Psalm 115 — 116
But the greatest tragedy is not what the idols cannot do but what they can do to the people who worship them. We become like the God we worship. As we worship the true and living God, He transforms our ears to hear His truth and the cries of those in need. He gives us eyes to see His Word and His world and the path He wants us to walk. Our "spiritual senses" develop and we become more mature in Jesus Christ (Heb. 5:10–14). But those who worship false gods lose the use of their spiritual senses and become blind to the light and deaf to God's voice.
fully kept. All of God's people can shout, "Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns!" (Rev. 19:6 nkjv).
The Living God (vv. 4–8) Idolatry had always been Israel's most habitual and costly sin (Judg. 2:11–3:6), and even though their prophets ridiculed these man-made gods (1 Kings 18:27; Isa. 44:9–20; Jer. 10:1–16) and the Lord chastened Israel often, the people persisted in breaking God's laws. Israel did not seem to learn its lesson until Babylon carried the people away captive after destroying Jerusalem and the temple. In the great city of Babylon, two or three generations of Jews saw idolatry firsthand and the kind of society it produced. This cured them. They needed to remember that they were the servants of the living God (42:2; 84:2; Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10; 1 Sam. 17:26, 36; 2 Kings 19:4, 16), and the church today also needs to keep this truth in mind (Acts 14:15; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:15; 4:10; 6:17).
The Giving God (vv. 9–15) "Trust the Lord and He will give His blessing" is the theme of this section, and how the discouraged remnant needed that assurance! They needed His blessing on their crops, and they wanted their number to increase (v. 14). Of course, the Lord had stated this in His covenant with Israel (Lev. 26:1–13; Deut. 28:1–14), and all they needed was His reminder. In verses 11 and 13, "those who fear God" were not the Gentile "God fearers" that we meet in the New Testament (Acts 13:16, 26; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7), but the devoted Jewish believers in the nation of Israel (22:23; 111:10). You find similar threefold lists in 118:1–4 and 135:19–21. Both Ezra 6:21 and Nehemiah 10:28 indicate that the returned remnant was not too hospitable to the "strangers" in the land. God had been Abraham's "help and shield" (Gen. 15:1), and He will also protect us and provide for us (3:3; 28:7; 33:20; Deut. 33:29). Because Jehovah God is the "Maker of heaven and earth" (v. 15; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; 146:6; Isa. 40:12–26; Jer. 10:11), we should worship Him and not what He has created or what we manufacture ourselves.
God is a Spirit and does not have a body (John 4:24), so when writers in Scripture speak about His eyes, ears, hands, and feet and so on, they are using what theologians call "anthropomorphisms" (anthropo = human; morphos = form, shape). This is a literary device which uses human characteristics to describe divine attributes. God uses the known to teach us the unknown and the unknowable. This section is repeated in 135:15–18. Because the dead idols lacked the attributes of the living God, they were unable to do either good or evil, yet the people worshipped them!
No mouths—They cannot speak to their people, make covenants, give promises, guidance, or encouragement. Our God speaks to us!
No eyes—They offer their followers no protection or oversight. Our God's eyes are upon us (32:8; 1 Peter 3:12) and we can trust Him.
The God Who Deserves Our Praise (vv. 16–18) The word "bless" is used five times in verses 12–15, and we cannot live without His blessing, but it is also good for us to bless the Lord (v. 18). To "bless the Lord" means to ascribe all glory and praise to Him, to delight His heart with our joyful and willing thanksgiving and obedience. (See 16:7; 26:12; 34:1; 100:4; 103:1; 134:2.) He made the earth and gave it to men and women to meet their needs and give them work to do, cooperating with Him in the development of His abundant resources (Gen. 2:8–25). The people who worship dead idols are also dead, but we are alive in Jesus Christ and ought to extol the Lord! After all, if we expect to praise Him forevermore, we had better start now and be ready when we see Him!
No ears—No matter how much the idolaters pray, their gods cannot hear them! Remember Elijah on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:20ff.). Our God's eyes are upon us and His ears open to our cries (34:15).
No noses—This speaks of God receiving our worship (Gen. 8:21) and being pleased with what we bring Him. (See John 12:1–8; Eph. 5:2; Phil. 4:18.)
No hands—The workers whose hands made the idols have more power than the idols they call "gods." Our God is able to work for us as we seek to serve Him. His fingers made the universe (8:3) and His arm brought salvation (Isa. 53:1). (See also Isa. 41:10 and 46:1–7.)