To Your Name Be the Glory
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
The LORD is mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.
May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence. But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!”
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” It’s amazing. We’re more than willing to tell people about our favorite athletic teams and their exploits, our favorite programs that we binge watch, and other obsessions, but we become speechless when we should be telling people about the God whom we serve. And yet look at what God is doing. God continues to demonstrate His loving devotion and His faithfulness, two qualities no athletic team can match.
“Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.” In some parts of the world, there are enormous idols covered with gold and adorned with precious jewels; yet, these idols are powerless. But there is a fundamental principal of worship: we come to resemble whatever it is that we worship. This means that the longer we worship inanimate objects, the more our hearts and minds deaden.
“O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. The LORD is mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.” Why does the psalmist urge the house of Aaron to trust in the Lord apart from the house of Israel? The priests, the religious leaders, come from the house of Aaron. If the religious leaders fail to trust the Lord, the common people certainly will not do so either. We understand what it means for God to be our help, but what does it mean for God to be our shield? Shields protect those behind them. Why will God protect His people? “He is mindful of them, and He will bless all those who fear Him, “both small and great alike.”
APPLICATION: We are entering a new year after a year filled with war, senseless attacks by random gunmen, economic upheavals, and refugee crises. There is nothing to indicate that these problems will magically disappear. How can we affirm our faith in God’s greatness and protection in the face of all these problems?
We live in a fallen sinful world, one in which Satan is very active. Satan is behind all the evil that has beset mankind. But if Satan had not been opposed by a holy God, the human race would long since have disappeared. God is still on the throne and He still rules the universe. But people also have free will and can freely choose to do good or evil. Those who worship evil become increasingly evil while those who worship a righteous God will increasingly resemble God.
Each of us constantly faces choices, for good or evil. As we enter 2024, we face the same challenge that Joshua threw down to the Israelites. “ And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Will we serve the One True Living God or something less? Choose wisely.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You, not only in 2024 but throughout our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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