In The Word
Read: Psalm 135
Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Vanity of Idols.
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, O servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightnings for the rain,
Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 He smote the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and beast.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He smote many nations
And slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
And Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13 Your name, O Lord, is everlasting,
Your remembrance, O Lord, throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord;
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who revere the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The psalm begins with “Praise the Lord” and ends with “Praise the Lord”! Praise Him for what? What has God done to deserve to be praised? Well, for starters, because He is good, His Name is lovely, and because He chose you for Himself (Psalm 135:3-4). That’s right! God chose you in the beginning, before you chose Him. Isn’t that worth praising about, that the God of heaven and earth called your name? His name is above all names; He controls all things, on earth and in the heavens (Psalm 135:5-7). He moves nations, controls their authority; he creates and tears down. He is everlasting, all-knowing, all-powerful, most righteous, and deserving of all our praise; His loving-kindness is everlasting (Psalm 135:16).
But with all of that, we choose to praise our own gods, our own idols (Psalm 135:15-17); we choose the work of our own hands, hobbies, or jobs. For some, it is the family, our kids, or spouse. Idolatry is anything that replaces God as first in our life. It’s simple to find out what your idol is: what do you spend your time, your money, your desires on? It is so easy to fall into the trap of idolatry; this world has so much to offer, so many things to grab our attention. Remember that God wants to be first. He deserves it. He’s given so much to you even His only Son. Remember you become what you trust in (Psalm 135:18). Don’t let the cares of this world come in and steal your heart. I choose Christ, how about you?