The Honor of God’s Name Psalm 115:1-18Psalm 115:1, Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. I. Israel confesses her unworthiness

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

The Honor of God’s Name

Psalm 115:1-18

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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The Honor of God’s Name

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller

Text: Psalm 115:1-18, 1. Not to us, O 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 the hands of men. 5. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; 6. they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; 7. they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they 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. O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. 10. O 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 the house of 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 make you increase, both you and your children.





15. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 16. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness16. The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. 17. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence; 18. it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD. Introduction: I. The imperatives directed to Israel, the antiphonal features, and the jussives pronouncing blessings upon Israel indicate that this psalm was composed for liturgical use in Israel's worship assemblies.

A. Psalm 115:2, in a liturgical psalm of praise, need not be taken as a lament (Psalm 42:3,10; and Psalm 79:10).

1. Psalm 115:2, Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" 2. Psalm 42:3 and 10, My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, … "Where is your God?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

3. Psalm 79:10, Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.





II. The precise occasion in which the psalm was to be recited is not clear. Psalm 115 is possibly post-exilic.

A. There are other times in Israel’s history, however, besides the exilic period, in which Israel had opportunities to praise God for His deliverance.

III. The psalmist wants the nation to realize that the taunting question (115:2), so often put to them by their captors, has ceased to be effective, for God has vindicated His name by granting Israel deliverance.

The Proper Object of Praise Psalm 115:1-2, Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" Psalm 115:1, Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. I. Israel confesses her unworthiness and recognizes that only God is praiseworthy.

A. The confessional prayer in which Daniel led the captives in Babylon at the end of the exile is instructive here (Daniel 9:1,19).

1. Daniel 9:1, 19, In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom ... "O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O





my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."

II. God's “love” and “faithfulness” were responsible for Israel’s welfare.

A. The imperative clause “to thy name be the glory”, though addressed to God, needs to be understood as a declaration of commitment on the part of Israel.

1. The force of the statement is “to thy name let us give glory”.

Psalm 115:2, Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" I. God has acted to vindicate His name and remove the stigma attached to this taunting question.

A. See the above introduction to the psalm.

God Contrasted to Idols

Psalm 115:3, Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. I. Psalm 115:3b does not contain an expression of impudence, nor does the psalmist charge God with caprice.

A. Rather, it is a declaration of divine omnipotence, in contrast to the impotence of idols given in the following verses.

Psalm 115:4-7, But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot





smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. I. The main feature of this diatribe against idolatry is that these idols are lifeless forms created by man, and, as such, are unable to respond to those who made them (Psalm 135:15-18).

A. Psalm 135:15-18, The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. B. Because of false trust in lifeless idols, idolaters are as impotent as the gods of their own creation.

II. Instructive here are those passages given in Isaiah to comfort the exiles and bolster their faith in preparation for the return home (Isaiah 41:14-29; 44:9-20; and 45:14-17).

A. Isaiah 41:14-29, Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn





the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. "Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King. "Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable. "I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, 'He was right'? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. I was the first to tell Zion, 'Look, here they are!' I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings. I look but there is no one—no one among them to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion.

B. Isaiah 44:9-20, All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are





nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy. The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" C. Isaiah 45:14-17, This is what the LORD says: "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains.





They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, 'Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.'" Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel. All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.

III. Israel, under siege by the Babylonians, was encouraged in similar fashion by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 10:1-18).

A. Habakkuk, Jeremiah's contemporary, spoke similar words to bolster Judah's faith (Habakkuk 2:18-19).

Affirmation of Faith

Psalm 115:9-13, O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. O 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. The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike. I. A call to “trust” (Psalm 115:9-11) meets with a response in the form of an affirmation of trust (Psalm 115:12-13).

A. Probably the call to trust was recited by a temple official and the response was uttered by the congregation. B. Three groups are addressed: all “Israel”, the “house of Aaron”, which was composed of the priests and their families,





and those “who fear the Lord” (Psalm 118:2-4; and Psalm 135:19-20).

1. Psalm 118:2-4, Let Israel say: "His love endures forever." Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever." Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever." 2. Psalm 135:19-20, O house of Israel, praise the LORD; O house of Aaron, praise the LORD; O house of Levi, praise the LORD; you who fear him, praise the LORD.

C. This last group might be composed of Gentile converts (1 Kings 8:41-43), of which there must have been many in post-exilic Judah (Isaiaj 56:6-7), or the truly devout in Israel (Psalm 111:10; and 112:1), or the entire nation including both priests and laity.

1. 1 Kings 8:41-43, "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name-for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. 2. Isaiah 56:6-7, They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life. On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.





3. Psalm 111:10, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. 4. Psalm 112:1, Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. 5. The apparent antiphonal feature of the psalm suggests the third interpretation.

Priestly Blessing

Psalm 115:14-15, May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. I. The verbs in Psalm 115:14a and 15a can be understood either as jussives expressing a wish (RSV, NASB, NEB, NIV, Psalm 115:14), or as futures indicating an affirmation of trust (KJV).

A. The context suggests the former. B. Apparently, these verses are a priestly benediction on the nation.

National Commitment

Psalm 115:16-18, The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the LORD, both now and for evermore. Praise the LORD.





Note: This closing stanza elaborates the central thought of the psalm, and particularly of Psalm 115:15b, that God the Creator is the living God who is faithful to His people (Psalm 115:1).

A. Psalm 115:1 and 15, Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. B. This paragraph is to be understood as the declaration of Israel's commitment to Yahweh.

Psalm 115:16, The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. I. The background of this verse is Genesis 1.

A. Genesis 1:1-31, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning -- the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground





appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock





according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. B. Both “the highest heavens” and “the earth” are God's creation (Psalm 115:15 and Genesis 1:1), but he has committed “the earth” to the stewardship of man (Gen. 1:28-29).

1. Psalm 115:15, May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 2. Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 3. Genesis 1:28-29, God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and





subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Psalm 115:17, It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence; I. Verse 17, like several other passages, indicates that the dead are unable to praise God (Psalm 6:5; 30:9; 88:5, 10-13; and Isaiah 38:18-19).

A. Psalm 6:5, No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? B. Psalm 30:9, "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness. C. Psalm 88:5 and 10-13, I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? (Selah) Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. D. Isaiah 38:18-19, For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living—they praise





you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.

II. The Old Testament does not provide a clear understanding of communion with God after death.

A. This revelation was postponed until Christ could make it clear through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:9-10).

1. 2 Timothy 1:9-10, Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (KJV)

Psalm 115:18, it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD.

A. “Both now and forevermore”, in light of verse 17, needs to be understood to mean throughout life here.

Application: I. Praise to the living God is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of man.

A. It should not be an intermittent exercise, but it should be constant.





II. We praise God verbally in sincere worship, and we praise Him in obedient lives.

A. New Testament revelation gives us the hope of praising Him throughout eternity provided we are faithful unto death (Revelations 2:10).

1. Revelations 2:10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (KJV)





Questions

Psalm 115:1-15

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Define imperatives, antiphonal features and jussives and explain how these features are used in Psalm 115. _____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. In what ways does Psalm 115:2 qualify as a liturgical psalm of praise? What is a liturgy? 3. Exactly how had God vindicated his name? Be specific. Give details.





4. Give details of Israel’s confession of her unworthiness involved in the situation addressed in Psalm 115. 5. What is the meaning and significance of the expression “to they name be the glory”? How can we give glory to God’s name? 6. How did God act to vindicate his name? What taunting question carried a stigma? For whom did it carry a stigma? Why did it carry such a stigma? 7. Psalm 115:3b does not contain an expression of __________, nor does the psalmist charge God with __________________. Rather, it is a ______________ of _______________________, in contrast to the _______________ of ____________________ given in the following verses____________________________.





8. Define: caprice, diatribe, future technique and laity. 9. Exactly how do Isaiah 41:14-29; 44:9-12 and 45:14-17 relate to what is said in Psalm 115? 10. What did Jeremiah and Habakkuk have to say about Israel’s condition? What was that condition? Give details. 11. A __________________ for ___________________ meets with a ______________ in the ______________ of an __________________ of ______________________. See verses 9-13.





12. What three groups were addressed? Of whom was each group composed? 13. What is the central thought of Psalm 115? 14. Are the dead able to praise God? 15. Define “Both now and forevermore” as used in verse 18. 16. “Not to us, O ____________________, not to us but to your ____________________ be the ____________________, because of your _________________ and __________________.”





17. “Why do the _____________ say, ‘Where is their ____________________?’ Our ____________ is in ____________; he does ____________________ him. But their ________________ are _________________ and ___________________, made by the __________________ of ________________. They have ___________________, but cannot ____________________, but they cannot __________________; they have _________________, but cannot ________________, but they cannot ________________ they have __________________, but cannot _______________, ____________________, but they cannot ______________; nor can they utter a ________________ with their ________________. those who make _______________________________ will be like _______________________and so will all who ________________ in them.” 18. “O_______________ of _____________ _____________ in the __________________- he is their ___________________ and ________________. O ________________ of __________ in the ___________________ - he is their ________________ and __________________. You who ________________ him, trust in the ______________- he is their _______________ and ________________.” 19. What does the psalmist say about idols? See verses 4-7.





20. By comparison, what does the psalmist say about God? 21. “The _______________ ___________________ us and will _______________ us: He will _____________ the ________________ of ________________, he will ______________ the ________________ of _________________, he will __________________ those who _________________ the ________________- ________________ and _______________ _______________.” 22. In rendering service to God, what advantage do the wealthy, educated and those born to faithful Christian parents such as Timothy have? 23. “May the _________________ make you _____________, both you and your __________________. May you be _________________ by the ________________, the ____________________ of _____________________ and ___________________.”





24. “The _______________ _________________ belong to the _________________, but the __________________ he has given to man. It is not the ____________________ who ____________________ the _________________, those that go down to _____________________; it is we who _____________________ the _____________________, both ________________ and __________________.” 25. “_____________________ the ____________________.” 26. _______________ to the ________________ ___________ is one of the _________________ _____________________ and ________________ of man. It should not be an _________________ _______________, but it should be _______________________. 27. How and when can Christians praise God? 28. What have you learned from your study of Psalm 115 that will impact your daily life?





29. In what ways would you like for God to bless you and your family? 30. We become like that which we truly desire and admire (see verse 8). “Be careful what you want. You might get it.” What do you really want?



Documents

The Honor of God’s Name Psalm 115:1-18Psalm 115:1, Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. I. Israel confesses her unworthiness