Psalm 118

¹Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

²Let Israel now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the Lord now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

⁵I called on the Lord in distress;

The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶The Lord is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

⁷The Lord is for me among those who help me;

Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in man.

⁹It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰All nations surrounded me,

But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

¹¹They surrounded me,

Yes, they surrounded me;

But in the name of the Lord

I will destroy them.

¹²They surrounded me like bees;

They were quenched like a fire of thorns;

For in the name of the Lord

I will destroy them.

¹³You pushed me violently, that I might fall,

But the Lord helped me.

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.

¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation

Is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

¹⁶The right hand of the Lord is exalted;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

¹⁷I shall not die, but live,

And declare the works of the Lord.

¹⁸The Lord has chastened me severely,

But He has not given me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them,

And I will praise the Lord.

²⁰This is the gate of the Lord,

Through which the righteous shall enter.

²¹I will praise You,

For You have answered me,

And have become my salvation.

²²The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This was the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord,

I pray, send now prosperity.

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.

²⁷God is the Lord,

And He has given us light;

Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will praise You;

You are my God, I will exalt You.

²⁹Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Preamble: Psalm 118 is a most beloved Psalm; its deep themes and verses has comforted many believers down through the ages. At its heart though is Israel, standing firm against the violent opposition that has plague them since God’s inception of them, an opposition and hatred which will reach its climax under the world-wide rule and reign of the antichrist. Nonetheless Israel will prevail, for the God of Jacob is Greater than all, and He will never let his people be annihilated, as Satan and those with him would have them be. The Mighty God of Jacob will make Israel prevail over all! 

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.”

 Psalm 118 opens with thanksgiving to the Lord, a praise that now comes from everyone who believes in Him, for He alone is good, good in everyway, and in so many ways that mankind is not, even towards those who do not believe in Him, God is good. God’s goodness truly then is immeasurable towards us all, but especially towards us all who believe in Him, who have been brought into an everlasting covenant relationship with Him. For it is by His Saving Word that His mercy endures forever towards us all who believe in Him, whether individuals or nations.

 Vs. 2-4 “Let Israel now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the Lord now say,

“His mercy endures forever.”

From individual praise, now we have a cascading order calling first upon the whole nation of Israel whom the Lord alone holds up and holds onto to say, His mercy endures forever, to its then Old Covenant priesthood, (i.e., the house of Aaron), to likewise say, His mercy endures forever, and finally to one and to all who fear the Lord, everyone who has willingly entered into a covenant with Him, now through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel’s King and High Priest (i.e., Messiah), therefore let us all say, His mercy endures forever!

Vs. 5-6 ⁵I called on the Lord in distress;

The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶The Lord is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

From calling us all to give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever, to now bearing witness to this, of just how the Lord answered us in our distress, how He Himself lifted us up out of the pit of despair and set us in a broad place; giving us life in so much more abundance then we could ever have had own our own; therefore we now have great boldness and confidence in Him. For we know that He is on our side (vs. 6),  always with us and always for us, therefore I will not fear, what can man do to me? Nothing, and even if they kill my body they cannot touch my soul, I am eternally safe and secure with Christ Therefore, do not let the devil, or anyone else cause you to fear man, or doubt this, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ your home now is in heaven forever! (John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:31-39).  

Vs. 7 “The Lord is for me among those who help me;

Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.”

Knowing then that the Lord is with us, both the nation of Israel and now the Body of Christ, we all can boldly say that the Lord is for me among those who help me. For the Lord does not leave us nor forsake us. Instead He moves individuals and nations to help us. For He is orchestrating a great deliverance for us all that will culminate in our seeing our desires upon all those who hate us at His return when He takes His vengeance on all His enemies, first for the nation of Israel, and then all believers everywhere, which shall be seen and experienced by one and all (Rev. 19:11-20:15). For vengeance is of the Lord, He will execute it in His own way and time.

Vs. 8-9 ⁸It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in man.

⁹It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in princes.

Truly then it is better to trust in the Lord then put one’s confidence in man, who’s fleshly might and power will fail. For every earthly leader and army has its day and then they are swept away by another, same with putting one’s trust in princes (i.e., rulers), whose reign and power and might is only for a season before they are defeated, removed, or overthrown by another, only the Lord’s Person, Power, Reign, and Might is eternal and undefeatable. Therefore put all your trust and confidence in Him not in man! 

Vs. 10-12 ¹⁰All nations surrounded me,

But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

¹¹They surrounded me,

Yes, they surrounded me;

But in the name of the Lord

I will destroy them.

¹²They surrounded me like bees;

They were quenched like a fire of thorns;

For in the name of the Lord

I will destroy them.

On the surface these verses seem to bear witness to Israel, (and yes they do), but the real One to whom they give testimony to is the Lord Jesus Christ, who will defeat every individual and every nation that rises against Him and His people, this will see its conclusion at the end of His Millennial Reign. 

Vs. 13 “You pushed me violently, that I might fall,

But the Lord helped me.”

The provocation, the instigation, began not with Israel. For from Egypt onward the unbelieving nations have sought to make her fall, now this will see its climax during the time of antichrist, when it will seem like the whole world will be set against her. Nonetheless the Lord has helped her, and will help her prevail. This verse then assures them of that, of His helping them, just as He helped His own Son prevail, whom the world Crucified, but He Rose again from the dead and later Ascended back to His Throne! 

Vs. 14 The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.

No doubt this is our rejoicing, our declaration, our song, for it is the song of everyone who believes in the Lord. This then will be sung in the hearts of everyone in Israel, when Israel during the Great Tribulation believes and turns itself to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vs. 15-16 ¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation

Is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

¹⁶The right hand of the Lord is exalted;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.

Where does God’s praise come from and where is it heard? It comes from everyone whose person and life has now been made righteous by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And when Israel’s strength is all gone, then she will turn to Him and He will be her Savior, He will do valiantly in defeating her enemies, His right hand will be exalted, when He deals with them all once and for all. And so, this Psalm in a most glorious prophetic vision sees this, sees the Lord’s right hand doing valiantly in her (our) defense!

Vs. 17-18 ¹⁷I shall not die, but live,

And declare the works of the Lord.

¹⁸The Lord has chastened me severely,

But He has not given me over to death.

Having been delivered by the Lord's strength and hand, both individuals, and the nation of Israel itself can see ourselves and our histories in these verses. Thus, the Psalmist’s declaration here is both personal and representative of the nation as a whole. Knowing then that the Lord has saved them they will (we will) declare the works of the Lord, and none greater is than His death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead for us all! For truly the Lord has chastened Israel severely (and this is still ongoing) but He has not given them over to death, the nation of Israel will survive! 

Vs. 19-20 ¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them,

And I will praise the Lord.

²⁰This is the gate of the Lord,

Through which the righteous shall enter.

There is great confidence in us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to do and stand for what is right, for with His saving us, He has also changed us, His Spirit has made us new creations (i.e., new people), In Christ, with new desires and new appetites for righteousness, His Righteousness. Thus, the Psalmist boldly declares their own desire to have the gates of righteousness opened to them, so that they can enter the Kingdom, which are not the gates of the Old Covenant Jerusalem which rejected the Lord Jesus Christ during His first Advent, but the gates of the New Jerusalem, the one that is to come down from heaven from which He will rule all the world! And in this glorious new and golden city His praise shall be heard everywhere! The gates of righteousness then is representative of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the gate through which all must enter in by (John 10), this is self evident in verses 21-23.

Vs. 21-23 ²¹I will praise You,

For You have answered me,

And have become my salvation.

²²The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This was the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

Having entered the Holy city, the Psalmist’s only desire is to praise the Lord, for the Lord has answered them, and they have entered in by Him, therefore He has become their salvation. Again this is the voice of all of the redeemed in Israel and beyond who also will resound with the same joy. And in this there is the prophetic declaration of the Stone which the builders rejected; that is all the Old Covenant priests and scribes and Israelites etc. who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ at His first Advent, who refused to give Him his due place and glory and honor as their King are now terribly shamed; for they wanted and held fast to their “traditions” over and above their King, who God sent to them, whom they Crucified to keep their own dead works and ways. Therefore, this passage foretells all of this, their rejection of Christ, God's chosen Stone, who is the One whom He is now building His whole household upon. It is even cited by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in His rebuking them all for doing that (see Matt. 21:42-42; Mark 12:10-12; also see Acts 4:8-12; 1 Peter 2:4-10). Therefore, the Stone which the builders rejected has become by God’s Will and Choice the chief cornerstone upon which all that God is building is founded upon (see Eph. 2:19-22). “This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” Yes indeed this is most marvelous in our eyes, in the eyes of us all who believe in Him, just ask the Psalmist! 

Vs. 24 “This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

The Day of our salvation is the day the Lord has made! Everyday then that we as believers in Him get to live and experience down here with Him, whether individually or collectively, we will rejoice and be glad in it, for everyday, regardless of our circumstances, is a New Day with Him!

Vs. 25 “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord,

I pray, send now prosperity.”

The Psalmist now cries out to the Lord to save, and prays for Him to send prosperity, which can be a personal request of anyone who believes in the Lord, but here I think there is a looking onto Israel’s troubles, maybe even the time of Jacob’s troubles, thus the double imperative for the Lord to save them. However, the prayer for prosperity must extend beyond that time. 

Vs. 26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”

The first half of this verse the Lord Jesus Christ cited to Jerusalem, saying they would not see Him until they welcome Him as their King (see Matt. 23:37-39). And so it has been over two thousand years that Jerusalem (as figurative of all of Israel) has been without her King, without the One true God. But here in this passage we have the foretelling of their very glad and joyous reception of Him, of all who preach and teach His Gospel to them (consider Isaiah 49:5). Again, this will come when Israel finally comes to their senses and they realize just what they have done to their King (see Zechariah 12:10-14).

Vs. 27 “God is the Lord,

And He has given us light;

Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.”

This then is Israel’s declaration after receiving Jesus Christ their Lord and King and Savior. Before this, because of Israel’s own  hardness of heart, light was given to the Gentiles, (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matt. 4:15-17, vs. 16) but now at last, the people God choose to bring forth His Son into the world have finally seen and received Him! Therefore, their declaration of bind the sacrifice with chords to the horns of altar is symbolic speech of their sealing their faith and trust in His Sacrifice for them all.

 Vs. 28-29 ²⁸You are my God, and I will praise You;

You are my God, I will exalt You.

²⁹Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

The Psalm now concludes with beautiful praise, the collective cry of all of God’s people, all Jews, all Gentiles, everyone who believes in God’s Son will say,

“You are my God, and I will praise You;

You are my God, I will exalt You.”

And on His Day when we enter His Kingdom forever there will also be a collective cry from us all to one and to all saying,

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

 

Psalm 117

 ¹Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!

Laud Him, all you peoples!

²For His merciful kindness is great toward us,

And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

Commentary

This Psalm is universal, calling all peoples, all nations to praise the Lord! Why, because all peoples, all nations can now share in God’s promises through Christ. Therefore, the Apostle Paul cites the first verse in Rom. 15:11, reminding us all that in the Lord Jesus Christ we have everlasting life (John 3:16). Which as the Psalm reveals is solely based upon His merciful kindness towards us; for it is by His grace and His truth that we are saved (John 1:17). Therefore by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have been brought into an everlasting relationship and covenant with God Himself, Praise the Lord!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

Psalm 116

 ¹I love the Lord, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications.

²Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

³The pains of death surrounded me,

And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;

I found trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then I called upon the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

⁵Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

⁶The Lord preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

⁷Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

⁹I will walk before the Lord

In the land of the living.

¹⁰I believed, therefore I spoke,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

¹¹I said in my haste,

“All men are liars.”

¹²What shall I render to the Lord

For all His benefits toward me?

¹³I will take up the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.

¹⁶O Lord, truly I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have loosed my bonds.

¹⁷I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁸I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people,

¹⁹In the courts of the Lord’s house,

In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Preamble: This Psalm has been used as a Psalm describing the Lord Jesus Christ’s Victory on the Cross (Believers Bible Commentary). It is also said to be the Psalm sung by the disciples at the Last Supper (KJ Bible Commentary). It is then a Psalm of deep and profound thanksgiving, a Psalm which resonates with everyone who has experienced the Lord’s deliverance and salvation in their own lives as well.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹I love the Lord, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications.

²Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

Why do we love the Lord? this Psalm answers it universally for us all who believe in Him, for he has answered our supplications, our prayer for His salvation that delivered us from death and brought us to life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, it was then that God’s love was born in us, a love that comes from Him and extends to Him and to all. The Psalm thus opens with a declaration of our love for the Lord because of His hearing us, hearing our voice and answering our prayer in our greatest time of need, for it was during our souls darkest night He turned it into light! This Psalm then was penned on the backside of that, on victorious the side, where we now stand. For praise to the Lord is always born out of our first receiving God’s grace and life, His salvation, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vs. 3-4 ³The pains of death surrounded me,

And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;

I found trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then I called upon the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

Verses three and four now recall that dark night, that time of life when all of our fears and troubles seemed to be closing in on us, here though in verse three it seems quite literal, death and Sheol (i.e., hell), had seized them, fear of what was to come was overwhelming them. These verses then aptly described ones distressed state that led them to (to our) calling on the Name of Lord (Rom. 10:13). These verses then also reverberate with Psalm 18:4-6, but here we see the conclusion. For God has no pleasure in seeing anyone in that state, but rather that they call upon Him, so that He can save them.

Vs. 5-6 ⁵Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

⁶The Lord preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

Having been delivered from death and hell. The Psalmist now gives testimony to the Lord’s gracious, righteous, and most merciful dealings with them. And in this there is no sense of self deservedness. For they go on to declare how the Lord preserves the simple; for He preserves all who simply believe Him and take Him at His Word, whose trust in Him is childlike, these then are most precious to Him, which can be you, if you also repent and believe. For the Psalmist also describes how they were first brought low, brought to the end of themselves, and how the Lord saved them!

Vs. 7-9 ⁷Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

⁹I will walk before the Lord

In the land of the living.

Reflecting on the Lord’s bountifully dealings with them, there is a quiet reassurance, of finding one’s souls rest again. For the Lord has delivered their (my) soul from death, He has removed tears from their (my) eyes, and in walking with us in the land of the living He has kept our feet from falling, for it is the Lord Jesus Christ by His generous Spirit who has upheld us all who believe in Him! Therefore, their statement: “I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.” Is their/our commitment of keeping our faith in Him.

Vs. 10 I believed, therefore I spoke,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

“I believed therefore I spoke” is their ongoing faith commitment in the Lord even while being afflicted. This faith statement is cited by the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 4:13 to likewise describe his own ongoing faith in and preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ even while under great afflictions and persecutions. Let it be ours as well. 

Vs. 11 I said in my haste,

“All men are liars.”

Verse eleven is a continuation of the previous thoughts, here though there is no attempt by the Psalmist to gloss over their own struggles in trying to understand the Lord’s dealings with them, especially when faced with lying and scheming people. Nevertheless, the Psalmist realizes their error and thus makes a self correction.

Vs. 12-14 ¹²What shall I render to the Lord

For all His benefits toward me?

¹³I will take up the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁴I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people.

Circumstances are temporary, but Lord's salvation is eternal. And that is what the psalmist returns to here. For truly the heart of thanksgiving is born out of receiving, of first receiving the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation by God’s grace. That then is our taking up the cup of salvation which the Lord extends freely to us all. For in calling upon the Name of the Lord we are saved (Rom. 10:9-10, 13). There is then nothing with which we can repay Him for all the benefits of our now knowing Him and belonging to Him. Thus, the whole thought here is not of “repayment”, but of loyalty and thanksgiving, of praising and worshiping and delighting ourselves in the Lord in the presence of all of His people, because of all that He has done and continues to do for us.

Vs. 15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.”

This verse should be written in all our hearts, for though many a saint (i.e., many a child of God) has suffered cruel deaths at the hands of wicked and evil people, (see Hebrews 11) we are never forgotten by Him, our lives always matter most deeply to Him (Matt. 10:28-32). The Lord Jesus Christ’s own death on the Cross for us all then is God's pinnacle of this, because by His selfless and courageous Sacrifice He made a way for us all to be saved.

Vs. 16 “O Lord, truly I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have loosed my bonds.”

Inspired with renewed confidence in our Lord and Savior, the Psalmist once again dedicates themselves to Him. This then will be how they will close out this Psalm in the full confidence of being the Lord’s servant, of committing themselves to Him, just as their mother was also His servant, for the Lord has loosed his bonds. However, this verse is not saying, nor promising that because one’s parent/s are believers that one will be also. For each person individually must make their own decision to believe in (and thus receive) the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves (Rev. 3:20).

 Vs. 17-19 ¹⁷I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of the Lord.

¹⁸I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people,

¹⁹In the courts of the Lord’s house,

In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Therefore they will begin by offering to our Lord the only acceptable “sacrifice” to Him, and that is the grateful praise of our hearts, for they (and we) will call upon the Name of the Lord and no other, for no other name shall we praise, and no other god shall be heard from our lips, for our loyalty now rests with Him alone. Now the paying of vows was an essential part of O.T. worship and service of the Lord, in the N.T. era however we do not take vows, but we must all strive to keep our word to our Lord and Savior, for God has no delight in hypocrites, deceivers, and liars (see Acts 5:1-11). The Psalm closes then with their wanting to express their faith publicly, for in the courts of the Lord’s house is where both believers and seekers sought Him, however their expressions and declarations of faith will not be just confined to the house of worship, but in the midst of Jerusalem they will make the Lord’s Name known. Praise the Lord! Let us all then take up Lord’s Name on our lips and make Him known everywhere as well!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

 

 

 

Psalm 115

 ¹Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,

But to Your name give glory,

Because of Your mercy,

Because of Your truth.

²Why should the Gentiles say,

“So where is their God?”

³But our God is in heaven;

He does whatever He pleases.

⁴Their idols are silver and gold,

The work of men’s hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they do not speak;

Eyes they have, but they do not see;

⁶They have ears, but they do not hear;

Noses they have, but they do not smell;

⁷They have hands, but they do not handle;

Feet they have, but they do not walk;

Nor do they mutter through their throat.

⁸Those who make them are like them;

So is everyone who trusts in them.

⁹O Israel, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.

¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.

¹¹You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.

¹²The Lord has been mindful of us;

He will bless us;

He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will bless those who fear the Lord,

Both small and great.

¹⁴May the Lord give you increase more and more,

You and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;

But the earth He has given to the children of men.

¹⁷The dead do not praise the Lord,

Nor any who go down into silence.

¹⁸But we will bless the Lord

From this time forth and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,

But to Your name give glory,

Because of Your mercy,

Because of Your truth.

²Why should the Gentiles say,

“So where is their God?”

This Psalm opens with a declaration that we will not receive the glory that is only due the Lord, that is due His Name. For it is by His Name that we are saved from our sins and brought to everlasting life! For there is salvation in no other name, other than the Name of God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Therefore His Name is to receive all glory, honor, and praise, for all of His mercy and all of His truth which He has so freely given to us all who believe in Him. This then is to be done openly by us all who believe in Him, for why should the Gentiles (unbelievers) say, “So where is there God?”

Vs. 3 “But our God is in heaven;

He does whatever He pleases.”

Verse three is a most just response to their taunts, to their arrogant unbelief, which only binds them to the "gods'" of this earth, "gods" which last for season then fall to their everlasting ruin. But our God is in heaven, and He does whatever He pleases. For His Sovereign Reign and Power has no limits! 

Vs. 4-8 ⁴Their idols are silver and gold,

The work of men’s hands.

⁵They have mouths, but they do not speak;

Eyes they have, but they do not see;

⁶They have ears, but they do not hear;

Noses they have, but they do not smell;

⁷They have hands, but they do not handle;

Feet they have, but they do not walk;

Nor do they mutter through their throat.

⁸Those who make them are like them;

So is everyone who trusts in them.

Now we see who should really be taunted, all those whose “god” is only an idol, the work of men’s hands, the creation and fabrication of their sinful and debased hearts. And so it is that they fashion their idols into the figure of man, (or woman), giving them mouths (but yet they cannot speak to them), giving them eyes, (but they cannot see them), giving them ears, (but their idols cannot hear their prayers and cries to them), giving them noses but they cannot smell their offerings, giving them hands, but their idols hands cannot uphold, nor save them, giving them feet but their idols cannot walk amongst them, and not a single sound can their idols mutter from their throats to them. Their idols then cannot instruct and guide them in anything; thus, they are only left to follow their own debased hearts and minds reasonings. Everyone then who makes them is just like them, completely dead in their sins and transgressions and utterly devoid of all true Spiritual life, wisdom, and understanding, just like everyone who trusts in them. What then is your god? Is it the Lord Jesus Christ, or is it something or someone far less, for everyone and everything is always exceedingly less than Him, and they, or it will never be able to save you nor satisfy your souls deepest hungers and thirsts (John 6:35-40, 47-48; John 4:13-14; 7:38).

Vs. 9 “O Israel, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.”

Therefore, the call is for Israel; God’s people chosen in Old Testament times who were to prepare the way for His Son, and thus make Him known to all the world, to make Him their trust alone! For He is their help and shield alone, not other nations, nor other peoples “god’s and practices", but the Lord God and His Word alone.

Vs. 10 “O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.”

From the nation collectively, right down to its priesthood who ministered the Old Covenant laws and statutes, all the men who come from Aaron and his house (i.e., his son’s descendant’s), for they were chosen by God to be His leaders in this, to trust in the Lord, for the Lord alone is their help and shield.

Vs. 11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;

He is their help and their shield.”

Finally, the call goes out to everyone who fears the Lord, to trust in the Lord, for He is your help and shield! There then is an equally from God for all who trust in the Lord. 

Vs. 12-13 ¹²The Lord has been mindful of us;

He will bless us;

He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron.

¹³He will bless those who fear the Lord,

Both small and great.

The Psalm now reminds us all that the Lord has been mindful of us all as His people; each one of us individually as well of us collectively; thus He will bless the house of Israel collectively and the house of Aaron individually, indeed He will bless all who fear Him both small and great. Now when the Lord blesses us, He adds no sorrow with it, and that is how you will know His blessing to you (Prov. 10:22).

Vs. 14-16 ¹⁴May the Lord give you increase more and more,

You and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;

But the earth He has given to the children of men.

The prayer of blessing (which began in verse twelve) continues invoking God’s blessing upon all of God's people and their children. For God's Word is wanting all of God’s people to know and experience the blessings of the Lord, which can take many forms beyond mere material prosperity, the Psalm even goes so far as to extend this sentiment to all people everywhere. Now in doing this there is the acknowledgment that it is the Lord who made heaven and earth, who is the proprietor of everything, who rules in heaven and all the farthest reaches of the heavens, but He has assigned the earth to the children of men, thus we all bear a responsibility in our governance on it and caretaking of it (consider Rev. 11:18).

Vs. 17-18 ¹⁷The dead do not praise the Lord,

Nor any who go down into silence.

¹⁸But we will bless the Lord

From this time forth and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

The Psalm closes with the exhortation for believers everywhere to praise the Lord while we are living here on earth! For the dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down to silence. Then it Firmly concludes that we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.