Psalms 115:5

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. THEIR IDOLS ARE SILVER AND GOLD, THE WORK OF MEN'S HANDS. THEY HAVE MOUTHS, BUT THEY SPEAK NOT; EYES HAVE THEY, BUT THEY SEE NOT. Drawn from Deuteronomy 4:28. The Hebrew for "idols" expresses literally 'pains,' expressing the sorrows which they bring upon their worshippers [ `ªtsabeeyhem (H6091)]: cf. Psalms 16:4. Our psalm is the standard one concerning idols in contrast with Yahweh; as Isaiah 44:9, and Jeremiah 10:3 are the leading passages in the p...

1-8 Let no opinion of our own merits have any place in our prayers or in our praises. All the good we do, is done by the power of his grace; and all the good we have, is the gift of his mere mercy, and he must have all the praise. Are we in pursuit of any mercy, and wrestling with God for it, we must take encouragement in prayer from God only. Lord, do so for us; not that we may have the credit and comfort of it, but that they mercy and truth may have the glory of it. The heathen gods are senseless things. They are the works of men's hands: the painter, the carver, the statuary, can put no life into them, therefore no sense. The psalmist hence shows the folly of the worshippers of idols....

THEY HAVE MOUTHS ... - They are shaped like people, but have none of the attributes of intelligent beings....

EXPOSITION A LITURGICAL psalm, in which a divided choir, together with a leader—a priest or precentor—take separate parts. The occasion is one of danger (Psalms 115:2), but, at the same time, of confident hope and trust (Psalms 115:3, Psalms 115:9). A portion of the choir begin with an appeal to God for help against the heathen, whose vain worship of idols they cover with scorn (Psalms 115:1). The leader then exhorts to trust in God in the first clause of three consecutive verses (Psalms 115:9,...

THEY HAVE MOUTHS, BUT THEY SPEAK NOT,.... These idols are carved with mouths, but they make no use of them; if any cry to them for they cannot answer them, nor save them from their troubles. Baal's priests cried to their idol, but was no voice heard, nor answer returned; they are rightly called dumb idols, Habakkuk 2:18 1 Kings 18:26, but our God in the heavens, when his people cry to him, he answers them, and sends them relief; and tells them his grace is sufficient for them, and so they find it to be. EYES HAVE THEY, BUT THEY SEE NOT; they are made with eyes in their heads, but cannot see with them; they cannot see their worshippers, nor what they bring to them; neither their persons nor their wants,...

Psalms 115:1. _Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased._ It was very natural that the heathen should say, «Where is their God?» because they had no outward emblem, no visible image, no tangible token; whereas the heathen had their gods many, such as they were, made of wood and stone; so that they asked, «Where is their God?» I think that when that question is suggested, it is a good sign, for it proves the purity of the faith which has cleansed itself from outward symbolism. May men often have to ask of us, «Where is their God?» But I fear that the people of Israel were brought into so low a state, at times, that this question was also asked in scorn and derision, «Where is

Psalms 115 Who Their God is? _ 1. Israel's God (Psalms 115:1)_ 2. In Contrast with Idols (Psalms 115:4) 3. O Israel Trust in the Lord (Psalms 115:9) Here Israel acknowledges her Saviour-Lord, unto Him alone is glory due. The nations had asked, Where is now their God? (Psalms 43:3; Psalms 79:10) The Contrast between the God of Israel and the dumb idols of the nations follows. But Israel's God, the Lord, who has delivered them, is the l

CXV. THE BLINDNESS OF IDOLATRY AND THE VIRTUE OF UTTER TRUST IN YAHWEH. Psalms 115:2 f. An invisible god was unintelligible to the average heathen; he believed that the god was specially present in the idol, his energy being focussed there. On the other hand, the heathen did not, as the Psalmist assumes, identify idol and god. Psalms 115:17, like Psalms 80:5, expressed the common Jewish belief that all connexion between God and man ends with the life that now is. After death God remembers us no more....

MOUTHS. a mouth (singular)...

PSALMS 115 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Not for Her Own Glory but for His, Israel moves herself to trust in Jehovah to Shew his Superiority over Idols. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 115:1-3, Introductory appeal to Jehovah. Stanza II., Psalms 115:4-8, Idols Disparaged. Stanza III., Psalms 115:9-11, With Alternate Voices, the Choir encourages Israel to Trust. Stanza IV., Psalms 115:12-13, The Congregation Proclaims its Confidence. Stanza V.,...