Psalm 115:1
Psalm 115:1 Images
Read Psalm 115:1 Using Other Translations
What does Psalm 115:1 mean?
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name
give
glory
There is no glory due to men; no, not to the best of men, not to
be given them on any account whatever; neither on account of
things natural, civil, and temporal, nor on account of things
spiritual and eternal; but all to be given to the Lord: for, as
for their beings and the preservation of them, with all the
mercies of life, food, raiment they are not of themselves, but of
the Lord; and so are the salvation of their souls, their election
and redemption, their regeneration, conversion, and
sanctification, their justification and pardon; whatsoever good
thing is in them, or done by them: nor have they anything for the
sake of righteousness done by them; nor do they desire to take
the glory of past favours to themselves; nor request deliverance
from present evils for their own merits, which they disclaim; nor
for their own sakes, or that they may be great and glorious; but
for the Lord's sake, for his name's sake, that he may be
glorified; which is the principal sense of the passage. So the
Targum,
``not for our sakes. O Lord, not for our merit, but to thy name give glory.''Good men desire to glorify God themselves, by ascribing to him the perfections of his nature, and celebrating them; by giving thanks to him for mercies, spiritual and temporal; by exercising faith upon him, as a promising God; and by living to his glory: and they are very desirous that all others would give him the glory due unto his name; and that he would glorify himself, and get himself a glorious and an everlasting name. And indeed the words are addressed to him, and not to others; and particularly that he would glorify, or take the glory of the following perfections:
for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake;
so very manifest in the salvation of his people, and in all their
deliverances, and therefore ought to have the glory of them. His
"mercy", or his "grace" F23, as it may be rendered, is
displayed in the salvation of his people by Christ, in their
regeneration, justification, pardon, and eternal life: and so is
his truth, or faithfulness in all his promises; and particularly
in the mission of his Son as a Saviour, so long promised and
expected; and who is "truth" himself, the truth of all promises
and prophecies; and by whom the truth of the Gospel came, the
Word, which God has magnified above every name.
F23 (Krox le) "propter gratiam tuam", Cocceius, Michaelis.
