(About Faith)
Psalm 115
Opening: Hello, everyone! Welcome to our series of studies on the Egyptian Hallel, which is the title given to Psalm 113 through 118. Last week we looked at Psalm 114, and today we’re going to focus on Psalm 115. So if you’re able to access your Bible, turn there with me. As you do, I want to tell you that after several years we now have copies of one of my earliest books—On This Day in Christian History. This is a unique daily devotional that tells fascinating stories from Christian history for every day of the year. Most people aren’t going to read a multivolume series on the history of the church, but we can learn some of the stories in one-day doses. Learn about the heroes of the Christian story, along with a few of the villains. Now priced at only 12.99 at the bookstore on my website, Robertjmorgan.com.
Let’s begin today by reading the Scripture for our study—Psalm 115.
Scripture
Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
but the earth he has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,
both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.
Review:
Let’s take a moment to review, and then I’ll show you what I learned from Christopher Ash, a powerful British expositor who is now writer in residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge, in England. Dr. Ash has become my favorite British expositor, and when I listened to his brilliant sermon on Psalm 115, I realized I had missed something very significant.
According to every commentary and tradition I can find, the six Psalms that begin with Psalm 113 and go through Psalm 118 were set to music and sung at the major Jewish festivals, and also by families at the annual Passover meal, which commemorated the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. They were called the Hallel Psalms because the first word of Psalm 113 is Hallel, or Praise. This is the root of the word Hallelujah. They are called the Egyptian Hallel because they focus on Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery, especially Psalm 114.
Just as we sing Christmas carols during December, Jewish families sang these six hymns every year around the Passover Table. So these are presumably the last songs Jesus sang. The Gospels tell us that on the last night of His natural life, Jesus met with His disciples in an Upper Room somewhere in Jerusalem for the Passover meal. There on the table was the Lamb, along with the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread. The stone room was lighted by flaming lamps, and there on this mystic night the Lord Jesus observed Passover with His closest friends, plus one traitor.
What is so fascinating to me is that these six songs anticipate the Gospel story. Psalm 113 alludes to the incarnation–the act of God humbling Himself to become a man. Psalm 114 is about redemption, how the Lord redeems us from slavery and comes to dwell among us. Now, if God did become human to dwell among us and deliver us from our sins, how do we partake in that? What do we have to do? How do we obtain this? How do we apprehend it? How do we procure it?
It is by faith, and by faith alone. We simply trust the Lord—and that’s the theme of Psalm 115. If Psalm 113 alludes to the Incarnation and Psalm 114 to redemption, then Psalm 115 tells us that our role is to turn from sin and receive this gift by faith.
What I failed to see in Psalm 115 is the importance of verse 2, so let’s start there: Why do the nations, “Where is their God?”
This Psalm is most likely post-exilic. What does that mean? The nation of Judah and its capital of Jerusalem became so corrupt that God allowed the Babylonian Empire to invade and defeat them in 587 BC. The exiles were deported to Babylon, and we call that the Jewish exile. Psalm 115 is in the last of the five divisions of the Psalms. These were compiled very late, almost certainly after the exile, after they had been taken out of the land. And probably portions of this last part of the Psalms—from Psalm 107 to 150—were written for the remnant of Jews who had returned from exile and had begun to repopulate the land.
Psalm 107 begins, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from the east and west and north and south….”
This last portion of the Psalms were very likely written and compiled by Ezra, or those around him. But even though a remnant of Jews were back in the land, things were still harsh. They were under the hegemony of other nations, and they were surrounded by enemies. They no longer had a king. They had a tiny bit of territory, but nothing like the past. They were able to finally rebuild their temple, but it looked rather pathetic when compared to that of Solomon.
So their enemies ridiculed them and said, “Where is your God now, Judah? Where is the God you said would help you?”
Christopher Ash said that Psalm 115 was written for the Jews to sing whenever they encountered that question. And they were still singing it when Jesus arrived on the scene and the nation of Israel was still occupied by foreign troops.
And sometimes we have a similar question. “Where is God when I need Him? If God really loves me, what did this happen? Is there really a God, and if so, where is He? Where is God when bad things happen? Where is our God?”
1. Give God the Glory (Verse 1)
First, let’s give God all the glory. In other words, “Lord, the nations are asking where You are. They see our distress and are mocking us. Lord, please come to our aid; please help us; please guide us—but not because we are worthy of it. No, help us for Your own glory!”
This reminds me of something I wrote in my book, The Red Sea Rules. When we’re in a painful place in life, our first question should not be, “Lord, how did I get into this mess and how can I get out.” The first question should be, “Lord, how can You be glorified through my circumstances?”
Verse 1 also reminds me of Ephesians 2:8 and 9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not of works, so that no one can boast.
When a person decides to trust Jesus Christ for salvation or to find assurance of salvation, they do so on the basis of the love and faithfulness of God; not on the basis of anything they can glory in. We say, “Lord, not on the basis of my own goodness, but on the basis of your love and faithfulness, save me for Your glory.”
A few months ago, a research firm in Great Britain asked people if they believed there was any kind of life at all after death. About half of all British adults believe that. Then they asked that half what was necessary to get to heaven. Eighty-four percent (84%) of those who believe in Heaven said that one must live a good life and be a good person in order to go to Heaven.
But that’s not the answer the Bible gives. The Bible tells us that none of us can be good enough to get to Heaven on our own. The reason has to do with the superb perfections of all the attributes and qualities of the God who is eternal in the Heavens. He is absolute in His perfection and stainless in His glory. He is so pure and holy that nothing with a trace of evil can ever exist in His presence.
And we all know that even the best person on earth is imperfect in some way, in many ways. Jeremiah 19:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” That’s why the perfect God became human, to live a sinless life and to offer His righteous life for all of us. We can only go to Heaven on the basis of what He has done for us.
So not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
2. Don’t Trust Any Other “Gods” (Verses 2-8)
In verses 2 through 8, the writer tells us that the people who are asking where our God is are the very ones who are foolish enough to be worshipping gods they themselves have made.
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.
The very people who are ridiculing our God are the ones who are worshipping gods that cannot speak or see or hear or smell or feel or walk or talk. I’ll tell you where our God is! Our God is in Heaven and He does whatever pleases Him. Your gods are here on earth and they cannot do anything. They are idols.
In biblical times as well as in parts of the world today, people still practice this kind of idolatry, in which they make images of perceived gods and then worship the image they have made. I’ve been in many parts of the world in which I’ve seen people bowing down to idols. The most stunning place was the Golden Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. There’s no way to describe it. It’s like a city of gold with a tall golden pagoda in the middle, and everywhere you look people are offering gifts and sacrifices and offerings connected to their Buddhist beliefs.
But the biblical concept of idolatry is broader than worshipping images and statutes. An idol is something in your life that is more important than it should be.
Christianity is not an additive to your life, like pouring a bottle of some high-performance liquid into your car’s gas tank. It is not a supplement. You can’t just say, “Well, maybe we need some inspiration or morality in our lives, so let’s go to church more often.”
The Bible says that in all things, Christ must have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18). You have to bring every area of life under His governing authority. Anything that is not under His governing authority—anything in your life that is more important than it should be, more important than Him—is an idol.
So you have to ask yourself, “Is there anything in my life that is more important than it should be?”
The reason this is important is stated in the next verse—Psalm 115:8: Those who make them (idols) will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
This is a principle that I learned from reading A. W. Tozer’s book, The Knowledge of the Holy. This is one of the top ten books on my library shelves. Chapter 1 is entitled, “Why We Must Think Rightly About God.” I want to read two sentences to you.
Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”
If your god is sex, you’ll become more and more promiscuous. If your god is money, you’ll become more and more materialistic. If your god is power, you’ll become more and more ruthless. We are transformed into whatever our gods dictate.
If your God is the Lord of the Bible, you will become more and more godly.
Justin Brierley wrote, “I believe we are all made to worship. That instinct runs so deep within us that, if we don’t worship God, we will end up worshipping something else instead. The object of people’s worship is whatever preeminent thing they build their lives around. There are the usual glamorous contenders — money, sex, power. And the less obvious idols too — career, family, fitness. Not that any of these things are bad in themselves, but, as Tim Keller says, idolatry usually involves ‘turning a good thing into an ultimate thing.’”
3. Place Your Faith in the Lord and in Him Only (Verses 9-11)
Let’s go on to the next part of Psalm 115. Verses 9 through 11 tell us to put our faith in the Lord and in Him alone: 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.
Some scholars believe this was antiphonal. That is, if this was done in the Upper Room, half the men would sing the first line, and the other would sing the second line. They would go back and forth. But notice we’re told three times to trust in the Lord. Verse 8 said, Those who make (idols) will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
So don’t do that. Instead, put your trust in the Lord, Israelites, the people of God. Put your trust in the Lord, all the descendants of Aaron—the worship leaders. Put your trust in the Lord everyone, all who fear Him. He is our help. He is a shield.
If you need help in any area of your life right now, trust in the Lord. Trust Him! If you need protection, safety, a shield, trust in Him. Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).
This is the primary human response to God’s grace. We simply believe that He has done things for us that we do not deserve and can never earn, and so we receive it by faith.
The Bible says, “The righteous shall live by faith…. One is justified by faith…. By faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand…. Stand firm in the faith…. Be sound in the faith…. established in the faith…. For we walk by faith, not by sight…. Through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness…. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…. (for) without faith it is impossible to please Him… And this is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith!” (Romans 1:17; 3:28; 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Titus 1:13; Colossians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:5; Hebrews 10:22; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 5:4).
I’ll give you a very inadequate illustration. I saw a video on the news the other day of a man who had fallen from a hiking trail near San Francisco. The man was clinging to the side of a cliff hardly able to hang on. Far beneath him were treacherous rocks and rugged coastline. The California Highway Patrol sent one of their helicopters, and a crew member was lowered by a cable to grab hold of the man. Imagine being that man in distress. He has fallen. He’s clinging to a cliff but about to fall to his death. He hears a helicopter hovering above him and an emergency responder is descending on a cable. The rescuer comes close to him and shouts, “Grab hold of me!”
Now the man has to make a decision. Can he climb up the hill on his own? Can he survive falling onto the rocks below? Can he jump up and grab the cable and climb up it hand over hand? No. His only salvation depends on trusting the one who has lowered himself to his level and has come to save him. “Trust me,” shouts the man. “Put your arms around me. I’ve got you. You have got to place your faith in the helicopter. You’ve got to place your faith in the crew. You’ve got to place your faith in the cable. And you’ve got to place your faith in me.”
The only way to be saved, to be rescued, is by trusting the One who came down from Heaven, dangling by the cable of love, and who is reaching out His hands to you.
4. Rejoice in God’s Blessings (Verses 12-18)
The last part of Psalm 115 tells about all the blessings that come into our lives when we do this. Look at verses 12 through 18: 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.
And now, a benediction: 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.
Verse 16 is very curious: The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. What does that mean? Well, the previous verse said the Lord is the Maker of heaven and earth. Earth is where we live, and Heaven is where He lives. But the God who lives in Heaven is able to bless His people who live on this earth.
The next verse speaks about our eternal life—how the Maker of Heaven and Earth will give us the joys of Heaven forever. Verse 17 says, “It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down the place of silence.”
No, “It is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.” Forever and ever. We will be praising the Lord forever in His Heaven because He has rescued us in a way that simply required us to trust Him and to place Him first in our lives.
5. Praise the Lord (Verse 18)
So, says the last phrase: “Praise the Lord!” It seems to me that in an Old Testament way, this Psalm teaches us Ephesians 2:8 and 9, that we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves so that no one can boast. It begins by saying, “We cannot save ourselves. Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness.”
Then it warns us against any substitute for that. We cannot be saved by our own idols, by those things that become more important than they should be. No, we can only be saved by trusting in the Lord. When we do that, He blesses us on earth, and we will praise Him both now and forevermore, throughout the endless years of eternity.
This is the plan of salvation, hidden as it were, interwoven as it were, into the verses of Psalm 115. Psalm 113 speaks of our Lord’s entry into earth. Psalm 114 speaks of His work of redemption. And Psalm 115 tells us this salvation is offered by grace on the basis of faith. And we can trust Him, even if others doubt and belittle Him!
When the world asks us, “Where is your God,” we have an answer. He is in Heaven and He does what pleases Him, and what pleases Him is to bless His people What pleases Him is to bless me even when people around me are doubting His goodness and greatness.
So all of you, trust in the Lord—
he is our help and shield;
Those who need Him, trust in the Lord—
he is your help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is our help and shield.The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,