Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
Those who fear the Lord are blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth, from whom every blessing flows. To call Him the Maker of heaven and earth marks Him as the true and living God, in contrast to powerless idol gods made by human hands, whose power is exercised for the good of His people. With the next verse it shows that He prepared the earth before mankind was created to meet their needs, giving it as a home for humanity whose present ruin by sin delays but does not cancel its purpose as their future inheritance. That creatorship lies at the foundation of the Sabbath institution and the fourth commandment, as the memorial of His creative power showing who the Lawgiver is, His royal title, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign and to receive worship. The seventh-day Sabbath is therefore His seal and outward sign of allegiance to the one true Creator, calling His people to give Him all the glory and to praise Him even in suffering, which opens the way for greater blessings.
Setting and Plain Sense
Psalm 115 stands among the six Hallel psalms, Psalms 113 to 118. These psalms of praise were sung on paschal occasions, at the Passover service and at certain other Hebrew feasts. They were sung at the last Passover supper. Jesus sang this psalm just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. He sang knowing those sufferings lay before Him, yet trusting the Father who is too wise to err and too good to prove unkind.
The verse declares that those who fear the Lord, His people, are blessed by the Lord. He who blesses them is the Maker of heaven and earth. From Him, as Creator, all blessing flows.
Creator, Idols, and Inheritance
Psalm 115 sets the living God over against idols fashioned by human hands, contrasting his active power with their utter powerlessness. The idols can do nothing, while the Lord who made heaven and earth uses his power for the good of his people and pours out blessing upon them. That blessing belongs to those who fear him and trust him, because he is the Creator and therefore the true God.
To name the Lord as maker of heaven and earth is to mark him out from all false gods and to declare his creative authority. No idol made heaven and earth, but the Lord did, and by that work he is shown to be the true and living God. Those who worship him are therefore blessed of that Creator Lord.
That same creative authority is joined, with the verse that follows, to the gift of the earth to humanity. The earth was prepared before people were created to meet their needs, and it was given to them as a home. It was provided as a home for his people in particular, and its present ruin by sin only delays and does not cancel his purpose for it as their future inheritance.
Sabbath Seal and Worship
The naming of the Lord as the maker of heaven and earth marks Him as the true and living God in distinction from powerless idol gods, and that creative fact lies at the foundation of the Sabbath institution and points to the fourth commandment. The Sabbath alone in the law shows who the Lawgiver is, declaring His name as the Lord thy God, His title of royalty as Creator, the extent of His dominion over heaven and earth, and His right to reign and rule and to receive worship, as a memorial of His creative power. The seventh-day Sabbath is therefore the seal or sign of God, the outward sign of allegiance to the one true and living God, the Creator.
Because all good comes from God, from whom all blessing flows, people are to give Him all glory and boast in Him, counting themselves as nothing apart from Him. Psalm 115 belongs with Psalms 113 to 118 sung on paschal occasions, and Jesus sang it just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. Knowing those sufferings were before Him, He yet trusted the Father who is too wise to err and too good to prove unkind, showing that praise offered in suffering glorifies God and opens the way for greater blessings.
Those who fear the Lord are blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth, from whom every blessing flows. To call Him the Maker of heaven and earth marks Him as the true and living God, in contrast to powerless idol gods made by human hands, whose power is exercised for the good of His people. With the next verse it shows that He prepared the earth before mankind was created to meet their needs, giving it as a home for humanity whose present ruin by sin delays but does not cancel its purpose as their future inheritance. That creatorship lies at the foundation of the Sabbath institution and the fourth commandment, as the memorial of His creative power showing who the Lawgiver is, His royal title, the extent of His dominion, and His right to reign and to receive worship. The seventh-day Sabbath is therefore His seal and outward sign of allegiance to the one true Creator, calling His people to give Him all the glory and to praise Him even in suffering, which opens the way for greater blessings.
Setting and Plain Sense
Psalm 115 stands among the six Hallel psalms, Psalms 113 to 118. These psalms of praise were sung on paschal occasions, at the Passover service and at certain other Hebrew feasts. They were sung at the last Passover supper. Jesus sang this psalm just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. He sang knowing those sufferings lay before Him, yet trusting the Father who is too wise to err and too good to prove unkind.
The verse declares that those who fear the Lord, His people, are blessed by the Lord. He who blesses them is the Maker of heaven and earth. From Him, as Creator, all blessing flows.
Creator, Idols, and Inheritance
Psalm 115 sets the living God over against idols fashioned by human hands, contrasting his active power with their utter powerlessness. The idols can do nothing, while the Lord who made heaven and earth uses his power for the good of his people and pours out blessing upon them. That blessing belongs to those who fear him and trust him, because he is the Creator and therefore the true God.
To name the Lord as maker of heaven and earth is to mark him out from all false gods and to declare his creative authority. No idol made heaven and earth, but the Lord did, and by that work he is shown to be the true and living God. Those who worship him are therefore blessed of that Creator Lord.
That same creative authority is joined, with the verse that follows, to the gift of the earth to humanity. The earth was prepared before people were created to meet their needs, and it was given to them as a home. It was provided as a home for his people in particular, and its present ruin by sin only delays and does not cancel his purpose for it as their future inheritance.
Sabbath Seal and Worship
The naming of the Lord as the maker of heaven and earth marks Him as the true and living God in distinction from powerless idol gods, and that creative fact lies at the foundation of the Sabbath institution and points to the fourth commandment. The Sabbath alone in the law shows who the Lawgiver is, declaring His name as the Lord thy God, His title of royalty as Creator, the extent of His dominion over heaven and earth, and His right to reign and rule and to receive worship, as a memorial of His creative power. The seventh-day Sabbath is therefore the seal or sign of God, the outward sign of allegiance to the one true and living God, the Creator.
Because all good comes from God, from whom all blessing flows, people are to give Him all glory and boast in Him, counting themselves as nothing apart from Him. Psalm 115 belongs with Psalms 113 to 118 sung on paschal occasions, and Jesus sang it just before His betrayal, just before the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of the cross. Knowing those sufferings were before Him, He yet trusted the Father who is too wise to err and too good to prove unkind, showing that praise offered in suffering glorifies God and opens the way for greater blessings.