Psalms 115:1-18
1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2 Why should the Gentiles say,
"So where is their God?"
3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts 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 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 those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.
14 May the LORD give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
The idols of human hands are lifeless, but the LORD of all is the source of all life. All the glory is due to Him, not us or our endeavors or creations. He has made us, we have not made ourselves. Therefore, we owe Him our lives and praises, our honor and worship, because of His great mercy and truth. Those around us continue to mockingly ask us where our God is, since they cannot see Him with their eyes, but by being convinced by tangible faith (Hebrews 11:1), we are certain He is in the invisible heaven far above us. We also acknowledge His sovereignty over all His creation, even those who mock Him and us for believing in whomHe says He is because He actually is who He says. Tangible faith has such certainty because He provides it to us. The idols created by man’s hands are not as God’s who spoke us into existence along with this world and a universe filled with worlds and stars. No, the works of man’s hands are mistakenly worshipped in pride as if they created man and not that man is the created one as Romans 1:21 tells us. This foolish thinking leads to idols of man (Romans 1:22-23) to be worshipped in the place where God alone is to be honored and praised. Idols are deaf, dumb, and blind, lifeless and immobile. Those who create such dead things and trust in them are just like them, lifeless and incapable of understanding or power to create good. All who trust in the living God, the LORD of all, these find help and protection which man’s creations are utterly incapable of. Our technology and inventions echo God’s creative image in us, but they point us back to the Creator of we who make these. He is therefore to be honored and worshipped for that glory due to Him, not the works of our hands or minds, which are from Him. He is mindful of us, considering our frail and fallen nature (Psalm 103:14), and chooses to honor those who honor and reverently fear Him, no matter what their station in life may be. He gives the increase and blessings, just as He gave us the world created for us to live in. All belongs to Him, and we are given the task to tend to it as caretakers and gardeners of a sort. We then should not wait till we die to praise and honor God, but bless Him now in every day, committed to this forever as He is to us. This is due to the faithfulness of the Lord, which is in stark contrast to the futile false gods we make. Praise the Lord!
No comments:
Post a Comment