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| 1 ¶ Not
unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy,
and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? 3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. 1 - Not unto us We naturally love praise and it is not altogether wrong to accept appreciation as long as we don't take the spotlight assuming that the virtue is all coming from our own greatness. In earlier days there was no clapping in (anglo/white) churches. We were too solemn. |
I admit, however, that
I was shocked when an orchestra conductor bowed while the audience clapped
after sections of the Messiah. The Messiah wasn't getting the praise.
Clapping isn't wrong when the praise is to God but this is hard to separate.
Do we clap after someone gives an encouraging testimony about the Lord's
goodness?
1 - Truth's sake Think about what this part of the verse might mean. 2 - Wherefore ... heathen say? When we act like our own god. |
| .4
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. |
These verses, with a minor modification appear also in Psalm 135. |
| 9 ¶ O Israel,
trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. 11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. 12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. |
10 - House of Aaron Priests and other spiritual leaders. |
| 13 He will
bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. 15 Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. .17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. |
17 - Dead praise not The idea that the righteous go to heaven
at death crept in from Greek paganism. The Bible doesn't teach this. Instead
of praise, the dead "go down into silence." This is the grave ec0905,
ps08810.
18 - Bless ... from this time We may praise God forever – until we go down in silence, and without end after we rise in the resurrection. On forever compare ex2106, jh0206. |
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