My Notes
What Does Psalms 115:15 Mean?
The psalmist pronounces a blessing on the worshippers: "Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth." The blessing comes from a specific God — not a generic divine force, but the LORD who made heaven and earth. The Maker is the Blesser. The Creator is the source of your benediction.
The phrase "which made heaven and earth" is the Psalms' standard credential for God: He made everything. The heaven above and the earth below — the entirety of the created order — came from His hands. And the God who made everything has the capacity to bless anyone. The scope of His creation measures the scope of His blessing.
The connection between creation and blessing is the logic: the God who had the power to make heaven and earth has the power to bless you. If He can create the cosmos, He can bless your life. The creative power and the blessing power come from the same source.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the credential ('which made heaven and earth') increase your confidence in the blessing?
- 2.How does knowing the Maker is the Blesser change your sense of what God is capable of doing in your life?
- 3.Are you receiving the blessing — or are you trying to generate your own?
- 4.Does the communal nature ('ye are blessed') change your understanding of blessing from individual to communal?
Devotional
You are blessed. By the LORD. Who made heaven and earth. The Maker is your Blesser.
The blessing isn't generic. It comes from a specific God with specific credentials: the one who made heaven and earth. Every star you see at night and every grain of sand you walk on was created by the God who's pronouncing blessing over you.
The credential matters: "which made heaven and earth" isn't theological decoration. It's the guarantee behind the blessing. The God who had the power to speak galaxies into existence has the power to bless your life. If the Creator can build the universe, He can build your future. The same capacity that made the heavens is the capacity behind the benediction.
The blessing is addressed to "ye" — plural. This is communal. The worshipping community — the people who just praised God for His greatness — receive the blessing as a group. The blessing flows from worship. The community that praises is the community that's blessed.
"Blessed of the LORD" — the preposition matters. Not blessed by your efforts. Not blessed by your circumstances. Blessed OF the LORD. The source is Him. The blessing originates in His character and flows toward the ones He blesses. You're on the receiving end of a benediction that started in the heart of the Creator.
The God who made everything now blesses you. The same hands that formed the mountains hold your future. The same voice that called the stars into existence speaks your blessing. The Maker and the Blesser are the same person.
You are blessed. By the most powerful being in existence. Receive it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
You are blessed of the Lord,.... The Arabic version reads it, "we are blessed"; with temporal and with spiritual…
Ye are blessed of the Lord - Blessed in your present comforts and mercies; blessed in his promises in regard to the time…
In these verses,
I. We are earnestly exhorted, all of us, to repose our confidence in God, and not suffer our confidence…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture