Psalm 115 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence

Considered as part of a group of song-prayers known as pilgrimage songs to be sung by Israelites on their way to Jewish festivals (Psalms 113-118), Psalm 115 is well known to Jews all around the world. This particular psalm was probably composed after the return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon and during the dedication of the new temple in Jerusalem. It was written as a response to the taunting and mocking of some nearby Gentiles asking for any evidence of the power of the God of Israel since he seems to have abandoned his people for so many years. And in reply, the psalmist says in v.3, “Our God is in the heavens and he does all that pleases.” In other words, he is the unrivaled ruler over all the nations on earth and exalts and humbles every nation according to his own sovereign will, including the nation of Judah.

In comparison, the psalmist points out the great impotence and vanity of the gentile gods. Even though they are made of silver and gold, they are still crafted by the weakness and sinfulness of human flesh. They are mere lifeless statues that cannot see, hear, speak or act in any form or fashion. Likewise, the psalmist says that those who trust in idols eventually become like them, lifeless and worthless in every way, thus reminding God’s people not to look to these worthless images ever again. Instead, he exhorts God’s people three times to put their trust in the Lord for He is loving and faithful to his covenant, He is their help and their shield of protection. He will provide and care for his people like a shepherd cares for his sheep. He will remember them in times of affliction and he will bless those who trust in him, repeating this promise four times to make sure that God’s people get it.

Consequently he prays to the Lord asking God to bless them and multiply them in strength, wealth and numbers, and to restore them to the blessings of the covenantal promises. Finally, he concludes the psalm with a doxology to the God who alone sits in the heavens and does what he pleases, reminding his hearers that their abode is only temporarily on earth. So while they have life and breath in their bodies, let them give glory to God above for all that he has done and all that he is unto them. And this circles back to his initial exhortation of praise in v.1 saying, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.”

Because God had brought them back to the land of promise even though they has sinned greatly and deserved to be destroyed, the psalmist acknowledges that all of this had occurred only for God’s own name sake. It is not because Judah had gotten her act together that she was able to return to Canaan but because the Lord has shown great mercy to her, so all the praise belongs unto God. With this being a high water mark in the history of Israel, it is good for them to be reminded of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to his people; otherwise, they might begin to think that somehow they had done something good and worthy of God that had brought about this glorious return and day of celebration. But the reality of that day was that it was still just a glimpse of the glorious grace of God. It would be good for us to remember this same truth when we are riding high upon the earth and enjoying God’s good blessings.