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Psalm 115:1 Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

If there is glory to be had, why is the Psalmist so keen for it all to go to the LORD alone and not to be at least shared with his people?  It is because of two particular attributes of the LORD – his ‘love’ (chesed) and his ‘faithfulness’ (amunah).  This pair of attributes is linked together in a single verse at least 26 times in the Old Testament – 1 in Exodus, 1 in Isaiah, 4 in Proverbs, and the other 20 in the Psalms.  This pair of attributes taken together defines who the LORD (Yahweh/Jehovah) IS: he is the one true God, the Creator of all things, who has made Man in his own likeness and image and who has established a Covenant of Grace as the means, and only means, by which we, as sinful human beings, can enjoy an eternal relationship with him.

The Hebrew word ‘chesed’, translated as ‘love’ in the NIV, is usually translated as ‘mercy’ in the KJV.  (cf eg Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and chesed will follow me all the days of my life …”).   It actually covers a wider range than either ‘love’ or ‘mercy’ can cover separately, and is probably best thought of as ‘loving-kindness-and-tender-mercy’.  Our sinful nature automatically separates us from a holy God, and without this attribute of his character there can be no basis for our ever having a relationship with him; it all starts and finishes with him.  This is why God’s relationship with us is a covenant founded on grace alone, to which we contribute nothing.  “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling” (A.M.Toplady).

The Hebrew word ‘amunah’ comes from the word for ‘truth’ and is where ‘amen’ comes from.  God’s faithfulness is an expression of his reliability, his consistency, his truth.  Fallen Man is by nature unreliable; we not only let others down, we let ourselves down; we are not consistent covenant-keepers.  This is why all the glory must go to God alone.

God’s ‘love-and-faithfulness’ are ultimately and supremely expressed in the Lord Jesus, which is why Paul writes, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31).

In the light of all this, the Psalmist will then challenge us in a later verse (11): “You who fear him, trust in the LORD – he is their help and shield”.  Why would we not trust such a loving, faithful God, even, and especially, when the going is tough, perplexing and incomprehensible?  “I will trust my Saviour, Jesus, when my darkest doubts befall; trust him when to simply trust him seems the hardest thing of all” (CityAlight Music).

– Bruce Christian