Those Who Are Blessed by God

[Psalm 115]

This morning during the early prayer meeting, I meditated on Colossians 1:6:
"That gospel which has come to you, just as it is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among you since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth."
As I meditated on this verse, I was taught that from the day we hear the gospel and truly understand God’s grace, there must be “fruit” in our lives. The more deeply, broadly, and abundantly we grasp that grace, the more we should bear fruit in every good work (verse 10).
So, what is the great grace that God has given to you and me?
The apostle Paul says, “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (verse 14).
Among the many and great graces God has given us, I have been reflecting especially on redemption—the forgiveness of sins. Just thinking about the fact that the problem of sin has been resolved in Jesus fills me with gratitude.

Referring to those of us who have received and are still receiving this grace, Psalm 115:15 says:
"You are blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
The Bible tells us that we are the ones blessed by God.
Yes, you and I are blessed by God.
We have received an incredibly great blessing.
Having received God’s love, having been chosen and predestined by Him, having been saved and granted eternal life through Jesus’ death and resurrection, what greater blessing could there be?
Above all, since Jesus, the source of all blessing, is our Lord and is with us, when we consider the blessings we have received, we can’t help but think, “I am truly blessed.”
Just thinking that the Lord who has given us so many blessings loves us and is with us makes us say without hesitation that we are truly blessed by God and continue to be blessed today.
In verse 15 of today’s passage, the Psalmist says that the people of Israel are those who are blessed by God.
To such people, the Psalmist offers this prayer of blessing:
"May the Lord increase you and your children" (verse 14).
When I think about this blessing prayer from the Psalmist, I remembered the first granddaughter of Deacon Kim from our church, named Joey.
That is because I recalled that the meaning of the name “Joey” is “God increases,” which I heard from the child’s mother.
The Psalmist’s prayer for increase and prosperity over the people of Israel (including their descendants to this day) is a blessing praying for their multiplication (Park Yun-sun).
How do we know this? We see in verse 16:
"The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth He has given to mankind."
The Psalmist, with the conviction that the One who blesses Israel is the Almighty God, and that God has given the land to mankind to multiply, confidently offers a prayer for the prosperity of the people of Israel (Park Yun-sun).

So then, what kind of people are those who receive this blessing of increase from God?
Today, I want to reflect on three points centered on this passage.

First, those who receive the blessing of prospering from God are those who give glory to God.

Look at Psalm 115:1:
“O Lord, do not give glory to us, do not give glory to us, but give glory to Your name because of Your lovingkindness and truth.”

In 1 Samuel 15:12, after King Saul disobeyed God’s command to utterly destroy Amalek, he won the war and went to Carmel to set up a monument.
What does this show?
It shows that he attributed the victory in the war to himself rather than to God.
King Saul erected a monument to commemorate his own achievement.
He did not consider the victory over Amalek as God’s grace but as his own accomplishment.
Saul, who once considered himself humble, became proud as king, disobeyed God’s command, and instead of realizing his sin and repenting, he erected a monument to give glory to himself.

Seeing this, we must take more seriously the importance of the prayer in today’s Psalm 115: “Do not give us the glory of the Lord.”
This prayer of the psalmist, in short, refuses to attribute the glory that belongs to God to himself or the people of Israel.
He pleads with God, repeating “not to us” twice, refusing to steal God’s glory.
He wanted the glory to be given only to God.
He prayed earnestly that only God alone would be glorified.

Why did the psalmist want all glory to go only to God?
Because of the Lord’s lovingkindness and truth (verse 1).

A scholar named Delitzsch said that Psalm 115 is a prayer of Israel asking for God’s help during a war with foreign enemies (Park Yun-sun).
If this is true, the psalmist prayed that God, who promised to save Israel out of His love (“lovingkindness”) and faithfulness (“truth”), would act accordingly so that only God would be glorified.
The psalmist prayed that God, through His lovingkindness and truth, would grant victory to Israel in the war.
Therefore, he wanted God alone to receive glory.

But what if Israel loses the war and the idol-worshiping foreigners (verses 4–8) win?
The foreigners would mock Israel saying, “Where now is their God?” (verse 2).
Since the psalmist sought only God’s glory, he did not want God’s glory to be overshadowed.
That is why he prayed that in the midst of war, God would reveal His lovingkindness and truth by rescuing Israel from the hands of the foreign enemies and granting them victory.

In praying like this, the psalmist acknowledged God’s sovereignty:
“Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.” (verse 3)

God may cause Israel to win the war, but He may also allow them to be destroyed.
One reason God might withhold help could be discipline for Israel’s unrepented sins.
In conclusion, the response to the psalmist’s prayer depends on God’s sovereign will.
In other words, victory or defeat in war depends on God’s sovereignty.

Those who receive blessing from God are those who give glory to the Lord, the source of all blessing (Hymn 28).
They never desire to take the glory that belongs to the Lord for themselves.
The reason they cannot do so is because those who receive God’s blessing seek only the Lord’s mercy and truth.
In other words, in the hearts of those who receive the blessing of prosperity from God, they rely solely on the Lord’s mercy and truth and pray accordingly. When their prayers are answered, they recognize that it is God who has acted, and so they give glory only to God.
Here, “answered prayer” does not necessarily mean that we always receive exactly what we asked God for.
God answers according to His sovereign will.
Therefore, even if the answer to our prayers is not what we desire, those who receive blessing from God give glory to Him.
This is because, in the works God performs within His sovereignty, we experience His mercy and truth.
Therefore, if you and I, as well as our children and descendants, want to receive the blessing of increased prosperity from God, we must give glory only to God.
By relying solely on God’s mercy and truth and praying to Him, I pray that God’s glory will be revealed in your life and mine.

Secondly, those who receive the blessing of prosperity from God are those who trust in God.

Look at Psalm 115:9-11:
“Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”

The psalmist encourages the people of Israel to trust in God three times here.
Why?
Why does he repeat this encouragement three times?
Why must you and I trust in God?
Because God is our help and our shield (verses 9-11).

The psalmist not only repeats “Trust in the Lord” three times but also repeats the reason three times: “He is their help and their shield.”

God, who is our help, assists us when we face adversity and suffering, when we are tired and recognize our weakness and earnestly seek help from God.

We must never rely on idols that have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see (verse 5), ears but do not hear, noses but do not smell (verse 6), hands but do not touch, feet but do not walk, nor do they make a sound from their throat (verse 7). We must not rely on such idols (verse 8).

For example, in 2 Chronicles 16:7, during King Asa’s reign, when a great army of Cushites and Lubites came to war, King Asa trusted in God rather than the king of Aram, and God gave victory to Israel.

The Bible says that God gives strength to those who wholeheartedly turn to Him (verse 9).
Therefore, we must trust God wholeheartedly in our weakness.

When we do so, God helps us, gives us strength, and becomes our shield.
In other words, God protects us from the harm of suffering (Park Yun-sun).

Look at Psalm 121:5-8:
“The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.”

Our God never slumbers nor sleeps, but watches over you and me.
He protects us from all trouble.
Therefore, neither the sun by day nor the moon by night shall harm us.

Therefore, we must trust God, who is our help and shield.
As time goes by, we must trust God more and more.
We must depend entirely on God alone.
God will help you and me and protect us from all harm and trouble.

Third, those who receive the blessing of prosperity from God are those who fear God.

Look at Psalm 115:13:
“He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.”

Those who fear God, those who reverence God, do not fear their enemies even in war.
The reason is that the Almighty God, the God who grants victory, helps, protects, and gives victory to His people.
Instead, they fear God.
To such people, God gives the blessing of prosperity.

In Deuteronomy 6:1-2, we see that before the people of Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, God gave them commands, statutes, and ordinances through Moses (verse 1).
What was God’s intention?
Look at Deuteronomy 6:2:
“That you and your children and your grandchildren may fear the Lord your God all your days, and keep all His commandments and His statutes which I command you, that your days may be prolonged.”

God gave commands, statutes, and ordinances so that the people of Israel would fear God throughout their lives.
So, what does the Bible say will happen if the people of Israel, their children, and descendants hear and carefully obey these commands and statutes?
Look at Deuteronomy 6:3:
“Hear, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

May this blessing of prosperity from God bring glory to Him, and may our lives—yours and mine, who fear God—be filled as we depend more and more on Him.

Those who receive God’s blessing,

Pastor James
(Praying for the Victory Presbyterian Church prospered by God)