Psalm 115

What does it mean to “bless the Lord?”  Time and again we read it throughout the Psalms and even sing it in worship songs. Yet, do we understand what it really means?  It’s simple, really.  Verse 1 spells it out for us, then the psalmist gives us the reasons why we should.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name give glory.

God is the only being that deserves glory.  He created creation to be glorified.  This is why the scriptures say that if we won’t do it, then the rocks themselves will cry out and praise Him.  “Why?” you ask…because He deserves it?  “Why?” we ask again like a three-year-old child.  Well, the psalmist tells us:

First of all, anything recreated by man (man doesn’t create, only recreates from what God has already created) isn’t worthy of praise because it isn’t the creator.  Think about it.  When a human creates something, who receives the praise for it being created?  The “creator,” right?  I myself sometimes receive praise for creating these very devotionals.  “Good job man.”  “I’m proud of you.” “Thank you for what your wrote.”  “Wow, that was so powerful.”  However, God created me!  So therefore, praising me and giving me glory is shortsighted.  It only praises the recreator.  Adonai, however, should receive the praise for creating and creation that skillfully recreated what He already created!  When we consider the idea of idols then, in this context, it seems quite foolish, doesn’t it?  It would be like God creating the earth and then bowing down to it.  A bit silly, isn’t it?  Yet, we do it all the time!  Reading Old Testament texts about creating a graven image is foreign to us, although it does creep up in present day humanity.  For instance, when we create a new skyscraper or architectural invention, we stand in awe of it.  Most people don’t recognize the recreator, the construction workers, the guy who wires the electricity…we just look up and, “wow!”  Long gone are the days where we bow to a wooden carving on a table surrounded by candles.  Or are they?  I have been in houses where these altars still exist.  I have also witnessed the owners of these idols (can a person actually “own” a real god?) where the altar gets covered!  That’s a whole other rabbit trail I won’t journey down today.  Our modern day idols come in more variable forms that the enemy has disguised as hobbies and interests like jewelry, clothing, sports teams, video games, and the like.

Secondly, we are encouraged to trust in the Lord.  He is our help and protection.  He considers us despite our frailty.  He blesses us!  Even in our blessing of God Himself we can only recreate what He has already given us.  There’s a tongue-in-cheek story about the devil confronting God saying he can do whatever God can do, even create humankind.  Satan bends down to pick up a handful of dust (as God did when He created Adam) and God says, “no, get your own dust.”  It is important for us to remember that whatever we have, including our very own selves, belongs to the Creator.  We are blessed with air to breathe, blood to flow in our veins, a conscious with which to think and act from, and of course the material possessions we are surrounded with.  It is all His!  He even gives us the free will to decide what to do with it.  It would behoove us to consider what He would have us do with it all.

Third, we must understand what it means to “bless.”  This word in Hebrew carries a multitude of meanings, but it generally means “to give or gift.”  The difference, however, is when it is from man to God, it signifies an honor and reverence.  To pay homage to Him.  When it refers to a blessing from God to man, it signifies a provision.  When it is between two people, it is a recognition of respect.

So let us then, bless in the appropriate manner.  Let us honor and revere God out of the provision He has given us and not render to humans that which should be rendered to God.