Psalms 115:1

The Bible says in Psalm 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.” This is an important spiritual concept to understand: the Lord Jesus deserves to be gloried, not us. It is important to pray, “May thy name be glorified.” That is the will of God. That will eventually happen in the plan of God for all of life and all of man. It will be wonderful to see it take place at the judgment when all the souls of all mankind will be there, and the name of God is glorified before us all. But until that happens finally and completely, believers desire to see it happen even now. Do not seek your own glory: seek God’s glory. Why should we do that? Because of His mercy and His truth. Mercy is a wonderful thing. When you receive mercy, it means that you will not get the punishment that you deserve for your sins. Mercy is only possible because of what Jesus suffered on the cross of Calvary. You know this once you know the truth. Jesus is the Truth. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” We live in a world where there is tremendous falsehood and spiritual darkness. It is wonderful that the Light of Truth can shine into a soul no matter how dark. Jesus should definitely be glorified for the mercy and truth that He gives to all who desire to have it.

The Bible says in Psalm 115:2, “Wherefore should the heathen say, where is now their God?” This is part of what the Psalmist is saying, as he looks to the Lord for help. When the people of the world rise up and oppress us, and seem to have so much more power and influence than we do, we are in a similar position as this Psalmist. We know that the Lord sees what is happening and is jealous of His name. He will do something about the opposition. We can count on it.

We have the Almighty God who watches over us. As we are told in Psalm 115:3, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” By stating that God is “in the heavens,” we are being reminded that the Lord is high above all principality and power. That means God controls everything. He has the last say. He decides. God does “whatsoever he hath pleased.” Everything that happened has the hand of God upon it. Do you have some things that you wish had not happened: God allowed those things. Do you have some things that you would change if you could: God could have changed them and He did not. God can take the worse things and make something good come out of them, and that is exactly what He does. And so Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the called according to His purpose.”

The Bible says in Psalm 115:4-8, “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: either speak they through their throat.[8] They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.” These verses tell us about the futility of trusting in false gods. A false god is not a god at all and therefore has no power. These verses are specifically referencing idols that are worshipped by heathen peoples, but the same truth applies to the idols of today. Whatever someone worships is their idol. There are idols of wealth, power, sex, drugs, alcohol, celebrities, and other humans. All of these idols are no gods either. That can do nothing for those that trust in them. Those who trust in them, whether rich or poor, will end up at the same place: cast out of the Kingdom of heaven. Only those who trust in Jesus Christ will end up in heaven.

The Bible says in Psalm 115:9-11, “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.” Three times, once for each verse, individuals are told to trust in the Lord. First everyone in Israel is told to trust in the Lord. Secondly, all the priests and Levites (those in ministry) are told to trust in the Lord. And thirdly, every true believer is told to trust in the Lord. To trust in the Lord means to rely upon Him. And we need to be remined of that, because there is always the danger that you will revert to relying upon yourself or your own resources and abilities. When we rely upon the Lord, He will help us. And when we rely upon Him, he will be a shield for us. In other words, the Lord will protect us from spiritual attacks. Life is a spiritual battle and we need the shield of faith to protect us from all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The Bible says in Psalm 115:12-13, “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.” God loves people, and He especially loves those who believe in Jesus. God thinks about us, and He plans to benefit us. That is why we can be confident about the future. Just as God has blessed us in the past, He will also bless us in the future. The future is bright ahead for those who “fear” the Lord. He is the Almighty Judge of everyone on the earth. He decides. Fear Him.

The Bible says in Psalm 115:14-16, “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 LORD's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Having children is very important to some people. It certainly was important to those of the Old Testament. And then after you have children, it is very important what happens to them. But it can be dangerous because every child eventually makes his or her own decisions, and if they make the wrong decisions, then we all know how terrible the results can be. But Christians have an option that unbelievers do not have. Christians can put their children into the hands of the Lord and see what the Lord does with them. One thing is certain in an evil and uncertain world, we definitely need the blessings of the Lord if anything, including the raising of children, is going to turn out well. Verse fourteen definitely promises an “increase.” We need to increase in our knowledge of Christ, we need to increase in our knowledge of the Word, and we need to increase in bearing fruit for the glory of the name of Christ. The Lord can certainly make these things happen. After all, He “made heaven and earth.” Notice that verse sixteen says that “the earth hath he given to the children of men.” In other words, Christian, go out and accomplish something. You have unlimited opportunity, and you have the power of God to help you.

The Bible says in Psalm 115:14-16, “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.” Go to a cemetery and see how many of the dead are praising God on earth. None. They do not do anything, and they certainly do not praise God with their voices. Their voices are silent. Do not be like a dead person. Lift your voice in praise to God. Thank God for all His benefits and blessings. In order to do that faithfully, you will need to be determined like the Psalmist who said in verse eighteen, “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.”

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