Psalms 115:1

1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth.

Psalms 115:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 115:1

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (Krox le) "propter gratiam tuam", Cocceius, Michaelis.

Psalms 115:1 In-Context

1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth.

2 Why should the Gentiles say, Where is now their God?

3 But our God is in the heavens; he has made whatever he has desired.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but they shall never speak; they have eyes, but they shall never see: