Bible Study - Psalm 115

Psalm 115 deals with a constant temptation for the children of Israel. The Lord had taught his people that there was only one true God, whom alone they should worship and serve. The foundation commandment of the 10 Commandments, the first commandment, is recorded in Exodus 20:3 and again in Deuteronomy 5:7 and repeated in many other ways throughout the Old Testament: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” An explanation of that commandment followed in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:4-5 and Deuteronomy 5:8-9).

All around them, though, were peoples and nations that were polytheists, believing in many gods and goddesses, and making idols for themselves. Psalm 115: 4-8 ridicules the making and worshiping of idols, “the work of human hands.” These idols may have mouths and eyes and ears, etc., but they cannot speak or see or hear or do anything at all. There are similar descriptions and statements in other places in the Scriptures. Psalm 135 says much the same thing in v.15-18, along with other similar words we will touch on later in v.6 and v.19-20. See also Jeremiah 10:3-5 and 8-11, and most strongly in Isaiah 44:6-20, where God says through Isaiah, “I am the first and I am the last, besides me there is no god” (v.6) and “Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?”(v.10).

Still, the Israelites too often followed the temptation to be like so many others and follow false gods and idols like “the golden calf” in Exodus 32. A summary of the history of God’s people in 2 Kings 17:6-20 says things like this: The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians “because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God… and feared other gods… and walked in the customs of other nations… things that were not right… They went after false idols and became false… They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves images of two calves and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and served Baal.” (All these were false gods and idols or objects of worship of other nations.)

“None was left but the (Southern) tribe of Judah alone. Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs Israel (the Northern Kingdom) had introduced (including idolatry)… And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel… until He had cast them out of His sight,” with the fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah to the Babylonians. During low times like these, others nations would mock God’s people and say, “Where is their God” who lets them have such trouble (Psalm 115:2). See also passages like Psalm 42:10, where the some of God’s people wrote, “As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” - implying that this “God” cannot be seen and thus did not exist.

Do we hear such challenges still today, as people attack God and Christianity at times? Our answer is in Psalm 115:3: “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.” We trust our Lord. He is not like the false gods of the Greeks and Romans and others of old, who were very human-like, in doing both some good and much evil. They literally did whatever they wished, even if it was wrong. The God revealed in Scripture is always working for ultimate good, though He may have to “discipline” at times and we do not always understand His ways. (See passages like Hebrews 12:5-7.)

Thus, the call comes in Psalm 115:9ff.: “O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their Help and their Shield.” God did not give up on His people, and after a time of captivity, He forgave and restored them to the land of Israel. Some think that this psalm was written as a warning and reminder, in this later time in Israelite history, that Israel should not slip back into gross idolatry again.

There could also be other kinds of idolatry and false worship, though, besides literal use of idols. Psalm 115: 1 says, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your Name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love (mercy) and Your faithfulness.” The Scriptures warn that we can turn many things into gods, including ourselves and things we have or “covet,” if we make them more important that God Himself and His Word and will. Psalm 115:1 says twice that glory and honor should go above all to God and not to ourselves and what we are and accomplish. We are not to love and trust in our possessions and money (Proverbs 11:28) or our family (Matthew 10:37) or our own goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9), or anything else, more than God and His good gifts to us (James 1:17-18).

There are dangers here for us even today and even as God’s people. Our parents and family are very important. God even gave us commandments about them. We need some money and a place to live and on and on. But none of this is more important that our Lord. He is the One we are to trust above all, no matter who we are. 

In Psalm 115:9-13, the psalmist especially speaks to “Israel,” the chosen people of God, and “the house of Aaron,” the priests who led the people in worship and learning, and faithful people, “small and great,” who “fear” and love God. All of them are called to “trust in the Lord” above all, and recognize that “being blessed by the Lord” is most important. It would be so easy to focus upon themselves and what they are doing or thinking or accomplishing, rather than giving God the glory and praise. (I have to watch out for that danger myself, as a pastor and teacher!) Remember the parable in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee, the religious leader, can only seem to talk about himself and the great things he is doing. He goes home not “justified,” while the struggling tax collector can only pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” and goes home forgiven and blessed and right with God.

Think above all of our Lord Jesus, who did finally come from the people of Israel to be our Savior. See how He, too, was tempted as we are, yet did not sin, in Matthew 4:1-11. The devil tempted him with food and honor and fame and personal possessions and “glory,” if He would only “fall down and worship him,” instead of putting God first. Jesus simply quoted Scripture, ending with Deuteronomy 6:13, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

The whole life of Jesus was one of service to His heavenly Father, doing everything right, in our place, where we so often fail. Finally, we sinners were redeemed and ransomed and forgiven by His sacrifice on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins. See 1 Peter 1:18-21: “You were ransomed… with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a Lamb without spot or blemish… and God raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” In Christ Jesus we now trust, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the one true God “who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 115:15) - the complete fulfillment of the “trust in the Lord” spoken of in Psalm 115. 

Two last comments on Psalm 115. Verse17 reminds us that we cannot take any of those things we cherish so much with us when we die. Our mouths will be stopped, and we can trust only in the “precious blood” of Christ, shed for us, and that will be enough.
But, as verse 18 says, and the New testament makes clear, “we will bless the Lord” - give Him all the praise and glory and honor, “forevermore” in a perfect way, in everlasting life “in the heavens” (v.3, too).

One more brief comment. Some churches understand Exodus 20:4 as a second and separate commandment, which forbids any kind of image or likeness of anything in a church building. Such churches are therefore very plain and have no artwork of any kind in them. Christians traditionally have understood v. 4  as an additional explanation of v.3, of having no other gods and forbidding worship and adoration of any objects or anything, that should be given only to God. We take this second view as Lutherans, and also believe that Scripture itself should help us to interpret Scripture. In the Old Testament tabernacle and later on in the temple, for example, the ark of the covenant had images of winged cherubs (a kind of angel) one on each side of the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18-20). The golden lampstand had “cups made like almond blossoms” (Exodus 25:33-34). The priestly robe had images of pomegranates and bells on it.

In other words, God Himself had commanded Moses to make these images of things for use in the temple. In the New Testament, John sees, in visions of heaven, seven stars and a two-edged sword (Revelation 1:16) and living creatures that look like a lion and an eagle, etc. (Revelation 4:6-8). All this is to says that many Christians feel that it is acceptable to use images and symbols and artwork in churches, for teaching purposes or for the glory of God, as long as these do not become sacred objects of worship, and we clearly worship only God Himself, as Psalm 115 indicates.