February 25
Reading: 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!
Psalm 115 is the third song in the Egyptian Hallel, sung every year at the Passover. It is a song of faith in Yahweh Elohim, in a world filled with idolatry.
The first three verses attribute four characteristics to God: glory, steadfast love, faithfulness, and sovereign will. Glory is how God allows others to appreciate His wonderful attributes. Steadfast love, the Hebrew word is “Hesed,” points to God’s loving covenant faithfulness. Faithfulness could be translated as truth or truthfulness. It means that God never says anything false. Finally, in verse 3 we read that God “does whatever He pleases.” No one tells God what to do or makes Him do anything other than what He wants to do. As for human beings, our decisions are influenced and controlled by all kinds of things, good and bad. Our wills are not free. Without Christ, we are slaves to sin. Moreover, we can only choose among the options that God presents us with at any given moment. But God does whatever He wants to do. His will is unconstrained.
These attributes of God are displayed in stark contrast to attributes of the idols that the peoples of the nations worship. Verses 4-7 consist of a list of ironic contrasts that serve to illustrate the impotence of the idols. Verse 8 concludes this list with a stunning revelation. Those who worship idols will become like them; mute, blind, deaf, insensitive, and crippled. G.K. Beale has written an excellent theology of idolatry titled, We Become What We Worship. The title alone is an important lesson learned from this verse. What do you want to become?
Because of all this, verses 9-11 are a plea for people to trust the Lord, and not idols. Verses 12-15 are an assurance and a prayer for God’s blessing. Verses 16-18 are a final statement of faith in the Lord God. The song concludes with a “Halleluia.”