"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust 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 remembered 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 the small and the great.
14 May the Lord give you increase,
you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the Lord's heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
Praise the Lord!"
Psalm 115
This, the third of the Hallel Psalms, opens with a well-known ascription of glory to God that has taken its place in the liturgy and the praise and worship of the church. But its exact meaning and significance, in the context of the Psalm, needs a little examination to ascertain. There are two possible interpretations: one is to take it as having reference to a great deliverance that has just been accomplished - in which case 2 would have to be given the meaning of 'what right have the nations now to say...?' (i.e. now that God has saved us). The other interpretation is to take it as representing Israel in a situation of pressure and extremity, and in that situation an appeal for help is made, not only for their sake but for His Name's sake. This second possibility seems the more likely one. The Psalm probably dates back to the post-exilic times, when the returned exiles were under pressure, with their enemies taunting them and saying, 'Where is their God?' It seemed to them, and perhaps indeed to the exiles themselves, that there was little or no sign of the Lord being with them or doing anything for them. One sees the relevance of the Psalm for the exiles' situation. But what must it have meant for our Lord, on the threshold of His great redeeming work, to take these words on His lips, for how well they fit His spirit and attitude as He went forth to do the Father's will. For the motivating power in our Lord's entire experience on earth was His passion for the will of God and the glory of His Name: 'I delight to do Thy will, O God' was His cry. How apposite, then, to sing this Psalm when He was about to go out to fulfil that will for us men and for our salvation.