Psalm 135: Lessons for Finding Hope in Jesus After He is Forced to Discipline or Correct You Because of Sin
Introduction: Psalm 135 is most likely a message of hope for the post exile Jews who felt forsaken following God’s discipline. In Psalm 135:14, the psalmist stressed that God judges His people with compassion. The beginning verses also borrow from two Songs of Ascents. These facts suggest that the psalmist wrote this psalm around the time periods of Ezra and Nehemiah.1 At the time, Israel was a subject of the Persian empire. Its full sovereignty and the Davidic kingship had not been restored. Many might have drawn the conclusion that God’s full blessings for Israel had come to an end. The psalmist sought to refute this view and to encourage the Jews. Through a series of praises, the psalmist reminded the Jews about God’s amazing character and His miracles and faithfulness throughout their history. This encouragement also applies to any believer in Jesus in need of hope after being disciplined because of sin. If you are struggling from the consequences of sin, you have many reasons to find hope in Jesus. You can find hope by praising: (1) His holy name, (2) His loving power, (3) His deliverance, (4) His faithfulness, (5) His compassionate discipline, (6) His relationship with you, and (7) His grace and blessings.
First, the psalmist urged the Jews to praise God’s “lovely” name. In the Bible, God’s name represented His full holy character. You can also find hope by praising Jesus’ holy name. His character is lovely and worthy of your praise. Second, the psalmist reminded the Jews that their all-powerful God chose them to be His people out of a love for them. Thus, God would not forsake them. You can also find hope in Jesus’ loving use of His power. He is all-powerful. But He uses His power out of love for you. Third, to encourage the Jews, the psalmist reminded them that God had repeatedly intervened throughout history to deliver them. You can also find hope in Jesus’ repeated acts in delivering you. Fourth, also to encourage the Jews, the psalmist praised God for His eternal faithfulness. You can also find hope in Jesus’ eternal faithfulness to you. Fifth, for the Jews who felt discouraged because of God’s discipline in sending the Jews into captivity, the psalmist reminded them that God is compassionate in His discipline. When you are disciplined because of sin, you can also find hope in your correction knowing that Jesus disciplines out of love to remold you. Sixth, the psalmist mocked those who put their faith in idols, the primary sin that led to the Jews’ captivity. You can find hope in Jesus because He is the living God who seeks a relationship with you. Finally, the psalmist concluded by urging the Jews to bless God. You can also find hope and praise Jesus for the grace and the blessings He offers you. Out of gratitude, you can respond by leading a life that blesses and honors Jesus.
1. His Holy Name: Find Hope by Praising Jesus’ Holy Name. Ps. 135:1-3.
The psalmist praised God’s holy name. The psalmist commanded all God’s servant priests to praise both His name Yahweh and then His holy “name”: “1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, you servants of the Lord, 2 you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courtyards of the house of our God! 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.” (Ps. 135:1-3). In English, a name is merely a means for identification. In contrast, to praise God’s “name” is to praise His character. Here, the dual use of God’s proper name Yahweh and His collective “name” suggests a praise because God is both holy and personal to believers. The name is “lovely” because God’s character is lovely and worthy of your praise. “The subject-matter of praise, is the blessings of grace flowing from the everlasting love of God. The name of God as a covenant God and Father in Christ, blessing us with all spiritual blessings in him, is to be loved and praised. The Lord chose a people to himself, that they might be unto him for a name and a praise.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 135:1-3).2
Praise God’s glorious name because He is pleasant, holy, and good3
Praise God’s Holy name. The beginning of Psalm 135 is similar to the beginning of Psalm 113:1. “1 Praise the Lord! Praise Him, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.” (Ps. 113:1). Psalm 134 also has a similar beginning. “A Song of Ascents. Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who serve by night in the house of the LORD!” (Ps. 134:1). The psalmist praised God’s holy name as “lovely”. The Jews regularly praised the beauty of God’s holy name: “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is beautiful.” (Ps. 147:1). “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in holy array.” (Ps. 29:2). “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Ps. 34:3). “2 sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.” (Ps. 66:2). “Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him.” (Ps. 68:4). “And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.” (Ps. 72:19). “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name.” (Ps. 86:9). “God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel.” (Ps. 76:1). “Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.” (Ps. 96:8). “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.” (Ps. 115:1). “Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, you servants of the LORD,” (Ps. 135:1). “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him; worship the Lord in holy array.” (1 Ch. 16:29). Daniel also praised God’s holy name: “Daniel said, ‘May the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.”’ (Dan. 2:20). David also praised God’s holy name: “that Your name may be magnified forever,” (2 Sam. 7:26). If the psalmist lived at or near the time of Nehemiah, he led the Jews in a similar praise. “[B]less the Lord your God forever and ever! May Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise!” (Neh. 9:5). Do you regularly praise God’s holy name?
Place your hope in Jesus’ eternal promises of mercy and forgiveness. There were many times when the psalmists had no answer to their problems. All they could do was place their hope in God. “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Ps. 39:7). “For You are my hope; Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5). “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”’ (Jer. 29:11). When you feel defeated because you are still experiencing the consequences of your prior sins, place your hope in Jesus’ holy and lovely character. He is filled with mercy and forgiveness. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Pet. 1:3). “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil,” (Heb. 6:19). “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Ro. 15:4). If you repent, He is faithful to forgive your sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jo. 1:9).
Through faith, you become part of Jesus’ royal priesthood. Psalm 135 is directed to God’s Levite priests, who served Him in the Temple (Ps. 135:1-3). When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He also makes you one of His priests. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Pet. 2:9). “and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:6).
Glorify Jesus’ Holy name. Jesus instructs believers to give glory to God’s name: “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name . . .” (Matt. 6:9). God is worthy of your complete devotion and loving admiration. One day all creation will bow down and praise Jesus’ holy name: “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” (Phil. 2:10). “And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.’” (Rev. 5:13). Give glory to Jesus because He is holy, loving, merciful, and just.
Jesus has given all believers the power to pray in His name. In the Old Testament, believers also evoked God’s “name” to reference His complete abilities and character. For example, Abraham called upon the “name of the Lord” in reference to His full power (Gen. 12:8; 13:4). As another example, God proclaimed His “name” to Moses in reference to His power (Ex. 33:19; 34:5). It was also an act of worship when someone called upon “the name” of the Lord (Gen. 21:33; 26:25). Likewise, belief in the name of Jesus Christ alone brings salvation (Jo. 1:12). Believers are also commanded to gather in Jesus’ name (Matt. 18:20). We are to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19). In the book of Acts, the early disciples also frequently referred to their service, worship, and suffering as being done in Jesus Christ’s “name.” (e.g, Acts 4:18; 5:28, 41; 10:43; 19:17). The name of Jesus will, however, be a stumbling block to non-believers. Jesus warns that those who bear His name will be hated (Matt. 10:22). Yet, for those believers who pray in faith, Jesus has given you the legal equivalent of a power of attorney to pray in His name when you seek to do His will: “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (Jo. 14:13-14). “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (Jo. 15:16). “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” (Jo. 16:23). Jesus’ name is so powerful that the archangel Michael was able to drive Satan away merely by rebuking him in Jesus’ name (Jude 1:9). But to correctly pray “in Jesus’ name”, pray for His will to be done and not yours.
2. Loving Power: Find Hope in Jesus’ Loving Use of His Power. Ps. 135:4-7.
God used His omnipotent power to select the Jews and make a great nation out of them. God is not a distant all-powerful God. Instead, He used His omnipotent power out of love to create the Jewish nation and make them His light to the rest of the pagan world. “4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as 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 on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths. 7 He causes the mist to ascend from the ends of the earth, He makes lightning for the rain; He brings forth the wind from His treasuries.” (Ps. 135:4-7). “He did not choose Israel because they were great, but because He is great in love.” (David Guzik on Ps. 135:4).4
Out of love, Jesus has also chosen you. The psalmist reminded the Jews that God blessed them to be His chosen people. “4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His own possession.” (Ps. 135:4). This repeated God’s statements to Moses. “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;” (Ex. 19:5). But God did not select the Jews because of their numbers, their strength, or their merit (Dt. 7:7-8). Instead, God selected them out of grace to serve Him and to be His light. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Dt. 7:6; 14:2). Out of grace, anyone can become part of Jesus’ chosen people when you accept Him as Lord and Savior. “But you are a chosen people…” (1 Pet. 2:9). Because He is omnipotent, Jesus knew before time who would have the faith to choose Him. Those persons are His chosen people. “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love” (Eph. 1:4).
God has no rival and no equal. The psalmist reminded the Jews that their God had no rival. “5 For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods.” (Ps. 135:5). The once pagan Jethro also made this confession of faith to Moses. “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they acted insolently against the people.” (Ex. 18:11). Moses also made this same declaration that God has no rival or equal amongst the pagan gods. “Therefore know today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.” (Dt. 4:39). “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can save anyone from My hand.” (Dt. 32:39). Through Isaiah, God again confirm that there is no other God anywhere besides Him. “I am the LORD, and there is no one else; there is no God except Me. I will arm you, though you have not known Me,” (Is. 45:5).
God uses His sovereign over all creation out of love for His people5
God’s holy, sovereign will cannot be thwarted. Even though the Jews spent time in captivity, everything that happened to them was part of God’s will. “6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.” (Ps. 135:6). “The LORD of armies has sworn, saying, ‘Certainly, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand,”’ (Is. 14:24). “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My plan will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;” (Is. 46:10). “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the advice of the LORD will stand.” (Prov. 19:21). “I know that You can do all things, and that no plan is impossible for You.” (Job 42:2). “All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account, but He does according to His will among the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can fend off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Dan. 4:35).
God’s control over nature shows His omnipotent power. Unlike the false pagan gods, Yahweh’s supreme power allows Him to control nature: “7 He causes the mist to ascend from the ends of the earth, He makes lightning for the rain; He brings forth the wind from His treasuries.” (Ps. 135:7). Jeremiah made similar claims about God. “When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, and He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses.” (Jer. 10:13). “When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, and He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings out wind from His storehouses.” (Jer. 51:16). God also challenged Job to answer who else had control over nature: “Who has split open a channel for the flood, and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land without people, on a desert without a person in it, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the seeds of grass to sprout?” (Job 38:25-27). But God is not a remote all-powerful God. Instead, He uses His power out of love and grace to bless His people.
3. Deliverance: Find Hope in Jesus’ Repeated Acts of Deliverance. Ps. 135:8-12.
God demonstrated His faithfulness by repeatedly delivering His people. For the Jews who felt forsaken, the psalmist reminded them that God had repeatedly delivered them and kept His promises. “8 He struck the firstborn of Egypt, both human firstborn and animal. 9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants. 10 He struck many nations and brought death to mighty kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan; 12 and He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to His people Israel.” (Ps. 135:8-12). “Jehovah’s sovereignty [is] exhibited in the deliverance of His people from Egypt and their establishment in the land of Canaan.” (Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick on Ps. 135:8-12).6
Jesus offers you hope. He uses His power out of love to deliver you from bondage. To encourage the Jews who felt forsaken, the psalmist reminded them how God delivered them from Egyptian bondage. As part of the tenth plague, God struck down every firstborn person and animal (Ps. 135:8; Ex. 12:29: Nu. 33:4; Ps. 78:51; 105:36; 136:10; Heb. 11:28). Only those with the faith to put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their home were spared (Ex. 12:7). This foreshadowed Jesus. Faith in His atoning sacrifice also allows death to pass over you. “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”’ (Jo. 1:29).
When you are defeated, in bondage, or oppressed, find hope in Jesus as your deliverer7
God raised up and repeatedly saved Israel for His glory. God showed His signs and wonders in Egypt so that all the world would know that He is the one true God: “9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants.” (Ps. 135:9). Before sending Moses into Egypt, God told Moses that He would harden pharaoh’s heart to allow His signs and wonders to be displayed. “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”’ (Ex. 4:21). After Pharaoh rejected God, God repeated His plan to harden Pharaoh’s already hardened heart to allow His glory and power to be displayed for all to see. “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 7:3; Dt. 6:22; Jer. 32:20-21; Neh. 9:10; Ro. 9:17-18). God explained to Moses that He showed His signs and wonders so the “His name” would offer hope to people across the Earth. “But indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth.” (Ex. 9:16). He has remained faithful to Israel so that His faithfulness might be known and become a beacon of light to all the gentile nations of the Earth: “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.” (1 Sam. 12:22). “Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, so that He might make His power known.” (Ps. 106:8). “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.” (Is. 48:11). “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It is not for your sake, house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”’’ (Ezek. 36:22). If Psalm 135 was drafted in Nehemiah’s time, he also made this revelation. “Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and all the people of his land; for You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them, and You made a name for Yourself as it is this day.” (Neh. 9:10).
God’s love included a plan to both deliver and provide for His people. After the Jews experienced a prior period of discipline in the wilderness, God delivered the Jews from King Sihon of the Amorites and King of Bashan. He was faithful to also give their land to Israel as an inheritance (Ps. 135:10-12; 136:17-20; Nu. 21:33-35; Dt. 3:1-3; Josh. 12:1-6; Jdgs. 11:19-22; Neh. 9:22-24). With other mighty nations, God also delivered the Jews and gave their enemy’s lands to them as an inheritance, “driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today.” (Dt. 4:38; Josh. 23:9; Ps. 44:2-3; 78:55; 105:44). When God delivers you from your sins, He will also provide for you out of love for you.
4. Faithfulness: Find Hope in Jesus’ Eternal Faithfulness to You. Ps. 135:13.
God is eternal, and His promises can never be broken or changed. Even though the Jews did not receive their full sovereignty after Babylonian captivity, God remained faithful and His promises were eternal. “13 Your name, Lord, is everlasting, the mention of You, Lord, is throughout all generations.” (Ps. 135:13). “The idea is that he is the same now that he was then; and as he then impressed the world with a sense of his majesty and power, and as he then interposed in behalf of his people by mighty signs and wonders, we should feel that, being an unchangeable God, he can do it now, and is now equally worthy. of confidence, adoration, and praise.” (Albert Barnes on Ps. 135:13).8
God’s holy name is eternal and unchanging. When God revealed His identity to Moses at Mount Horeb, He explained that His name (His holy character) is eternal. “God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me.” (Ex. 3:15). Through Isaiah, God revealed that He performed signs and wonders so that all might find hope in His eternal name and praise Him for His faithfulness, His mercy, and grace. “Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,… Like the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a glorious name.” (Is. 63:12, 14). His holy name and His eternal promises will even outlast the billions of stars throughout the universe. “In time of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will pass away. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” (Ps. 102:25-27; Heb. 1:10-12).
Because of God’s unchanging faithfulness, He spared Israel. Through Malachi, God explained that it was because of His unchanging faithfulness that He did not destroy Israel. “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.” (Mal. 3:6). Thus, the Jews who returned from Babylonian captivity could place their hope in Him. God will never leave nor forsake His people (Dt. 31:6).
Jesus’ willingness to be crucified for you is evidence of His faithfulness9
Find hope in Jesus, who will never break His promises to you. You can also give thanks that Jesus will never change or break His promises. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8). “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the boast of our hope.” (Heb. 3:6). “Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” (Heb. 10:23). He is faithful even when your faith fails you. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13).
5. Compassionate Discipline: Find Hope in Your Correction Knowing That Jesus Disciplines Out of Love to Remold You. Ps. 135:14.
God disciplines out of love and compassion to correct and rehabilitate. Even though the Jews suffered severe consequences for their sins, God disciplined them out of love and compassion to correct and mold them for His use. “14 For the Lord will judge His people and will have compassion on His servants.” (Ps. 135:14). The NIV changes the translation to God vindicates His people: “For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.” (Ps. 135:14 NIV). But the NKJ translation aligns with NASB. This is also the historic interpretation of this verse. “He will exercise personal discipline over them, and not leave it to their foes to maltreat them at pleasure. When the correction is ended he will arise and avenge them of their oppressors, who for a while were used by him as his rod. He may seem to forget his people, but it is not so; he will undertake their cause and deliver them.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 135:14).10
Find hope in God’s compassion and love when you are disciplined. To encourage the Jews, God frequently reminded them that He is filled with compassion, mercy, and patience. “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth;”’ (Ex. 34:6; Nu. 14:18). The psalmists therefore encouraged the Jews to praise God because His holy name includes compassion, mercy, and patience. “But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Ps. 86:15). “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy.” (Ps. 103:8). “The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23). If Psalm 135 was composed during Nehemiah’s time, it would also conform to his similar praise for God’s holy character in the face of the Jews’ sins. “They refused to listen, and did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them; so they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy; and You did not abandon them.” (Neh. 9:17).
God disciplines those He loves. Another psalmist promised a blessing for the person who accepts God’s discipline: “Blessed is the man whom You discipline, Lord, and whom You teach from Your Law,” (Ps. 94:12). God disciplines sinners the same way a loving parent disciplines a wayward child: “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,” (2 Sam. 7:14). In a similar way, God disciplines His people out of love: “Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.” (Dt. 8:5). “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Heb. 12:7). “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Cor. 11:32). If God has disciplined you, pray about how and why you have sinned. God wants you to then repent and change your ways by renewing your mind daily (Ro. 12:2). He will then bless you with protection.
God’s mercy and grace should prompt all to repent and turn back to Him. The prophets urged the Jews not to squander the mercy and grace that they received. They urged the Jews to repent and immediately turn back to God. ‘“And tear your heart and not merely your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and relenting of catastrophe.” (Joel 2:13). This message is repeated in the New Testament. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” (Acts 3:19). “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Ro. 2:4). Believers should not misuse God’s mercy and grace as a license to continue sinning. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Ro. 6:1-2).
6. The God of Life: Find Hope in Jesus as the Living God Who Seeks a Relationship With You. Ps. 135:15-18.
God is a living God who alone can save and deliver you. The psalmist warned against the dangers of idolatry, the primary sin that led the Jews into spiritual and then physical captivity. “15 The idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold, the work of human hands. 16 The have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; 17they have ears, but they do not hear, nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will become like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them.” (Ps. 135:15-18). Psalm 135 restated for emphasis Psalm 115’s similar condemnation of those who placed their trust in the idols of the world. “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them.” (Ps. 115:4-8). “Idolaters become spiritually stupid and perish with their idols (Isa 1:31).” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary on Ps. 135:18).11 This again suggests that Psalm 135 was meant to encourage the post-exile Jewish community.
Idolatry of any kind violates God’s Law. Idolatry of any form is so offensive to God that it violates His Second Commandment. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.” (Ex. 20:4; 20:23; 34:17). “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves cast metal gods; I am the LORD your God.” (Lev. 19:4; 26:1). “8 ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” (Dt. 5:8). Those who embrace idols and fail to repent are cursed: ‘“Cursed is the person who makes a carved image or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall reply and say, ‘Amen.”’ (Dt. 27:15). Even though the types of idols that people follow today are different, they are just as offensive to God.
The idols of the world are powerless to save you. Idols like wealth, power, or the flesh might at first seem like the answer to worldly problems. But they offer only temporary comfort. In the long term, they are powerless to save you: “They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.” (Jer. 10:5). “Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.” (1 Kgs. 18:26). Those who trust in worldly idols will ultimately be filled with sorrow when the comfort from their worldly idols disappears and instead becomes a source of bondage.
Those who trust in their idols become spiritually blind like their idols. The psalmist warned that those who trust in idols will become spiritually blind (Ps. 136:18; 115:8). For emphasis, a different psalmist later repeated this same warning. “Those who make them will become like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them.” (Ps. 135:18). God’s prophets also repeated these warnings: “Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and those who are deaf, even though they have ears.” (Is. 43:8). “Now hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.” (Jer. 5:21). Because many are spiritually blind from their trust in worldly idols, Jesus resorted to using parables to force people to meditate on the hidden meanings behind His Word: “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matt. 13:13). If others around you are spiritually blind, pray for Jesus to open their eyes.
All worldly idols will one day perish before God’s power. While worldly idols like beauty, wealth, and power quickly vanish, God will never disappear: “This is what you shall say to them: ‘The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”’ (Jer. 10:11). “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;” (Rev. 9:20). Every person should pray for Jesus to reveal any hidden idols in their lives. When Jesus reveals a hidden idol, repent and renounce the idol.
Put your hope in your living God, who seeks a relationship with you. Jeremiah praised the “living God” who he revealed to also be the “everlasting King.” “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.” (Jer. 10:10). This directly pointed to Jesus. He is the living Word who became flesh. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jo. 1:14). As your living God, Jesus seeks a relationship based out of love for you, something an idol cannot do. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). Being saved is just the first set in your relationship with Jesus. As your living God, He desires a close personal relationship with you.
Unlike the idols of the world, Jesus is the living God who seeks a relationship with you12
7. The God of Blessings: Find Hope and Praise Jesus For the Grace and the Blessings He Offers You. Ps. 135:19-21.
God is worthy of a life that blesses and honors Him because of His grace and blessings. The psalmist concluded by urging all of the Jews to show their hope and gratitude to God for His grace and blessings by living lives that honored and blessed God. “19 House of Israel, bless the Lord; House of Aaron, bless the Lord; 20 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!” (Ps. 135:19-21). God also deserves your blessings.
Praise Jesus for your hope and blessings. Another psalmist urged the Jews to bless God because He is faithful to pour out His blessings. “12 The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, the small together with the great.” (Ps. 115:12-13). While Psalm 115 was a reminder for the Jews to trust in God, Psalm 135 urged the response of praise that God deserved for the hope He offers. “This passage, also, is evidently an imitation of the passage in Psalm 115:9-13. The form in Psalm 115, however, is rather an exhortation to trust in the Lord, and an assurance that God would bless the classes spoken of, than a call on them to bless the Lord… The passage needs no further illustration than what is found in the notes at Psalm 115:9-13. It is an earnest call on all classes of the people to bless and praise the Lord. It is language expressive of overflowing joy; the utterance of a heart full of exalted conceptions of the majesty, the glory, and the mercy of God; of a heart which feels to the utmost the fitness of praise, and desires that all classes of people - priests and people - that all created things should unite in the praise of Yahweh. Who, in reading the psalm, can fail to catch the feelings of the psalmist, and to say Amen and amen!” (Albert Barnes on Ps. 135:19-21).13
Give thanks for God’s blessings by praising Him. Because God pours out His blessings, another psalmist encouraged the Jews to praise His holy name. “I will praise the name of God with song, and exalt Him with thanksgiving.” (Ps. 69:30). Other psalmists encouraged the Jews to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. “I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD.” (Ps. 116:17). For all believers in Jesus, this is repeated in the New Testament. “Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.” (Heb. 13:15).
“This Psalm was obviously intended for use in the worship of the Second Temple.” (Hebrew Professor Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick (1849 –1940)); Psalm 135 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges↩︎
Image credit: Psalm 135 – Above All – Be Still…↩︎
Image credit: Jesus Christ Our Deliverer-Part I | FAOGW↩︎
Image credit: The LORD is faithful - I Live For JESUS !↩︎
Image credit: Jesus Is The Living God (AM) - Heavenview UPC↩︎