The Lord Our Help and Our Shield
Book of Psalms 115
We have just witnessed nature's power, and those folks in Florida have seen much more of nature's power than we have seen.
No doubt many will blame God, and most others will question God's love and concern for people.
Some will sneer at the mention of the existence of God.
When many of our brothers and sisters are affected, the unbelievers will mock our faith.
We know our God is righteous so everything He does was the right thing to do.
Did God send these Hurricanes, my answer would be no.
Could God have stopped these mighty storms from causing devastation then certainly my answer is yes.
We know that Satan has some powers even over storms just read the Book of Job where a tornado or something similar causes all of Job's children to die at the same time. There were ten of them.
When tragedy strikes, our first response should not be "Where is God"!
Today's lesson will teach us that God is great in His moral excellence.
"Mercy and truth" are the foundation of moral greatness!
This was the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Jhn_1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
A man may be capable of making some laws for people to live by, but most of them are seldom based upon righteousness.
Grace and truth came from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The question we should ask when tragedy comes is, how have we treated our Savior?
Have we given Him the glory that He deserves?
*****Psa 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.
Our faith must be based upon the truth or reality.
Without love, we will live in a world of selfishness which we see today.
Selfishness is the essence of sin!
Selfishness is contrary to the law of God!
The reality is that we have no right to question God for any action He might take!
We can ask the Lord any question, but we will not always be pleased with His answers.
We must not show any lack of faith when we are talking to the Lord our God!
If the Lord does not interfere on behalf of His people, we must not think that His attributes of love and faithfulness have vanished.
No matter what is happening in our world, we must give God the glory!
Here in Anderson during the last storm, five deaths were storm related.
We must not condemn God for those deaths, we must give God the glory that there were no more than five deaths here where we live.
When Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar, we can be sure that many unbelievers were mocking God, but the truth is that God was using the Babylonians to discipline Israel.
Israel had turned to idols but after the conquest by the Babylonians, Israel never turned to idols again.
Sometimes God's methods may seem harsh, but they are effective. Harsh does not ever mean abuse!
As God's people, we will suffer through trials and tribulations, and unbelievers will mock us, but we must never retreat from our goal of serving the Lord until we get to Heaven.
Why should anyone question our loyalty to God?
We must always do our very best to look like Jesus Christ!
*****Psa 115:2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
Psa 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
When we go about our daily routine looking defeated our enemies will ask us, "Where is your God now, when you need Him so desperately?
If we look back at the Jews, we know that they had endured the taunts of the idolatrous nations.
We do not have to go that far today as our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are blasphemed today.
On that day, the heathen had scoffed at the invisible God.
Keep in mind those who scoffed had to go home and wipe the dust off of some idol who could not even talk to them.
When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they made a strong confession of their faith and even though they were far from perfect they were not called idol worshipers again.
Though they struggled to put their lives back together they knew to go to God and not go to man.
We have seen over and over again that when we pray, we need to tell God what we are going through.
Yes, He already knows, but He wants us to understand that that is nothing too hard for God!
They happily proclaimed the superiority of the Living God to all who had ears!
When we are true to the Lord, He will be true to us!
It angers the Lord for His name to be blasphemed, and He will show His power by His people much of the time.
If God does not help His children, then Satan and his children will triumph!
Where is God? He is in the Heavens in a place where He can see all His people.
The truth is God does as He pleases all the time.
There is never a time that Jehovah God is wondering what He is going to do next!
Our dearly loved Savior always, ALWAYS wants to help us through this life and He has already prepared for our future non-ending life in Glory.
God not only has the will to help those who love Him, He also has the power to make sure what He does is done right!
Mic 7:10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
Another thing we must understand is that, if we are suffering then it is the will of God and He has a good reason for that suffering.
In most cases it is to bring us closer to Him!
God never lacks the power to end our suffering.
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
There are no gods who can hinder the work of God!
False gods are either a figment of their imagination or they are pieces of wood, gold, silver, or some other handmade object that can do nothing.
*****Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Psa 115:6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
Psa 115:7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
Psa 115:8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
Anyone who comes to us questioning our God, we should ask them about their god!
People may scoff, which is mockery and ridicule, at Jehovah who we worship but the fact remains that He is alive, but He is invisible.
He is invisible for the reason that if He had shown Himself without His glory people would have made an idol of Him and they would have worshipped that idol instead of the invisible God just as people did the pole with a serpent of brass.
Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Num 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Num 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
What happened?
This brazen serpent known as Nehushtan, became on object of idolatry and King Hezakiah destroyed it.
2Ki 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
This brazen serpent upon a pole had a reality as a type of the Lord Jesus upon the cross, when He died for our salvation.
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Idols cannot speak, see. hear, smell, feel, or walk.
Yet even today some people still worship idols.
Psa 135:18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.
An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.
Many today have made themselves to be idols such as so-called movie stars, or some sports figures, and yes, some political figures think they should be worshipped, and we certainly cannot leave out those who worship Satan.
Then there is the idol of money/material things:
We already know what God says about this.
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Money is the root of all the evil of today. Most all our politicians are bought out in one way or another.
Other modern idols include, status, physical appearance, entertainment, influence, and yes sex has become an idol which is why abortion is fought so hard along with the LBGTQ is prevalent in our nation and now sex change.
These are all idols that are worshipped by the “now” generation and God is tossed aside as irrelevant in today's world.
All these people are in for a terrible surprise very soon.
Such gods drag down their worshippers to a level of senseless stupidity!
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
God does not play around with idol worshippers!
We must trust in the Lord!
*****Psa 115:9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Psa 115:10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Psa 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Trust means we are reliant upon God for all things including life, justice, and our love for one another.
We do not worship a god we have made, but we worship the God who has made us, our Creator, our Maker!
There is only one true God.
There are many today that say all religions worship the same God, but nothing could be further from the truth! They just do not know Jehovah.
God has revealed Himself to us through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible if you have a true Bible.
It is true that once we come to know Christ as our Savior, we need to constantly examine our hearts for spiritual idolatry.
Jehovah is also a jealous God! The lost do what lost people do, but anyone that claims Christ as their Savior and falls into the trap of idolatry could come under the truth of God's jealousy.
Three times these verses say the word trust.
1) God is our help and our shield.
God is safe to depend upon for defense and for offense for all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
God is also our shield to cover us from danger and to protect us from assault and injury.
2) For all those who preach the truth of the Scriptures, God is also their help and their shield.
3) The Lord has had His mind on us since our creation. The remnant of this world who love the salvation gift of God.
Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
This one verse should tell all those who think we all worship the same God that it is simply not true. By the way, this was the lord Jesus Himself that was speaking. He knows everything.
We could look at this passage as God's invitation for Israel to join the Church because it is the Church that God is protecting in this world.
The battles of Israel will show that only the Church is on their side along with Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even this week our administration has sent a unit to Israel that can intercept missiles from Iran to try to keep Israel from going after the oil and nuclear sites of Iran.
This is only bribery when Israel should destroy Iran, and this world would be a little bit better because of it.
We cannot trust man, but we can trust God to do the right things.
Many scientists and archaeologists wonder what happened to many old civilizations, but they are not around, and many have no history because God knew no one needed to know how wicked they were.
We should not forget that Iran is that part of old Persia and the other part Iraq is trying its best to get away from the USA and then they will join Iran and Persia will be again and war mongering nation.
God will only bless those who trust Him!
You cannot trust idols because they cannot do anything at all!
The Holy Spirit wants us to grasp the importance of trusting God!
We will face persecution, but we must not falter in our trust for the Almighty God!
If we are worried about what is going on in our nation and in this world, then we do not trust the God of all creation and His plan which He has given us a copy of.
We must have confidence in our Holy God and His Word salvaged by the Holy Spirit and is the truth.
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
We were once a part of the world but now if you love the Lord Jesus, we are part of Heaven. Ambassadors to this world.
We are always on the mind of our God!
*****Psa 115:12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
Psa 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Psa 115:15 Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
Who does the Lord bless?
He blesses those who trust Him!
Even though Israel does not trust the Son of God, most of them do trust Jehovah (Yahweh).
They reject that they are the same God!
They are wrong to not accept the Messiah, but they will eventually, at least a remnant of them will.
We should keep in mind that this Psalm was probably written for the dedication of the Second Temple after the return from Babylon.
They had been released by the King of Persia who had defeated Babylon.
We could say that God would bless those who had returned with many children for only about fifty thousand had returned of those who were captured.
Israel began to see just how great their God is.
God is always, ALWAYS, working to do good to His people!
God is always, ALWAYS, mindful of the covenants He has made with all His children!
God is always, ALWAYS, mindful of the promises He has made, and He will never break a promise He has made to anyone.
Why is God able to bless so much?
It is pretty simple, God is our Creator, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and God can do anything He wants to His creation, but He cannot go against His Word!
Notice that Israel is back in a part of the land God had given to them and God will get the remainder of that land that was promised back to Israel.
We may be seeing this today, the Lord giving Israel their entire homeland and the world cannot stop it!
No, there will never be a Palestinian nation within the boundaries of the land God gave to Abraham, the same land God gave to Israel!
When those who hate God scoff at us, we need to stand firm in our confidence in the Lord.
We may go through trials.
We may go through persecution.
We may go through attacks.
We may be oppressed.
God's purpose for us cannot be defeated!
Nothing can separate us from the love of God!
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
*****Psa 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Verse fifteen says it is our LORD who is the Creator of the heavens, and we know of three heavens.
The first heaven is the space where we get our air to breathe and the place where the birds fly.
The second heaven is what we call outer space, a place where all planets, all stars, and anything we find in outer space, and it is immense.
The third Heaven is the place where God dwells with His angels and all those souls who are in that Heaven today.
Notice the Earth is mentioned as the only place God has given mankind to live.
We know the earth is also the Lord’s:
Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
This Psalmist has said that God has given the earth to mankind to live upon.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
God has not given mankind any other planet, moon, or star to live.
This earth is where we belong, where we live and work and where our future lies unless we believe all these things and our Creator who made all these things, then our future lies in the third Heaven with our God.
We know that mankind has not cooperated with God on the development of all the resources of this Earth, but they are all gifts from God for our use.
God has given the occupants of Earth the responsibility of overseeing the resources of Earth.
This Earth is the only planet that God gave to be inhabited!
Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
We need to be sure to know that God only declares things that are right and not wrong!
Isa 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
The trouble today is that a few greedy people have tried their best to gain control of the earth's resources and for the most part they have, and the governments control the rest.
But you see God has reconciled the world back to Himself by the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now I cannot explain the meaning of all these things, but I know that these words are true.
Jesus Christ (Messiah) came to this earth to establish the only means of salvation which is available to all people.
The desire to let the whole redeemed world know of its redemption should move in the heart of every man but the world is tied up with greed for the resources of our planet, corrupt governments, and immorality.
*****Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Psa 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.
It should be obvious that those who are dead cannot praise anyone.
When we die our voices are silenced.
In fact, those who are dead lose all communication with the Lord who died for them.
Isa 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
I must never forget my job is to praise my Lord.
No matter what I'm going through, I need to praise the Lord, and I know I do not praise Him enough.
Even when the Lost World scoffs at me, I will praise the Lord!
My opportunities to praise the Lord will cease when I take my last breath, but my blessings will continue because I am a child of God!
Psa 118:17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
Psa 118:18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
Psa 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
Psa 118:20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
Psa 118:21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Amen
