WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.560 Psalm 135 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.000 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.039 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:45.219 who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses. 00:00:46.519 --> 00:00:51.579 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast, 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:57.379 who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants, 00:00:57.380 --> 00:01:01.200 who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:06.960 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 00:01:07.320 --> 00:01:12.379 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to His people, Israel. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:18.540 Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renowned, O Lord, throughout all ages, 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.520 for the Lord will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants. 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:27.859 The idols of the nations are silver and gold with the work of human hands. 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:30.039 They have mouths, but do not speak. 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:32.079 They have eyes, but do not see. 00:01:32.399 --> 00:01:34.179 They have ears, but do not hear. 00:01:34.679 --> 00:01:36.739 Nor is there any breath in their mouths. 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:39.899 Those who make them become like them. 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:42.239 So do all who trust in them. 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:45.159 O house of Israel, bless the Lord. 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:47.640 O house of Aaron, bless the Lord. 00:01:48.179 --> 00:01:50.019 O house of Levi, bless the Lord. 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:52.420 You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord. 00:01:52.979 --> 00:01:56.719 Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem. 00:01:57.379 --> 00:01:58.199 Praise the Lord. 00:02:00.979 --> 00:02:04.719 Psalm 135 is a chorus of praise to God. 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:09.659 Praise the Lord is the phrase that's hallelujah that we are familiar with. 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:14.680 It begins with the invitation to praise the Lord in verses 1 to 4, 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:18.300 and it ends with the invitation to praise the Lord in verses 19 to 21. 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:22.939 But this isn't an invitation to everyone. 00:02:24.140 --> 00:02:30.980 There are psalms, for example, like Psalm 150, which extends the invitation to everyone. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:33.540 So it says in Psalm 150, verse 6, 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:41.040 But Psalm 135 is addressing a more exclusive audience. 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:43.060 It says in verses 1 to 2, 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:44.280 Praise the Lord. 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:45.459 Praise the name of the Lord. 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:48.019 Give praise, O servants of the Lord, 00:02:48.239 --> 00:02:50.579 who stand in the house of the Lord, 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:52.519 in the courts of the house of our God. 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:54.799 So if you read that, you could probably, 00:02:54.899 --> 00:02:58.519 you probably notice the emphatic kind of repetition of the phrase, 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:00.919 of the Lord, of the Lord, right? 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:03.620 Name of the Lord, servants of the Lord, 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.120 house of the Lord, courts of God. 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:10.759 So this is a specific invitation to the chosen people of God, 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:15.780 the people to whom God has revealed His name, the Lord, 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.920 and the people who dwell in God's chosen place, 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:22.259 who are worshiping in the temple of the Lord. 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:28.180 So there's a sense of kind of this beaming pride in these verses of God, 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:29.980 of being God's people. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:32.980 It's saying we do not praise any old name. 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:35.120 No, he says we praise the name of the Lord. 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:37.680 We're not servants of any old God. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:39.920 No, he says we are servants of the Lord. 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:42.200 We do not worship in any old place. 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:44.659 No, we worship in the house of the Lord, 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.219 because He is our God, it says, 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:49.099 the God who has redeemed us, 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:50.219 the God to whom we belong. 00:03:51.580 --> 00:03:55.659 And then verses 3 to 4 give us some of the general reasons 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:57.719 why we should praise Him. 00:03:58.140 --> 00:03:58.460 It says, 00:03:58.939 --> 00:04:00.620 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:03.879 Sing to His name, for it is pleasant. 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:07.579 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself. 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:09.079 Israel has His own possession. 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:13.039 So it says that the Lord is good and that His name is pleasant. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:14.979 And why is that? 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:15.919 Why is He good? 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:17.579 Why is His name pleasant? 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:19.000 And then he gives the reason, 00:04:19.159 --> 00:04:23.339 For the Lord has chosen us as His own possession. 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:27.039 So the fact that God chooses His people, 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:29.459 that's what we call the doctrine of election, right? 00:04:30.039 --> 00:04:32.299 God is the creator of the cosmos, 00:04:32.619 --> 00:04:34.119 and He therefore owns everything. 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:38.919 So it's not like there's anything that He doesn't own as His possession. 00:04:40.179 --> 00:04:42.479 In that sense, all the nations belong to Him. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.439 And yet, there's a distinction that out of all those nations, 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:49.980 God chose Israel as His own possession, 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:53.620 to put His name on them in a special way. 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:56.700 But why did He do that? 00:04:56.780 --> 00:05:01.900 Was Israel particularly appealing or glorious or powerful as a nation? 00:05:01.899 --> 00:05:05.179 It says in Deuteronomy 7, verses 6-9, 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:06.859 God says, 00:05:07.099 --> 00:05:08.500 Lord Moses says, 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:11.019 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. 00:05:11.659 --> 00:05:16.039 The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession 00:05:16.039 --> 00:05:19.679 out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:23.739 It was not because you were more in number than any other people 00:05:23.739 --> 00:05:25.839 that the Lord set His love on you and chose you. 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:27.799 For you are the fewest of all peoples. 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:29.960 But it is because the Lord loves you 00:05:29.960 --> 00:05:32.699 and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:35.639 that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:37.180 and redeemed you from the house of slavery. 00:05:38.840 --> 00:05:42.500 And so Israel was not more numerous or powerful than the surrounding nations. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:45.620 God did not choose them for these reasons. 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:52.120 So then, was Israel more righteous compared to the surrounding nations? 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:57.060 Deuteronomy 9, verses 4-5 says this, 00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:58.540 Do not say in your heart, 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:01.319 After the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:03.379 Well, it's because of my righteousness 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:05.540 that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land. 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:08.920 Whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:10.800 that the Lord is driving them out before you, 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:12.879 not because of your righteousness 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:14.720 or the uprightness of your heart 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:16.860 are you going in to possess their land. 00:06:17.819 --> 00:06:20.019 But because of the wickedness of these nations 00:06:20.019 --> 00:06:22.240 the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:24.379 and that He may confirm the word 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:26.500 that the Lord swore to your fathers, 00:06:26.980 --> 00:06:28.620 to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:32.620 So once again, God did not choose Israel 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:34.819 because of their moral uprightness either. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:37.459 He didn't choose them because they were a powerful nation. 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:39.060 He didn't choose them because they were righteous. 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:44.219 He's simply keeping the promise He had made to their forefathers. 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:49.160 Well, then why did God choose their forefather Jacob, 00:06:50.340 --> 00:06:51.580 also called Israel? 00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:55.740 Romans 9, verses 10-13 says, 00:06:55.740 --> 00:07:23.120 So that's the love-hate contrast 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:25.660 that Hebrew uses. 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:28.600 It's an idiom that indicates the choice of one over another. 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:32.379 God chose Jacob over Esau. 00:07:34.100 --> 00:07:35.819 And there was nothing, 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:37.699 according to that passage in Romans 9, 00:07:38.139 --> 00:07:39.980 about Israel, about Jacob, 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.220 that commanded God's special affection. 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:44.860 And yet God chose him. 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:47.120 Before he had done anything good or bad. 00:07:47.699 --> 00:07:49.699 And that's the mystery of God's election. 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:51.160 Why did He choose His people? 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:52.660 That it's unconditional. 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:55.800 There's no merit. 00:07:56.180 --> 00:07:59.020 There's no deservingness on the part of the people 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:01.160 for God's choosing them. 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:03.060 Well, if that's the case, 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:04.300 then isn't that unfair? 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:06.840 Well, if it's unconditional, 00:08:07.020 --> 00:08:10.860 shouldn't God choose based on people's merit? 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:13.060 Shouldn't God choose people that are more deserving? 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:13.139 Right? 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.379 Paul anticipates that objection in Romans 9, 14-15. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:17.699 He says, 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:18.819 What shall we say then? 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:21.300 Is there injustice on God's part? 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:22.579 By no means. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:23.639 For he says to Moses, 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:25.939 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, 00:08:26.060 --> 00:08:28.459 and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:31.019 And so that leads to the question, 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.360 Well, how does that in any way dispel the objection 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:35.879 that it's unfair of God to choose a certain people 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.059 for salvation and not others? 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:41.619 Because it simply seems to restate the problem, right? 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:42.579 It says, 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:44.559 God is merciful to whom He wills. 00:08:44.979 --> 00:08:45.259 Yes. 00:08:45.579 --> 00:08:46.699 But the question is, 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:49.339 why He chooses to be merciful to some and not to others? 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:52.339 But the answer lies in the fact that 00:08:52.339 --> 00:08:55.679 that's a quotation from Exodus 33, verse 19. 00:08:56.379 --> 00:08:57.579 And in that context, 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.459 it's an interpretation of God's name, 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:02.319 the Lord, Jehovah. 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.060 So the logic of Paul's argument 00:09:05.060 --> 00:09:07.920 is that God's unconditional election 00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:10.980 is connected to the revelation of God's name, 00:09:11.900 --> 00:09:13.060 the Lord, Jehovah. 00:09:13.680 --> 00:09:16.900 It says in Exodus 33, 18-9, 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:18.980 I will make all my goodness pass before you 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:22.080 and will proclaim before you my name, the Lord, 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:24.740 and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:26.820 and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 00:09:27.640 --> 00:09:30.560 So then God's showing mercy to whomever He wills 00:09:30.560 --> 00:09:31.960 is connected to His name. 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:35.000 And that's the name that occurs 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:36.540 as a main theme of this psalm. 00:09:36.700 --> 00:09:39.340 The word name occurs three times in the psalm, 00:09:39.420 --> 00:09:41.300 verses 1, 3, and 13. 00:09:41.660 --> 00:09:43.860 And the actual name of God, Jehovah, 00:09:44.140 --> 00:09:45.680 in all caps of the Lord, 00:09:46.400 --> 00:09:51.280 occurs 19 times in this psalm. 00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:53.280 And it's intricately connected 00:09:53.280 --> 00:09:54.800 to the idea of God's election. 00:09:55.780 --> 00:09:59.620 And that's because the Lord, Jehovah, 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:01.220 means I am who I am. 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:03.540 I have mercy on whom I have mercy. 00:10:03.660 --> 00:10:05.600 I show compassion to whom I show compassion. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:10.560 In other words, dispensing mercy to whomever God wants 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:13.740 is part and parcel of the name of God. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.940 It's part of God's essential nature 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:18.840 to bestow mercy on whomever He pleases 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:22.100 without being constrained by anyone else, 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:24.920 anyone else's desire or will. 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.740 That's essentially what it means to be God. 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:30.240 That's what it means to be sovereign, 00:10:30.740 --> 00:10:33.399 to not have anyone else with authority over you, 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:35.699 to control, constrain anything that you do. 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:37.240 I am who I am. 00:10:37.299 --> 00:10:38.719 I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:40.240 and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:43.639 And that actually increases God's glory, 00:10:44.560 --> 00:10:46.279 His stature. 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:47.320 But not only that, 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:49.440 it also magnifies God's grace. 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:52.019 Because if God chooses us 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.779 because we are in one way or another 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:56.019 better than other people, 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.840 whether it's because we're smarter 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.019 or more moral or more faith-filled 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:01.080 or more sincere, 00:11:01.539 --> 00:11:04.620 then we deserve at least some of the credit 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:06.340 for God's choosing us, 00:11:06.560 --> 00:11:07.759 for being chosen, 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:09.179 because we deserve it. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:11.779 But if God's election is unconditional, 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:14.340 if the reason for God's choosing us 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:15.600 doesn't lie in us, 00:11:16.319 --> 00:11:17.639 not in our merit, 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:20.759 but in God's mysterious will, 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:23.059 if it lies in His grace, 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:25.220 then He deserves all the credit 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:27.279 for our salvation. 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:30.480 And so in his autobiography, 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:32.139 Charles Spurgeon once said this, 00:11:32.299 --> 00:11:32.580 he says, 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:34.399 I believe the doctrine of election 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:36.460 because I am quite certain 00:11:36.460 --> 00:11:38.460 that if God had not chosen me, 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:40.000 I should never have chosen Him. 00:11:40.700 --> 00:11:42.180 And I am sure He chose me 00:11:42.180 --> 00:11:43.120 before I was born, 00:11:43.680 --> 00:11:45.879 or else He never would have chosen me afterwards. 00:11:46.540 --> 00:11:48.060 And He must have elected me 00:11:48.060 --> 00:11:49.480 for reasons unknown to me, 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:51.680 for I never could find in myself 00:11:51.680 --> 00:11:53.700 why He should have looked upon me 00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:54.800 with special love. 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.120 So I am forced to accept 00:11:57.120 --> 00:11:59.540 that great biblical doctrine. 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:02.379 And then in verses, 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.879 that's the invitation to praise the Lord 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:07.240 because He has chosen us 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:07.899 as His people. 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:09.419 And then in verses 5 to 18, 00:12:09.939 --> 00:12:11.779 the psalmist kind of talks about 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:13.519 the worthiness of the Lord 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.639 and the worthlessness of idols in turn 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.120 to convey what an immense privilege it is 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:20.279 to be chosen by the Lord. 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:21.899 It says in verses 5 to 7, 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:45.539 We will see clearly in verses 15 to 18 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:46.759 that the so-called gods 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:48.559 that these verses are speaking of 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:50.139 are actually no gods at all. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:53.939 But verse 5 makes the rhetorical point 00:12:53.939 --> 00:12:56.339 that our Lord is above all gods. 00:12:56.959 --> 00:12:58.899 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does. 00:13:00.299 --> 00:13:02.079 Once again, that's what it means to be God, 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:03.579 to be the Lord, Yehovah, 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:04.839 who does what He pleases. 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:07.059 This doesn't make Him a tyrant 00:13:07.059 --> 00:13:08.879 because He's good. 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:09.739 He's not evil. 00:13:10.099 --> 00:13:12.419 But there is no God or man 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:15.239 that constrains Him in any way. 00:13:15.619 --> 00:13:16.699 No one is above Him. 00:13:17.179 --> 00:13:18.519 He doesn't owe anyone anything. 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:20.899 And if you look at the pagan religions 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:21.899 of the ancient world, 00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:24.699 sky, which is what it's referring to here 00:13:24.699 --> 00:13:25.119 as heaven, 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:26.299 earth, 00:13:26.619 --> 00:13:27.119 seas, 00:13:27.719 --> 00:13:28.339 deeps, 00:13:28.439 --> 00:13:30.219 referring to the subterranean depths, 00:13:30.579 --> 00:13:31.279 lightning, 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:32.019 rain, 00:13:32.619 --> 00:13:33.859 these were all attributed 00:13:33.859 --> 00:13:34.859 to various gods 00:13:34.859 --> 00:13:36.279 within their pantheon, right? 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.439 They all represented deities. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:41.099 But the psalmist tells us 00:13:41.099 --> 00:13:42.579 that all of these powers 00:13:42.579 --> 00:13:44.079 and all of these realms 00:13:44.079 --> 00:13:45.759 belong exclusively 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:47.659 to the one God, 00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:48.240 the Lord, 00:13:48.719 --> 00:13:49.159 the Yehovah. 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:50.399 He's the only God 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:51.819 who rules over all these things. 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:54.339 And He is our God. 00:13:54.439 --> 00:13:55.620 That's the amazing thing about it. 00:13:56.199 --> 00:13:57.480 And then in verses 8 to 12, 00:13:57.899 --> 00:13:58.980 the psalmist reminds us 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:00.559 of Israel's exodus from Egypt 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:02.319 and of their conquest of Canaan, 00:14:02.479 --> 00:14:04.339 both of which display God's power and glory. 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:06.959 He it was who struck down 00:14:06.959 --> 00:14:08.000 the firstborn of Egypt, 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:09.679 both a man and a beast, 00:14:09.939 --> 00:14:11.219 who in your midst, O Egypt, 00:14:11.319 --> 00:14:12.439 sent signs and wonders 00:14:12.439 --> 00:14:13.939 against Pharaoh and all the servants, 00:14:14.339 --> 00:14:15.779 who struck down many nations 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:17.399 and killed mighty kings, 00:14:17.979 --> 00:14:19.379 Sion king of the Amorites, 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:20.739 and Og king of Bashan, 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:22.099 and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:23.619 and gave their land as a heritage, 00:14:23.699 --> 00:14:25.719 a heritage to his people Israel. 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:28.680 And it's really a remarkable piece 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:29.860 of ancient history 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:31.379 that a nation as small 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:33.320 and insignificant as Israel 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:37.139 escapes the slavery 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:39.660 in the most powerful nation 00:14:39.660 --> 00:14:41.100 in the ancient Near East, Egypt. 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:43.519 And then after a period 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:45.300 of wandering in the wilderness, 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:48.160 with no city or home base 00:14:48.160 --> 00:14:48.860 to speak of, 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:50.540 they successfully conquer 00:14:50.540 --> 00:14:51.399 numerous nations 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:52.540 more powerful than they 00:14:52.539 --> 00:14:54.199 in the land of Canaan. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:56.599 And this was all God's doing. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:58.399 This Psalm is telling us 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:00.039 He's the one that sent 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:01.240 signs and wonders in Egypt. 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:02.659 He's the one who struck down 00:15:02.659 --> 00:15:03.240 many nations 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:04.459 and killed mighty kings. 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:05.879 And once again, 00:15:05.959 --> 00:15:07.740 why did God do this for them? 00:15:08.379 --> 00:15:09.839 Verses 13 to 14 tell us, 00:15:09.939 --> 00:15:11.039 Your name, O Lord, 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:11.879 endures forever. 00:15:12.439 --> 00:15:13.559 Your renown, O Lord, 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:14.519 throughout all ages. 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:17.000 For the Lord will vindicate 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:18.419 His people and have compassion 00:15:18.419 --> 00:15:19.199 on His servants. 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:21.439 God did it for the glory 00:15:21.439 --> 00:15:22.399 of His name. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:23.600 When He vindicates 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:24.459 His own people 00:15:24.459 --> 00:15:25.360 and delivers them, 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:26.480 has compassion on them, 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:28.959 He vindicates His own glory. 00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:31.980 It's showing that He is faithful 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:32.759 to His covenant, 00:15:33.459 --> 00:15:35.840 that His name is holy, 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:37.240 that He is the glorious one. 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:39.939 That's the worth, 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:41.480 the worthiness of God, 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:42.299 of the Lord. 00:15:42.459 --> 00:15:43.759 And then in contrast to the Lord, 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:45.419 it says in verses 15 to 18, 00:15:45.959 --> 00:15:47.139 The idols of the nations 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:48.340 are silver and gold, 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.819 the work of human hands. 00:15:50.300 --> 00:15:51.220 They have mouths, 00:15:51.300 --> 00:15:52.220 but do not speak. 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:53.100 They have eyes, 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:54.040 but do not see. 00:15:54.220 --> 00:15:54.980 They have ears, 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:55.879 but do not hear, 00:15:56.140 --> 00:15:57.340 nor is there any breath 00:15:57.340 --> 00:15:57.980 in their mouths. 00:15:58.600 --> 00:15:59.340 Those who make them 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:00.240 become like them, 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.080 so do all who trust in them. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:05.000 So the Lord created 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:05.840 the heavens and the earth, 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:07.360 as we saw in the first half, 00:16:07.780 --> 00:16:09.160 but these so-called gods 00:16:09.160 --> 00:16:09.760 of the nations 00:16:09.760 --> 00:16:10.680 are mere idols 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:12.140 that have been created 00:16:12.140 --> 00:16:13.560 by human hands. 00:16:14.060 --> 00:16:15.460 Instead of being creators, 00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:16.700 they are creatures, 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:20.100 and not even live creatures. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:22.139 They're dead, right? 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:24.960 They're powerless to do anything 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:26.000 because they're mute, 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:26.720 they're blind, 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:27.340 they're deaf, 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.500 and they're dead. 00:16:28.660 --> 00:16:29.480 They have no breath 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:30.120 in their mouths. 00:16:30.780 --> 00:16:32.540 And that's the irony of it all, 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:33.320 of idolatry, 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:34.639 is that people create 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:35.980 in the image of God 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:38.920 dignified creatures, 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:39.980 human beings 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:41.460 with the breath of God in them. 00:16:42.180 --> 00:16:43.480 They are the pinnacle 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:44.460 of God's creation. 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:46.139 They have mouths 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:46.960 and they speak. 00:16:47.280 --> 00:16:48.280 They have eyes and they see. 00:16:48.400 --> 00:16:49.440 They have ears and they hear. 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:50.600 And they have the breath of God 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:51.160 in their mouths. 00:16:51.280 --> 00:16:52.040 And yet they, 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:54.800 the image bearers of God Almighty, 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:56.220 they worship idols 00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:58.420 who can do nothing for them. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:01.620 It's tragic, right? 00:17:01.680 --> 00:17:02.900 In the U.S., 00:17:02.900 --> 00:17:04.200 most people don't worship 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:05.720 idols made by human hands, 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:07.400 but we worship idols 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:08.660 made by human minds. 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:10.500 We worship the idols 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.460 of power and platform. 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:13.620 We worship the idols 00:17:13.620 --> 00:17:14.340 of beauty, 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:15.120 and affection. 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:16.640 We worship the idol 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:17.180 of money. 00:17:17.340 --> 00:17:18.500 We crave the approval 00:17:18.500 --> 00:17:19.579 of our fellow creatures 00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:21.160 to be loved and liked 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:21.799 by people 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:23.140 and forsake the approval 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:24.600 of our God creator. 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:27.100 But God warns us here, 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:28.240 those who make them 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.100 become like them. 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:32.500 So do all who trust in them. 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:34.539 So we're not to trust 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:35.779 in the idols of our world. 00:17:35.860 --> 00:17:36.160 Instead, 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.059 we're to trust 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:38.019 in the true God 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:39.720 who alone satisfies. 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.220 And then at the conclusion, 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:44.100 it comes back to inviting us 00:17:44.100 --> 00:17:44.819 to praise the Lord 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:46.160 in verses 19 to 21. 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:47.480 And it includes 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.700 all the different groups 00:17:48.700 --> 00:17:50.519 of people among God's people. 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:52.079 O house of Israel, 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:53.460 representing all of them, 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:54.600 bless the Lord. 00:17:54.660 --> 00:17:55.579 O house of Aaron, 00:17:55.980 --> 00:17:56.920 representing the priests, 00:17:57.660 --> 00:17:58.279 bless the Lord. 00:17:58.360 --> 00:17:59.519 O house of Levi, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.299 representing the Levites 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:02.480 who work as attendants 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:02.940 in the temple, 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:03.880 bless the Lord. 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:05.600 You who fear the Lord, 00:18:05.760 --> 00:18:06.500 bless the Lord. 00:18:07.020 --> 00:18:08.100 Blessed be the Lord 00:18:08.100 --> 00:18:09.020 from Zion, 00:18:09.120 --> 00:18:10.300 he who dwells in Jerusalem. 00:18:10.540 --> 00:18:12.120 Praise the Lord. 00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:14.200 And this is again 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:15.620 an exclusive invitation. 00:18:15.820 --> 00:18:16.320 It addresses 00:18:16.320 --> 00:18:17.460 the house of Israel, 00:18:18.100 --> 00:18:19.760 God's chosen people. 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:22.200 It calls them to worship 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:23.280 the God who dwells 00:18:23.280 --> 00:18:24.060 in Jerusalem. 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:27.880 And this is great news. 00:18:28.020 --> 00:18:29.640 If you belong to Him, 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:32.080 if you are part 00:18:32.080 --> 00:18:33.620 of His special chosen people, 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:35.440 but for those other nations 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:36.480 that He spoke of, 00:18:37.860 --> 00:18:38.840 that God, 00:18:38.940 --> 00:18:39.580 the mighty kings 00:18:39.580 --> 00:18:40.440 that God defeated, 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.120 for sinners who, 00:18:44.120 --> 00:18:45.280 by their sin, 00:18:45.520 --> 00:18:46.640 leave the God 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:47.340 of their covenant, 00:18:47.740 --> 00:18:48.940 as Israel does 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:49.640 over and over again 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:50.720 so that they get exiled, 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:51.520 being kicked out 00:18:51.520 --> 00:18:52.380 of the promised land, 00:18:53.040 --> 00:18:54.820 this is bad news. 00:18:55.260 --> 00:18:56.680 They are cut off 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:57.900 from this great favor 00:18:57.900 --> 00:18:59.460 of this great mighty God, 00:18:59.600 --> 00:19:00.020 the Lord. 00:19:01.300 --> 00:19:02.340 And that's 00:19:02.339 --> 00:19:03.980 what ultimately 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:04.899 points to Jesus 00:19:04.899 --> 00:19:05.559 and is that 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:06.599 praise be to God. 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:07.740 I mean, 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:08.220 we are, 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:09.879 I think we're all 00:19:09.879 --> 00:19:11.139 right now, 00:19:11.459 --> 00:19:13.559 we're all Gentiles, 00:19:13.959 --> 00:19:15.939 if I'm not mistaken. 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:19.519 that means none of us 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:21.200 deserved this. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:22.940 We were all 00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:24.200 cut off from this 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:26.299 because of our sin 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:28.740 and we had no hope 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:30.200 of salvation 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:32.640 and no privilege 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:33.519 of worshiping Him. 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:35.100 But Jesus comes 00:19:35.100 --> 00:19:35.820 and He 00:19:35.820 --> 00:19:37.120 dies 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:39.940 on the cross 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:42.340 and by the cross, 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:42.799 as it says 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.980 in Ephesians chapter 2, 00:19:44.100 --> 00:19:45.200 He breaks down 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:46.000 the dividing wall 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:46.680 of hostility 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:48.880 between God and man 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:49.600 and between Jews 00:19:49.600 --> 00:19:50.360 and Gentiles 00:19:50.360 --> 00:19:52.220 so that we too 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:52.920 can have 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:53.940 this privilege 00:19:53.940 --> 00:19:54.900 of calling 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:56.080 this great God, 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:57.539 the Lord Almighty, 00:19:58.000 --> 00:19:58.880 as our God 00:19:58.880 --> 00:19:59.740 and worshiping Him. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:02.100 And then to be called 00:20:02.100 --> 00:20:03.340 His chosen people 00:20:03.340 --> 00:20:05.240 as 1 Peter chapter 2 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:06.240 verses 9 to 10 says, 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:06.820 but you, 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.240 you are a chosen race, 00:20:09.919 --> 00:20:11.500 a royal priesthood, 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:13.639 a holy nation, 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:14.899 a people 00:20:14.899 --> 00:20:16.639 for His own possession 00:20:16.639 --> 00:20:18.319 that you may proclaim 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:19.639 the excellencies of Him 00:20:19.639 --> 00:20:20.339 who called you 00:20:20.339 --> 00:20:21.059 out of darkness 00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:23.599 into His marvelous light. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:26.240 Once you were not a people, 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:29.399 but now you are God's people. 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:32.319 Once you had not received mercy, 00:20:32.939 --> 00:20:36.000 but now you have received mercy. 00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:38.519 that's us, right? 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:39.679 God says, 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:40.359 I have mercy 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:41.379 on whom I have mercy. 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:42.839 We were not 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:43.740 one of those people 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:46.039 on whom God had mercy 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:47.039 apart from Jesus. 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:48.659 But Jesus comes, 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.339 dies for our sins, 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:51.200 and now, 00:20:51.399 --> 00:20:52.500 once you had not 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:53.500 received mercy, 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:54.519 but now you have 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:55.179 received mercy, 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:57.039 that's what God says 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:57.700 of us. 00:20:58.359 --> 00:20:59.659 And in the same way, 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:00.179 before, 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:01.339 Israel had nothing 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:01.899 about them 00:21:01.899 --> 00:21:03.139 to commend them to God. 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:04.179 Likewise, 00:21:04.379 --> 00:21:05.159 now there's nothing 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:05.720 about us, 00:21:05.779 --> 00:21:07.100 to commend us to God, 00:21:07.860 --> 00:21:09.540 nothing about us 00:21:09.540 --> 00:21:11.360 that deserves this. 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:12.259 We were, 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:12.960 as Paul says 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:14.019 in 1 Corinthians 1, 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:15.100 not wise, 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:16.440 not powerful, 00:21:16.600 --> 00:21:17.480 not of noble birth, 00:21:17.580 --> 00:21:18.460 but God chose 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:19.140 what is foolish 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:19.759 in the world 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:21.100 to shame the wise. 00:21:21.300 --> 00:21:22.240 That's the grace 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:23.279 that God has shown us. 00:21:23.840 --> 00:21:24.720 And how can we not 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:25.380 praise the Lord? 00:21:25.840 --> 00:21:27.040 How can we not 00:21:27.040 --> 00:21:28.400 sing His praises 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.300 all our days 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:30.560 and look forward 00:21:30.560 --> 00:21:31.180 to eternity 00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:31.940 of praising Him? 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:33.660 That's our privilege 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:34.980 as God's people. 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.299 People for His own 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:38.080 special possession. 00:21:38.079 --> 00:22:08.059 Thank you.