Vindication of God’s Glory over against the Idols
O Israel, trust thou in the Lord, the admonition coming in all the more strongly after the contrast just presented; He is their Help and their Shield, safe to depend upon for purposes both of defense and of offense.
V. 10. O house of Aaron, a name used for Israel as a people of priests and therefore applicable to all believers, trust in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield.
The general application is now made: v. 11. Ye that fear the Lord, no matter where and when, in either the Old or the New Testament, trust in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield, on their side both for protection and for battle.
V. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us, turned His thoughts in mercy upon His children; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel, His people as a whole; He will bless the house of Aaron, His people as a congregation of priests.
V. 13. He will bless them that fear the Lord, the Church of all times, both small and great, the prominent and the leaders in the Church together with the lowly.
V. 14. The Lord shall increase you more and more; for the Church, by the blessing of Yahweh in the Word, is bound to grow, you and your children.
V. 15. Ye are blessed of the Lord; richly supplied with the gifts of His goodness and mercy, which made heaven and earth, the worth and the greatness of His blessings being measured only by His immeasurable essence.
V. 16. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, the throne of His power;but the earth hath He given to the children of men, to enjoy the fullness of His favor and to praise Him for His grace.
V. 17. The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence, into the realm of the dead; for then, for a season, their mouth is stilled, they are no longer physically able to join in the praise of Yahweh. All the more reason, then, for us, who are living, to be engaged in this necessary work.
V. 18. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth, while still living here on earth, and forevermore, beyond the grave, after the Last Day, when soul and body will be reunited throughout eternity.
Praise the Lord, our hallelujah sounding before the throne of the God of our salvation, world without end, in heaven’s glorious halls.