Psalms 115 Study Notes: Glory to God, Not to Idols
The psalmist asks that all glory go to the LORD for His loving devotion and faithfulness, and answers the nations' taunt by declaring that God rules from heaven as He wills. Lifeless idols are mocked, Israel is urged to trust the LORD, and His people vow lasting praise.
General
According to 115:12-13, whom will the LORD bless among those who revere Him?
Answer: Both the lowly and the important, without distinction
Verses 12-15 turn from a call to trust into a promise of blessing. The LORD has remembered His people and will bless them: Israel's house, Aaron's house, and those who revere Him, the small together with the great (115:12-13). God's blessing does not depend on a person's rank or importance. The psalmist then prays that the LORD would increase them and their children and asks that they receive blessing from the LORD, who made heaven and earth (115:14-15). This recalls the priestly blessing God gave through Aaron (Numbers 6:24-26). In Revelation a voice from the throne calls all who fear God, small and great, to praise Him (Revelation 19:5), and another psalm finds help in the LORD who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2).
- Psalm 115:12-15 (BSB)“The LORD is 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—small and great alike. May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The LORD remembers His people and will bless Israel, Aaron's house, and all who fear Him, small and great.
- Numbers 6:24-26 (BSB)“‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The priestly blessing asks the LORD to bless and keep His people and give them peace.
- Revelation 19:5 (BSB)“Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!””A voice from the throne calls all who fear God, small and great, to praise Him.
- Psalm 121:2 (BSB)“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The psalmist's help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Theological
What does 115:13 say about the scope of the LORD's blessing on those who revere Him?
Answer: Both the lowly and the important, without distinction
The LORD has been mindful of His people and will bless Israel's house, Aaron's house, and those who revere Him, the lowly and the great together (115:12-13), His favor extending to all His people without regard to rank. The psalm then pronounces a benediction of increase on them and their children, grounded in the LORD as Creator of the heavens and the earth (115:14-15). The form echoes the Aaronic benediction (Numbers 6:24-26); the phrase small and great reappears in the heavenly call to praise in Revelation 19:5; and the same title of Creator anchors the psalmist's help in Psalm 121:2.
- Psalm 115:12-15 (BSB)“The LORD is 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—small and great alike. May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The LORD remembers His people and will bless Israel, Aaron's house, and all who fear Him, small and great.
- Numbers 6:24-26 (BSB)“‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’”The priestly blessing asks the LORD to bless and keep His people and give them peace.
- Revelation 19:5 (BSB)“Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!””A voice from the throne calls all who fear God, small and great, to praise Him.
- Psalm 121:2 (BSB)“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”The psalmist's help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
General
On what grounds does the psalmist ask in 115:1 that glory go to the LORD's name rather than to His people?
Answer: Because of the LORD's loving devotion and faithfulness
Psalm 115 opens by refusing any credit for God's people. Twice the psalmist says, not to us, and asks that the glory go to the LORD's name instead, because of His loving devotion (His loyal, covenant-keeping love) and His faithfulness (115:1). Whatever good Israel has received comes from God's character, not from their own merit. God Himself says He will not hand His glory to anyone else, nor His praise to idols (Isaiah 42:8), which fits the idol-contrast that follows in this psalm. Paul teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, a gift of God, which leaves no room for boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that everything comes from Him, exists through Him, and returns to Him, so the glory is His forever (Romans 11:36).
- Psalm 115:1 (BSB)“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.”The psalmist asks that glory go to the LORD's name alone, because of His loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Isaiah 42:8 (BSB)“I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.”The LORD declares that He will not give His glory to another or His praise to idols.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”Salvation is by grace through faith, the gift of God, so that no one can boast.
- Romans 11:36 (BSB)“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”All things are from, through, and to God, so to Him belongs the glory forever.
Theological
On what basis does 115:1 disclaim glory for God's people and ascribe it to His name?
Answer: Because of the LORD's loving devotion and faithfulness
The double disclaimer of 115:1, not to us, not to us, directs all glory to the LORD's name, and the ground given is His loving devotion and His faithfulness, not any merit in Israel. The psalm's whole argument depends on God's own character. The LORD's refusal to share His glory with another or His praise with idols (Isaiah 42:8) anticipates the mockery of idols that follows. The New Testament applies the same principle to salvation: salvation comes by grace through faith, God's gift, excluding boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9), and everything comes from Him, exists through Him, and returns to Him, to whom belongs the glory forever (Romans 11:36).
- Psalm 115:1 (BSB)“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.”The psalmist asks that glory go to the LORD's name alone, because of His loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Isaiah 42:8 (BSB)“I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.”The LORD declares that He will not give His glory to another or His praise to idols.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”Salvation is by grace through faith, the gift of God, so that no one can boast.
- Romans 11:36 (BSB)“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”All things are from, through, and to God, so to Him belongs the glory forever.
General
What is the main point of the description of idols in 115:4-7?
Answer: They have body parts but none of them can function
In contrast to the living God in heaven, the nations' idols are only silver and gold shaped by human hands (115:4). The psalmist lists their parts: they have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet, but they cannot speak, see, hear, smell, feel, or walk, and they cannot make even a sound in their throats (115:5-7). An idol looks like a living being but is completely lifeless. A later psalm uses almost the same description (Psalm 135:15-17). Jeremiah mocks idols that have to be hauled around since they cannot move themselves and can do neither harm nor good (Jeremiah 10:5), and Habakkuk says an idol is only a craftsman's work without any breath (Habakkuk 2:18-19).
- Psalm 115:4-7 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.”The idols are made of silver and gold by human hands; they have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet that cannot function.
- Psalm 135:15-17 (BSB)“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths.”A later psalm uses almost the same description of idols made by human hands.
- Jeremiah 10:5 (BSB)“Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.””Jeremiah mocks idols that cannot speak or walk and can do neither harm nor good.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (BSB)“What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.””Habakkuk says an idol is the work of a craftsman, cannot speak, and has no breath in it.
Theological
What does the catalog of the idols' features in 115:4-7 demonstrate?
Answer: They have body parts but none of them can function
The satire of 115:4-7 sets the idols against the God who does all He pleases. They are precious metal, the product of human craft (115:4), and possess every organ of life, mouth, eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, and throat, without any of the corresponding capacities (115:5-7). The form of life without its reality exposes their nothingness. Psalm 135:15-17 repeats the description almost verbatim; Jeremiah 10:5 ridicules idols that can neither speak nor walk and can do neither harm nor good; and Habakkuk 2:18-19 describes the idol as a craftsman's product with not a breath of life in it.
- Psalm 115:4-7 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.”The idols are made of silver and gold by human hands; they have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet that cannot function.
- Psalm 135:15-17 (BSB)“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths.”A later psalm uses almost the same description of idols made by human hands.
- Jeremiah 10:5 (BSB)“Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.””Jeremiah mocks idols that cannot speak or walk and can do neither harm nor good.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (BSB)“What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.””Habakkuk says an idol is the work of a craftsman, cannot speak, and has no breath in it.
General
How does the psalmist answer the nations' mocking question about the whereabouts of Israel's God (115:2-3)?
Answer: Their God reigns in heaven and does all that He wills
The nations mock Israel by asking where their God is (115:2). The psalmist answers that Israel's God reigns in heaven and does whatever He wishes (115:3). God cannot be seen, but He is not absent or weak; He rules over all and carries out everything He intends. This is God's sovereignty, His complete rule over all things. Another psalm says the LORD carries out all He wishes in heaven, on earth, and in the seas (Psalm 135:6). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon confessed that God acts as He wills and no one can hold back His hand (Daniel 4:35), and Paul says God works out everything according to the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11).
- Psalm 115:2-3 (BSB)“Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.”Answering the nations' taunt, the psalmist declares that God is in heaven and does whatever pleases Him.
- Psalm 135:6 (BSB)“The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.”The LORD does all that pleases Him in heaven and earth, in the seas and all their depths.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God does as He pleases and no one can hold back His hand.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the counsel of His will.
Theological
What reply does 115:3 give to the nations' taunt about where Israel's God is?
Answer: Their God reigns in heaven and does all that He wills
The nations taunt Israel by asking where their God is (115:2). The reply of 115:3 is a confession of divine sovereignty: Israel's God reigns in heaven and does all He wills. His invisibility is not absence, and His freedom is absolute. The same confession appears in Psalm 135:6, which extends His good pleasure to heaven, earth, seas, and depths. Even the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that God does according to His will and none can hold back His hand (Daniel 4:35), and Paul grounds God's saving purpose in the One who works all things according to the purpose He has determined (Ephesians 1:11).
- Psalm 115:2-3 (BSB)“Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.”Answering the nations' taunt, the psalmist declares that God is in heaven and does whatever pleases Him.
- Psalm 135:6 (BSB)“The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.”The LORD does all that pleases Him in heaven and earth, in the seas and all their depths.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God does as He pleases and no one can hold back His hand.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the counsel of His will.
General
True or False: Psalm 115 ends with a vow that God's people will praise the LORD from now on and forever.
Answer: True
This is true. The closing verses say that heaven is the LORD's own, but He has given the earth to human beings (115:16), which recalls God giving humanity rule over the earth at creation (Genesis 1:28). The dead offer no praise to the LORD, and neither do those who go down into silence (115:17). But we, His living people, will praise the LORD from this time on and forever, and the psalm ends with Hallelujah (115:18). King Hezekiah said much the same thing when he recovered from illness: Sheol (the realm of the dead) cannot thank God, but the living can (Isaiah 38:18-19). David likewise vowed to bless God's name every day forever (Psalm 145:1-2).
- Psalm 115:16-18 (BSB)“The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence. But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!”The heavens belong to the LORD and the earth is given to mankind; the dead do not praise Him, but His people will bless Him forever.
- Genesis 1:28 (BSB)“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.””God blessed humanity and gave them rule over the earth.
- Isaiah 38:18-19 (BSB)“For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.”Hezekiah says Sheol cannot praise God, but the living thank Him.
- Psalm 145:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt You, my God and King; I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.”David vows to bless God's name every day, forever and ever.
Theological
True or False: The final verse of Psalm 115 is a vow by God's people to bless the LORD now and forevermore.
Answer: True
This is true. The closing section sets heaven as the LORD's own domain and the earth as His gift to mankind (115:16; compare the creation mandate in Genesis 1:28). It observes that the dead offer the LORD no praise, nor do those who go down to the silent place (115:17), and answers with the resolve that we will praise the LORD from now on and forever, ending with Hallelujah (115:18). Hezekiah's psalm of thanksgiving makes the same contrast between Sheol and the living (Isaiah 38:18-19), and David's vow to bless God's name for all time (Psalm 145:1-2) matches the closing resolve.
- Psalm 115:16-18 (BSB)“The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence. But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!”The heavens belong to the LORD and the earth is given to mankind; the dead do not praise Him, but His people will bless Him forever.
- Genesis 1:28 (BSB)“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.””God blessed humanity and gave them rule over the earth.
- Isaiah 38:18-19 (BSB)“For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.”Hezekiah says Sheol cannot praise God, but the living thank Him.
- Psalm 145:1-2 (BSB)“A Psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt You, my God and King; I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.”David vows to bless God's name every day, forever and ever.
General
Which three groups are called to rely on the LORD in 115:9-11?
Answer: Israel, Aaron's priestly house, and all who revere the LORD
After exposing the idols, the psalmist turns to God's people and calls three groups to rely on the LORD: Israel as a whole, Aaron's house (the priests descended from Moses' brother Aaron), and all who revere the LORD (115:9-11). Each call is followed by the same reason: He is the One who helps and shields them. Unlike idols, the LORD actually helps and protects those who trust Him. Psalm 118 addresses the same three groups, calling each to proclaim God's loving devotion (Psalm 118:2-4). Another psalm confesses that the LORD helps and shields His people (Psalm 33:20), and God told Abram not to be afraid because He was his shield (Genesis 15:1).
- Psalm 115:9-11 (BSB)“O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.”Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the LORD are each called to trust Him, their help and shield.
- Psalm 118:2-4 (BSB)“Let Israel say, “His loving devotion endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving devotion endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His loving devotion endures forever.””Psalm 118 addresses the same three groups, calling each to declare God's loving devotion.
- Psalm 33:20 (BSB)“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.”The psalmist confesses that the LORD is our help and our shield.
- Genesis 15:1 (BSB)“After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.””God told Abram not to fear, because He was his shield.
Theological
Which three groups does 115:9-11 summon to rely on the LORD?
Answer: Israel, Aaron's priestly house, and all who revere the LORD
The antidote to idolatry is trust in the living God. The psalmist summons three groups in turn, Israel, Aaron's house (the priesthood), and those who revere the LORD, and each summons carries the identical refrain that He helps and shields them (115:9-11). What the idols cannot do, the LORD does. The same threefold address appears in Psalm 118:2-4, the same confession of God as help and shield in Psalm 33:20, and the shield imagery reaches back to God's word to Abram (Genesis 15:1).
- Psalm 115:9-11 (BSB)“O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.”Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the LORD are each called to trust Him, their help and shield.
- Psalm 118:2-4 (BSB)“Let Israel say, “His loving devotion endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving devotion endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His loving devotion endures forever.””Psalm 118 addresses the same three groups, calling each to declare God's loving devotion.
- Psalm 33:20 (BSB)“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.”The psalmist confesses that the LORD is our help and our shield.
- Genesis 15:1 (BSB)“After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.””God told Abram not to fear, because He was his shield.
General
True or False: According to 115:8, those who make idols and trust in them come to resemble those lifeless idols.
Answer: True
This is true. After describing idols that cannot see, hear, or speak, the psalm warns that the people who make them end up like them, and so does everyone who trusts in them (115:8). People are shaped by what they worship; trusting in something empty leaves a person spiritually blind, deaf, and lifeless. Psalm 135 gives the same warning (Psalm 135:18). The history of Israel shows it happening: they chased empty idols and became empty themselves (2 Kings 17:15). Paul describes people who boasted of wisdom yet turned foolish and traded the undying God's glory for images (Romans 1:22-23).
- Psalm 115:8 (BSB)“Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Those who make idols and those who trust in them become like them.
- Psalm 135:18 (BSB)“Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Psalm 135 gives the same warning about idol-makers and all who trust in idols.
- 2 Kings 17:15 (BSB)“They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.”Israel pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
- Romans 1:22-23 (BSB)“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged God's glory for images.
Theological
True or False: 115:8 teaches that idol-makers and idol-trusters are conformed to the lifelessness of their idols.
Answer: True
This is true. The climax of the idol-satire is a principle of spiritual conformity: those who make idols, and all who rely on them, grow like them (115:8), sharing their blindness, deafness, and deadness toward God. Worship shapes the worshiper. Psalm 135:18 repeats the warning; the narrator of 2 Kings 17:15 records Israel's apostasy in the same terms, pursuing worthless idols and becoming worthless; and Paul traces the same pattern in those who, professing wisdom, turned foolish and exchanged God's glory for images (Romans 1:22-23).
- Psalm 115:8 (BSB)“Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Those who make idols and those who trust in them become like them.
- Psalm 135:18 (BSB)“Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Psalm 135 gives the same warning about idol-makers and all who trust in idols.
- 2 Kings 17:15 (BSB)“They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.”Israel pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
- Romans 1:22-23 (BSB)“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged God's glory for images.