Day 873: The God who sees and hears - Psalm 115

1-2 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us - but unto Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy, and for the sake of Your truth. Why should the nations say, “Where now is their God?” 3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. 4-7 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; feet, but they cannot walk; neither can they speak with their throat. 8 Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.

9-11 O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. 12-13 The Lord has been mindful of us; He 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, both the small and great ones.

14-16 The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to the children of men. 17-18 The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time and for evermore. Praise the Lord! Psalm 115 Modern English Version

This Psalm was a call to those who served the God who created the heavens and earth to not be discouraged by the taunts of nations who worshiped idols. His mention of 'the house of Aaron' may mean he was urging the spiritual leaders of the nation, as well as all others who revered the Lord, to put their trust in God. That's a good policy, because if the spiritual leaders of God's people give way to threats and taunts, and stop teaching God's truth and His power to deliver us from evil, then many people will lose heart. What was a big reason why they shouldn’t be discouraged by the taunts of the ungodly? (vs 4-7)

Because the idols that the nations around them served were lifeless creations of men on earth. Israel's God, however, is in the heavens, and made the heavens and earth. He points out the irony of having eyes, ears and noses, yet no sense of sight, sound, or smell. He also said their mouths couldn't utter speech, and their hands and feet couldn't touch or walk. What was the tragic outcome of worshiping such idols? (vs 8)

Those who follow and serve their false creations are as lifeless as the lies they've created. How true this is of all philosophies of religion and science that leave out the true living creator. The followers of the 'gods' men create are spiritually dead. Yet that hasn’t stopped them from mocking God's people through the ages. There appears to be a steady increase in the West nowadays of such taunting of Christians.

But vs 9-11 remind true believers that the Lord is their shield, and vs 12-13 say that the Lord 'is mindful of us, and will bless us'. That's something to take hold of if we should face ridicule for our faith in Christ. God also pointed out the silliness of idolatry through His prophet Isaiah, and said: “Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 44:21)

Finally, vs 14-16 reminded Israel of God's intentions for them when He had called them out of Egypt. Like His original purposes for Adam and Eve, they were to enjoy the world He had created. Such blessings still apply in the sense that when men and women follow God's word in their lives, they experience God's leading and provision in many situations. The writer ends by urging believers that, as long as they have life and breath, they should trust God and praise God. A 'would-be' disciple once said to Jesus “Lord, first let me go and bury my father. But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'” (Matthew 8:21-22) For many people in the world things like science and pleasure have become their 'idols', and they will often mock and taunt Christians and say 'where is your fairy-tale God?' May God bring glory to His own name by vindicating our faith through His daily goodness to us.