Psalm 115 Heavenly Shield

The general theme of this Psalm is that God is supreme, and people who honor and trust him, will prosper.               

                The Psalmist reminds us in the first verse that God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” (NASB) are reasons to give all glory to God. The best efforts of mankind fail in comparison to God’s ways. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases,” is how God’s holiness is described in verse 3. God is love, and his love is a thread woven through everything he creates including each individual person on the earth. This certainly gives him the right to do as he pleases, but he also gives man (including male and female) limited “rights” to choose his own way.

                Psalm 115 verses 4-8 then describe how man misuses his creativity to form “idols” in an attempt to diminish God’s power and authority.

“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.
 Those who make them become like them;
    so do all who trust in them.”  (NASB)

An idol is a fake “image” of God, often thought of as a physical object (made of “silver and gold” as it states here). But idols can be non-physical (intangible) things like the words we allow our mouths to speak, images we allow our eyes to see, sounds we allow our ears to hear, scents we allow our noses to smell, sensations from what we allow our hands to touch, and places we allow our feet to take us. In short, whatever we put out trust in to provide our emotional security and comfort, without intentionally making it secondary to God’s will and pleasure, becomes an idol of our heart. For example, do we speak lies or flattery to get our way? Do we use our senses (seeing, hearing, feeling) to engage media, entertainment, or technology for purposes that do not honor God? Do we use our hands to act, or use our feet to go, in directions away from the light of Truth, and instead into dark areas of falsehood?  The Psalmist makes it clear that idols are dead. They lead to dead ends. Focusing on dead (dark) idols, makes a person dead (dark) on the inside.

                The next 3 verses (9-11) repeat, “He is their help and shield.”  All those who “fear the Lord, trust in the Lord.”  When we show respect for God and honor him (which is what it means to “fear” him), we will trust him with our whole heart. We will allow the parts of our heart not yet surrendered to his ways (those ways still trapped in idol worship) to be transformed by the Light of Jesus. Jesus is our help and our shield.

                The next four veses (12-15) reiterate how the Lord blesses those who respect and honor him. He is not biased, nor does he show partiality. He protects and provides for us as his children. The final three verses (16-18) encourage the reader to exuberantly praise him for his wonderful favor towards mankind. He reminds us that dead people cannot utter praise. This includes those physically dead and dead from idols in their heart. But those who are living can praise him, and are under obligation to worship him with all their heart.

                Today, may we commit to uncovering and casting down, any idol that still holds a grip on our heart.  I pray we have the fortitude to reach for our heavenly shield instead. In all we do and say, may we give God the glory due his name!

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry