Embrace the Word for Friday, September 11, 2026

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Psalm 115 is concerned with a trust in the LORD, which leads into praise of the LORD. Psalm 115 is linked with Psalms 111, 112, 113, as well as Psalms 116 and 117 as they each contain the call: “Praise the LORD” (111:1; 112:1, 113:1,9; 116:19; 117:1,2). Psalm 115 shares many common links with Psalm 113. Both Psalms use the phrase “from this time forth and forevermore” (113:2, 115:18), refer to the “glory”of God (113:4; 115:1) and the “name” of God (113:1-3; 115:1), speak of the “heavens” (113:6; 115:3), and of course close with “Praise the LORD” or “Hallelujah” (113:9; 115:18). Psalm 115:2-8 will appear again, almost verbatim, in Psalm 135:15-20. Interestingly, Psalm 115 and Psalm 135 state two of the three uses of the phrase “house of Aaron” (115:3; 135:19; the other is Psalm 118:3). The placement of Psalm 115 in Book 5 of the Psalter seems to function as a call to the nation Israel, as they are released from Babylonian captivity, to focus their trust in the LORD, to leave behind the idols who proved worthless, and worship the LORD. Psalm 115 is centered on a call to trust in the LORD (115:9-11). Then working outward from that center, the next two sections mirror each other with a contrast between death brought by idols and life given by the LORD (115:4-8; 115:12-15). The outer sections of Psalm 115 pertain to praising the LORD (115:1-3; 115:16-18).

Psalm 115 opens with a clarification of who deserves praise: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (115:1). The Psalmist begins with a clarification about the basis on which the LORD hears and helps His people. Both the plea for the LORD’s help and the LORD’s response of help is never rooted in the worthiness of the ones who make their plea for help. God will hear and help because of the glory of His own name. Being more specific, God will hear and help because He is a God of steadfast love and faithfulness. As the LORD displays the glory of His steadfast love and faithfulness His people realize, He and He alone is worthy of receiving praise.

While the LORD is worthy of praise, the nations simply taunt the LORD and torment the LORD’s people: “Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” (115:2). Perhaps the nations’ inquiry is oriented by Israel’s deportation from their Land and their captivity in Babylon. Where was the LORD when His Temple was destroyed and His people devastated? Such questions only reveal that they do not know the LORD or His ways. The circumstances that the LORD’s people faced in captivity was simply an application of the covenant that the LORD made with them. At no point in His covenant relationship with His people was the LORD anything other than full of steadfast love and faithfulness—both in the deportation as well as in their return to the Land. The correct answer to the taunt of the nations is a simple affirmation about the sovereignty of God: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (115:3). The LORD is right where He should be, in the heavens, doing whatever pleases Him. The LORD is never forced to do something; He cannot be manipulated, tricked, or controlled. The LORD alone has true freedom to act in accordance with His steadfast love and faithfulness. Nothing can stop Him from doing what is congruent with His own good pleasure.

In contrast to the powerful, sovereign, and freedom of the LORD is the gods of the nations: “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat” (115:4-7). While the nations want to know where the One true God is, the focus shifts to the nature and character of “their idols.” The gods of the nations are made with silver and gold. Certainly silver and gold are precious and valuable materials, but the tragedy is that their gods are made by men. Essentially, idols are nothing. While they have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet, and throats, they cannot speak, see, hear, smell, touch, walk, or even make a sound. Idols cannot perceive what is going on nor can they respond to need. Idols cannot speak truth or wisdom, they cannot see the needs of their worshippers nor receive prayers offered to them, they cannot appreciate and accept the aromas arising from the sacrifices made before them, they cannot come to the aid of those who serve them, they cannot even so much as mutter or whisper. In contrast to idols, take in what the LORD said to Moses: “Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them” (See Exodus 3:7-9). Unlike the LORD, Idols are utterly unable to save. That is what makes trusting in them so ineffectual and fatal: “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them” (115:8).

While the consequence of trusting in idols is a hopeless condition, trusting in the LORD supplies an abundance of assistance and plenty of protection: “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” (115:9-11). With repetitive emphasis, all of Israel, the house of Aaron, and anyone who fears the LORD is called to trust the LORD because he is a help and a shield. The thrice call to trust the LORD addresses the fundamental challenge that man must face: will we trust in the LORD or idols? There is no third option—its either the LORD or idols. All of humanity will trust, love, serve, worship, obey, delight in, and pursue either the One true God or a host of false gods. The outcome of the choice to trust the LORD could not be more consequential: “The LORD has remembered 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 the great” (115:12-13). Repeating the threefold address from verses 9-11, there is good reason for all of Israel, the house of Aaron, and anyone who fears the LORD to trust in the LORD. The LORD remembers His covenant promises to bless His people. Lifeless idols cannot remember, bless, nor impart life, but the LORD can—and does! The LORD blesses His people—all of them, whether great or small. Therefore, it is not a vain wish for the Psalmist to pray: “May the LORD give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (115:14-15). The certainty that the LORD will bless His people and their children is as sure as the fact that the LORD made all things. While things that are made by human hands are unable to truly bless, the One who made all things can bless all that He has made.

The Psalmist closes with an emphasis on praise: “The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence” (115:16-17). Three realms are mentioned: “the heavens,” which are the LORD’s, “the earth,” which has been entrusted to man, and the place of “the dead.” Corresponding to the fact that God is in the heavens doing as He pleases (115:3), the heavens belong to the LORD. The LORD has delegated earth to be the realm of the children of man (literally, the children of Adam), and after death, the opportunity to praise the LORD is over. Death is a realm of silence. Remember the inability of idols to talk or even utter a sound (115:4,7)? Remember that those who worship those idols become like them (115:8)? When idolater’s die they complete their transformation of what they have worshipped. On the other hand, the children of man who have been given time on earth, must use their time to offer praise to the God who resides in the heavens. The Psalmist grasps his calling and responds: “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!” (115:18). Praise is to begin now, with the notion in mind, it will continue forever. In contrast to the silence of idolaters who die, all who die after a life of praise, will continue on in their praise.

As we reflect on Psalm 115, we can consider some of the things that the New Testament teaches about idolatry. First, in keeping with the realization shared in Psalm 115, the Apostle Paul acknowledges that idols are not really a thing—that is, they have never had a real existence of their own: “Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one” (See 1 Corinthians 8:4). On the other hand, while idols do not really have a true existence, they are nevertheless, ploys of demonic spiritual forces: “What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons” (See 1 Corinthians 10:19-20). Flirting with idolatry is giving one’s self to demonic seduction. Thus, the Christian life is incompatible with idolatry. The start of a Christian’s journey begins with renouncing idolatry: “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (See 1 Thessalonians 1:9). And the ongoing journey in the Christian life entails refraining from idols: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (See 1 John 5:21).

That’s all for Embrace the Word for Friday, September 11, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Monday, September 14, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 116.