Psalm 115 Research Paper

Psalm 115 does not have a documented writer and it is not even known when it was written. We do however, know that it was written in a time when there were not many Jews. Some estimate that it was before the exile when the Assyrians and the Babylonians took them away however it is not known exactly. Many believe that the Psalm was written during times when the church of God was in trouble and its enemies were creating a threat. The church during ths time did not complain about the situation it had found itself in but placed its confidence in God. By having confidence in God the Church came out with a triumph. In the Septuagint Psalm 114 and 115 are joined to create one complete Psalm.
In verse one God is given the name Lord and a Covenant is proclaimed. The covenant in this verse is between God and the people of Israel and says that God will keep the glory for himself and that he will not give it to his people. In this verse glory is defined as all the good things that people say about God. We have to be careful not to take any of God’s glory for ourselves. This is also reiterated in Isaiah 42:8 when God repeats “for my own sake, for my own sake I will act; for how can my name be profaned? And my glory I will not give

to another.” It is so easy to take credit for all that God has done for us. We have to remember that we cannot do anything without God first granting permission. We also have to be careful not to do anything that will tarnish Gods glory among unbelievers.
Us as Christians should never do anything that will give unbelievers a reason to make fun of the powers of God.

In verse two the non-believers are questioning the existence of God. By asking “Where is there God?” They want to know what God is doing to prove that he is alive. Verse three answers the non-believers by proclaiming that God is in Heaven doing all the things that he wants to do. This is most common when high officials of the church are caught up in sin and is exposed. The non-believers start taunting us because they say “these are the people that your God has chosen? If we as Christians are going to claim the name of Christ then we should not out ourselves in a position that gives nonbelievers the opportunity to mock us and our

God.
Verse 3 also teaches us that God is sovereign over everything in the universe because it says that “God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases”. Proclaimed in Psalm 103:19 “the Lord has established his thrones in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all”. Claiming that God can do whatever he pleases is not claiming that God holds a dictatorship over our lives but that he is able to do whatever he purposes to do he does it because it brings him great pleasure. Verse s 4-8 tells us that idols are God that mankind created to serve in place of God. This Psalm approved that God is more superior to these wooden idols because they cannot speak, see, hear or smell as God can. The psalmists thinks it is ridiculous to bow down and worship idols that does not have life. How can they help your situations if they do not know quagmire of situations you are in. It is a worthless God.
Verses 9-11 says that we must trust and believe God. He will send help to your rescue because he loves you. The Psalmist is saying that no matter if you are a church member or a leader of the church you all must look to the lord to get him out of any situation you are stuck in. He will protect you just as a shield protects a soldier. The Lord send blessings to the people in verses 12-16. In the biblical days it meant that he will provide the people with more children. The Psalm claims the even though you may be unknown and feel irrelevant God will still send blessings your way. Verse 17 focuses of the dead that are on earth. This verse along with the 18th verse give the deal that while we are her on earth we need to praise God and give him all the glory because once we die our voices will be silenced.
Psalm 115 is one of the community psalms of trust. These psalms are writtenfor the purpose of declaring the psalmists’s trust in God. The psalms of trust contains two main parts: declaration of trust and interior lament. The declaration of trust usually opens or closes the Psalm and sometimes punctuates the poem at sporadic momemts. In this Psalm the declaration of trust is found in verses 1, 9b, 10b, 11b where it is written “Not to us o, Lord, not to us but ti your name be the glory” and “He is their help and shield:. The interior lament is a memory of the trouble that shapped and directed the psalmist’s sense of trust in God. The interior lament of Psalm 115 is found in verse 2 when the non believers question the existence of God by asking “where is there God?”
The Psalms of trust also contains the invitation to trust which is issued to the community and the basis to trust. The invitation to trust is not present in all of the psalms of trust, however, it is oresent in Psalm 115. In this Psalm the invitation to trust is found in verses 9a, 10b, and 11b where it calls al the Israelites, the house of Aaron, and all those who fear him, trust in the Lord. The basis for trust is when the Psalmist recounts a point of knowledge, a spirrtual principle he has observed, or an experience that has taught him a lesson of faith. Verses 12 -13 provided the basis of trust where it is quoted “ The Lord remembered us and will bless us: he wil bless the house of Israel”; “the highest heavens belong to the Lord”.
Psalm 115 is used to day in the jewish religion at three distinct times. It is one of six psalms of which the Hallel is composed. The Hallel is a jewish prayer that is a verbatim recitation of Psalms 113-118 that is used to give praise and thanksgiving in observance of jewissh holidays. It is recited in its entirty on all days when the Hallel is recited excepts on Rosh Chodesh and the last six days of Passover when only the first eleven verses are recited. Verse two of the psalm is found on the long Tachanun which is recited on Mondays and Thursdays. The Tachanun is a part of judiam’s morning and afternoon services. Verse 18 is the final verse of the Ashrei. It is also recited by some following psalm 126 after Birkat Hamazon. The Birkat Hamazon is a set of blessings that the jewish law prescribes following a meal that included a bread that is made using wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt.
Psalm 115 has an unknown author and was writtend during a time of distress for the church of God. The Psaml is telling the Church that they must put all their faith and trust in the Lord and they will be blessed. The Psalm says that us as believers must not gve those a reason to mock the Lord and We must live the life that we preach. In todays time period Psalm 115 is used during many Jewish holidays to honor the Lord and to give him praise for all that he has done for us and will do for us.