Those Who Make Them Become Like Them – Psalm 115
Psalm 115
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust 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 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both the small and the great.
14 May the Lord give you increase,
you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the Lord's heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
NOTE: Today’s commentary is by Dr. Kevin Watson, who is coming to Tulsa to become the Director of Academic Growth and Formation at the Tulsa Extension Site for Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as joining our staff at Asbury Church as Scholar-in-Residence. I wrote a post announcing and explaining this move.-Andrew
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Psalm 115 emphasizes its key theme right out of the gate.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
Those who do not know our God may ridicule our faith. The psalmist reminds us that God is above all that happens and all that is.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
These verses turn the tables on those who question Israel’s God. They worship idols that are inanimate objects. The ridiculousness of creating something with your own hands in order to worship it is emphasized.
These idols have fake mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hand, and feet.
They are not alive. They are not persons. They do not communicate with those who worship them.
And worst of all, they make those create them and worship them as they are. “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” Idol worship is not neutral.
O Israel, trust 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.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
Those who worship God should not only worship him like idol worshippers do. They should trust the Lord. Why? Because God is a person. He is the creator. He is not a worthless inanimate object. God is our help and our shield.
The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both the small and the great.
In the midst of challenging circumstances, this can be a difficult prayer to pray. It is also essential to thriving in the life of faith. In good times and bad, notice the times you are aware of God’s presence and that he has remembered you. Turn your mind to trusting that God will bless you, even when you can’t yet see it. And be open to his blessing being different than your expectations.
May the Lord give you increase,
you and your children!
May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
Read the words above slowly. Take a deep breath. Ask God to help you receive every blessing he has for you. Amen.
The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into silence.
But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
We are called to steward the earth, which the Lord has entrusted to our care. This is a sacred responsibility.
How can you faithfully steward your part of God’s good creation today?
As you do so, make an intentional effort to praise the Lord for the gift of creation.