Don’t give glory to us, O Lord. Don’t give glory to us. Instead, give glory to your name because of your mercy and faithfulness.
Why should other nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he wants. [vss 1-3]
Their idols are made of silver and gold. They were made by human hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell.
They have hands, but they cannot feel. They have feet, but they cannot walk. They cannot ⌊even⌋ make a sound with their throats.
Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them. [vss 4-8]
Israel, trust the Lord. He is your helper and your shield. Descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord. He is your helper and your shield.
If you fear the Lord, trust the Lord. He is your helper and your shield.
The Lord, who is ⌊always⌋ thinking about us, will bless us. He will bless the descendants of Israel. He will bless the descendants of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear the Lord, from the least important to the most important. [vss 9-13]
May the Lord continue to bless you and your children. You will be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
The highest heaven belongs to the Lord, but he has given the earth to the descendants of Adam.
Those who are dead do not praise the Lord, nor do those who go into the silence ⌊of the grave⌋.
But we will thank the Lord now and forever. Hallelujah! [vss 14-18]
(Psalms 115:1-18 GW)
It's remarkable how much likeness there is between some dog lovers and their pets. The same is true for couples who've been together a long time, they begin to look and act like one another.
Many people have said they don't want to become like their parents only to realize later in life it's happened. It's kind of scary how we can take on the resemblance of another person or even a pet.
And then we have the expression, "You are what you eat!" Thankfully, we don't resemble what we eat so much as what we eat impacts our health and wellbeing.
Whether it's pet lovers or couples or parents and children, the likeness results because of a level of trust and familiarity. This can be good or bad.
This psalm is an exhortation to trust and fear (revere and respect) God. For those who do trust and fear the Lord, great blessings are promised (vss 9-13). The flip side is not so good.
In ancient times, even today in certain religions, people used statues and shrines as objects of worship. The Bible refers to these as idols and worshipping them is called idolatry which is in opposition to trusting in a living God.
One problem with idolatry is becoming like the object we worship. This is made clear in verses 4-8. But we may not realize how other things or even people can become idols in our life.
When we put our trust and confidence in anything or anyone else but God, it leaves us vulnerable to deception and leads to disappointment.
Confidence and trust in the Lord are rewarded in this life and beyond it.
Are there people or things that absorb you and your energy in a distorted way?
When you become numb to those around you or isolated from people, it's time to reevaluate your priorities and make the Lord number one.
©Word-Strong_2017
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I won't cover all 150 Psalms, but do selective devotionals through the rest of Psalms.
So if I skip one that you like... let me know and I'll try to cover it!
