Verses 1 to 3
This psalm begins with the psalmist declaring that God should be glorified and not us. ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory.’ Our chief end in life is not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever. And he’s the one who deserves glory and honour and praise, because he’s the one who is known for his love and faithfulness.
The Hebrew word translated love in the last line of verse 1 is that Hebrew word which refers to God’s covenant love or his steadfast love for his people. When they’re married, a husband and wife promise to love one another; and the Lord has promised to love his people. And he’s always faithful to his promises and to his people. We can always count on the Lord’s steadfast and unfailing love and his faithfulness. And because of his love and faithfulness towards us, God deserves to be glorified and honoured and praised.
However, the nations do not glorify the Lord. Instead they ask God’s people: ‘Where is [your] God?’ That is, where is Israel’s God? We don’t know when this psalm was written, but if it was written during the time of the exile, we can imagine the Babylonians mocking the exiles and saying to them, ‘Where is your God and why hasn’t he delivered you from us and our gods?’ Or if the psalm was written before the exile, we can imagine an enemy nation saying the same thing to God’s people. Think of the time when the king of Assyria sent his commander to besiege Jerusalem. And the commander told the people that there was no point in trusting in the Lord. ‘The Lord can’t save you’, he was saying. ‘Our gods are greater than your God!’
And so, the pagan nations mocked God’s people. But the psalmist is not bothered, because he knows where his God is. His God is in heaven. So, he’s the Most High God who is higher than the nations and he’s higher than the gods of the nations, because he dwells in a high and holy place in heaven. And he does whatever pleases him. And so, he is almighty and no one can thwart his plans or prevent him from doing what he wants. He is free to do whatever pleases him and no one can stop him, especially not the gods of the nations.
Verses 4 to 8
And that’s because the gods of the nations were made from silver and gold and they were made by the hands of men. They are man-made. And so, they are not like our God who made all things.
Their gods have mouths, but they cannot speak, whereas our God spoke and created all things and he speaks and reveals his will to his people. And their gods have eyes, but they cannot see, whereas our God sees and knows all things and nothing is hidden from his sight. And their gods have ears, but they cannot hear, whereas our God hears the prayers of his people. And he hears our sighs and our moans and our cries for help. And their gods have noses, but they cannot smell, whereas our God smells. That is, he could smell the sweet-smelling aroma from the sacrifices they offered to him. And their gods have hands, but they cannot feel, whereas our God holds the world in his hands and there’s nothing he cannot do. And their gods have feet, but they cannot walk. Their worshippers had to carry them from place to place. However, our God is able to come and help us.
And their gods cannot utter a single sound. In fact, their gods can do nothing, because they’re only idols, made by men from silver and gold. And as we’ve been reminded recently from Romans 1, people worship idols because they sinfully repress the truth about God, which God continually reveals to us through what he has made. People sinfully repress the truth and they exchange the glory of God for images made from silver and gold and by human hands. And we would be just like them, worshipping idols, if it were not for the kindness of our Lord who changed our dark hearts so that instead of repressing the truth and exchanging it, we acknowledged the truth and believed. And so, the Lord saved us from worshipping lifeless images and he enabled us to worship him.
And, according to the psalmist in verse 8, those who make these lifeless idols and those who trust in them will become like them. In other words, they too will become lifeless, because their gods cannot save them from death or give them everlasting life.
Verses 9 to 11
And so, instead of trusting in idols, the house of Israel should trust in the Lord; and the house of Aaron should trust in the Lord; and all who fear him should trust in the Lord. The house of Israel are the people; the house of Aaron are the priests; and all who fear him are the people and priests together who worship the Lord. In other words, all of God’s people should trust in him, because he is their help and their shield. He’s the one who helps them and who protects them.
We don’t know the background to this psalm, but perhaps the pagan nations were threatening God’s people as the king of Assyria once threatened Jerusalem; or perhaps they had triumphed over them as the Babylonians did. Whichever it was, God’s people could still trust in the Lord their God, because the gods of the nations are only worthless idols whereas the Lord is their helper and shield. And no matter what they’re going through, they can trust in the Lord to help and protect them. And that takes us to verses 12 to 16.
Verses 12 to 16
Having mentioned the houses of Israel and Aaron and all who fear the Lord in verses 9 to 11, he mentions them again in verses 12 to 16. But this time, the psalmist is saying that the Lord remembers them and will bless them. That is to say, he will remember to act on their behalf and to bless them in accordance with his covenant with them. And so, even though the pagan nations may have triumphed over them, the Lord will yet again bless the house of Israel and he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless the people and the priests: all who fear the Lord and who worship him. Therefore they should continue to trust in him.
And so, in verse 14, the psalmist prays for the Lord to bless them by making them and their children increase. He’s counting on the Lord to help, not only the present generation, but future generations. God’s blessing on his people is, in the words of John Calvin, ‘an inexhaustible fountain’ that flows from one generation to the next of those who know and love the Lord
And once again, in verse 15, the psalmist prays for the Lord, who is the maker of heaven and earth, to bless his people. The heavens, which God has made, belong to the Lord. The earth also belongs to the Lord, because he made it. But he has given it to us. That is to say, he has given the earth to his people to enjoy. And with the blessing of the Lord, they will continue to live on the earth and to enjoy it, despite what their enemies were doing to them in the present.
Throughout verses 12 to 16 the psalmist is counting on the Lord to bless his people.
Verses 17 and 18
And in the final two verses of the psalm, the psalmist says that the dead do not praise the Lord. Perhaps he’s referring to the pagan nations. So, though they are presently mocking God’s people, they will not last. Then he says in verse 18 that it is we who extol the Lord. He means it is God’s people — all who know and trust in the Lord — who will praise the Lord. And they will praise him both now and for evermore for the blessings they have received.
Conclusion
And so, right at the end of the psalm, the psalmist grasps by faith that the blessings they received from the Lord on the earth were a foretaste of the eternal blessedness which all of God’s people will enjoy for evermore in the new and better world to come. And all who know and trust the Lord in this life can look forward to those eternal blessings which Christ the Saviour has obtained for us by death on the cross. He suffered the curse of God which we deserve, so that we might receive the blessing of God which he deserved, which is eternal life in the presence of God where we will be happy for ever as we gaze on the glory of God in the face of Christ our Saviour.
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