Psalms 115:12

The Lord will bless us (v. 12); he will do well for us, and therefore we will bless him, we will speak well of him. Poor returns for such receivings! Nay, we will not only do it ourselves, but will engage others to do it. Praise the Lord; praise him with us; praise him in your places, as we in ours; praise him when we are gone, that he may be praised for evermore. Hallelujah.

PSALM 115: 6 They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell. PSALM 115: 7 They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat. PSALM 115: 8 Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. PSALM 115: 9 Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 9 O Israel - The body of the Jewish people. PSALM 115: 10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 10 O house of Aaron - All the different classes of the priesthood. PSALM 115: 11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. Verse 11 Ye that fear the Lord - All real penitents, and sincere believers, trust to the Lord, in the almighty, omniscient, and infinitely good Jehovah. He is their help and shield - He is the succor, support, guardian, and defense of all who put their confidence in him. PSALM 115: 12 The LORD remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. Verse 12 The Lord hath been mindful - He has never yet wholly abandoned us to our enemies. He will bless the house of Israel - He will bless the people as a nation; he will bless the priesthood and Levites; he will bless all of them who fear him, great and small, in whatsoever station or circumstances found.

There is a great deal of emphasis in this verse: several words are redoubled to make the subject the more affecting. I give a literal translation: - Psalms 115:12 "The Lord has been mindful of us he will bless the house of Israel; she will bless the house of Aaron. Psalms 115:13 He will bless them that fear Jehovah, the small with the great. Psalms 115:14 Jehovah will add upon you, upon you and upon all your children. Psalms 115:15 Blessed are ye of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalms 115:16 The heavens of heavens are the Lord's: but the earth he hath given to the sons of Adam." Jehovah is absolute Master of the universe. He has made the heavens of heavens, and also the earth; and this he gives to the children of Adam. When he exiled him from paradise, he turned him out into the earth, and gave it to him and his sons for ever, that they might dress, till, and eat of its produce all their days. PSALM 115: 13 He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great. PSALM 115: 14 May the LORD increase you more and more, you and your children. PSALM 115: 15 Blessed are you by the LORD, who made heaven and earth. PSALM 115: 16 The heavens are the heavens of the LORD; but the earth has he given to the children of men.

Psalms 115:11 All and every one of you who worship the true God, not only Aaronites and Israelites, but even Gentile proselytes, who are said to come to trust under the wings of the God of Israel, Rth_2:12. And such there were many at this time in the church of Israel, whom therefore he fitly invites to trust God, because he is no less their than the Israelites’ help and shield, as it follows. ## Psalms 115:12 Hath been mindful of us in our former straits and calamities, and therefore we trust he will still ## bless us, & c. as it follows. Or, is or will be mindful of us . Though he hath chastened us sore, yet he hath not yet cast us out of the care of his providence. Psalms 115:13 Either in age or condition, of whatsoever quality, high and low, rich and poor; for he is no respecter of persons. ## Psalms 115:14 Shall increase you in number, notwithstanding all the attempts of your enemies to diminish and destroy you. Or, shall add to you , to wit, further and greater blessings. Psalms 115:15 Who therefore can bless you indeed in spite of all your enemies curses and oppositions; and not of an impotent idol, that can do you neither good nor hurt. ## Psalms 115:16 Are the Lord ’ s, to wit, in a peculiar manner, where he dwelleth in that light and glory to which no man can approach, and whence he beholdeth and disposeth all persons a

Feb. 15 EVER MINDFUL "The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us" Psalms 115:12 I can set my seal to that first sentence. Cannot you? Yes, Jehovah has thought of us, provided for us, comforted us, delivered us, and guided us. In all the movements of His providence He has been mindful of us, never overlooking our mean affairs. His mind has been full of us — that is the other form of the word "mindful." This has been the case all along, and without a single break. At special times, however, we have more distinctly seen this mindfulness, and we would recall them at this hour with overflowing gratitude. Yes, yes, "the Lord hath been mindful of us." The next sentence is a logical inference from the former one. Since God is unchangeable, He will continue to be mindful of us in the future as He has been in the past; and His mindfulness is tantamount to blessing us. But we have here, not only the conclusion of reason but the declaration of inspiration: we have it on the Holy Ghost's authority — "HE WILL BLESS US." This means great things and unsearchable. The very indistinctness of the promise indicates its infinite reach. He will bless us after His own divine manner, and that for ever and ever. Therefore, let us each say, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" Feb. 16 YOU DEAL WITH GOD "I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man" Hosea 11:9

Feb. 14 MERCY TO THE UNDESERVING "He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about" Psalms 32:10 O fair reward of trust! My Lord, grant it me to the full! The truster above all men feels himself to be a sinner; and lo, mercy is prepared for him: he knows himself to have no deservings, but mercy comes in, and keeps house for him on a liberal scale. O Lord, give me this mercy, even as I trust in thee! Observe, my soul, what a bodyguard thou hast! As a prince is compassed about with soldiery, so art thou compassed about with mercy. Before and behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace. We dwell in the center of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ Jesus. O my soul, what an atmosphere dost thou breathe! As the air surrounds thee, even so does the mercy of thy Lord. To the wicked there are many sorrows, but to thee there are so many mercies that thy sorrows are not worth mentioning. David says, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." In obedience to this precept my heart shall triumph in God, and I will tell out my gladness. As thou hast compassed me with mercy, I will also compass thine altars, O my God, with songs of thanksgiving! Feb. 15 EVER MINDFUL "The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us" Psalms 115:12

[Hymns] 6 Ye mountains great, wherefore was it that ye did skip like rams? And wherefore was it, little hills, that ye did leap like lambs? 7 O at the presence of the Lord, earth, tremble thou for fear, While as the presence of the God of Jacob doth appear: 8 Who from the hard and stony rock did standing water bring; And by his pow'r did turn the flint into a water-spring. Psalm 115 1 Not unto us, Lord, not to us, but do thou glory take Unto thy name, ev'n for thy truth, and for thy mercy's sake. 2 O wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God now gone? 3 But our God in the heavens is, what pleas'd him he hath done. 4 Their idols silver are and gold, work of men's hands they be. 5 Mouths have they, but they do not speak; and eyes, but do not see; 6 Ears have they, but they do not hear; noses, but savour not; 7 Hands, feet, but handle not, nor walk; nor speak they through their throat. 8 Like them their makers are, and all on them their trust that build. 9 O Isr'el, trust thou in the Lord, he is their help and shield. 10 O Aaron's house, trust in the Lord, their help and shield is he. 11 Ye that fear God, trust in the Lord, their help and shield he'll be. 12 The Lord of us hath mindful been, and he will bless us still: He will the house of Isr'el bless, bless Aaron's house he will. 13 Both small and great, that fear the Lord, he will them surely bless. 14 The Lord will you, you and your seed, aye more and more increase.

[Hymns] 13 Both small and great, that fear the Lord, he will them surely bless. 14 The Lord will you, you and your seed, aye more and more increase. 15 O blessed are ye of the Lord, who made the earth and heav'n. 16 The heav'n, ev'n heav'ns, are God's, but he earth to men's sons hath giv'n. 17 The dead, nor who to silence go, God's praise do not record. 18 But henceforth we for ever will bless God. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 116 1 I love the Lord, because my voice and prayers he did hear. 2 I, while I live, will call on him, who bow'd to me his ear. 3 Of death the cords and sorrows did about me compass round; The pains of hell took hold on me, I grief and trouble found. 4 Upon the name of God the Lord then did I call, and say, Deliver thou my soul, O Lord, I do thee humbly pray. 5 God merciful and righteous is, yea, gracious is our Lord. 6 God saves the meek: I was brought low, he did me help afford. 7 O thou my soul, do thou return unto thy quiet rest; For largely, lo, the Lord to thee his bounty hath exprest. 8 For my distressed soul from death deliver'd was by thee: Thou didst my mourning eyes from tears, my feet from falling, free. 9 I in the land of those that live will walk the Lord before. 10 I did believe, therefore I spake: I was afflicted sore. 11 I said, when I was in my haste, that all men liars be. 12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his gifts to me? 13 I'll of salvation take the cup, on God's name will I call: 14 I'll pay my vows now to the Lord before his people all.

## [48] Asfalezath, certissima scientia. Remembrance is attributed to God, sometimes in good part, signifying that he will give help and relief unto men after hard calamities, in which he seemed to forget them, as Genesis 8:1 ,"And God remembered Noah, and every beast or living thing:" upon which Luther in his comment, says, "Although it be true, that God always remembers his, even when he seems to forsake them, yet Moses here signifies, that he was mindful of them, even with respect to sense, that is, so far as to make a signal and manifest discovery thereof, which before by his Word and Spirit he had promised. See Genesis 30:22; Exodus 2:24; 1 Samuel 1:11,19 , and several other places. ## Divine remembrance towards men denotes the benevolence, affection, grace, and good will of Jehovah towards them, Psalms 115:12; 136:23; Nehemiah 5:19; 13:22,31; Luke 23:42; Acts 10:4 . After the same manner, the remembrance of his covenant is attributed to God, by the sight of which he becomes a gracious Benefactor to men, Genesis 9:15-16; 6:5 , "And the remembrance of his mercy," Psalms 25:6 , "Of his word," Psalms 119:49.

## Hebrew) which denotes, that the servants or vassals of the sinning Israelites, above whom they bore such a sway, should become their masters, and bring them into thraldom. 2 Kings 4:19 , "And he (the son of the Shunamite) said to his father (when he began to be sick in the field) my head, my head:" that is, my head most grievously aches. Psalms 22:1 , XXXX XXXX "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" which repetition fervently denotes the overmuch cruelty of the enemy, and the mournful condition of Israel in captivity: Isaiah 6:3 , "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts;" this triple repetition denotes the mystery of the Trinity, or Three Persons in one divine essence; see Jeremiah 22:29; Ezekiel 21:27; Matthew 23:37; Luke 22:31 , and Luke 23:21; John 5:24; Acts 9:4; Revelation 18:2; Leviticus 24:18; 2 Samuel 18:33; Isaiah 28:10; Hosea 2:21; Ezekiel 34:17 , where you have examples of this figure. ## 2. Anadiplosis anadiplwsiv (called in Latin reduplicatio , in English redoubling) is, when the last word of the former sentence is repeated in the beginning of the next: as Psalms 121:1-2; 122:2-3; 98:5; Romans 8:17; Psalms 115:12; Romans 9:30 , and Romans 10:17; Philippians 2:8; James 1:3; Psalms 113:8 . This figure helps to evidence and expound things, as in the alleged examples.