Psalm 115

Not to us, Lord, not to us
    but to your name be the glory,
    because of your love and faithfulness.
Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven;
    he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
    He will bless his people Israel,
    he will bless the house of Aaron,
he will bless those who fear the Lord—
    small and great alike.
May the Lord cause you to flourish,
    both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
    but the earth he has given to mankind.
It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
    those who go down to the place of silence;
it is we who extol the Lord,
    both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.

• Psalm 115:1-18

Type of Psalm

Psalms of praise: Exactly as stated.  God is being praised.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“Many ancient translations join this psalm to that which goes next before it, the Septuagint particularly, and the vulgar Latin; but it is, in the Hebrew, a distinct psalm. In it we are taught to give glory, I. To God, and not to ourselves, ver. 1. II. To God, and not to idols, ver. 2-8. We must give glory to God, 1. By trusting in him, and in his promise and blessing, ver. 9-15. 2. By blessing him, ver. 16-18. Some think this psalm was penned upon occasion of some great distress and trouble that the church of God was in, when the enemies were in insolent and threatening, in which case the church does not so much pour out her complaint to God as place her confidence in God, and triumph in doing so; and with such a holy triumph we ought to sing this psalm.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 115:4-8 “In contrast, Gentiles worship dead gods of their own making, fashioned in the image of the fallen creature (cf. Is. 44:9–20; 46:5–7; Jer. 10:3–16; Rom. 1:21–25). The idol worshiper becomes like the idol—spiritually useless.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

This psalm could easily be one of the prophets who spoke of how false gods cannot speak, see, hear, smell, or feel.  They might be made out of fine materials or simply out of wood or stone, but they are not alive.  The people that worship such gods mock those that worship the true God because He cannot be seen, but we see God in all that He created.

The mantra in the middle of this psalm calls for all Israel, the House of Aaron, and all who fear God to trust in God for He is our help and shield.

Then the psalmist claims blessings.  May we be blessed; may we flourish.

It is not those who die and no longer have life who praise the Lord.

It is those who fear the Lord, and they shall praise the Lord forever more.

In other words, we will live with the Lord after our earthly body is gone.

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
    he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
    the anguish of the grave came over me;
    I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
    our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
    for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.
I trusted in the Lord when I said,
    “I am greatly afflicted”;
in my alarm I said,
    “Everyone is a liar.”
What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, Lord;
    I serve you just as my mother did;
    you have freed me from my chains.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
    and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord—
    in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.

• Psalm 116:1-19

Type of Psalm

Psalms of praise: Exactly as stated.  God is being praised.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This is a thanksgiving psalm; it is not certain whether David penned it upon any particular occasion or upon a general review of the many gracious deliverances God had wrought for him, out of six troubles and seven, which deliverances draw from him many very lively expressions of devotion, love, and gratitude; and with similar pious affections our souls should be lifted up to God in singing it. Observe, I. The great distress and danger that the psalmist was in, which almost drove him to despair, ver. 3, 10, 11. II. The application he made to God in that distress, ver. 4. III. The experience he had of God’s goodness to him, in answer to prayer; God heard him (ver. 1, 2), pitied him (ver. 5, 6), delivered him, ver. 8. IV His care respecting the acknowledgments he should make of the goodness of God to him, ver. 12. 1. He will love God, ver. 1. 2. He will continue to call upon him, ver. 2, 13, 17. 3. He will rest in him, ver. 7. 4. He will walk before him, ver. 9. 5. He will pay his vows of thanksgiving, in which he will own the tender regard God had to him, and this publicly, ver. 13-15, 17-19. Lastly, He will continue God’s faithful servant to his life’s end, ver. 16. These are such breathings of a holy soul as bespeak it very happy.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 116:9 ” ‘Gracious is the LORD, and righteous.’ When Jehovah hears prayer, His grace and righteousness are both conspicuous. It is a great favor to hear a sinner’s prayer, and yet since the Lord has promised to do so, He is not unrighteous to forget His promise and disregard the cries of His people. The combination of grace and righteousness in the dealings of God with His servants can be explained only by remembering the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the cross we see how gracious is the Lord and righteous. ‘Yes, our God is merciful’ or compassionate, tender, pitiful, full of mercy. We who have accepted Him as ours have no doubt as to His mercy, for He would never have been our God if He had not been merciful. See how the attribute of righteousness seems to stand between two guards of love: gracious, righteous, merciful. The sword of justice is housed in a jeweled sheath of grace.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon and the Psalms

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

The psalmist makes a bold statement within the first two verses.  Because God heard his pleas for help, he will praise God forever.  The psalmist must have a much longer attention span than we do today or did the majority of those in biblical times.  Once the trouble is righted, we tend to look toward the shiniest thing that our eyes will catch.

But should we trust and love God forever because He heard our plea for help?  Yes!  Absolutely!

But then we find that the psalmist was near death when God heard his plea.  Could this psalmist be Hezekiah?  He lifted up his head to God and trusted him.  The comment about men being liars was either due to men saying they could cure him and did not or a lot of people were telling him to prepare for the end.  I have heard people with terminal illnesses scoff at their doctors and the naysayers around them.

But then, the psalmist’s attention goes to how he or she can return to God just a portion of what God has given him by restoring health.  He will praise the Lord.  He will ensure that any vows that he had made to the Lord will be kept.

The righteous death of a faithful servant of God is a wonderful thing, for we go to be with Him.

This may merely be a thank you letter to God for giving the psalmist a few more years, but we can all sing this psalm as a thank you for saving our souls.

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations;
    extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

• Psalm 117:1-2

Type of Psalm

Psalms of thanksgiving for God’s goodness to good people:  Giving God thanks as noted.

Matthew Henry’s Summary

“This psalm is short and sweet; I doubt the reason why we sing it so often as we do is for the shortness of it; but, if we rightly understood and considered it, we should sing it oftener for the sweetness of it, especially to us sinners of the Gentiles, on whom it casts a very favourable eye. Here is, I. A solemn call to all nations to praise God, ver. 1. II. Proper matter for that praise suggested, ver. 2. We are soon weary indeed of well-doing if, in singing this psalm, we keep not up those pious and devout affections with which the spiritual sacrifice of praise ought to be kindled and kept burning.”

• Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Psalm 117:1 “’Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!’ We know and believe that no one tribe of men shall be unrepresented in the universal song that shall ascend unto the Lord of all. Individuals have already been gathered out of every kindred and people and tongue by the preaching of the gospel, and these have heartily joined in magnifying the grace that sought them out and brought them to know the Savior. These are but the advance guard of a number that no man can number who will come before long to worship the all-glorious One. ‘Laud Him, all you peoples!’ Having done it once, do it again, and do it still more fervently, daily increasing in the reverence and zeal with which you extol the Most High. Praise Him not only nationally by your rulers but popularly in your masses. The multitude of the common folk shall bless the Lord. Inasmuch as the matter is spoken of twice, its certainty is confirmed, and the Gentiles must and shall extol Jehovah-all of them, without exception. Under the gospel dispensation we worship no new god, but the God of Abraham is our God forever and ever; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon and the Psalms

My Thoughts

This psalm is not attributed to any author.

I will try to be brief.  The scholarly quotes above, combined, use more than twenty times as many words as the number of words in the psalm itself.

Let us praise God.  Let us lift Him up above all else, for He loves us and is always faithful.

Okay, I used a few more words than did the psalmist.  I think I could learn a lot from this unnamed psalmist.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Psalm 115

“1. Have you ever been asked ‘where is your God?’ Has your faith been ridiculed? Not taken seriously? How did you respond?
“2. What are some modern idols? Christian idols? In what sense do you become what you worship? Are there any ideas, things, people that you trust more readily than God?
“3. What do you think of religious statues and paintings? Is it wrong to depict Jesus in art? Why do you think the early church departed from the Jewish interpretation of the Second Commandment?
“4. What behaviors and attitudes characterize trust in God?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 116

“1. Is your devotion to God based on what God has done for you? What personal needs does God supply for you?
“2. What does God’s ‘turned ear’ (v.2) say about how he feels about you? How can you strive to imitate God’s readiness to listen?
“3. When has God rescued you from serious danger or distress?
“4. Have you ever been naive, much to your regret? Has life made you cynical in any way? For what past innocence or simplicity do you long?
“5. What thank offerings could you give to God?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Psalm 117

“1. What outsiders need to be included in your life? Give examples of broken barriers.”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for each of these psalms.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.