May the Reader be blessed: Psalms 115 with commentary The following is adapted from my original manuscript notes “Meditations on the Psalms” Written between 2003-2010 Psalm 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. 2 Why should the Gentiles say, So where is their God? 3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. 115:3 Gods Omnipotent Sovereignty ● “Our God...does whatever He pleases.” ● We know from other passages that God is omnipotent (cf. Genesis 17:1, “Almighty God”. “ שַׁדַּי ,” Shadday, Strongs # 7706); Revelation 19:6, “the LORD God Omnipotent reigneth” (KJV, “ παντοκράτωρ, Pantokrator, Strongs # 3841). This omnipotence is a key aspect of his being that relates to His sovereignty. He is able to sovereignly do whatever He pleases because He is omnipotent. 115:3-7 Contrast: God/Idols ● God is omnipotent and Sovereign; He does what He pleases. ● Idols are impotent; they are blind, deaf, and dumb. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of mens hands. 5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; 7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. 8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the LORD, Both small and great. 14 May the LORD give you increase more and more, You and your children. 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORDS; But the earth He has given to the children of men. 115:16 Who’s Property? ● Compare Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 24:1; 50:10-12 and 89:11 (and related notes). ● God put man in the garden and gave him dominion over the earth and all that was in it (cf. Genesis 1:27). Before the Flood, God gave to all men; birds, beasts “every green herb for food” (cf. Genesis 1:29-30). After the Flood, He gave to man, all life on earth, as food (cf. Genesis 9:2-3). So, when and in what sense did God give the “earth” to mankind? How does that work in light of the fact that the devil is called the “god of this world” (cf. 2nd Corinthians 4:4) and seems to have some kind of possession or rights, over the kingdoms of the world (cf. Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). ● A common teaching in “Word [of] Faith” circles is that with the fall of man, in the garden; mankind, in Adam, transferred ownership of the whole earth to Satan. Thus, according to this scenario, God lost the right and/or ability, to act unilaterally on earth since He no longer had authority, His agent, man, having given it to His adversary the devil. That, according to the Word [of] Faith scenario, was why God had to try to find someone who He could make a deal with, a covenant, in order to get back on earth in a position to be able to work His plan. This passage, and those referred to above, refutes those teachings. ● But, doesn’t Satan have authority on earth? How could he offer Jesus, the kingdoms of the earth and their authority, if he didn’t have it himself? Yes, it’s true that Satan is the god of this world, but only in the sense that he is the lord of the lost (cf. Ephesians 2:2). But ownership, absolute authority, he does not, nor ever will have. Remember, even before God made His covenant with Abraham; Satan, in attacking Job, had to have God’s permission to do so, as God had put a hedge of protection around Job. (cf. Job 1:9-10). ● In what sense then, did God give the earth to man? He did so in the sense that He made it and placed man on it to live. He gave, out of all the planets in the universe, earth, to mankind, to live out their lives and seek and serve Him. As far as actual ownership and the rights that go with it; the earth, along with everything on it, belongs to the LORD. 17 The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor any who go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD! (Psa 115:1-18 NKJ) 115:17-18 After Death...? ● The advocates of the doctrine of “soul sleep” use verses such as verse 17 to deny that the dead have any consciousness or awareness of their state, nor will have until the resurrection of their bodies at the last day. “The dead do not praise the LORD...” (v. 17a.). But, is that what is being said? Do they not praise the LORD because they are in an unconscious state, or, is it for another reason. ● The early Reformers believed that this was a reference, not to the state of the dead in Sheol (i.e., the grave), but rather, to their absence from the congregation of the living, and consequently, their inability to praise God in/with the congregation the living. ● Taken in context with v. 18, the view of the Reformers would seem to be the more consistent, the “we” clearly being the congregation of Gods people who are alive. Likewise, it is more consistent with Jesus story/parable for Lazarus and the rich man (cf. Luke 16:9ff); and Johns vision of the martyred saints before the throne of God in heaven asking “how long” before their deaths would be avenged, (cf. Revelation 6:9-10). Exodus 19 5 `Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 `And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. (Exo 19:5-6 NKJ) 19:5-6 A CONDITIONAL COVENANT • Notice that the Mosaic covenant was a “conditional” covenant. God says, “if” they [the Children of Israel] did such and such, “then” He would do such in return. • This covenant applies to the “nation” of Israel, not the “seed” of Abraham cf. Romans 9:6-8. It does not apply to the modern nation/state of Israel. Deuteronomy 10 14 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. (Deu 10:14 NKJ) 10:14 GOD OWNS EVERYTHING! • This passage is a direct contradiction of the teachings of those “faith” teachers who say that the Devil, Satan, took ownership of the earth as a result of Adam’s fall in the Garden. Psalm 24 Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORDS, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. (Psa 24:1 NKJ) 24:1 GOD Owns the Earth! ● The whole earth is God’s property, not Satan’s. ● See also, Psalm 50:10-12. • Cf. Psalm 89:11 and note. Psalm 89 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. (Psa 89:11 NKJ) 89:11 God Owns the Earth! ● Cf. Psalm 24:1; 50:10-12. ● All of heaven and earth belong to God, not the devil! ● This is contrary to those who teach that ownership of the earth (i.e., the physical planet, universe, etc.) was transferred to Satan by man’s fall in the garden. Dominion over the world (though still subject to God’s restrictions) was given over to Satan; hence, he is referred to as the god of this world. (Cf. Job 1, re: Satan’s limitations.)
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:30:44 +0000
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