritually. Set your affections on things above, &c.
2. Hereafter perfectly. In My Fathers house are many mansions, &c. Father, I will that them which Thou hast given Me be where I am, &c.
THE EARTH: GOD S GIFT, AND MANS INHERITANCE
(Psa. 115:16, clause 2)
The earth is mans inheritance. No one disputes this. But how and why he came by it has been fiercely contested. He did not have it always, and science seems to prophesy a time when it will be no longer his. Why is earth his more than the heavens! And how? Most property has been either purchased or won by conflict. But how did it become theirs who had neither money, strength, nor arms? The Bible affords the only solution. God made man out of the dust of the earth, and therefore earth, and not heaven, became his sphere. God then gave him that with which he had so much in common, and told him to replenish and subdue it.
I. The earth, then, is Gods gift to man.
1. It is an equitable gift. Belonging to God by the right of creation, God could do as He chose with His own. In doing this the right of no other creature was invaded. No other creature had the capacity for this possession. Birds and beasts can enjoy the harvests, but they cannot till the soil or sow the seed. Upon mans possession of it, therefore, largely depends the good of the inferior creation.
2. It is a magnificent gift. Compared with the largest planet and the universe, the earth may be very small. But with his faculties, it is all that he can enjoy, and God has given him that all. If he cannot enjoy the fruits of other worlds, yet this earth is a platform upon which he can enjoy the warmth and splendour of the sun, the light of the stars, and the influence of the moon, and his mind can be uplifted and enlarged by all that astronomy reveals. But in and of itself it is a magnificent gift. It affords science for his mind, beauty for his taste, trade for his practical instincts, material produce for his a wants; yes, and if he has eyes to see it, religion for his heart.
3. It is a prepared gift. They were necessary those enormous stretches of time, during which matter was consolidating into worlds; those vast geologic periods of fire and flood, of volcanic fury, of awful convulsion, of slow subsidence, of slow upheaval; those dark mysterious epochs of conflict between the inferior types of life;in order that at last I might have a clear heaven above my head, a firm earth beneath my feet; that I might have an atmosphere to breathe; that I might have rivers to fish, and fields to plough; that I might have wood and iron for use, and flowers and precious stones for beauty.R. W. Dale.
4. It is an universal gift. To the children of men. Not to the children of the noble, &c. Nowhere more than in this sphere has man been robbed of his natural rights. Sometimes he has robbed himself, and by a succession of degenerate descendants the wide acres which thrift has gained, have been drunk, gambled, or idled away. Sometimes others have plundered him, or outwitted him. But all the inequalities introduced by sin will be re-adjusted in that new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
II. The earth is Gods gift to man for certain definite uses. Man is not the absolute owner of the earth. True, within certain limits, he may do what he likes with it, but he is morally bound to consider the ends for which it was given. It is let to him on lease. That lease expires with life; and then he will have to render an account of his stewardship.
1. The world has been given to promote religious ends. The invisible things of God are clearly seen, &c, and thus the soil which man treads is holy ground.
2. The earth has been given for the enlargement and education of his mind. The Astronomer has learned the thoughts that are written in that starry universe. The Geologist goes down and reads many thoughts in the rocky crust of the earth. The Botanist unveils the structures of flowers, and explains the actions and peculiarities of living plants; but all these things were written before he examined them. So with the Anatomist: he has discovered volumes of thought in this body which is fearfully and wonderfully made; but every thought was there before ever man looked within. This vast universe exhibits thoughts in every leaf and every grain of sand, in every drop of water, in the mountains and in the heavens. Whence came those thoughts?Alex. Stewart.
3. The earth has been given for mans use and enjoyment. The air for his lungs; food to supply his bones with strength and his veins with blood; occupation for his exercise; stones, metals, wood, for the necessities and elegancies of life, &c.
4. The earth has been given to be evangelised for Christ. Since the original donation man has become marred by sin. But Christ has died for him, and now He says, Go ye into all the world, &c.
LIFE AS THE SPHERE OF DIVINE SERVICE
(Psa. 115:17-18)
A part of this text has been quoted to support the opinion that the Old Testament saints were in the dark on the subject of immortality. The whole text goes to prove the very opposite. The Psalmist contemplates man in his material sphere. The earth has been given him; and on that earth it is his duty to serve the only living and true God. That ministry is over when he dies. Nothing is more impressive than the utter silence of the grave. Not a voice, not a sound is heard thereof bards or men, of SONG or conversation, of the roaring of the sea, the sighing of the breeze, the fury of the storm, the tumult of the battle. Perfect stillness reigns there; the first sound that shall be heard will be the archangels trump.Barnes. The dead, as such, do not praise God. But who are the dead? The physical organs, limbs &c. These cannot praise God, because they have no object to praise. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. But worship may go in with different organs, and in a different sphere. The Psalmist goes on to say, But we will praise the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. is a word of very frequent use and has but one meaning, and that meaning is Eternity. When our Lord said, I must work, &c., He did not imply surely that He had no work to do beyond the grave. Notice
I. The characteristic features of divine service. Praise. Bless.
1. Praise. throws light on the moral character of this service; to be bright, to shine. This splendour is borrowed from Him in whom is no darkness at all. Those who worship walk in the light as He is in the light, &c. Hence (again true to the original) the Christian boasts not of his own excellences, but of the divine excellence which illuminates him (2Co. 12:1-21). Through them his soul makes her boast in God: God forbid that I should glory, &c. The Piel of our text means
(1) to diffuse brightness. The beauty of Christian holiness, and the splendour of Christian life and worship, are so that we may be lights of the world and show forth the praises of Him who hath called us, &c.
(2) Hence a large portion of worship consists in the most beautiful art; viz., music, the only art as far as is revealed to us in the upper and better world.
2. Blessing, Piel of . To bow, to do homage, to utter blessing.
(1.) Our blessing must be based upon our homage. Religious rhapsody is often profane. To bless God is a very solemn thing. A benediction on the King of kings and Lord of lords should be pronounced with bared head and on bended knee, and should not degenerate into mere ejaculation.
(2.) Our homage should be acknowledged by joyous gratitude. Solemnity is not inconsistent with joy. As we acknowledge Gods sovereignty we may remember that that sovereignty is the basis of all our blessings.
II. The sphere of divine service. Life. The dead praise not the Lord. With the occupation of their glorified spirits the Psalmist has here nothing to do. His ministry is for living men, and suggests that the sphere of religious activity is
1. The whole of the man. His living entity. The aim of the Bible is to bring all the faculties of man into subordination to the will of God, and into full consecration to His service (1Th. 5:23, Mar. 12:29, &c.). And what is worship but the harmonious action of all mans powers. Music is harmony. One note by itself, or clashing with another note, the treble only, or the bass only, is not perfect music. So intellectual, or ethical, or emotional religion exclusively, is not perfect, much less so when the mental belief clashes with the ethical action.
Let Knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell,
That mind and soul, according well,
May make one music as before.
Butvaster.
2. The whole of mans time. Every moment there are reasons and opportunities for service.
(1.) This time. Here and now God supplies our need; here and now the fact should be acknowledged.
(2.) To eternity.
III. Exceptions to divine service. (Psa. 115:17.) The exact reference is not to the morally dead, yet the whole Bible is full of the doctrine that spiritual life is necessary to spiritual service. The morally dead are incapable of divine service for ever. Now they lack the motive, the will, and the power. And no new faculties, and no stronger desires, and no brighter opportunities will be vouchsafed beyond the grave. Our text may be used as (i.) a plea for deliverance, (ii.) a call to instant decision, (iii.) an expression of full consecration, (iv.) an expectation of future blessedness.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Psalms 115
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
Not for Her Own Glory but for His, Israel moves herself to trust in Jehovah to Shew his Superiority over Idols.
ANALYSIS
Stanza I., Psa. 115:1-3, Introductory appeal to Jehovah. Stanza II., Psa. 115:4-8, Idols Disparaged. Stanza III., Psa. 115:9-11, With Alternate Voices, the Choir encourages Israel to Trust. Stanza IV., Psa. 115:12-13, The Congregation Proclaims its Confidence. Stanza V., Psa. 115:14-15, A Priest Blesses the Congregation. Stanza VI., Psa. 115:16-18, A United Chorus of Praise.
(No P.R.I. here in M.T.)
1
Not unto us Jehovah not unto us
but unto thine own name give glory,
because of thy kindness because[549] of thy truth.
[549] So M.T. (without and). Some cod. (w. 1 ear. pr. edn., Aram., Sep., Syr., Vul.): and becauseGn.
2
Wherefore should the nations say
Where pray is their God?
3
When our God is in the heavens,
all that he pleased hath he done?
4
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work[550] of the hands of men:
[550] Some cod. (w. Sep. and Vul.): works (pl.)Gn.
5
A mouth have they but do not speak,
Eyes have they but do not see;
6
Ears have they but do not hear,
A nose have they but do not smell;
7
Their hands! but they do not feel,
Their feet! but they do not walk,
They make no murmuring sound with their throat.
8
Like them shall become they who make them,
every one[551] who trusteth in them.
[551] Some cod (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.): And every oneGn.
9
O Israel![552] trust thou in Jehovah,
[552] Some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.): O house of IsraelGn.
Their[553] help and their shield is he!
[553] That our does not stand here, as in Psa. 33:20, may be explained from the antiphonal singing; so far, however, as the psalm supplicates Gods protection and help to a military expedition, the declaration of assured hope, their Help and Shield is He, may be referred with Hitzig to the army that has gone or is going forthDel.
10
O house of Aaron! trust ye in Jehovah,
Their help and their shield is he!
11
Ye that revere Jehovah! trust in Jehovah,
Their help and their shield is he!
12
Jehovah hath remembered us he will bless
will bless the house of Israel,
will bless the house of Aaron,
13
will bless them who revere Jehovah,
the small as well as the great.
14
Jehovah will add unto you
unto you and unto your children.
15
Blessed are ye of Jehovah,
maker of heavens and earth.
16
The heavens are the heavens of[554] Jehovah,
[554] Are assigned toBr. (reading SiMiM instead of SHaMaiM).
but the earth hath he given to the sons of men.
17
It is not the dead who praise Yah,
nor any that go down into Silence;
18
But we will bless Yah,
from this time forth and to the ages.[555]
[555] Cp. Isa. 38:18-19.
(Nm.)[556]
[556] See 116 (beginning).
PARAPHRASE
Psalms 115
Glorify Your name, not ours O Lord! Cause everyone to praise Your lovingkindness and Your truth.
2 Why let the nations say, Their God is dead![557]
[557] Literally, Where is their God?
3 For He is in the heavens, and does as He wishes.
4 Their gods are merely man-made things of silver and of gold.
5 They cant talk or see, despite their eyes and mouths!
6 Nor can they hear, nor smell,
7 Nor use their hands or feet! Nor speak!
8 And those who make and worship them are just as foolish as their idols are.
9 O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper. He is your shield.
10 O priests of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper; He is your shield.
11 All of you His people, trust in Him. He is your helper; He is your shield.
12 Jehovah is constantly thinking about us and He will surely bless us! He will bless the people of Israel and the priests of Aaron,
13 And all, both great and small, who reverence Him.
14 May the Lord bless you richly both you and your children.
15 Yes, Jehovah who made heaven and earth will personally bless you!
16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but He has given the earth to all mankind.
17 The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on earth.[558]
[558] Implied.
18 But we can! We praise Him forever! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
EXPOSITION
The fact that this psalm is without head-line to divide it from the foregoing, confirmed as it is in many ancient authorities by being run on as a continuation of that which has gone before, is of sufficient force to shew at what an early date this sequence was effected; but can scarcely prevail to over-ride internal evidence in favour of an independent origin. In its contents this psalm strongly asserts its individuality; and, indeed, points clearly to a situation so much like that formed by the league of surrounding nations against King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20), as to throw any other theory of origin into the shade. That it came into further use with great acceptance at the time of the return from the Babylonish Exile in nowise conflicts with this theory of its original composition. It will be noted that the tone of the psalm is peculiar: it is neither despairing nor triumphant. Honour is anticipated, but rendered in advance to Jehovah himself. Idolatry presents itself forcibly enough to call forth elaborate sarcasm; yet it would seem as though the worshippers of Jehovah were not out of peril, hence they encourage each other to have confidencetrust ye in Jehovah; but they encourage each other in songin responsive song! All the essential conditions for this peculiar state of things may be found in the critical condition of affairs when nations of idolaters were surrounding King Jehoshaphat; when his army in going forth against its enemies was assured it would not have to fight; and when bands of singing Levites were provided, well able to raise responsive song on what might have been a battlefield, for they went forth before the armed men! In point of fact, we can almost see the turning point of affairs on that memorable day reflected in the psalm itself at Psa. 115:12. For if,when the history records that Judah came near the watch-tower of the wilderness (and) they turned towards the multitude, and lo! there they were, dead bodies fallen to the earth, with none to escape;if, just then, a priest had broken the silence by exclaiming in changed tense and in a tone of triumph,Jehovah hath remembered us! could anything have been more appropriate or more dramatic? It is quite true that many able critics, who cannot see behind the return from the Exile, find another and a not unsuitable crisis of affairs, to fit in with that change of language in the psalm: they picture a public Temple service as in progress, and that when the sacrifice is laid on the altar and Jehovah as of old lights the flame of acceptance on the altar, the priest then exclaimsJehovah hath remembered us! But surely it would have been all the more remarkable if the language to express that Divine manifestation had been provided some centuries earlier, when a wide land constituted the altar and holocaust of idolaters were the victims.
Possibly another link of connection is lying to our hand. Jehoshaphat lived before Hezekiah. Hezekiah, through means of his royal library, must have been acquainted with the songs of his predecessors. What if,in providing for his Great Passover, to which he was so anxious to bring, in reunion, all Israel,what if he discovered and brought into passover use this song of Jehoshaphats days, weaving it into the service, with probably some of his own compositions,would not such an appropriation of this psalm help to fix it in the Hallel for ever?
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
What evidence of independent origin is found in this psalm? Read 2 Chronicles 20.
2.
This psalm was used for a very special occasionwhat was it?
3.
Rotherham seems very confident as to the historical circumstances for the original use of this song. Where and when?
4.
Hezekiah could have made special use of this psalm. How?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(1) Not unto us . . .This rejection of all self-praise is implied in all Hebrew poetry.
Mercy . . . truth . . .Both a distinct reference to the covenant. Both these covenanted blessings were assailed by the heathen taunt, Where is now their God?
It is difficult for us to reproduce in imagination the apparent triumph, which the idolater, who could point to his deity, felt he had over the worshipper of the invisible God, when outward events seemed to be going against the latter. But we may estimate the strength of the conviction, which even under the apparent withdrawal of Divine favour, could point to the heavens as the abode of the Invisible, and to misfortune itself as a proof of the existence and power of One who could in everything do what pleased him.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1. Not unto us Not to us the glory, nor for our sakes. The repetition of this is for emphasis, showing how thoroughly the nation disclaimed any desert or merit as the ground of their prayer for help. The “glory” was wholly the Lord’s.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake Two distinguishing attributes displayed in redemption, (Joh 1:7,) for the vindication of which God is now called to interfere.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psalms 115
Psa 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Psa 115:16
God has given the earth to man in order to dominate it, but the heavens haven been reserved for Himself. Although man may explore these heavens, he is not destined to dwell in them during this dispensation. This verse in Psalms set the bounds of man’s domination.
When man fulfills his commandment to take dominion on this earth, he may be allowed by God to overcome these outer reaches of space. But even the Scriptures do not offer this promise. Man may see space by exploration, but he cannot yet possess it by domination, as with the earth.
The purpose of the heavens, therefore, is to declare God’s glory (Psa 19:1).
Psa 19:1, “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
The more that scientists explore the deep reaches of space, the closer they are driven to the conclusion that there must be a God. For the heavens stretch beyond man’s understanding. The heavens were created in order to declare this fact to mankind, both sinner and saint. God’s dwelling place is the heavens, and thus, it declares His glory, just as man’s dwelling place is on earth, which declares either man’s glory or his shame, depending upon how man answers his divine call to dominate this earth.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Vindication of God’s Glory over against the Idols.
v. 1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us v. 2. Wherefore should the heathen say, v. 3. But our God is in the heavens, v. 4. Their idols are silver and gold, v. 5. They have mouths, v. 6. they have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not;
v. 7. they have hands, but they handle not, v. 8. They that make them are like unto them, v. 9. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord, v. 10. O house of Aaron, v. 11. Ye that fear the Lord, v. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us, v. 13. He will bless them that fear the Lord, v. 14. The Lord shall increase you more and more; v. 15. Ye are blessed of the Lord; v. 16. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, v. 17. The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence, v. 18. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
A LITURGICAL psalm, in which a divided choir, together with a leadera priest or precentortake separate parts. The occasion is one of danger (Psa 115:2), but, at the same time, of confident hope and trust (Psa 115:3, Psa 115:9-15). A portion of the choir begin with an appeal to God for help against the heathen, whose vain worship of idols they cover with scorn (Psa 115:1-8). The leader then exhorts to trust in God in the first clause of three consecutive verses (Psa 115:9, Psa 115:10, Psa 115:11), half the choir responding in the second clause. The whole choir raises a joyful strain in Psa 115:12, Psa 115:13, the leader re-spending in Psa 115:14-16, and the choir and congregation together concluding the whole with a final burst of praise in Psa 115:17, Psa 115:18.
Metrically, the psalm falls into four stanzas or strophesthe first of three verses (Psa 115:1-3), and the other three of five verses each (Psa 115:4-8; 9-13; 14-18).
Psa 115:1
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory. God is prayed to help Israel, but not for their sakes, not to cover them with gloryrather for his own sake, that glory may rest on his Name, and himself, among the nations. For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. In order to be true to his qualities of mercifulness and truthfulness.
Psa 115:2
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? (comp. Psa 42:3, Psa 42:10; Psa 79:10). If Israel is un-helped, the heathen will triumph, and ask scornfully what has become of Israel’s God? Is he unable, or is he unwilling, to deliver them?
Psa 115:3
Butrather, andas though he would say, “and all the while, as the heathen scorn and question”our God is in the heavens; in his place, where he always is, watching over us. He hath done what soever he hath pleased. He has the will to help us, and he has the power to do whatsoever he pleases.
Psa 115:4-8
The scorn of the heathen is retaliated. They scoff at the God of Israel. What, then, are their own gods? Silver and gold indeed (Psa 115:4), but the work of human hands. Fashioned into a human shape, as if they were sentient beingbut absolutely devoid of all sense and intelligence. The satire is somewhat roughly worked out (Psa 115:5-7), but idolatry provokes rough speaking; and the tone here adopted is imitated in Psa 135:15-18, and echoed in Isa 44:9-20. The inspired writers seem to have felt, that, when idolatry came under consideration, the criticism should be brief and trenchant.
Psa 115:4
Their idols are silver and gold. At the bestoften mere wood and stone (Deu 4:28); but the idols of the Babylonians were mostly of the more precious materials (Herod; 1:183; Dan 3:1; Ep. Jer 1:4, Jer 1:11, etc.). The work of men’s hands (Psa 135:15; Isa 44:12-17). To avoid this reproach, some images were said to have fallen down from heaven (Act 19:35).
Psa 115:5-7
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk net: neither speak they through their throat. Possessing a semblance of every organ of human sense, they are wholly unable to perform any of the functions. That men should worship them, or believe in their power to help, is an utter absurdity.
Psa 115:8
They that make them are like unto them. Equally vain, futile, and power less (comp. Isa 44:9; Jer 2:5). So is every one that trusteth in them. To “trust” in an idol is an almost inconceivable folly. Yet there is abundant proof that the heathen actually did so trust (see Herod; 5:80; 8:64, 83).
Psa 115:9-11
The idols and the idol-worshippers having been sufficiently scorned; the latter especially, for their “trust” in idols, Israel is exhorted to trust in the only sure Object of confidence, Jehovah. Three several times the leader of the choir gives forth the call” Trust in the Lord “and three several times the choir responds with the acknowledgment that he, and he alone, “is their Help and Shield.” The exhortation seems to be addressed, first, to the lay people generally (Psa 115:9); then to the clerical order (Psa 115:10); finally, to all, whether laity or clergy, who are true Israelites at heart (comp. Psa 115:12, Psa 115:13).
Psa 115:9
O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. Follow not the example of the heathen who trust in idols. Rather, be an example to them. He is their Help and their Shield (comp. Psa 33:20). The change of per son implies a change of speaker.
Psa 115:10
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. God’s ministers were yet more bound than his people generally to trust in him. He is their Help and their Shield (comp. Psa 115:9).
Psa 115:11
Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. Professor Cheyne explains this of proselytes, the of the Acts; but surely the order followed is one of climaxfirst, ordinary Israelites; next, those officially holy, the priests; finally, those actually holy, the truly faithful Israelites. He is their Help and their Shield. It would have been better in every case to have kept the Hebrew order of the words”Their Help and their Shield is he.”
Psa 115:12, Psa 115:13
The whole choir, or perhaps the whole congregation, expresses its confidence in God. He has always Been mind-fill of his people, and, in response to their threefold expression of trust, will bestow on them a threefold blessing.
Psa 115:12
The Lord hath been mindful of us (comp. Psa 98:4; Psa 136:23). He will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel (comp. Psa 115:10). He will bless the house of Aaron (comp. Psa 115:11).
Psa 115:13
He will bless them that fear the Lord (comp. Psa 115:12). Both small and great; literally, the small with the great; i.e. all, without any exception.
Psa 115:14-16
Again the leader raises his voice and announces specialno longer generalblessings:
(1) increase of their numbers (Psa 115:14); and
(2) inheritance of the earth (Psa 115:16).
Psa 115:14
The Lord shall increase you more and more. This was the original blessing bestowed on Abraham (Gen 13:16; Gen 17:4-6), and continually reiterated (Gen 18:18; Gen 22:17; Gen 28:14, etc.). It is much dwelt upon by Isaiah (Isa 49:8-12, Isa 49:18-23; Isa 54:1-3; Isa 60:3-12, etc.). The main fulfillment of the promise was through the conversion of the Gentiles, who, when converted, became the true “Israel of God.” But, even apart from this, the lineal descendants of Abraham have “increased more and more,” to an extent which is most extraordinary. You and your children. You yourselves shall increase; but your children shall yet more increase. The multiplying would begin at once, but would be greater and more striking afterwards.
Psa 115:15
Ye are the blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth; i.e. of the true Lord and God, the Creator of all things, visible and invisible.
Psa 115:16
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; literally, the heavens are heavens of Jehovah. They belong to himhe dwells there; but it is otherwise with the earth. But the earth hath he given to the children of men. For man God framed this fair world; to man’s use he adapted it with minutest care; and certainly not least for his own people, who are “the salt of the earth”the human race by representation.
Psa 115:17, Psa 115:18
Once more the choir and congregation speak. The mention of “heaven and earth” (Psa 115:15) reminds them of the third placeSheol. In Sheol is no praise of God, but only “silence.” They, at any rate, while they remain on earth, and have the power to praise God, will praise him without ceasing.
Psa 115:17
The dead praise not the Lord (comp. Psa 6:5; Psa 30:9; Psa 88:11; Isa 38:18). Neither any that go down into silence. The notion of Sheol as a place of silence occurs in Psa 94:17, and strongly in Isa 38:18.
Psa 115:18
But we will bless the Lord; literally, we will bless Jahthe shortened, and perhaps more emphatic, form of Jehovah. We, so long as we have any being, will sing praises unto our God (Psa 146:2)we will bless him, praise him, give thanks to him, from this time forth, and for evermorenot an absolute assertion of immortality, but a strong instinctive anticipation of it. Praise the Lord.
HOMILETICS
Psa 115:1-11
True and false worship.
In strong, nervous language we have here presented to us
I. THE MAJESTY AND THE POWER OF GOD. (Psa 115:3.) The heathen, in their ignorance, want to know where Jehovah is; they cannot see him. The reply is that he does not dwell in temples made with hands; that he is not confined to one building, larger or smaller; that no earthly trappings or grandeurs in any sacred city give any notion of his state. “Our God is in the heavens;” he dwells in celestial glory; he is high above us; his throne is not found here or there, but everywhere; beneath every sky you may look up and say, “God reigns on high.” But not only does majesty belong to him, all power is his. “He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” The psalmist does not state, but he suggests, that everything the idols could not do was within the power of the living God. He was speaking to men everywhere and at all timesin the sunshine and in the storm, in the dew and in the snow, in the con sciences of men, in the words of his prophets, in the divinely given Law. He saw all things and all men: “His eyes beheld, and his eyelids tried, the children of men.” He heard everything; to his ears came the faintest whisper that proceeded from the lip. of the lowliest, as well as the songs of the great congregation. He wrought every thing; his hands fashioned us ourselves, and made all things about and above and beneath us: he “lays his hand upon us,” to inspire and renew us. And though it never pleases God, and never can please him, to do anything that is unholy or unjust or unkind, yet is there no limit to his power. “All things are possible” to him. The spheres of nature, providence, and grace supply ample evidence that apparent impossibilities give way before his Divine wisdom and overcoming might.
II. THE FOLLY AND THE DOOM OF THE IDOLATER. (Psa 115:2, Psa 115:4-8.)
1. He thinks that God cannot be anywhere because his eyes have not rested on his form (Psa 115:2).
2. He continues to worship an image which owes its existence to his own cunning (Psa 115:4), and which cannot use its own organs (Psa 115:4-7), which are helpless and powerless (see Isa 44:9-20).
3. He is destined to be miserably disappointed in the object of his trust; he will gain no help in his time of need, and, being thus unbefriended, he will himself lose heart and strength; the impotence of the idol will be conveyed to its deluded worshipper.
4. He will become like his idol in the moral character he ascribes to the deity. “Like priest, like people” is not so true an adage as “Like god, like people.” Men always tend to become such, in character and life, as is the deity they adore.
III. THE PRIVILEGE AND THE DUTY OF THE DEVOUT. (Psa 115:9-11.) The worshippers of the true and living God:
1. Have at their right hand an Almighty Friend, one who
(1) will enable them to spend their powers and their life in usefulness and happiness,God is their Help;
(2) will be their Defense in time of trouble, guarding them from evil, or sustaining them in sorrow,God is their Shield.
2. Should place in him an unfaltering trust. It becomes all the people of God (Psa 115:9), especially all those who hold any position of prominence in Israel (Psa 115:10), and particularly those who know and who declare themselves to be his servants, to put their trust in him. It is a painful spectacle when the avowed children of God begin, even at the very outbreak of trouble, to show signs of agitation and alarm. That does not “become the gospel” (Php 1:27); it does not “become saints” (Eph 5:3). It is unworthy of those to whom Christ has spoken such words as those he uttered (Mat 6:25-34; Mat 28:20; Joh 14:1, Joh 14:2, Joh 14:21-23).
IV. PIETY IN ITS MATURITY. (Psa 115:1.) We may begin our Christian life by an earnest craving for the salvation of our own soul. Later on, when we have learnt some thing of the wisdom which is in Christ, we make our personal hope second and subordinate to the glory of Christ. We pray that his great and holy Name may be magnified. We are willing to be nothing, that he may be all in all.
1. Because of all that we have experienced of his mercy and his truththe mercy that redeemed and restored us, the truth that has nourished and strengthened uswe long and pray for this.
2. In order that his mercy and his truth may be extended to every land and every home, this is our prayer. We may test the progress we have made in our Christian course by the unselfishness, the Christwardness, of our devotion.
Psa 115:12-18
God’s practical kindness, past and future.
Much as is said in Psa 115:12, more is implied. Written in full, it would read thus: “The Lord has been mindful of us: he has blessed us; he will still be mindful of us, and will still bless us.” We have
I. GOD‘S GREAT KINDNESS IN THE PAST.
1. His thoughtfulness of us. He has had us in his mind, has “remembered us in our low estate,” has been concerned for our true welfare, has rejoiced in our well-being, has sympathized with us in our sorrows.
2. His action on our behalf. He has blessed us; he has given to us a great estatethis earthfor our use (Psa 115:16). He has blessed us with material bounties, with the nappy bonds of kindred and friendship, with the treasures that feed and satisfy the mind, with all sacred privileges.
II. ITS CONTINUANCE IN YEARS TO COME. “He will bless us,” will “increase” us. The guarantees of this continuance are found:
(1) In his own unchangeablenesshe is the same forever.
(2) In the fact that we are his own people, those whom his Son has redeemed with his own blood. If Israel, if the house of Aaron, might count on his kindness by reason of their relationship to him, much more may we, who are his children by faith in Jesus Christ!
(3) In the loyalty and obedience we intend to maintain: those who “fear him” (Psa 115:13), who worship and serve him, will, as his servants, draw down his benediction and his blessing; the humblest as well as the highest of these may claim his mercy and his grace. But is there not
III. A TIME–LIMIT TO HIS SERVICE. “The dead praise not the Lord” (Psa 115:17). We have it in our heart to seek and serve the Lord; and we believe that, so long as we do, we may reckon on his abounding kindness. But how long will that last? At any moment “death may interrupt these songs.” A flash of lightning, an engine off the rails, a puff of poisonous air, a chill, may bring the holiest and the wisest to the grave. And there is perpetual silenceno more song, no more service, no more rejoicing in that “long home.” That is so; but then we have
IV. THE TRUER AND THE LARGER OUTLOOK. Coming after Christ, we can give to the “evermore” of Psa 115:18 a meaning which goes beyond the psalmist’s thought. We think not of our departed as silent in the grave; we think of them as blessing and praising Christ in the heavens, as spending their powers in his higher service there, as taken out of, and not down into, the shadows of time, and introduced into the blessed light and unfading glories of eternity.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY
Psa 115:1-18
The heathen taunt, and what came of it.
To Israel, recently returned from exile, that taunt still seemed to sound in their ears. In this psalm, apparently a liturgical one, and used at high festivals in the service of the second temple, the mocking question of those who had held them in captivity”Where is now their God?” was yet audible, through the keenness with which it was remembered. The sting and anguish of it still rankled in their hearts; and this psalm is the result of it. Consider, then
I. THE MOCKING QUESTION OF THE HEATHEN, “Where is now,” etc.? This, no doubt, was often asked. They had heard of the ancient glories of Israel, and the wonderful works God had done for them; but what a contrast was now presentedthe abject condition into which Israel had fallen! And the character of the people also, as a whole, won scant respect. It was but a remnant, an elect few, that cherished the sacred memories of the past, and who were prepared, when opportunity came, to go back to their own land. But to the faithful few the question was full of pain. And here, in this psalm, we see
II. THE EFFECT OF IT UPON THE MINDS OF THE FAITHFUL.
1. It humbled them before God. Psa 115:1 is a confession of their own unworthiness, that no glory was due to them. And today, when the world mocks and scorns as it does, the people of God may well make like confession and similar disclaimer of all merit. Had the Church been different, the world would not have mocked as it does.
2. It led them to God to seek his aid, that this mockery on the part of the heathen should cease (Psa 115:2). They desired that God would manifest his glory, and so silence the heathen scorn. And this is the need of the Church today. Let God be seen in our midst, and the taunt of the world will sink into silence.
3. Submission to God‘s will. (Psa 115:3.) They knew that God was in the heavens, possessed of all power, wisdom, holiness; and whatever he pleased could only be right. It was not for them to dictate, but only to submit. They could trust him, that in due time he would interpose.
4. Scorn of idols and those who worshipped them. (Psa 115:4-8.) The very brightness of their conception of God showed up all the more the darkness of ignorance in which the heathen lived. And the psalm pours out its sacred scorn of these mere dolls before which the heathen bowed down. Hence the scathing sarcasm and concentrated con tempt of these memorable verses. But has the day passed when men’s “idols are silver and gold”? Is not that the exact description of ourselves as a nation? Do not we worship silver and gold? Would that we could but catch the contagion of the contempt which pervades these verses for our idols of today! We need to, and shall have to; and if we will not learn by gentle means, God will have to purge us of our idolatry by methods sharp and terrible, like as those by which Israel was brought to a better mind.
5. Earnest endeavor to arouse one another to trust only and altogether in God. (Psa 115:12-15.) Would that the world’s contempt of Christians today led them thus earnestly to stir one another up to a more completely God-surrendered life!
6. Renewed assurance of the grace and goodness of the Lord in his faithful people. (Psa 115:12-15.) This follows onit always doesearnest endeavor to deepen the hold of God on the hearts of others. Our own hearts come to be filled with deep and blessed sense of God’s love, and the witness of the Spirit is beard full and clear within.
7. Fresh consecration to God. This seems to be the force of the concluding verses of the psalm (Psa 115:16-18). The Lord in the heavens is sure to do his part; but we are here to do ours. Our time, however, is but short, for we are hastening to the grave where the dead are, and where none can praise God; therefore let us use our time well; and, God helping us, we will (Psa 115:18).
III. LESSONS FOR OURSELVES.
1. How completely was the heart of Israel turned round! Their besetting sin before the Exile had been idolatry and departure from God. But now! God knows how to turn our hearts altogether to himself.
2. The contrast of the Christian‘s faith as to the life after this with the faith of Israel. Theirs is dark, ours is bright.S.C.
Psa 115:12
Looking back and looking on: a new year’s sermon.
There never has been a year in which, when we look back, we have been unable to say, “The Lord hath been mindful of us.” And we may be sure there never will be a year of which, when we look forward to it, we may not say, “The Lord will bless us.” The psalmist is quite sure about this: may we be so likewise! But
I. LET US LOOK BACK ALONG THE COURSE OF THE OLD YEAR.
1. We affirm our conviction that we all should make thankful confession of the Lord‘s mindfulness of us.
2. But many will look back in far other ways.
(1) Some in self-congratulating spirit, but with no thankfulness to God. They will say to themselves, that what good they have won has been all their own doing. But for their own mindfulness of them selves, there would have been but little to be glad about.
(2) Others will deny that the Lord hath been mindful of them; it seems to them that he has forgotten them, if he has not turned against them. They point to their lessened, much lessened, resources. They were ever so much better off at the beginning of the year than they are now. Or here is a widow mourning bitterly the loss of her husband and the father of her now helpless children. Or a husband, whose home is darkened by bereavement of his beloved wife. Or others, who are kept prisoners on beds of weak ness, hopeless disease, or pain. “What!” say these, “hath the Lord been mindful of us? It does not at all seem like it.”
3. Well, we reply, if he has not, then it is very unlike him.
(1) For his mindfulness of us is certainly not a recent thing; he says to his people that the kingdom has been prepared for them from before the foundation of the world.
(2) And all around us are proofs of his loving forethought. See in the history of creation how all our needs were thought of before man was placed on the earth. You cannot do so simple a thing as put some coal on the fire without being reminded of this. Where did that coal come from? Was it not got ready for our use long ere we could need it?
(3) And in the kingdom of his grace this mindfulness of us is conspicuously seen. Christ was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world. God was not taken by surprise when sin entered our world and began to do its deadly work. God had reckoned with it, and had determined that where sin did abound, grace should much more abound. The two arms of Christ’s cross embraceone, all the sinners of the past; the other, all that shall be to the end of time. “The mischief is more than met by the remedy, the malady by the medicine, and the plaster is as wide as the wound” (M. Henry).
(4) And it is true also in God’s personal dealings with us. Reckon up your merciesspiritual, temporal, personal, relativeand set them over against your sorrows, and see which are most numerous.
(5) And think, too, of what our deservings have been. Then see if you can deny any more that God has been mindful of you.
II. LET US LOOK ON THROUGH THE NEW YEAR, AND BE ASSURED THAT GOD WILL HELP US.
1. It is an argument drawn from what has gone beforeand it is valid. We reckon, in regard to men, that what has been will be. The law of habit ensures this. And we may reverently say that God himself conforms to this law. Hence we may reason from what he hath done to what he will do.
2. Furthermore, he has known all along what reasons there are why he should not bless us. No one can tell God anything worse of us than he already knows.
3. And we are in Christ by faith in him. Therefore we are accepted in Christ. Shall not, then, God with him freely give us all things?
CONCLUSION.
1. We will believe that he will bless us.
2. Inasmuch as his blessing is given into the hands outstretched in prayer and faith, and that move in obedience to him, so shall our hands be, and thus will we confidently expect his blessing.
3. And we will tell others of this.S.C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK
Psa 115:1
Honor in honoring God.
This psalm evidently belongs to the time when the restoration from Babylon was only partially accomplished. The little colony settled in Jerusalem and the district immediately round the city, were the scorn of the neighboring petty nations, which were all heathen, and of the Samaritans, whose assistance in building Jehovah’s temple they, perhaps unwisely, had refused. This psalm in a way meets scorn with scorn. Jehovah’s people scorn the idol-worship of the nations, and the idol-nations scorn the insignificance of the company that talked so grandly about restoring the kingdom of David. But that is the darker side of the psalm. It is better to see that the scorn was but an unworthy expression of a state of mind and feeling that was good and right. Among the restored exiles there was great zeal for God, great jealousy for the honor of Jehovah; and it was this that made them refuse association with the semi-heathen Samaritans, and think so scornfully of the idol-worshippers. Not limiting ourselves to the state of mind of him who wrote, and those who sang, this psalm, let us regard the psalm as expressing generally the humble, loyal, zealous feeling of all true Jehovah-worshippers, and then three things are suggested.
I. PUTTING OUR HONOR ASIDE. “Not unto us give glory.” It is a universal experience that when God is really apprehended, self goes into the second place. It must be so. God can be in no place but the first. In the sphere of morals it is true that the most miserable of men is he who is anxious about his own dignity. He will turn everything into offence. In the sphere of religion it is true that the first sign of regeneration is the humility that claims nothing for self. “Not by works of righteousness which we had done;” “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
II. SEEKING GOD‘S HONOR. “Unto thy Name give the praise.” Dr. Chalmers spoke of “the expulsive power of a new affection.” It is fully true of the soul’s affection for God. It expels self and everything else, and compels a man to set God’s honor first, to live for God (compare St. Paul’s exclamation, “To me to live is Christ”). God’s honor is sought by being good and by doing good; in relations, worship, and work. This aim glorifies all forms of life.
III. FINDING THAT WE GAIN OUR HONOR IN SEEKING GOD‘S. In two ways.
1. The very effort to seek God’s honor cultures us in the character that wins for us honor.
2. And God makes the honor of men come to us as his benediction. on our loyalty.R.T.
Psa 115:2
The taunt of the unbeliever.
“Where is now their God?” (comp. Psa 42:3). The expression is to be understood by the help of the associations of the psalm. It is always trying to be despised; always hard to work on faithfully under jeers and taunts. The neighbors of the restored exiles did not dare actually to interfere with them, because they were under the protection of the Persian authority; but they could taunt them and laugh at them. And it must be admitted that there was apparent occasion. The exiles were poor and few. They had been stopped in building their temple, and there were nothing but foundations to be seen. It might be saidIf your God can do anything, he surely can get his own temple built. They dare not attempt to raise the walls and fix new gates and enclose the city; for every attempt would be checked. It might be saidIf your God really cared for you, he would help you to defend yourselves. The pious souls were deeply hurt by this reproach cast on their God, and could only find rest in assuring themselves that if his will was a sovereign will, it was influenced by covenant promises. We can always turn from our doubtings as to what God does, and find our satisfaction in what God is.
I. THE STRAIN INVOLVED IN INCOMPLETENESS. We start out with a distinct life aim and purpose; but the years pass by, and all we have, as the result of labor and waiting, is an unfinished building, like some of the cathedrals. Then we are apt to lose hope, and to sayNot done now, it will never be done. So the years had passed for the exiles, and the new nation was still in a most incomplete state. No walls, no temple, no real freedom, no independent native government. It was a big strain on faith to see the nation’s hope ever realized.
II. THE INTENSIFYING OF THE STRAIN THROUGH MISCONCEPTIONS, It was hard to see and to feel the incompleteness; but it was harder still to be told about it, to have it pointed out, and to be taunted with it. Those enthusiastic Jews who came out from Babylon expecting at once to accomplish great things, could see well enough the mere foundations of the temple, and the heaps of the ruined walls; but it was bitter ness indeed to have some one come up as they were looking, and whisper in their ear, “Where is now thy God?”
III. THE RELIEF OF THE STRAIN BY CHERISHING TRUSTFUL THOUGHTS OF GOD. (Psa 115:3.) The check on our work God puts. Incompleteness is his permission. Failure is his discipline. If God is in them, and their state pleases him, then our incomplete things are blessings in disguise.R.T.
Psa 115:4
The inefficiency of idolatry.
“The work of men’s hands.” Denunciation of the idolatry of the heathen is characteristic of the psalms of the restoration. With this passage may be compared such passages as Isa 44:9-20. In treating of idols it should be borne in mind that they are differently regarded by their intelligent and unintelligent worshippers. The mystical Hindu will tell us that his idols are to him nothing more than are to us the pictures of absent or dead friends. They are helps to memory and imagination. But to the great mass of heathen the idol-figure is the actual god worshipped, the embodiment of the god, the shrine of the god. So Scripture is justified in its scorn of the idol-deities. The point presented here is the helplessness of idols, in that they have organs of sense, but no sensibility. There is an argument in the simple statement that they are “the work of men’s hands.”
I. MAN‘S HANDIWORK IS INFERIOR TO HIS BEST THOUGHT. No man ever yet reached with his hands what he had conceived in his mind. The artist’s idea is better than his picture. It is inferior to the artist himself. The sculptor’s figure is better than the model he produces. The literary man never writes as good a book as he intends to write. It is the universal fact that a man is always greater than anything he creates, or anything he accomplishes. And this must be true when a man attempts to mould with his hands the figure of his thought of God. He cannot imprison in gold, or silver, or clay, or wood, his whole thought. And he himself remains a nobler being than the god he creates; and so the god should worship him, and not he the god.
II. MAN‘S BEST THOUGHT MUST BE INFERIOR TO DEITY. This is true of the best man’s best thought. But what guarantee can we have that the idol-maker is a best man, and that best man at his best? Grant that the primary creations of Baal or Vishnu were the best conceptions of best men, still we face the fact, that, necessarily, the conception was short of the reality. No man by searching can find out God; and no man by imagining can find him out so as to represent him. Then this follows: God himself must give to men the earth-pattern of himself. He has done it. But the earth-pattern is no thing, no likeness of any thing in heaven and earth and sea. It is the living Being, the “Man Christ Jesus,” “express Image of his Person.”R.T.
Psa 115:6
Like god, like people.
“They that make them shall be like unto them.” This suggests a topic in the line of the previous homily. It is a law which works in a twofold way. As is the god who is worshipped, so are the people who worship. As is the people who worship, so are the gods whom they create for worship. It is, indeed, the very essence of the idea of a God worthy to be worshipped, that he shall be revealed to man, not created by him; that he shall be in the sphere of man’s thoughts, and so apprehensible; but beyond the reach of man’s thoughts, and so a perpetual inspiration to him. The reproach which Jehovah makes to his people is that they have not kept him beyond them, but have reduced him to their level. “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself.” We have seen that what men attempt to embody when they make their own gods is themselves; the gods are like the people. The characteristics of any nation can be known by a study of its gods; and the characteristics of any particular age of a nation can be known by its relation to, and treatment of, the national gods. Therefore the history of the nations is so largely the history of the national religions.
I. Let men make their own gods like themselves, and THEY WILL NEVER MAKE THE GODS LIKE THEMSELVES AT THEIR REST. Whatever may be thought about the formulated doctrine of original sin, the fact of universal moral deterioration is bound to be generally accepted. And the sign of it is that man is not interested in his best; perhaps not even able to set before himself the image of himself at his best possible. So there never yet was an idol-god made that even represented its maker at his noblest.
II. Let men make their own gods like themselves, and THEY WILL BE SURE TO MAKE THE GODS LIKE THEMSELVES AT THEIR WORST. This can be effectually illustrated by the Kali, Sarasvati, Juggernaut, of India; the Baal and Ashtaroth of Phoenicians; the Moloch of Amorites; and even the refined and artistic creations of Grecian genius; for these represent man sensual, which really is man at his lowest. And this fact, that if man makes his own gods he makes them like himself at his worst, may be shown to be equally true of those immaterial, mental, figures of God which men now make as the idols of an intellectual age. They are no more worthy of God than the hideous figures of India, and this is the serious feature of the case. Let man make his god after the pattern of himself at his worst, and the god he makes and worships will inevitably debase him lower and lower.R.T.
Psa 115:9
The call to trust implies imperiled trust.
This and the following verses were, apparently, sung as responses. This explains the repetition of the same idea. The scornful taunts of the surrounding peoples might have had a serious influence on Jehovah’s servants. It might have taken all heart out of them. Probably many of the weaker ones did flag under the discouragements, and so there was a real need of this pleading of the psalmist for full and even rejoicing trust in God. The confidence felt by one man will often inspire the confidence of others. When one man can see God plainly working as Helper and Defender, he, in a very wonderful way, opens the eyes of others to see the same signs of Divine presence and power. Our trust in God passes from one to another, even as does an epidemic disease. And it may also be shown how often psalm and song help us to fetch back imperiled trust. Treating the case of the restored exiles as illustrative, we may see how our trust in God may now be imperiled
I. BY GOD‘S UNFULFILLED PROMISES. Some of God’s promises really belong to our future, and we have no right to look for their present fulfillment; but such is the restlessness of man, that he persists in thinking he ought to have everything now. And as he cannot, he readily regards some of God’s promises as unfulfilled. So through long ages men expected the promised Messiah, and often lost their faith and dimmed their hope because he did not come. But God’s promises never are unfulfilled. It is only thishe has our whole lives to work in, he has all the ages to work in. Compare our Lord’s saying, “My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready.” Trust should make a treasure of the promises.
II. BY GOD‘S INCOMPLETELY FULFILLED PROMISES. It is harder to keep trust when a promise has begun to be fulfilled, and has been checked in the fulfillment, than when it is altogether delayed. It was harder for the exiles to look on the new foundations of the temple than on the old ruins. There is no feature of Divine discipline that so severely tries our power to keep on trusting, as this checking of blessings that have begun to be bestowed; this asking us to accept of incomplete fulfillments.
III. BY GOD‘S MISUNDERSTOOD PROMISES. So often we take God to promise what we wish him to promise, rather than what he does promise. Then we raise unreason able expectations, and get unreasonably depressed when they are not fulfilled. God may test and try our trust, but he never puts it in peril; we do that when we cannot wait, and persist in misunderstanding.R.T.
Psa 115:12
The certainty of the Divine benediction.
“He will bless us.” The repetition of the word “bless” adds great effect to this passage. The Lord has many blessings, each one worthy to be rememberedhe blesses, and blesses, and blesses again. Where he has once bestowed his favor, he continues it, his blessing delights to visit the same house very often, and abide where it has once lodged. Blessing does not impoverish the Lord; he has multiplied his mercies in the past, and he will pour them forth thick and threefold in the future. He will have a general blessing for all who fear him, a peculiar blessing for the whole house of Israel, and a double blessing for the sons of Aaron. It is his nature to bless, it is his prerogative to bless, it is his glory to bless, it is his delight to bless; he has promised to bless, and therefore be sure of thishe will bless, and bless without ceasing. The subject dealt with should be thisThe past is the pledge of the future. A nation makes a fatal mistake when it separates itself from its past; though it misuses the past when it binds itself with precedents, and so destroys its own freedom and individuality. A man makes the gravest mistake when he separates himself from his past, but he makes as grave a mistake when he persists in forcing his present life and relations into the old moulds. What is always safe to do is, keep in mind what God has been to us in the past. Our selves in our past seldom teach us much. In regard to human experience, Froude’s word is a wise one, “Experience is like the stern-lights of a ship, which throw their rays on a way which has been taken.” God in our past always teaches us much, seeing that we have no very definite aim in working for ourselves, and he has a very definite aim in working for us.
I. GOD HAS BLESSED US. How true this is seen to be in a review of the history of God’s people Israel! Especially if we take, as the chief idea of God’s blessing, over ruling for God. The more clearly we understand our own lives, the more fully we shall realize that as our best idea of God’s blessing. Certainly it is what would most come home to the restored exiles.
II. GOD IS BLESSING US. This is a fact of observation; a conviction of feeling; and an argument from the nature of God. We cannot conceive of him as beginning to do a good, and leaving it off; and the blessing we need is blessing that we continuously need.
III. GOD WILL BLESS US. Since we are well assured that our conditions, relations, and needs will remain much the same, and call still for his merciful overrulings and blessings.R.T.
Psa 115:17
The responsibility of being alive.
“The dead praise not the Lord.” Joy in life is the characteristic of every healthy, right-minded person. Pining for death is, altogether and always, a sign of a morbid condition of body or of mind. It is a delusion to imagine that religion requires of us an indifference to life, and a yearning for heaven. The psalmists and kings of the old Israelite times loved life and dreaded death. One says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death” (Psa 118:17). Hezekiah expresses but the universal sentiment of the good men of his day when he says, “The grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known thy truth” (Isa 38:18, Isa 38:19). But if we have life, we must take it with all its responsibilities, and the first of these is that we acknowledge the God who made us, on whom we are wholly dependent, and who lays his righteous claims upon us. One of those claims is indicated by the psalmist. God calls for praise. All his works praise him in their order and fitness, in the precise fulfillment of the end for which they were designed. But God seeks that higher praise which can be offered by intelligent and free-willed beings. And the time in which they can offer the praise is the time of their lives amid terrestrial things. It is the praise of the living that God wants. It is praise while living that man can alone render.
I. PRAISE–TIME IS THE PRESENT TIME. It is never a mere duty that has been done; a demand that has been met. The praise that is God’s due can never be paid, so that we can get a receipt in full for all our obligations. It is never a duty that can be put off to some by-and-by, something that we can promise to do some day. It is the duty of the hour. It is immediate response to God’s present blessings.
II. PRAISE–TIME IS A LIMITED TIME. It is limited to life, and life is always short and always uncertain, so that a man’s call to praise is a call of the moment. For praise “now is the accepted time.” No man has any to-morrow until God gives it to him, and then he must call it today. Only by doing just the duty of the hour can any man meet his human obligations.
III. THE OCCASIONS OF PRAISE BELONG TO THE PRESENT TIME. It is true that there is call to praise for God’s past dealings with us; and call to praise in view of the promises on which we are permitted to hope; but we can always find, if we will, calls to praise in the things actually around us; God’s good hand is ever on us for good.R.T.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT
Psa 115:1-18
The honor due to God.
A call to the God of Israel, the living God, to rescue the honor of his Name from the reproach of the heathen.
I. GOD IS WORTHY OF THE HIGHEST HONOR. In contrast to heathen idols.
1. Because of his loving-kindness or mercy. (Psa 115:1.)
2. Because of his truth or faith fullness. (Psa 115:1.) Emphatically “truth and grace came by Jesus Christ.”
3. Though invisible, he reigns and rules from the exalted heaven. (Psa 115:3.) The idols are earthly things, and have no power.
4. God is omnipotent, able to execute his own will. (Psa 115:3.) The idols are dead things, with no will; and their worshippers become as dead as they are.
II. GOD IS WORTHY OF TRUST. (Psa 115:9-14.)
1. Because he is the Helper and Defender of those who trust in him. (Psa 115:9-11.)
2. Because his past goodness is the pledge for future blessing. (Psa 115:12-14.) He will bless and multiply both the great and the small together.
III. GOD IS WORTHY OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP. (Psa 115:15-18.)
1. As the Creator of heaven and earth. (Psa 115:15.) And the heavens are for the dwelling-place of Jehovah.
2. Because he hath given the earth to men for their possession.
3. God must be praised now and foreverbefore we go down into the silence of Hades. (Psa 115:17, Psa 115:18.) “The Old Testament,” says Delitzsch, “knows nothing of a heavenly exclusion that praises God without intermission, consisting not merely of angels, but also of the spirits of all men who die in the faith” (but see Psa 103:20-22).S.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Psalms 115.
Because God is truly glorious, and idols are vanity, the Psalmist exhorteth to confidence in him. God is to be praised for his blessings.
THERE is great reason to think that this psalm was composed in some time of great distress, when the pagan enemies of the Jews began to boast as if their gods were too powerful for the God of Israel: but by whom it was made, or on what particular occasion, there are so many conjectures, says Bishop Patrick, that it will be no presumption to interpose mine, which is this: that when Jehoshaphat saw the vast army which we read of, 2Ch 20:2 composed of several nations, coming against him, and, after his prayer to God for deliverance, was encouraged by a prophet to hope for it, (Psa 115:14-15.) and had by the Levites given Jehovah thanks for this hope, he or that prophet composed this hymn to quicken and confirm the people’s faith in God, to which you read he exhorted them, 2Ch 20:20 and it is not unlikely that this was the hymn which, by common consent, the singers were appointed to use when they went to encounter those enemies; saying not only those words which were read there, (2Ch 20:21.) praise the Lord, &c. but these also, Not unto us, O Lord, &c. Dr. Delaney however is of opinion, that this psalm was composed as an epinicion or triumphal song for David’s victory over the Jebusites; the lame and the blind, &c. (see 2Sa 5:6.) it being plainly a hymn of humiliation and thanksgiving to God for a victory gained over a heathen people, who put their confidence in their idols, and despised the God of David: (see from Psa 115:2-8.) And, however this hymn may be adapted to the people of the Jews by many peculiarities, yet it is remarkable, that it has always been used as a hymn of thanksgiving for victories by all princes of true piety from the earliest Christian ages, and very probably from the age of David. See Life of David, book 2: chap. 6.
Psa 115:1. Not unto us, O Lord By the repetition of these words the Psalmist humbly expresses the unworthiness of the Jews to receive the signal blessings wherewith the Lord had favoured them.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psalms 115
1Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But unto thy name give glory,
For thy mercy, and for thy truths sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say,
Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens:
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of mens hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not:
Eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not:
Noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not:
Feet have they, but they walk not:
Neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them;
So is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the Lord:
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord:
He is their help and their shield.
11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord:
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the Lord,
Both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more,
You and your children.
15 Ye are blessed of the Lord
Which made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lords:
But the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not the Lord,
Neither any that go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and for evermore.
Praise the Lord.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Contents and Composition.Jehovah is called upon for the sake of His mercy and truth, and not on account of the worthiness of His people, to manifest His glory which had been reviled or brought into question by heathen (Psa 115:1-2). For He is the heavenly, almighty God, while the idols of the heathen are worthless images of mens hands, of whose worthlessness those partake, who have made them and yet trust in them (Psa 115:3-8). But those who belong to Gods house, and who fear Him, may be called upon to trust in Him (Psa 115:9-12) with the assurance that He who has been mindful of them will bless and increase them (Psa 115:12-14), in order that they, as the blessed of the Lord, may continue preserved in life upon the earth which has been given to them by God who dwells in heaven, and may give Him the glory forever (Psa 115:15-18).
The matter and style of this Psalm differ so greatly from those of the preceding that the union of the two into one whole (Sept. and others) cannot have been the original form, and must have been made later for liturgical purposes. The liturgical character is strongly marked, especially in Psa 115:9 ff. But there is no sure ground for a distribution among different choirs (Kster, Ewald).
The time of composition is no less uncertain, since the invocation to God for help against the heathen is altogether general in its character. It is possible that the thrice-pronounced refrain, He is their help and their shield, instead of our help, as in Psa 33:20, may have had some connection with a host going forth to war, (Hitzig). But nothing follows from this in favor of the military expedition of the Maccaban prince Jonathan, since the supposition, that the three following Psalms are connected with the same event, and are to be explained from 1 Maccabees 11 has not been established. It is likewise possible that this was an antiphony sung by the same voice (Delitzsch), which had announced the propitious acceptance of the sacrifice supposed to have been offered (Ewald); but there is not the least indication or the offering of a sacrifice in these Psalms. [See the Introduction to the exposition of Psalms 113J. F. M.] It is possible, finally, to divide the antiphony, Psa 115:9 ff. so as to make, first, the whole people, then, the priests, and, lastly, the laity speak. (Kster). But on this point nothing more certain can be said, especially as it is not even decided whether those who fear God refer to the laity as distinguished from the house of Aaron, or to the whole priesthood (Hitzig), or to the whole nation of Israel, in the sense of Gods servants (De Wette, Hengst., Hupfeld) or to those in the nation who are truly pious (Calvin), or to the proselytes, according to the later Judaistic and New Testament usage (Isaaki and others, Ewald, Delitzsch). Still more arbitrary is the supposition that in Psa 115:12-13 the laity sing, then in Psa 115:14-15 the priests, and in Psa 115:16-18 the whole people end in chorus (Kster). In Psa 118:2; Psa 118:4 the same triple classification is given: Israel, the house of Aaron, and those that fear God. In Psa 135:19 f. the house of Levi is, in addition, distinguished from the house of Aaron. [Perowne and Alexander agree with Hengstenberg in thinking it probable that the Psalm was composed after the return from Exile and before the Temple was built. Delitzsch offers no conjecture as to the date.J. F. M.]
Psa 115:2 is the same, verbatim, as Psa 79:10. It must not be too confidently maintained that it was taken from that Psalm (Hengst.), for the same expression occurs also in Joe 2:17. Similar in thought are Psa 42:4; Mic 7:10.
[Psa 115:3. Perowne: The answer to the taunt of the heathen, who, seeing no image of Jehovah, mocked at His existence. First, He is in heaven, invisible indeed, yet thence ruling the universe: next, He doeth what He will, in fine contrast to the utter impotence of the idols of the heathen. The last expression denotes both Gods almighty power, and His absolute freedom. This, truthfully accepted, does away with all a priori objections to miracles.J. F. M.]
Psa 115:4 ff. Idols. Literally: carved images. The assertion that the polemic of the Psalmist was directed only against the images and not the gods of the heathen (De Wette) is not justified by this expression. For, as images of mens mistaken faith, these gods have no real existence. They are really only represented in their images, the work of mens hands. In both respects these gods fall under the common idea of human construction, and of being inanimate. It is just against these points that the attack is directed after Deu 4:28, in the same manner as in Isa 44:9 ff.; Jer 10:3 ff.: Wis 15:15, in order to make it clear that their lifeless gods are nothings, whose fate shall be shared by those who trust in such idols.
[Psa 115:7. Alexander: The sameness of this long enumeration, the force of which is logical and not poetical, is partially relieved by a change in the form of the original, which cannot well be imitated in translation: Their hands and they feel not, their feet and they walk not. Some make the first words in each clause nominatives absolute, their handsthey feel not; their feetthey walk not. But in the preceding parts of the description the verbs relate not to the particular members, but to the whole person. It is better, therefore, to supply a verb: their hands (are there) and (yet) they feel not; their feet (are there), and (yet) they go not. The English feel is to be taken in its outward and physical sense, answering to the Latin palpo, here used by the Vulgate and Jerome. A less equivocal translation would be touch. The meaning of the last clause is, that they cannot even make the faintest and most inarticulate guttural noise, like the lower animals, much less speak as men do.J. F. M].
Psa 115:14-17. Psa 115:14 does not refer to an increase of the blessing (Aben Ezra, Luth., Calv., Geier, and others), but to an increase in the population after Deu 1:11; 2Sa 24:3; comp. Gen 30:24. [In Psa 115:16 translate: The heavens (are) heavens for Jehovah, and the earth He has given to the children of men. If God, while reserving the heavens to Himself, gives the earth to men, that they may multiply and replenish it, He will increase them.J. F. M.] Silence in Psa 115:17 is that of the underworld, as in Psa 94:17.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The pious are not concerned for their own honor, which they are not worthy to have (Eze 36:22 f.), but for the glory of God. This seems to suffer when it fares ill with those who fear God. Then unbelievers appear to be justified in deriding the faith of the Church. But her members do not rely upon their worthiness or desert, but upon the fact that the cause and the glory are not theirs, but their Gods. This God, who has made Himself an unequalled name in the world, cannot allow it to be dishonored with impunity, and just as little can He leave those in distress who confess and call upon it. His mercy and His truth are the foundations of this belief.
2. Unbelievers have not, in any respect, the slightest cause for derision or self-laudation. For the God of historical revelation is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. He not only lives, but He is a self-conscious, active Person, as unlimited in His power as in His will. The gods of the heathen, on the contrary, are idols fashioned by human hands, without life and being. They have only the outward appearance of personality, only the semblance of life and of power to act, but no reality and no efficiency.
3. To trust in such effigies of humanity, and such works of human hands, is not merely foolish but ruinous. Idolatry, in a refined or in a grosser sense, brings its votaries inevitably to destruction. But that people which is wholly devoted to God, is blessed in all its members, and increases constantly by the blessing of that God, who has reserved for His special dwelling the heavens which He has created, but has portioned out to mankind (Act 17:26) the earth which He has created, and will receive their praise, presented to Him willingly and unceasingly by the members of His Church, who will encourage each other to the performance of this holy and blessed service.
4. As long as the redemption of the world and its reconciliation with God remain uncompleted, so long must the separation between Gods dwelling-place and that of men remain in actual fact unremoved. Heaven and earth still continue distinct, and the believer in revelation indulges no illusions, as do the heathen, concerning this relation and its future conditions. As with regard to Gods being, power, and will, so with regard to this he does not fondly cherish or indulge any ideas, or speculations, or visions of his own fancy. He adheres simply and entirely to Gods word. As long as he has no clear word of promise he knows nothing of the Church which praises God eternally in heaven. His hopes are directed towards the possession of the promised land, a long life upon earth, Gods blessing in the increase of his generation, and the continued existence of Gods Church in the world. And even though the prophetic vision and announcement of an indestructible personal and vital communion of believers with God, or even of the Idea of the resurrection, have been presented to him, yet their appropriation and the introduction into the life of faith enjoyed by the Church remain a subject of anxious thought, upon which, as the Psalms show, light is but slowly scattered, and which becomes only gradually cleared up by successive revelations.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
We are unworthy of any glory. God is worthy of all; but it is our part to ascribe it to Him.Faith is in opposition and conflict not merely with unbelief, but also with false belief.God is never weary of hearing, helping, and blessing; but how often and how soon do men cease to pray, to trust, and to give thanks!God dwells in heaven, wouldst thou not go to Him? Now, while thou livest, seek and serve Him upon earth, and trust His mercy and truth.The Almighty, who dwells in heaven, has given the earth to the children of men, not merely as a residence while they live, but also as the place where He has revealed Himself, and where they shall serve Him. The relation of the questions, where is our God? and, who is our God?
Starke: There is no idol in the world so great as inordinate self-love. Self-denial thrusts this god from its throne.Gods mercy and truth are the foundation of our faith and hope, and of all our help and comfort.There is no child of God so poor and forsaken as not to be able to point with his finger on high, and say: behold my witness is in heaven, and He who knows me, on high (Job 16:19). Those who serve idols are much more liberal in devoting their substance to their false gods, than worshippers of the true God are, in giving theirs to churches and schools.No mans curse can injure him whom God blesses.None can receive Gods blessing but those who fear the Lord.God is not so much confined to heaven as to be shut out from the government of the world.As the earth is not the property of men, but they have received it from the great God only as a trust, they are to use it, as not abusing it.Do good while you live and have opportunity; death shuts the mouth from speaking and the hand from doing good.Only wait a little, and see how the lofty speeches of Gods enemies end. They are surely followed by great stillness, by eternal silence.Hallelujah! Who will join in the song? This harmonious praise on earth is as it were the prelude to the heavenly hallelujah (Rev 19:6).
Frisch: Let the living not neglect to do what the dead can no longer do.(tinger: God has given the earth to the children of men, especially for this end, that they may most earnestly devote their short and transitory lives to the praise of the living God, and not to that of dead idols, and thus learn that, in view of the future world, the earth fulfils a special purpose, and that is, that Gods wisdom may be glorified.Rieger: Urged by the fear of God, men must cast away many natural and unnatural grounds of hope, but for these they receive a rich compensation from Gods mercy and truth. But, unless they trust in His mercy and truth, they treat our beloved God no better than a dumb idol.Tholuck: It is the curse which follows all false belief with regard to God, that man in a manner, becomes his own God.Guenther: Different ages have different customs. This is true also with regard to sin. Its essential nature is always the same, departure from the true God, but the forms of its manifestation are determined by the circumstances of education and culture.Diedrich: Gods Church needs the help of her King against more powerful heathenism, but not for her own merit, or that she should receive the praise, but only for the sake of the glory of Gods name.Taube: One sad consequence of the fall is the band, by which man, separated from communion with the invisible God, lies fettered beneath the influence of the temporal and visible.
[Matt. Henry: Wherever there is an awful fear of God, there may be a cheerful faith in Him. They that reverence His word may rely upon it.Scott: When conscious unworthiness is ready to extinguish our hopes, we have a never-failing plea, and we may entreat the Lord to serve and bless us, for the glory of His mercy and truth in Jesus Christ, when all our other arguments are silenced.Barnes: It is always a sufficient answer to the objections which are made to the government of God, as if He had forsaken His people in bringing affliction on them, and leaving them, apparently without interposition, to poverty, to persecution and to tears, that He is in the heavens; that He rules there and everywhere; that He has His own eternal purposes; and that all things are ruled in accordance with His will. There must, there fore, be some good reason why events occur as they actually do.J. F. M.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
This is a psalm of praise, wherein the glory of God, as opposed to idols, and the idolatry and self-confidence of the human heart, is strikingly set forth.
Psa 115:1
How truly this becomes the language of the believer! when the heart is full of Christ, all creature confidences are done away. And, Reader, do observe how the mercy of God in Christ is blended with God’s covenant-engagements. For what is God’s mercy but the mercy promised? And in what is redemption founded, but God’s truth? Luk 1:72 ; Psa 106:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 115
Non Nobis Domine was the battle-song of the heroic John Sobieski, King of Poland, 12 September, 1683, when he marched down from the heights of Kalenberg, and defeated the immense army of the Turks which was besieging Vienna, and had reduced it to the last extremity. It was a turning-point in history, the final great Eastern invasion which has thundered at that gate of Europe; and ever since, the Turkish power and Mohammedan faith have been on the wane. There was indescribable enthusiasm as the Psalm was sung, ‘Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased’.
J. K.
True Knowledge Through Spiritual Insight
Psa 115:5
The heathen, with his idol gods about him, has challenged the champion of a spiritual religion to show him his God. The answer was simple and complete, though not, we may be sure, convincing to the opponent. It was this: ‘As for our God, He is in heaven’. To have eyes, and yet not see, in body and in spirit, that and some of the several stages of it are the points which I ask you to consider.
I. Let me take first the eyes of the body, and illustrate my meaning, as to their seeing or not seeing, by one or two examples.
( a ) You have seen a ray of light caught by a prism by some skilful operator, and thrown on to a surface carefully prepared to receive it. But striking and suggestive and beautiful as what you see is, you do not see all that is there. The human eye is not so arranged as to see it all. That is a case in which the eye of the body is unable to see that which science shows to be there.
( b ) You stand before some monument of ages long gone by. Its surface bears the marks of time, and to the untrained eye shows nothing but irregular depressions. But the trained eye sees in one or another of the depressions the last lingering trace of what a thousand years ago was part of a letter, and sends to the brain the information which determines of what race they were who raised the monument.
( c ) The rich and varied gifts, the pure exalted pleasures which the eyes of the body are intended to minister to man, are marred by want of sympathetic observation even more than by want of Knowledge. The unlearned, unlettered man will often read through the bodily eye in nature, and in his whole environment, lessons fair and touching, lessons far beyond the reach of that saddest product of this or any age the man with well-trained head, and richly garnered mind and memory, and empty heart.
II. But none of us would long be satisfied with the life of the body alone, lived ever so well and worthily. We must, if we would avoid a growing discontent, live the inner, the spiritual life too. The eye of the spirit must be an eye that sees. How shall we help it to see? That which the spirit of man most needs, for its full play and development, is just that which in this hurrying age is ever more and more difficult to obtain rest and quiet, time and place for contemplation.
III. If the eye of the spirit is by care and contemplation trained to see spiritual verity, to range as freely and keenly over the realms of the unseen as the eye of the body over the works of nature and of art, what shall it, in its furthest flight, its keenest insight, what shall it see? the eye of the spirit cannot but travel far, whatever and however the man believes. For the man who believes, ask him what in the end his inner eye can see. He tells you they are his own words ‘I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God’.
Bishop G. F. Browne, Cambridge Sermons, p. 52.
Psa 115:8
St. John of the Cross explains this text as follows: ‘He who loves the creature, remains as low as that creature, and in a certain sense even lower, because love makes the lover not only equal, but subject to the object of his affection’.
References. CXV. International Critical Commentary, vol. ii. p. 392. CXVI. 7. W. P. J. Bingham, Sermons on Easter Subjects, p. 119. CXVI. 9. J. Baines, Twenty Sermons, p. 163.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
False Religions
Psa 115:8
Thus our manhood comes out of our religion. Whether that religion is false or true, it shows itself in the quality of manhood which it creates. We may therefore begin our religious arguments from the human side. All men cannot begin from the metaphysical points. Only a few human minds really care anything for pure metaphysics. Abstract preachers, therefore, preach to emptiness: concrete preachers may get at least an occasional hearing. In the Christian religion, and in every religion, we start the point from the concrete or human side, the question simply being, What kind of men does our religion make? Without inquiring into the metaphysics of our faith, how does it come out in manhood? If it makes really pure, noble, magnanimous, beneficent men, it is a true faith, however many of its documents it may have lost, and however much it may have been perverted in statement by its most devoted apologists. Here we seem to be upon a rock. That is the only test of religion, of orthodoxy, of doctrine. How does our faith incarnate itself? What sort of man does it make? How does it affect the shop, the counting-house, the family, the conscience, the individual, and the variously-related life? We take our stand upon that solemn, practical doctrine. If the religious faith should result in little men, invisible souls in an other than physical sense, we cannot have a very cheering estimate of the faith. If the religious belief result in sectarianism, narrowness, bitterness, then the true God is not believed in. He may be accepted intellectually; serial literature may have been created in his name, and all the machinery may be orthodox; but if the soul be poor, weazened, sapless, musicless, although the right God may be believed in in name, the faith is only nominal, there has been no participation in the divine nature, and the men who profess God without living God are idolaters, to whatever church they may belong. Reasoning of this kind throws a very solemn responsibility upon believers. If we find them narrow and little, conceited and pompous, selfish and sordid, what do we care for their catechism? We say, “If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” A catalogue of orthodox doctrines matched by a heterodox series of moral contradictions, there is no irony so grim!
Retiring from the pronouns of the text in order to come to the substantive and particular, we find that the Psalmist is discoursing about false gods whom he denominates “idols”: concerning them, he says, “They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat” ( Psa 115:5-7 ).
A false religion has all the outward signs of importance. A false religion could not live if it showed only its lying side. Even a lie could not live but for the one grain of truth that may be in it: it may be a grain of probability only, or even of possibility, but the lie owes its life, however brief, to the element of at least seeming truth, or possible truth, that may be in it. So with false religions: enumerate them, set them all out in a line, and one looks very much like another as to outward appearance. How long would a piece of lead be in the marketplace if offered as a coin? Not one moment But if treated, if smelted, minted, stamped, drilled, and made to look like a coin, it might deceive somebody, it might live a little while. To what would it owe its life? Not to its intrinsic quality, but to its appearance. So when you cite the religions of the world, and set them all in a line, you are perfectly right in saying, Behold them, and see how very strikingly they resemble one another. The counterfeit coin lives in its resemblance: take away this resemblance, and you take away its whole value; its similitude is its life. What wonder, then, that we find men deceived by religions that are superficial, and merely human inventions, that have nothing to live upon that is of an eternal and divine nature? It is quite possible that the counterfeit coin may be more brilliant than the real coin. How did the five-pound note pass? Because it was like a five-pound note: the paper was the same, the mill mark was the same, the writing was the same; the resemblance was the reason of the successful deception. A piece of plain paper never would have done the work. No man ever took a piece of plain paper for a five-pound note. It is only when we come into the region or district of resemblances, minute particulars, that we are deceived. Sometimes even the eye of an expert is misled. The expert says, I think this is genuine. Afterwards it is proved to be counterfeit: how was the expert misled? By appearances. So you may take a false religion and a true religion, and if you go only by appearances the one may be strikingly like the other, and you may even say, What possible difference can it make which of them I take? It makes no difference, except the difference between falsehood and truth. Young minds, inventive, imaginative, audacious minds may be strongly tempted when health is good and fortune is prosperous to take up any religion that looks good. This is the continual and the subtle temptation that is addressed to all hearts. True religion cares nothing for appearances unless they represent realities. Religion does not value hands that cannot handle: the hand is judged by the handling. True religion does not say, Behold, here is a religion with eyes, therefore it must be a good religion: true religion holds up some object before those eyes and says, What is this? and the eye being so to say deaf and dumb, what is the use of it as a mere figure or outline or artistic success? Truth being real itself will only be content with realities.
This is the way in which all things must be tested. What is your religion doing? It is criticising, it is finding fault, it is living upon mischief; it is energetic in wrong ways, its purpose is to spoil the lives of others: then it is not the true religion. What is your church doing? Enjoying itself; curtaining itself in luxury, making a velvet path for its feet; seeing that the very air which it breathes is perfumed: the church hates everything that is noisy, sensational, aggressive; it is a contemplative and slumbrous church. Then the true religion says, It is no church at all, and I now at God’s altar excommunicate it make room for it in the wilderness! Even a five-pound note, to recur to the homely illustration, is nothing in itself; it must represent something behind, it must stand in the place of solid bullion; it can only be a convenience, being lighter to carry than the metal: but if there be not an equivalent value in metal behind it, itself, though genuine, is a lie for practical purposes. So a man may boast of his faith, whereupon James will say, Can faith save him? unless it be representing something behind, something of intrinsic and divine value. Much is mistaken for faith that is not faith, that is mere intellectual assent, or mere intellectual indifference. A man does not believe things which he simply names with his mouth. He only believes those things for which he would die. What havoc this makes in the professed beliefs of the Church! Yet everything must be judged by the degree in which it realises its own pretensions. To pretend to have hands means power of handling, or it is a lie: to profess to have feet and yet to be unable to walk is to contradict your own statement: to have ears carved by an Angelo which yet cannot hear a thunderburst is to have ears that are visible falsehoods. Where we find hands we have a right to expect handling: where we find faith we have a right to expect morality, or service, or action: and if we with all Christian profession of an intellectual kind are not balancing that profession by actual, living, useful service, then let all the mockers of the universe taunt us, saying, They have hands, but they handle not. The taunt is not a mere taunt; it is a sneer justified by reason. If there were no hands we should pity the sufferer. Who expects to refresh himself from the branches of an oak tree? Yet if the hungry soul should come to a fig tree in the time of figs, and should find upon the tree nothing but leaves, hunger has priestly rights of cursing, hunger may excommunicate that tree from the trees of the garden, because it pretended to be a fruit tree and yet it grew nothing but leaves. There comes a time when the world’s hunger will curse every pulpit that does not give to it the bread of life. That bread is substantial; that bread needs no argument to recommend it: let hunger and the bread meet, and certain sacred results will follow. We must not lessen the quality of the bread. I know nothing about the “divinity” of Christ. I take that expression and nail it to the counter, and condemn it. It can be used by all sorts of people; it can mean various and totally different things. I believe in the Godhead of Christ. That can only mean one thing. Divinity! I have seen the word given out to poet, and philosopher, and dreamer, and seer: but Godhead, Deity, that must be a personal and undistributed term. So when men preach the Cross, I must know what cross it is that is preached. There are many crosses: there is only one true Cross, on which the Priest of creation died that he might save every soul of man. The cross that will not save is an idol that having hands handles not; having a mouth, speaks not; that looks its lie.
Religions that can be fully explained are inventions and quackeries. The Psalmist says so in Psa 115:4 “the work of men’s hands.” Great power has no agencies that can be traced. We want to account for the power of this poet, or the power of that preacher, and power of that kind does not admit of exhaustive analysis. It is when we get to the point of mystery that we get to the point of explanation, paradoxical as the expression may seem to be. The work of men’s hands is measurable work: what one man has done another man may do; what man has done man may undo: there is no security or permanence in the work of men’s hands. Man no sooner builds his palace than nature begins to take the roof off. “The work of men’s hands,” so we say about catechisms and standards and creeds and idolised formularies; we encounter them with scornful laughter if they be pressed beyond a given and definite point: Who wrote them? What right had their authors to formulate them? Who knows whether they will always continue in the same belief? Who can tell what the men who lived three centuries ago would say today if they were living? Let my faith go back upon the Bible itself, and rest upon that as upon a secure foundation; and let me be sure of this one thing, that if I go into the Bible in a prayerful, teachable spirit, saying, “Lord, help me to find thyself here, and thy way and thy will and thy love,” though I be no priest or cunningly-instructed man, though I be but plain reader, yet I shall by the might of the Spirit of God be brought into divine fellowship, and I shall come out of that Bible understanding if not its letter yet its holy saving spirit. Do not let us put the work of our own hands as an equivalent to God’s thought. Who would be content to put down upon paper on which he worked an intricate calculation the first line as “Finite equal to Infinite”? Reason would decline to go further; reason would take its stand in opposition and say, Your fundamental proposition is an impossibility and a contradiction and a lie. Who shall say “Church equal to God,” meaning by Church a building or an institution differing from other institutions of the kind? If you say,” The invisible Church, the redeemed Church, equal to the Cross,” you begin to see the meaning of the deepest mysteries: for the Church is the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife, wondrous things hath he done for his Bride that he might present her unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, pure with heaven’s pureness, radiant with the beginning of day. Wondrous are the operations of the human mind in this matter of finding possible or nominal equals in human reason, especially peculiar is the ecclesiastical mind. Was there ever a mind like Cardinal Newman’s? He lives in a. region into which some of us have never ventured to set foot; he has conducted controversies which most men would regard as more or less of the nature of cobwebs. He has been in extreme mental agony about things that we have hardly ever spent a thought upon. He says in his wonderful story, his Apologia pro Vit Su, that he was in the greatest possible perplexity about Romanism and Anglicanism until he saw the words of Augustine, ” Securus judicat orbis terrarum ,” and in a moment, he says, the light fell upon him and the Anglican theory was proved to be a delusion. Many of us could read these words of Augustine, and feel quite comfortable after having done so, but they tortured Newman. He says, “They sounded in my ears day by day, and at last I clearly saw that they pulverised (his own word) the Anglican theory of the faith.”
Let us therefore take care how we put up theory against reality, invention against Scripture, and suggestion against revelation. I want to live within the four corners of God’s word. I believe that there is no resting-place, except inconsistency, between individualism and Popery. I would live so intimately with my Father that I can my very self, without priest, or minister, or teacher even, if I cannot avail myself of their services, find out what he means me to be and to do; I would be as a little child that could take my book and say, Father, I cannot read this but in thy light and under the power of thy Spirit, now let us read it together. And out of that perusal I would come richly laden with spiritual influence and spiritual blessing; yea, grammar itself should not keep me back from seizing by certain powers of the soul the inmost thought and sublimest purpose of God. Remember there always comes a testing time. We shall one day know which are true and which are false conceptions and views. We cannot always live in the region of conjecture. The true religion is not one guess superior to another guess, one conjecture overflowing and exceeding another. There must somewhere be the true religion, the real thought of God. Our progress upon earth must be a progress towards that inner ultimate truth. One man is a thousand miles ahead of another in his quest after that truth, but if all the men be in line then the last shall be as the first, and the first as the last, in thought, in sincerity, in purpose. Here is a field beautiful with golden wheat; the sun seems to linger upon it; it would seem as if the sun were amazed at its own creation, and saying as God said of the sun itself, “It is very good.” Here is another field sown at the same time and by the same man, and there is nothing to be seen in it. How is this? Is nature eccentric? Is nature capricious? The reason is that one field was sown with wheat, and the other with sawdust, and sawdust never comes up. They were both sown? Certainly; but, oh! what shall the harvest be? So you have your theories. I say to agnostics and materialists and others who are not Christians, I say you have your theories, inventions, suggestions, hypotheses: sow them, but, O sirs, what shall the harvest be? By that harvest let truth and falsehood be judged!
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
PSALMS
XI
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS
According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:
1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.
2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.
3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.
4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.
5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.
6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.
7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.
At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.
The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.
The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.
They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”
The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:
1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.
2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.
3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .
In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.
It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.
There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.
The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.
The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.
The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:
Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)
Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)
Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)
Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)
Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)
They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.
There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:
Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.
Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:
1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.
2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.
3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.
4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.
5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.
All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:
In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).
In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).
In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).
In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).
The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .
QUESTIONS
1. What books are commended on the Psalms?
2. What is a psalm?
3. What is the Psalter?
4. What is the range of time in composition?
5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?
6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?
7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?
8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.
9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?
10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?
11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?
12. How many psalms in our collection?
13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?
14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?
15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?
16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?
17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?
18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?
19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?
20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?
21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?
22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?
23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?
24. How many of the psalms have no titles?
25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?
26. How do later Jews supply these titles?
27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?
XII
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)
The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:
1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).
2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).
3. The nature, or character, of the poem:
(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).
(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).
4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).
5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).
6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).
7. The kind of musical instrument:
(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).
(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).
(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).
8. A special choir:
(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).
(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).
(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).
9. The keynote, or tune:
(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).
(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).
(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).
(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).
(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).
(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.
(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.
(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.
10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).
11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)
12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).
The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.
The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.
David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:
1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.
2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.
3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.
4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.
5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.
As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:
1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.
2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.
3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.
4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.
5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.
6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.
The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.
Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.
Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:
I. By books
1. Psalms 1-41 (41)
2. Psalms 42-72 (31)
3. Psalms 73-89 (17)
4. Psalms 90-106 (17)
5. Psalms 107-150 (44)
II. According to date and authorship
1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )
2. Psalms of David:
(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).
(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).
(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).
3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).
4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).
5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).
6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )
7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )
8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)
III. By groups
1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.
2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )
3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)
4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )
5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”
IV. Doctrines of the Psalms
1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.
2. The covenant, the basis of worship.
3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.
4. The pardon of sin and justification.
5. The Messiah.
6. The future life, pro and con.
7. The imprecations.
8. Other doctrines.
V. The New Testament use of the Psalms
1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.
2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.
We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:
1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )
2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )
3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )
4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )
5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )
6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )
7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )
8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )
9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )
The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.
There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.
It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.
The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.
Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:
1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.
2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.
3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.
The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.
QUESTIONS
1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.
2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?
3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?
4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?
5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.
6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?
7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?
8. What other authors are named in the titles?
9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?
10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.
11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?
12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.
13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?
14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?
15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?
16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?
17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.
18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?
19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?
20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?
XVII
THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS
A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.
Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.
The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:
1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.
2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.
3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.
In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).
This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.
It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:
1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.
2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.
We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.
1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.
The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.
The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).
But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .
Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).
This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.
2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:
(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).
(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .
(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”
(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).
What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!
3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.
(1) His divinity,
(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;
(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .
(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .
(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .
(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .
(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .
(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.
(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .
4. His offices.
(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).
(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).
(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).
(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).
(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).
5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:
(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .
(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.
(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .
(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).
And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).
And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).
Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).
These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .
(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).
(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .
(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).
(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).
(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).
(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).
(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).
The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).
The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).
The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).
His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).
In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).
His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).
Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).
With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).
We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.
QUESTIONS
1. What is a good text for this chapter?
2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?
3. What is the last division called and why?
4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?
5. To what three things is the purpose limited?
6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?
7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?
8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?
9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?
10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?
11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.
12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?
13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?
14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?
15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.
16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.
17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.
18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XVI
THE MESSIANIC PSALMS AND OTHERS
We commence this chapter by giving a classified list of the Messianic Psalms, as follows:
The Royal Psalms are:
Psa 110 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 72 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 89 ;
The Passion Psalms are:
Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 ;
The Psalms of the Ideal Man are Psa 8 ; Psa 16 ; Psa 40 ;
The Missionary Psalms are:
Psa 47 ; Psa 65 ; Psa 68 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 100 ; Psa 117 .
The predictions before David of the coming Messiah are, (1) the seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham; (3) the seed of Judah; (4) the seed of David.
The prophecies of history concerning the Messiah are, (1) a prophet like unto Moses; (2) a priest after the order of Melchizedek; (3) a sacrifice which embraces all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament; (4) direct references to him as King, as in 2Sa 7:8 ff.
The messianic offices as taught in the psalms are four, viz: (1) The Messiah is presented as Prophet, or Teacher (Psa 40:8 ); (2) as Sacrifice, or an Offering for sin (Psa 40:6 ff.; Heb 10:5 ff.) ; (3) he is presented as Priest (Psa 110:4 ); (4) he is presented as King (Psa 45 ).
The psalms most clearly presenting the Messiah in his various phases and functions are as follows: (1) as the ideal man, or Second Adam (8); (2) as Prophet (Psa 40 ); (3) as Sacrifice (Psa 22 ) ; (4) as King (Psa 45 ) ; (5) as Priest (Psa 110 ) ; (6) in his universal reign (Psa 72 ).
It will be noted that other psalms teach these facts also, but these most clearly set forth the offices as they relate to the Messiah.
The Messiah as a sacrifice is presented in general in Psa 40:6 . His sufferings as such are given in a specific and general way in Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 . The events of his sufferings in particular are described, beginning with the betrayal of Judas, as follows:
1. Judas betrayed him (Mat 26:14 ) in fulfilment of Psa 41:9 .
2. At the Supper (Mat 26:24 ) Christ said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him,” referring to Psa 22 .
3. They sang after the Supper in fulfilment of Psa 22:22 .
4. Piercing his hands and feet, Psa 22:16 .
5. They cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psa 22:18 .
6. Just before the ninth hour the chief priests reviled him (Mat 27:43 ) in fulfilment of Psa 22:8 .
7. At the ninth hour (Mat 27:46 ) he quoted Psa 22:1 .
8. Near his death (Joh 19:28 ) he said, in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 , “I thirst.”
9. At that time they gave him vinegar (Mat 27:48 ) in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 .
10. When he was found dead they did not break his bones (Joh 19:36 ) in fulfilment of Psa 34:20 .
11. He is represented as dead, buried, and raised in Psa 16:10 .
12. His suffering as a substitute is described in Psa 69:9 .
13. The result of his crucifixion to them who crucified him is given in Psa 69:22-23 . Compare Rom 11:9-10 .
The Penitential Psalms are Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 . The occasion of Psa 6 was the grief and penitence of David over Absalom; of Psa 32 was the blessedness of forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah; Psa 38 , David’s reference to his sin with Bathsheba; Psa 51 , David’s penitence and prayer for forgiveness for this sin; Psa 102 , the penitence of the children of Israel on the eve of their return from captivity; Psalm 130, a general penitential psalm; Psa 143 , David’s penitence and prayer when pursued by Absalom.
The Pilgrim Psalms are Psalms 120-134. This section of the psalter is called the “Little Psalter.” These Psalms were collected in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in troublous times. The author of the central psalm of this collection is Solomon, and he wrote it when he built his Temple. The Davidic Psalms in this collection are Psa 120 ; Psa 122 ; Psa 124 ; Psa 131 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 133 . The others were written during the building of the second Temple. They are called in the Septuagint “Songs of the Steps.”
There are four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents,” viz:
1. The first theory is that the “Songs of the Steps” means the songs of the fifteen steps from the court of the women to the court of Israel, there being a song for each step.
2. The second theory is that advanced by Luther, which says that they were songs of a higher choir, elevated above, or in an elevated voice.
3. The third theory is that the thought in these psalms advances by degrees.
4. The fourth theory is that they are Pilgrim Psalms, or the songs that they sang while going up to the great feasts.
Certain scriptures give the true idea of these titles, viz: Exo 23:14-17 ; Exo 34:23-24 ; 1Sa 1:3 ; 1Ki 12:27-28 : Psa 122:1-4 ; and the proof of their singing as they went is found in Psa_42:4; 100; and Isa 30:29 . They went, singing these psalms, to the Feasts of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Psa 121 was sung when just in sight of Jerusalem and Psa 122 was sung at the gate. Psa 128 is the description of a good man’s home and a parallel to this psalm in modern literature is Burns’s “Cotter’s Saturday Night.” The pious home makes the nation great.
Psa 133 is a psalm of fellowship. It is one of the finest expressions of the blessings that issue when God’s people dwell together in unity. The reference here is to the anointing of Aaron as high priest and the fragrance of the anointing oil which was used in these anointings. The dew of Hermon represents the blessing of God upon his people when they dwell together in such unity.
Now let us look at the Alphabetical Psalms. An alphabetical psalm is one in which the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used alphabetically to commence each division. In Psalms 111-112, each clause so begins; in Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 145 ; each verse so begins; in Psa 37 each stanza of two verses so begins; in 119 each stanza of eight verses so begins, and each of the eight lines begins with the same letter. In Psa 25 ; 34 37 the order is not so strict; in Psa 9 and Psa 10 there are some traces of this alphabetical order.
David originated these alphabetical psalms and the most complete specimen is Psa 119 , which is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 .
A certain group of psalms is called the Hallelujah Psalms. They are so called because the word “Hallelujah” is used at the beginning, or at the ending, and sometimes at both the beginning and the ending. The Hallelujah Psalms are Psalm 111-113; 115-117; 146-150. Psa 117 is a doxology; and Psalms 146-150 were used as anthems. Psa 148 calls on all creation to praise God. Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn based on this psalm in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister. Psa 150 calls for all varieties of instruments. Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel. They were used at the Passover (Psalm 113-114), before the Supper and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the Supper. According to this, Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms 115-118 at the last Passover Supper. These psalms were sung also at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, and New Moon.
The name of God is delayed long in Psa 114 . Addison said, “That the surprise might be complete.” Then there are some special characteristics of Psa 115 , viz: (1) It was written against idols. Cf. Isa 44:9-20 ; (2) It is antiphonal, the congregation singing Psa 115:1-8 , the choir Psa 115:9-12 , the priests Psa 115:13-15 and the congregation again Psa 115:16-18 . The theme of Psa 116 is love, based on gratitude for a great deliverance, expressed in service. It is appropriate to read at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Psa 116:15 is especially appropriate for funeral services.
On some special historical occasions certain psalms were sung. Psa 46 was sung by the army of Gustavus Adolphus before the decisive battle of Leipzig, on September 17, 1631.Psa 68 was sung by Cromwell’s army on the occasion of the battle of Dunbar in Scotland.
Certain passages in the Psalms show that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices. For instance, Psa 118:27 ; Psa 141:2 seem to teach very clearly that they approved the Mosaic sacrifice. But other passages show that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important and foresaw the abolition of the animal sacrifices. Such passages are Psa 50:7-15 ; Psa 4:5 ; Psa 27:6 ; Psa 40:6 ; Psa 51:16-17 . These scriptures show conclusively that the writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.
QUESTIONS
1. What are the Royal Psalms?
2. What are the Passion Psalms?
3. What are the Psalms of the Ideal Man?
4. What are the Missionary Psalms?
5. What are the predictions before David of the coming Messiah?
6. What are the prophecies of history concerning the Messiah?
7. Give a regular order of thought concerning the messianic offices as taught in the psalms.
8. Which psalms most clearly present the Messiah as (1) the ideal man, or Second Adam, (2) which as Prophet, or Teacher, (3) which as the Sacrifice, (4) which as King, (5) which as Priest, (6) which his universal reign?
9. Concerning the suffering Messiah, or the Messiah as a sacrifice, state the words or facts, verified in the New Testament as fulfilment of prophecy in the psalms. Let the order of the citations follow the order of facts in Christ’s life.
10. Name the Penitential Psalms and show their occasion.
11. What are the Pilgrim Psalms?
12. What is this section of the Psalter called?
13. When and under what conditions were these psalms collected?
14. Who is the author of the central psalm of this collection?
15. What Davidic Psalms are in this collection?
16. When were the others written?
17. What are they called in the Septuagint?
18. What four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents”?
19. What scriptures give the true idea of these titles?
20. Give proof of their singing as they went.
21. To what feasts did they go singing these Psalms?
22. What was the special use made of Psa 121 and Psa 122 ?
23. Which of these psalms is the description of a good man’s home and what parallel in modern literature?
24. Expound Psa 133 .
25. What is an alphabetical psalm, and what are the several kinds?
26. Who originated these Alphabetical Psalms?
27. What are the most complete specimen?
28. Of what is it an expansion?
29. Why is a certain group of psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms?
30. What are the Hallelujah Psalms?
31. Which of the Hallelujah Psalms was a doxology?
32. Which of these were used as anthems?
33. Which psalm calls on all creation to praise God?
34. Who wrote a hymn based on Psa 148 in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister?
35. Which of these psalms calls for all varieties of instruments?
36. What is the Egyptian Hallel?
37. What is their special use and how were they sung?
38. Then what hymns did Jesus and his disciples sing?
39. At what other feasts was this sung?
40. Why was the name of God delayed so long in Psa 114 ?
41. What are the characteristics of Psa 115 ?
42. What is the theme and special use of Psa 116 ?
43. State some special historical occasions on which certain psalms were sung. Give the psalm for each occasion.
44. Cite passages in the psalms showing that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices.
45. Cite other passages showing that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Psa 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth’s sake.
Ver. 1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us ] This is the godly man’s motto, and his daily practice. See Gen 41:16 Act 3:12 ; Act 3:16 1Co 15:10 Luk 19:16 . Not we, but thy talents, have gained other five, and other two (Georg. Fabric. Chenmieenses virus de seipso).
Fabricius studuit bene de pietate mereri;
Sed quicquid potuit, gloria, Christe, tua est.
There is no merit at all in us, saith the Chaldee here; the bowls of the candlestick had no oil but that which dropped from the olive branches. It is therefore very good counsel that Austin gives his friend Boniface, In omnibus bonis actibus tuis illi da claritatem, tibi humilitatem,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Then the wonders of Jehovah will no longer puff Israel up. They will need no humiliation more, being truly humble in that day. Jehovah’s name is all henceforth; and His “mercy” takes precedence, instead of boasting in “truth” because peculiarly theirs. This does but increase their loathing of idols, so long their snare. But if they forgot Jehovah, He remembered them; and that day is a day of blessing for Israel’s house and for Aaron’s, and for fearers of Jehovah, the small and the great. But it is for the living on earth, though heaven and earth shall be in ]harmonious blessing and for evermore. Children of God are we now called, and such we are; His sons, with the Spirit of God, crying, Abba, Father; and we look up to heaven as our home because it is Christ’s, having the cross meanwhile on earth. Here are we shown a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed. Even now are we, Christians, “heavenly,” and we shall put on the image of the Heavenly at His coming.
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 115:1-8
1Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.
2Why should the nations say,
Where, now, is their God?
3But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.
4Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
5They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8Those who make them will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
Psa 115:1-8 This strophe is about the futility of idolatry! There is only one God (cf. Jer 10:6-10; see Special Topic: Monotheism )! There is only one hope for the nations. All Bible students have presuppositions about the meta-narrative of the Bible (i.e., its basic purpose or message). YHWH’s desire for the nations to trust Him is mine (see Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan ).
Psa 115:1 What a powerful verse. Glory (see SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (DOXA) ) belongs to YHWH alone, not any human agency or group. This is because
1. of YHWH’s lovingkindness (see Special Topic: Lovingkindness [hesed] )
2. of YHWH’s faithfulness (see Special Topic: Believe, Trust, Faith and Faithfulness in the OT ; also see Special Topic: Characteristics of Israel’s God )
3. YHWH is sovereign, Psa 115:3 (cf. Psa 103:19; Psa 135:5-6)
4. YHWH hears and acts but idols cannot, Psa 115:4-7 (cf. Psa 135:15-18; Deu 4:28; Isa 44:12-17; Jer 10:3-5)
5. YHWH is the creator, maker of heaven and earth (cf. Psa 115:15 b,16)
Your name See Special Topic: The Name of YHWH .
Psa 115:2 The question of line 2 is the theological issue. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests (cf. Exo 19:5-6) to help the world know and understand YHWH. But because of her faithlessness the world saw only the judgment of God (cf. Eze 36:22-38).
The very question of line 2 is repeated in Psa 42:3; Psa 79:10 (cf. Joe 2:17; Mic 7:10).
Psa 115:4 silver and gold These are the precious metals that overlaid the images made from stone or wood.
Psa 115:7 b Because Psa 115:5 mentions speech, this may refer to some type of divination (see Special Topic: Diviner ) done in the name of the pagan idol. See notes at Deu 18:10-11 online.
Psa 115:8 This verse acknowledges the truth that humans become like the god they worship. Oh, that believers would be more like Jesus! The goal of biblical faith is not only heaven someday only but Christlikeness now (cf. Rom 8:28-29; 2Co 3:18; 2Co 7:1; Gal 4:19; Eph 1:4; Eph 4:13; 1Th 3:13; 1Th 4:3; 1Th 4:7; 1Th 5:23; 1Pe 1:15). Does your life reflect who you worshippar
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Not. Hebrew. l’o (not ‘al). Supply Ellipsis thus:”Not to us LORD, not to us [belongeth glory] but to Thy name give the glory”.
LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
name. See note on Psa 20:1.
mercy = lovingkindness, or grace.
and. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read this “and” in the text.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 115:1-18 :
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to thy name give glory ( Psa 115:1 ),
Here again we have the same idea. Don’t reverend me. “Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but to Thy name.” Let there be ascribed glory and reverence and awe.
for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. Why should the heathen say, Where is now their God? ( Psa 115:1-2 )
A lot of times people do say that. They say, “Well, where was your God when, you know. What happened to your God then, pal?” “Why should the heathen say, ‘Where is now their God?'”
Our God is in the heavens: he has done whatsoever he hath pleased ( Psa 115:3 ).
I need to remember that. “He has done what He has pleased.” May not please me, but that isn’t what’s important.
Now referring again to the heathen, their idols. “Our God is in the heavens.” He rules. But,
Their idols are silver and gold, they are the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: they have eyes, but they can’t see: They have ears, but they can’t hear: they have noses, but they don’t smell: They have hands, but they cannot handle: they have feet, but they cannot walk: and neither do they speak through their throats. They that make them are like unto them; and so is every one that trusteth in them ( Psa 115:4-8 ).
Now here is a philosophy expressed by the psalmist that is extremely profound as he observes the heathens and their gods. And the first observation that he makes is that men have a tendency to make their own god. Man has an innate desire to worship. And having this innate desire to worship, having to worship something, men make their own gods. But when a man makes a god, he makes his god like himself. So that my god is in reality a projection of myself. So in truth, I am actually worshipping myself. Self-worship. For he notices that when they make their gods, they carve mouths. They carve eyes. They carve ears. They carve feet and hands. Why? You carve hands in your little god? Because you have hands. Why do you carve a mouth? Because you have a mouth. Why do you carve ears? Because you have an ear.
When we were over in New Guinea, the missionaries told us of a tribe of people who have a congenital hip dislocation. And this whole tribe of people, it’s a congenital thing; they all have a deformity of their right leg which is shorter than their left through this congenital hip problem. And they said that all of the little gods that this particular tribe carved out have a deformed right leg. Because a man makes a god like himself, a projection of myself. It is known as the anthropomorphic concept of God. Widely recognized. Man makes gods like himself.
But then the psalmist observed that though a man has made a god like himself, he has actually made his god infinitely less than himself. Because though I may carve out eyes on my little god, the eyes on my little god can’t see. Though I may carve feet on my little god, they can’t walk. Though I may carve hands on it, it can’t handle. Though I may carve ears on it, it can’t hear. Though I may carve a mouth on it, it can’t speak. So I’ve made a god like myself, but in reality, I have made my god less than myself. And the final observation of the psalmist is, they that have made them have become like the gods that they have made. Or a man becomes like his god. This is a truth of life that you cannot escape. You are becoming like your god, whatever your god is. A man becomes like his god.
Now, if I have made my own god like myself but I’ve made my god less than myself, then by worshipping the god that I have made, I am degrading myself. I am becoming less than I was. Because I’m becoming like my god. And my god is less than me because I’ve made my god like myself, but actually less than myself. So my god is insensate. It can’t feel, it can’t see, it can’t hear. I become insensate. I no longer can feel the presence of God. I can no longer feel the touch of God. I can no longer see the hand of God. I can no longer hear the voice of God. I’m becoming insensate just like the little god that I made. For a man becomes like his god. If your god is false, you’re becoming false. If you’re god is cruel, you’re becoming cruel.
A man becomes like his god. That can be the greatest curse in all the world. Or it can be the greatest blessing in all the world. It’s all relative as to who is your god. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we’re going to be: but we know that, when He appears, we’re going to be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” ( 1Jn 3:2 ). You see, a man becomes like his god. “We, with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed from glory to glory, into His same image” ( 2Co 3:18 ). I’m becoming like my God everyday. And if I’m worshipping the true and the living God, how glorious it is as I am being transformed into His image daily as I worship Him. Man becomes like his god.
Now the New Testament tells us, “We are now the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we’re going to be. We know when He appears, we’ll be like Him.” So you have actually in one side of it, man making a god like himself, infinitely less than himself; and thus, man being degraded as he worships his god. On the other hand, you have God making a man more than himself. More than man could ever be in himself. And thus, the worship of the true and the living God is always an elevating experience as God is conforming you into His image. Making you like Him.
Now I’ve either made a god like me, or God is making me like Him. You’re in one of the two. You’re either on the path down or the path up. Every man has a god. Don’t believe a man who says, “I’m an atheist,” because a god is only a title, and it is the title of what is the master passion of that person’s life. What’s the guiding principle of his life? Watch him for a while and you can see. Maybe the guiding passion of his life is pleasure and his whole life is lived for pleasure. Molech is his god. Maybe his whole life is lived for power and he’s trying to control things, money, possessions and all. And Mammon is his god. Maybe he’s trying to develop his intellect and the expansion of his consciousness and his understanding and all and he’s made this the chief goal of life. Then Baal is his god. Every man has a god. Some of them are rather worthless gods, but gods indeed. And how good it is to worship and serve the true and the living God. Not one that I’ve created in my own mind. Not a concept that I have created. But to take the revelation of God of Himself to us and to worship the true and the living God.
So interesting observations from the psalmist here concerning the heathen and their gods.
O Israel, trust thou in Jehovah: for he is your help and your shield. O house of Aaron, trust in Jehovah: he is your help and your shield. Ye that reverence Jehovah, trust in Jehovah: for he is their help and their shield. Jehovah hath been mindful ( Psa 115:9-12 )
And, of course, here again compounding, “O Israel, Aaron and ye that fear the Lord.” It’s a compounding of the idea, Hebrew poetry.
The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great ( Psa 115:12-13 ).
Same compounding with the blessings now.
The LORD shall increase you more and more, and your children. Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men ( Psa 115:14-16 ).
The heavens were the Lord’s, but God gave the earth to man. But man blew it and gave it to Satan. And Satan now possesses the earth. But Jesus came to redeem the earth back to God, and before long He’s going to take and claim that which He purchased. And I can hardly wait.
The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence ( Psa 115:17 ).
Now this is one of the proof text for soul sleep, but I don’t have time to go into it tonight. We’ll go into it when we get to Ecclesiastes, where the scripture definitely teaches is that there is a consciousness. This is the psalmist expressing a thought of his own mind, and it is much like Job where God said, “What do you, you know, what are you talking about death? You haven’t been beyond the gates of hell. You don’t know what’s there. And talking out of your head.” And so here the psalmist is speaking of things which are not in keeping with the whole body of scripture which tells us that of the state of the dead, and especially the words of Christ.
But we will bless the LORD from this time forth for evermore. Hallelujah ( Psa 115:18 ).
May the Lord be with you now and fill you with His love. May He guide you through this week. Entering into that time of the year where pressures always increase as we prepare to celebrate the pagan holiday of Saturnalia in our own Christianized form. May God protect you from the crass commercialism and keep you out of the hype of man. That you lose not sight of God and the things of the Spirit. But may more and more we become spiritually minded. And may we walk in the Spirit that we will not be guilty of fulfilling the desires of our own flesh. May the Lord be with you now and bless and keep you in the love of Jesus Christ. “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 115:1-3. Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truths sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
It was very natural that the heathen should say, Where is their God? because they had no outward emblem, no visible image, no tangible token; whereas the heathen had their gods many, such as they were, made of wood and stone; so that they asked, Where is their God? I think that when that question is suggested, it is a good sign, for it proves the purity of the faith which has cleansed itself from outward symbolism. May men often have to ask of us, Where is their God?
But I fear that the people of Israel were brought into so low a state, at times, that this question was also asked in scorn and derision, Where is now their God? He was with them when they came out of Egypt; he was with them when they captured Canaan; he has been with them in many a terrible battle, turning to flight the armies of the aliens; but where is now their God? It is a cutting question under such circumstances. It was so with the psalmist when be said, As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? But our God is in the heavens where their gods never were. He hath done whatsoever be hath pleased: the gods of the heathen have done nothing; they cannot do anything.
Psa 115:4-7. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of mens hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
It is a grim piece of sarcasm which the psalmist here aims at the idol gods. I do not know, sometimes, whether this is not all that superstition deserves of us, to be utterly laughed at and put to scorn. The spirit of Elijah is not altogether the most Christlike; and yet even the Christian may well say to the priests of Baal, in derision and contempt, Cry aloud, for he is a god. What do they deserve who so degrade themselves as to worship things which their own hands have made, things which can be seen with the eye, and touched with the hand? Yet, even in this country, we have thousands, who call themselves Christians, who prostrate themselves before idols made in different forms and shapes; yea and say to a piece of bread that the baker made, This is our god. Well says the psalmist:
Psa 115:8. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
They are as doltish and as stupid, as blind and as deaf, and as ridiculous as the gods that they make; for no man was ever better than the god he worshipped.
Psa 115:9-11. O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
There is real help in the living Jah, Jehovah, real protection in him.
Psa 115:12. The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us;
There is a new years motto for you. It will go back through the old year, and forward into the new one: The Lord bath been mindful of us: he will bless us. See how mindful he has been of us all through the past year in a thousand ways. Long before we have known our wants, he has supplied them. He has delivered us from dangers of which we never knew; and led us into mercies of which we never dreamed.
Psa 115:12-13. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. Great blessings for small people, and not small blessings for those whom he maketh great in Israel.
Psa 115:14-15. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
This is the Creators blessing, therefore a real one. Many of you have had the new creation wrought in you: you shall live to see new heavens and a new earth.
Psa 115:16. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORDS: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
And they seem as if they meant to keep it, too. The sad thing is, that they get the earth into their hearts, and so they miss the blessing which the Lord intended them to receive from his gift of it.
Psa 115:17. The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
As far as this world is concerned, no note is heard from the grave
Psa 115:18. But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.
Praise the LORD. So let us do tonight. Let us have an extra psalm of praise to the Lord who has brought us safely through another year.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Psa 115:1-3
Psalms 115
GOD’S INFINITE EXCELLENCE ABOVE HEATHEN IDOLS
Although the date and occasion of this psalm cannot be certainly determined, the scholarly guesses on the subject are of interest. “Weiser favored a pre-exilic date,” but McCullough thought that the evidence, “Favors the period of the Second Temple. According to Leupold, “The time of composition was shortly after the return from Babylon. Briggs identified the psalm, “With the Greek Period. McCaw rejected the later dates, declaring that, “It is altogether simpler to see here the congregation assembled for worship at one of the great festivals in monarchic days. The simple truth of the matter is that, “Nobody knows”!
This psalm is a part of the Hallel of Egypt. (See my discussion in Psalms 113.) Most writers agree that the psalm is liturgical, despite the fact that the exact usage of it in the worship is not clear. As noted earlier, this is one of the psalms sung at the end of the Passover celebration (and also other occasions), being therefore among the possible hymns used by Jesus and his disciples on the night of the Last Supper.
The divisions of the psalm according to Rawlinson are:
(1) God’s aid invoked (Psa 115:1-3);
(2) God contrasted with idols (Psa 115:4-8);
(3) Israel entreated to trust in the Lord (Psa 115:9-13); and
(4) God’s blessing invoked (Psa 115:14-18).
Psa 115:1-3
NOT UNTO US … NOT UNTO US
“Not unto us, O Jehovah, not unto us,
But unto thy name give glory,
For thy lovingkindness, and for thy truth’s sake.
Wherefore should the nations say,
Where is now their God?
But our God is in the heavens:
He hath done whatsoever he pleased.”
The occasion here could have been one of several after which Israel had been shamefully humiliated or defeated. The loss of King Josiah in battle, the first conquest of Jerusalem, or the return from Babylon – any of these could have been the time. One thing is clear. Israel was suffering taunts from their heathen neighbors who mistakenly judged the misfortunes of Israel to have resulted from the weakness of Israel’s God. That is the background of these three verses in which the .psalmist prays that God will glorify himself by exposing in some dramatic fashion the false notions of the heathen.
“Where is now their God?” (Psa 115:2). “Such remarks, of course, were an indictment against the glory of God. They show how desperate the situation in Israel must have been at that time.
“But our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he pleased” (Psa 115:3). This is the psalmist’s reply to the taunting question of the pagans. It says, in effect, that what has happened to Israel, “Was not evidence that God had forsaken them, but was proof that He is sovereign.
“He hath done whatsoever he pleased” (Psa 115:3). We agree with Leupold’s criticism of our version here which, as he says, “Does not make this say enough. It removes the situation into the past. It applies also to the present time and to all the future. “His divine sovereign will knows no restrictions or restraints.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 115:1. How different this is from the attitude of Moses and Aaron at the rock, referred to in the last verse of the preceding chapter. They took the glory for the deed performed on behalf of the congregation and were punished for the same.
Psa 115:2. The word heathen in the Old Testament is from GOI in every place, and the first definition in Strong’s lexicon is, “a foreign nation.” It has also been rendered by Gentiles, nation, and people, in the King James version. The word would not have to mean idolaters, although about all of the “foreign nations” at the time David wrote had gone into the worship of false gods. The word in this and the following verses is used in the sense of idolaters. Since many of them worshiped the imaginary gods, it explains why they asked where is now their (Israel’s) God?
Psa 115:3. In the preceding verse the pronoun for God is in the 3rd person because the writer was quoting the heathen. In this verse it is the 1st person (our) because the Psalmist is speaking for himself and his people. In the heavens is the answer to the question of the heathen in the last clause of the preceding verse.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
This third psalm in the Hallel is born of passion for the glory of the name of Jehovah. That is its opening note, and all that follows must be explained thereby. The singers distress is heard in the cry:
Wherefore should the nations say, Where is now their God?
Not first for the welfare of the people does he care, but for the vindication of his god. This is a deep note, and all too rare in our music. We are ever in danger of putting the welfare of man before the glory of God.
The song having uttered its keynote proceeds in a passage of fine scorn for idols and idol worshippers. These idols have form without power, appearance without life, and the effect of worshipping them is that the worshippers become insensate as they are.
Following this there is a fine appeal to the people of God to trust in Him, with a confident assurance that He will help. There then pass before the mind of the singer the heavens, Gods own habitation; the earth, entrusted to men; and Sheol, the place of silence. All ends with a declaration that sounds the note of triumph even over death, for the praise of His people is to continue for evermore.
And again the thought reverts to the upper room, and the Singer Whose deepest passion was ever the will of God and the glory of His name; to the One Who was soon going into the silence where no note of praise would be heard; and yet to the One Who would turn the silence into song for evermore.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Powerless Idols; Our Powerful God
Psa 115:1-18
Evidently this psalm was intended to be sung by various voices: Psa 115:1-8 by the whole congregation in unison, while the sacrifice was being offered; Psa 115:9-11, by a solo voice giving the first line of each couplet, the whole audience chanting the refrain; Psa 115:12-15, by the priest as a benediction; Psa 115:16-18, by the whole congregation, which now breaks into glad hallelujahs.
It was composed during the early days of the return from Babylon, when the small groups of settlers were surrounded by the jeers and scoffs of their enemies. This was their reply, as they brought out the scathing contrast between the idols of their neighbors and the majesty of Jehovah. We are reminded of Isaiahs description of an idol factory. The idols had outward semblance and no power. Jehovah had no outward semblance, but all power. Let us take to heart the threefold invitation to faith in Psa 115:9-11, and reckon on God as our help in the battle and our shield against our foes. The smallest may get his blessing as well as the greatest, Psa 115:13. We can never impose a strain on the resources of God, however great our demands.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 115:16
The heavens and the earth are set in contrast with each other. And their contrast is in this, that, while the heavens are out of the reach of man, the expression and result of forces which he cannot control, the earth is what man makes it. David’s verse has in it the lofty description of the great philosophy of the universe that the source of all power is beyond man’s reach, and that the place of man is just to furnish in his faithful and obedient life a medium through which the power that is in the heavens may descend and work upon the earth.
I. Here is the fundamental difference in the lives of men. Man finds the world in his hands. Everywhere the world is his. But everywhere the difference of man lies here, in whether this mastery seems to be absolute or whether it seems to be a trust. Absolute mastery means self-indulgence. The mastery of trust means humility, conscientiousness, elevation, charity, the fear of God and love of man.
II. It is in connection with this higher and true view of the giving of the world by God to man that the coming of Christ into the world gains its true meaning. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” The Giver came with clear assurance of Himself, making the men who saw Him know that it was He, touching the earth which was His own with a wise power that called out from it capacities which the poor tenant had never discovered, not taking it back out of man’s keeping, but making Himself man, so that all men might see what it might really mean for man to keep, and use, and work the earth of God. So God came to His world.
III. What has all this to do with foreign missions? The fact which Christ comes to establish, the consciousness which He comes to renew, is one that belongs to all the earth. The desire to let the whole redeemed world know of its redemption moves in the heart of every man vividly conscious of the redemption in himself.
Phillips Brooks, Twenty Sermons, p. 173.
References: Psa 115:17, Psa 115:18.-Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Genesis to Proverbs, p. 160. Psa 116:1.-Ibid., Sermons, vol. v., No. 240. Psa 116:3-4, Psa 116:8.-Ibid., vol. xxi., No 1216. Psa 116:6.-G. Dawson, Sermons on Daily Life and Duty, p. 76.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Psalm 115
Who Their God is?
1. Israels God (Psa 115:1-3)
2. In Contrast with Idols (Psa 115:4-8)
3. O Israel Trust in the Lord (Psa 115:9-18)
Here Israel acknowledges her Saviour-Lord, unto Him alone is glory due. The nations had asked, Where is now their God? (Psa 43:3; Psa 79:10) The Contrast between the God of Israel and the dumb idols of the nations follows. But Israels God, the Lord, who has delivered them, is the living God and therefore the exhortation to trust Him who blesseth His people. Israels resolve closes this Psalm: But we will praise the LORD, from this time forth forevermore. Hallelujah.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
am 3108, bc 896 (Title) This seems to be an , or triumphal song, in which the victory is wholly ascribed to Jehovah; and to none can it be referred with more propriety than to that of Jehoshaphat over the confederated forces of his enemies, 2Chr. 20.
unto us: Psa 74:22, Psa 79:9, Psa 79:10, Jos 7:9, Isa 48:11, Eze 20:14, Eze 36:32, Dan 9:19, Eph 1:6, Rev 4:10, Rev 4:11
for thy mercy: Psa 61:7, Psa 89:1, Psa 89:2, Mic 7:20, Joh 1:17, Rom 15:8, Rom 15:9
Reciprocal: Num 31:54 – a memorial Deu 7:7 – The Lord Deu 9:28 – Because Deu 32:27 – they should Jdg 8:3 – God 1Sa 14:6 – for there is no restraint 2Sa 7:21 – thy word’s 2Sa 7:26 – let thy 2Sa 18:28 – Blessed 1Ch 16:28 – glory 1Ch 29:14 – that we should Psa 44:8 – praise Psa 65:1 – Praise Psa 116:5 – Gracious Psa 138:2 – and praise Isa 33:5 – The Lord Jer 14:7 – do Eze 20:22 – wrought Eze 20:44 – when I Eze 36:22 – General Act 12:23 – because Rom 11:36 – to whom 1Co 3:7 – General Eph 3:21 – be Phi 4:20 – unto Rev 7:10 – Salvation
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
In contrast with the idols of men.
The next psalm takes up the old controversy between God and man; which (not merely in Israel’s history) proves the truth of the sentence passed upon man. He turns from God, when knowing Him, -turns then to the darkness; and out of this comes the substituting for the true God all the idols of his own heart. He manufactures the god he worships, -a thing so inherent in man that the light of Christianity has not sufficed to banish it from the world. Up to the time of the Babylonish captivity this was Israel’s besetting sin. After this, indeed, this unclean spirit went out of them, according to the Lord’s words (Mat 12:43-45): alas, it was not cast out; nor the house possessed by One stronger than he. It is ready, therefore, to be occupied afresh by him; and this will take place in the last days, when idolatry will be again set up in the very temple of God, in the midst of those returned to their own land; and the open defiance given to Him there will bring in the desolating judgment which has been so often spoken of
In this psalm we have, however, no allusion to the circumstances of that time. But the predictions which assure us of it, both in the Old Testament and the New, enable us better to understand the coming up of this subject of idolatry in the psalms of the latter days. Nor, indeed, is an evil done with till it has been judged: it is never allowed merely to drop out of sight unnoticed; but “God requireth,” as the preacher says, “that which is past.” (Ecc 3:15.) A solemn consideration! Nothing but a real judgment of a thing before God can give it effectual burial.
1. The psalm begins with a pleading that Jehovah will act for Himself and for the glory of His Name, and not allow the heathen to taunt His people, as if Jehovah were one of their own gods, not to be found in the time of need. It is, in fact, Israel’s sin which has given even the appearance of this; and therefore they urge that He give glory to His own Name, if He cannot to theirs: and this, not as if the account men made of Him were of such importance, save to them, and to the love therefore in Him which cared for them. And then again, He had pledged Himself to faith; and thus they could plead with Him for His truth’s sake also.
Israel’s God, after all, if for the nation’s sin He were not found now in His place on earth, was still in heaven. He was a reality, accomplishing whatever He would, spite of all opposition. And this leads naturally to the comparison with idols.
2. What were they, these idol-images? Matter simply -silver and gold -shaped by men’s hands! Mouth and eyes there all right: both things that are said to “speak,” and are in different ways “witness” for the man himself, an index of what is in the heart. But the idol gives no response to his worshiper by word or look. Nay, he realizes nothing: the voice that cries to him he hears not, the odor of incense or of sacrifice he perceives not. No hand can tie stretch out to help, no foot of his will stir to bring relief, no murmur of sound even is in the idle throat. What can these senseless deities do but degrade the men who bow before them into beings as senseless? And this is the just penalty upon those who can forsake God, to follow palpably their own inventions.
3. From this the psalmist turns to exhort the people of God to cleave fast to Him who is not impotent nor impassive, but the help and shield of all that trust in Him. Israel, the house of Aaron; acid those that fear Jehovah, are separately exhorted nor is this mere amplification or embellishment. “Israel” is at once the nation as a whole, the people of Jehovah, the objects of His grace, who, crippled like their father in their human, strength, cleave to Him in their helplessness, and find it not in vain. The house of Aaron; on the other hand, are the recognized ministers of this grace, who speak of sacrifice -of the work of Another for them. While “those that fear Jehovah” declare by this character the work of the Spirit in them. Thus the living God has indeed shown Himself out for the people of His choice, not only in the grace which invites confidence, but in the activity of grace in Son and Spirit, -the work done for them; and the work done in them. I need hardly point out how completely the numerical structure justifies these thoughts.
4. After this exhortation; in which so much encouragement is wrapped up, we have the argument of experience as to this living God. To say “Jehovah has been mindful of us,” is, for those who know his unchangeableness, to be entitled to say “He will bless us.” But in accordance with this line of thought, the circles of blessing are differently divided. “Those that fear Jehovah” stand by themselves, I think, to show that under this as a principle blessing can come to others than to Israel, -with whom yet the house of Aaron remains, as in fact having the priesthood by which the whole earth draws near to God. (Isa 61:6.)
5. After this the blessedness of man with God can be told out. Blessing is continuous, just because it is Jehovah’s blessing, unchangeable as Himself, and they are in covenant-relation with the Creator of all.
But the sphere of this blessing, as the Old Testament reveals it, is definitely pointed out: not the heavens, which are Jehovah’s, but the earth: this He has given to the children of men. But the dead then are out of it: the wicked have been turned into sheol, and the resurrection of the just has taken place, though the psalm says nothing of this. The New Testament here comes fully in to explain and supplement the Old. Death is now the doom only of those away from God; but “we,” says the psalmist, “we [the living] will praise Jehovah: from this time and forever.”
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Psa 115:1-2. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us By the repetition of these words the psalmist humbly expresses his sense of the unworthiness of the Jews to receive the signal blessings with which the Lord had favoured them; or rather, which they were now entreating him to bestow upon them, and which they expected to receive. For, as Dr. Horne justly observes, it is evident from these two verses, that the Psalm is not a thanksgiving for victory, but a petition for deliverance. Unto thy name give glory, &c. As we entreat thy favour and aid, and that thou wouldest work gloriously on our behalf, so we do not desire this out of a vain-glorious disposition, that we may get renown by the conquest of our proud enemies, but that thy honour may be vindicated from all their contempts and blasphemies. For thy mercy and thy truths sake If thou wilt deliver us we will not arrogate the praise and glory of the deliverance to our own merit or valour, but to thy mercy, which inclines thee to pity, pardon, and be gracious to us, and to thy truth, which disposeth thee to fulfil thy promises. Wherefore should the heathen say Why shouldest thou give them any colour or occasion to say, with their lips, or in their hearts, Where is now their God? Where is he who undertook to be their God and Saviour, and whom they worship, and of whom they used to boast, insulting over us, and over our gods.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Whether this psalm was written after some victory, or after the removal of any calamity which had caused the heathen to boast, is not certain. But blessings of this kind, though they justly demand praise, were but small links in the grand chain of Israels covenant. The civil code and the religious ritual of this nation surpassed in beauty and excellence every thing that paganism could boast.
Psa 115:7. Neither, speak they through their throat. In speaking, the breast is the wind-chest; the larynx is the pipe; the tongue, the palate, and the teeth act as nimble keys. So utterance is performed, of which idols are altogether incapable. In the Hebrew sanctuary was the living oracle.
Psa 115:9. Trust thou in the Lord. When Jeroboams hand was smitten with the leprosy, he did not trust in his newmade calves, but prayed the prophet to entreat the Lord his God, that his hand might be restored. Trust not in riches; trust not in any arm of flesh.
REFLECTIONS.
The eventful series of Jewish history marked on the fullest scale the peculiar care of providence. Hence with a full heart that nation might say, Not unto us, oh Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.
The psalmist, confident in the divine faithfulness, retorts on the heathen the insults offered to the God of Israel. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of mens hands. Satire, it would seem, is the most powerful engine ever played off against idolatry. Justin Martyr, Minutius, Tertullian, and Athenagoras, who distinguished themselves by Apologies to the Emperors in favour of christianity, have successfully employed their wit against idolatry. After stating the sufferings and martyrdom of the saints, Minutius observes that in one view they had no just reason to complain, because they treated their own gods with far greater indignities. You condemn us to the mines, and there the substance of your god is dug; you cast us into the fire, and there your gods are melted; you sever our heads from our bodies with the sword, but your own gods have no heads till they are fastened on with soder or with cement; you banish us to distant islands, and there some of your gods were born, and some of them were buried! Israels glory surpassing that of the heathen, the psalmist exhorts the whole nation to a gratitude correspondent to their blessings. The priests in particular he exhorts to be grateful, for they had reasons so to be; and he exhorts them to do it now, for the dead cannot praise him. The faithful fathers were guided by his counsel, and afterwards received to glory. Psa 73:24. Therefore the living must fill the temple, and do the work of the Lord.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
CXV. The Blindness of Idolatry and the Virtue of Utter Trust in Yahweh.
Psa 115:2 f. An invisible god was unintelligible to the average heathen; he believed that the god was specially present in the idol, his energy being focussed there. On the other hand, the heathen did not, as the Psalmist assumes, identify idol and god.
Psa 115:17, like Psa 80:5, expressed the common Jewish belief that all connexion between God and man ends with the life that now is. After death God remembers us no more.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
PSALM 115
The restored people of Israel, realizing that their deliverance depends upon the presence of the Lord, deprecate all merit in themselves, and ascribe all glory to the Lord. In result the earth will be held by the children of men for the praise of the Lord.
(v. 1) The opening verse gives the theme of the psalm – God’s people refusing any merit in themselves, and ascribing all blessing to the Lord. Psalm 114 had traced their deliverance to the presence of the Lord acting in power on behalf of His people. Psalm 115 shuts out the power and glory of man. Not unto us, they say, but unto thy name give glory. His mercy and His truth have combined for the blessing of His people.
(v. 2) Nevertheless, in the governmental ways of God, they had, because of their failure and idolatry, been cast off, giving the enemy the occasion of asking, Where is their God? Israel may call the earth to tremble at the presence of the God of Jacob (Psa 114:7); but where is He?
(vv. 3-8) Faith replies, Our God is in the heavens. A contrast is then drawn between the unseen God, known to faith, and the visible idols in which the heathen trust.
Our God, faith can say, hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. As to the idols that men have made, they can neither speak, nor see, nor hear, nor smell, nor act, nor walk. In a word they are helpless, as indeed are those who trust in them.
(vv. 9-11) The psalmist then exhorts to trust in Jehovah, for He alone can help, and defend those who trust in Him. The nation of Israel, the priestly family of Aaron, the Gentiles that fear the Lord, are called to trust in the Lord, and thus find in Him their help and shield.
(vv. 12-15) Though God is in the heavens (v. 3) the godly can look back over their long history of failure and say, The Lord hath been mindful of us. Having experienced Jehovah’s care for them in the past, they can look on to the future with confidence, and say He will bless Israel, the house of Aaron, and all that fear the Lord, both small and great. Moreover, those He blesses are increased, and blessed in the present, for says the psalmist – Ye are blessed, He who blesses is the Maker of heaven and earth.
(vv. 16-18) The closing verses present the result of being blessed by the Creator. The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth hath He given to the children of men to be held for His praise. If we are blessed of the Lord it is in order that we may Bless the Lord (vv. 15-16). The psalm does not look beyond death: the blessing of which it speaks is not heavenly as with the Christian. It is the millennial life of blessing that the psalmist has in view, when he says, We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for ever more. Of the heavenly life beyond death he knows nothing.
Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible
115:1 Not {a} unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth’s sake.
(a) Because God promised to deliver them, not for their sakes, but for his Name, Isa 48:11, therefore they ground their prayer on this promise.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Psalms 115
This anonymous psalm instructs God’s people to trust in the Lord rather than in idols.
"Psalms 115 is one psalm with Psalms 114 in the LXX and the Vulgate. However, there is little doubt that they form two separate psalms. The motifs and genre of the psalms are too different. Psalms 114 is in the form of a hymn describing the wonder of Israel’s redemption from Egypt, whereas the literary forms of Psalms 115 are quite varied and include lament, liturgy, and confidence.
"Psalms 115 may be classified as a psalm of communal confidence. The psalms of communal confidence are closely related to communal thanksgiving songs and to communal laments. The psalms of communal confidence convey a sense of need as well as a deep trust in the Lord’s ability to take care of the needs of the people. There are three such psalms (115, 125, 129)." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 719. Cf. Bullock, p. 175.]
Other scholars see Psalms 46 as one of these psalms and exclude Psalms 115. [Note: E.g., H. Kraus, Psalmen 1:iii.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
1. The need for God to vindicate Himself 115:1-2
The psalmist called on God to glorify Himself for His own sake, in contrast to glorifying His people. Evidently the pagan nations were ridiculing Yahweh for His inactivity.
The Christian statesman William Wilberforce marked the passing of his bill to abolish the slave trade in England by meditating on Psa 115:1. [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 404.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 115:1-18
ISRAEL is in straits from heathen enemies, and cries to Jehovah to vindicate His own Name by delivering it. Strengthened by faith, which has been stung into action by taunts aimed at both the nation and its Protector, the psalmist triumphantly contrasts Jehovah in the heavens, moving all things according to His will, with idols which had the semblance of powers the reality of which was not theirs. Sarcastic contempt, indignation, and profound insight into the effect of idolatry in assimilating the worshipper to his god, unite in the picture (Psa 115:3-8). The tone swiftly changes into a summons to withdraw trust from such vanities, and set it on Jehovah, who can and will bless His servants (Psa 115:9-15); and the psalm closes with recognition of Jehovahs exaltation and beneficence, and with the vow to return blessing to Him for the blessings, already apprehended by faith, which He bestows on Israel.
Obviously the psalm is intended for temple worship, and was meant to be sung by various voices. The distribution of its parts may be doubtful. Ewald would regard Psa 115:1-11 as the voice of the congregation while the sacrifice was being offered; Psa 115:12-15 as that of the priest announcing its acceptance; and Psa 115:16-18 as again the song of the congregation. But there is plainly a change of singer at Psa 115:9; and the threefold summons to trust in Jehovah in the first clauses of Psa 115:9, Psa 115:10, Psa 115:11, may with some probability be allotted to a ministering official, while the refrain; in the second clause of each of these verses, may be regarded as pealed out with choral force. The solo voice next pronounces the benediction on the same three classes to whom it had addressed the call to trust. And the congregation, thus receiving Jehovahs blessing, sends back its praise, as sunshine from a mirror, in Psa 115:16-18.
The circumstances presupposed in the psalm suit many periods of Israels history. But probably this, like the neighboring psalms, is a product of the early days after the return from Babylon, when the feeble settlers were ringed round by scoffing foes, and had brought back from exile a more intimate knowledge and contemptuous aversion for idols and idolatry than had before been felt in Israel. Cheyne takes the psalm to be Maccabean, but acknowledges that there is nothing in it to fix that date, which he seeks to establish for the whole group mainly because he is sure of it for one member of the group, namely, Psa 118:1-29. (“Orig. of Psalt.,” 18 sq.).
The prayer in Psa 115:1-2, beautifully blends profound consciousness of demerit and confidence that, unworthy as Israel is, its welfare is inextricably interwoven with Jehovahs honour. It goes very deep into the logic of supplication, even though the thing desired is but deliverance from human foes. Men win their pleas with God, when they sue in forma pauperis. There must be thorough abnegation of all claims based on self before there can be faithful urging of the one prevalent motive, Gods care for His own fair fame. The under side of faith is self-distrust, the upper side is affiance on Jehovah. God has given pledges for His future by His past acts of self-revelation, and cannot but be true to His Name. His lovingkindness is no transient mood, but rests on the solid basis of His faithfulness, like flowers rooted in the clefts of a rock. The taunts that had tortured another psalmist long before {Psa 42:3} have been flung now from heathen lips, with still more bitterness, and call for Jehovahs thunderous answer. If Israel goes down before its foes, the heathen will have warrant to scoff.
But from their bitter tongues and his own fears, the singer turns, in the name of the sorely harassed congregation, to ring out the proclamation which answers the heathen taunt, before God answers it by deeds. “Our God is in heaven”-that is where He is; and He is not too far away to make His hand felt on earth. He is no impotent image; He does what He wills, executing to the last tittle His purposes; and conversely, He wills what He does, being constrained by no outward force, but drawing the determinations of His actions from the depths of His being. Therefore, whatever evil has befallen Israel is not a sign that it has lost Him, but a proof that He is near. The brief, pregnant assertion of Gods omnipotence and sovereign freedom, which should tame the heathens arrogance and teach the meaning of Israels disasters, is set in eloquent opposition to the fiery indignation which dashes off the sarcastic picture of an idol. The tone of the description is like that of the manufacture of an image in Isa 44:9-20. Psa 135:15-18 repeats it verbatim. The vehemence of scorn in these verses suggests a previous, compelled familiarity with idolatry such as the exiles had. It corresponds with the revolution which that familiarity produced, by extirpating forever the former hankering after the gods of the nations. No doubt, there are higher weapons than sarcasm; and, no doubt, a Babylonian wise man could have drawn distinctions between the deity and its image, but such cobwebs are too fine spun for rough fingers to handle, and the idolatry both of pagans and of Christians identifies the two.
But a deeper note is struck in Psa 115:8 in the assertion that, as is the god, so becomes the worshipper. The psalmist probably means chiefly, if not exclusively, in respect to the impotence just spoken of. So the worshipper and his idol are called by the same name, {Isa 44:9, vanity} and, in the tragic summary of Israels sins and punishment in 2Ki 17:15, it is said, that “they followed after vanity and became vain.” But the statement is true in a wider sense. Worship is sure to breed likeness. A lustful, cruel god will make his devotees so. Men make gods after their own image, and, when made, the gods make men after theirs. The same principle which degrades the idolater lifts the Christian to the likeness of Christ. The aim and effect of adoration is assimilation.
Probably the congregation is now silent, and a single voice takes up the song, with the call, which the hollowness of idolatry makes so urgent and reasonable, to trust in Jehovah, not in vanities. It is thrice repeated, being first addressed to the congregation, then to the house of Aaron, and finally to a wider circle, those who “fear Jehovah.” These are most naturally understood as proselytes, and, in the prominence given to them we see the increasing consciousness in Israel of its Divine destination to be Gods witness to the world. Exile had widened the horizon, and fair hopes that men who were not of Israels blood would share Israels faith and shelter under the wings of Israels God stirred in many hearts. The crash of the triple choral answer to the summons comes with magnificent effect, in the second clauses of Psa 115:9, Psa 115:10, Psa 115:11, triumphantly telling how safe are they who take refuge behind that strong buckler. The same threefold division into Israel, house of Aaron, and they who fear Jehovah occurs in Psa 118:2-4, and, with the addition of “house of Levi,” in Psa 135:1-21.
Promises of blessing occupy Psa 115:12 and Psa 115:15, which may probably have been sung by priests, or rather by Levites, the musicians of the Temple service. In any case, these benedictions are authoritative assurances from commissioned lips, not utterances of hopeful faith. They are Jehovahs response to Israels obedience to the preceding summons; swiftly sent, as His answers ever are. Calm certainty that He will bless comes at once into the heart that deeply feels that He is its shield, however His manifestation of outward help may be lovingly delayed. The blessing is parted among those who had severally been called to trust, and had obeyed the call. Universal blessings have special destinations. The fiery mass breaks up into cloven tongues and sits on each. Distinctions of position make no difference in its reception. Small vessels are filled, and great ones can be no more than full. Cedars and hyssop rejoice in impartial sunshine. Israel, when blessed increases in number, and there is an inheritance of good from generation to generation. The seal of such hopes is the Name of Him who blesses, “the Maker of heaven and earth,” to whose omnipotent, universal sway these impotent gods in human form are as a foil.
Finally, we may hear the united voices of the congregation thus blessed breaking into full-throated praise in Psa 115:16-18. As in Psa 115:3 Gods dwelling in heaven symbolised His loftiness and power, so here the thought that “the heavens are Jehovahs heavens” implies both the worshippers trust in His mighty help and their lowliness even in trust. The earth is mans, but by Jehovahs gift. Therefore its inhabitants should remember the terms of their tenure, and thankfully recognise His giving love. But heaven and earth do not include all the universe. There is another region, the land of silence, whither the dead descend. No voice of praise wakes its dumb sleep. {Isa 38:18-19} That pensive contemplation, on which the light of the New Testament assurance of Immortality has not shone, gives keener edge to the bliss of present ability to praise Jehovah. We who know that to die is to have a new song put into immortal lips may still be stimulated to fill our brief lives here with the music of thanksgiving, by the thought that, so far as our witness for God to men is concerned, most of us will “descend into silence” when we pass into the grave. Therefore we should shun silence, and bless Him while we live here.