Sunday, September 1 – Psalms 114, 115

1. What does the earth do in the presence of the Lord? Psalms 114:7

2. What does the fact that the Lord brought water out of the rock teach us? Psalms 114:8

3. How does Psalm 115:17 affirm the doctrine of the soul’s mortality?

Commentary and Reflection:

Psalm 114 is a beautiful hymn of praise, beginning with the reminder of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Because Israel was rescued from Egypt by God’s mighty hand, they became His people: “Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion” (verse 2). The testimony of the people is the theme of this song, and its beautiful notes record this testimony. Remembering the saving work of the Lord means remembering that we belong to Him by creation and redemption. It’s a blessing to do so, and even better if we could compose a hymn about our testimony to sing or identify with a song that reminds us of His saving work in us, “I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, no turning back”.

The sea, the river, the mountains, the hills, and the rock all obeyed the Lord. The people were baptized in the sea and later in the river. Between the sea and the river, they witnessed wonders and were led.

“The mountains skipped” is “Evidently a poetical description of the earthquake that accompanied the giving of the law at Sinai (see Ex. 19:18). Between the two miraculous wonders of the Exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the Holy Land stands the great revelation of God when, with great solemnity, He gave His holy law at Sinai.” SDA Bible Commentary, Psalms 114:4.

The psalmist sings of the Lord’s transforming power when he says that He “turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters” (verse 8). If He could change the rock, He could also soften and transform the human heart. This encourages us when we think of ourselves and our loved ones. Great is the Lord’s saving power!

“Ps. 115 sets forth the absurdity of worshiping idols, which are the work of men’s hands. The psalmist exhorts all the faithful to extol and praise the living God.” SDA Bible Commentary, Introduction to Psalm 115.

I learned from a leader and mentor, a man of prayer, to pray by repeating God’s promises. I often heard him repeat the words in Psalm 115:1, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.” The honor and glory always belong to God.

In the book “Christ’s Object Lessons,” there is a strong statement on personal praise and flattery, which we would do well to heed, “We need to shun everything that would encourage pride and self-sufficiency; therefore we should beware of giving or receiving flattery or praise. It is Satan’s work to flatter. He deals in flattery as well as in accusing and condemnation. Thus he seeks to work the ruin of the soul. Those who give praise to men are used by Satan as his agents. Let the workers for Christ direct every word of praise away from themselves. Let self be put out of sight. Christ alone is to be exalted. ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,’ let every eye be directed, and praise from every heart ascend. (Revelation 1:5).” Christ’s Object Lessons p. 162.

Idolatry is the vanity produced by a sinful heart. It is the creation of one who chooses to deceive themselves. When the heart, out of convenience, rejects the true Creator God and makes a god in its image that approves of its actions, this god is smaller than the person and has no power to save. Verses 9-11 call the people and priests to trust the Lord, “He is their help and shield.”

Verse 17 indirectly affirms the doctrine of the mortality of the soul: “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” The living praises Him; the dead cannot. It describes death as “going down into silence.” In death, the worries and noise of life are left behind, and one enters the rest of the silence until the day of the last trumpet. Referring to this hope, Jesus said to the Sadducees, “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Matthew 22:31-32.

Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Lord as a testimony of His saving work.