Yahweh remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear Yahweh, both small and great.
May Yahweh increase you more and more, you and your children.
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear Yahweh, both small and great.
May Yahweh increase you more and more, you and your children.
-
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.
He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Show all 3 translations
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The LORD hath been mindful of us, He will bless — He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
The LORD increase you more and more, you and your children.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (45)
- Deuteronomy 1:11 (v14) Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!
- Psalms 136:23 (v12) who remembered us in our low estate; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Ephesians 1:3 (v12) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
- Psalms 112:1 (v13) Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments.
- Isaiah 44:21 (v12) Remember these things, Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant. I have formed you. You are my servant. Israel, you will not be forgotten…
Show all 45 cross-references
- Genesis 12:2-3 (v12) I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and…
- Psalms 128:1 (v13) Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.
- Isaiah 49:14-16 (v12) But Zion said, “Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have…
- Luke 1:50 (v13) His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.
- Acts 2:39 (v14) For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
- Acts 3:25 (v14) You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the…
- Psalms 25:7 (v12) Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.
- Psalms 67:7 (v12) God will bless us. All the ends of the earth shall fear him.
- Jeremiah 33:22 (v14) As the army of the sky can’t be counted, and the sand of the sea can’t be measured; so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant…
- Genesis 17:7 (v14) I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to…
- Exodus 2:24-25 (v12) God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the children of Israel, and God…
- Psalms 29:11 (v13) Yahweh will give strength to his people. Yahweh will bless his people with peace.
- Psalms 128:4-5 (v13) Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears Yahweh. May Yahweh bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of…
- Galatians 3:29 (v12) If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.
- Revelation 19:5 (v13) A voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”
- Genesis 2:17-18 (v12) but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” Yahweh God…
- Genesis 8:1 (v12) God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The…
- Acts 3:26 (v12) God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”
- Galatians 3:14 (v12) that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
- Genesis 13:16 (v14) I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be…
- 2 Samuel 24:3 (v14) Joab said to the king, “Now may Yahweh your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord…
- Malachi 4:2 (v13) But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the…
- Acts 10:4 (v12) He, fastening his eyes on him, and being frightened, said, “What is it, Lord?” He said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the needy…
- Revelation 11:18 (v13) The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their…
- Jeremiah 30:19 (v14) Thanksgiving will proceed out of them with the voice of those who make merry. I will multiply them, and they will not be few; I will also…
- Jeremiah 32:38-39 (v14) Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their…
- Malachi 3:16-17 (v13) Then those who feared Yahweh spoke one with another; and Yahweh listened, and heard, and a book of memory was written before him, for those…
- Acts 13:26 (v13) Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.
- Revelation 7:4 (v14) I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
- Revelation 7:9 (v14) After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and…
- Hosea 1:10 (v14) Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that,…
- Zechariah 8:20-23 (v14) Yahweh of Armies says: “Many peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come; and the inhabitants of one shall go to another,…
- Acts 26:22 (v13) Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the…
- Revelation 20:12 (v13) I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of…
- Zechariah 10:8 (v14) I will signal for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they will increase as they have increased.
- Colossians 3:11 (v13) where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all,…
- Isaiah 2:2-3 (v14) It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be…
- Isaiah 19:20-21 (v14) It will be for a sign and for a witness to Yahweh of Armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and he…
- Isaiah 27:6 (v14) In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bud. They will fill the surface of the world with fruit.
- Isaiah 60:4-22 (v14) “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv12–13 12 Jehovah hath remembered us Many render the term…
12 Jehovah hath remembered us Many render the term bless in the past tense, he has blessed, it being the design of the prophet, according to them, to propose the past experience of God’s kindness as an encouragement to cherish good hope for the future: “We have already, from long experience, been taught how valuable the favor of our God is, because from this source alone have flowed our prosperity, our abundance, and our stability.” He assumes the principle, the truth of which ought to be admitted by all, that we neither enjoy prosperity nor happiness further than it pleases God to bless us. As often as the Israelites were rescued from manifold dangers, or succored in time of need, or treated in a friendly manner, so many palpable proofs had they of the loving-kindness of God towards them. As, however, there is no just cause to urge us to change the verb from the future into the past tense, it is quite in unison with the scope of the passage, if we say that the same blessing is here promised to the faithful which they have formerly realized. Thus the meaning will be, that God, mindful of his covenant, has hitherto been attentive to us; therefore, as he has begun to favor us, he will continue to do so for ever. In pronouncing these blessings, he observes the same order as above, assigning to the children of Aaron a superior place in God’s benediction, excluding from it those among the Israelites who were hypocrites.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v12 That is, he will continue his graces toward his…
That is, he will continue his graces toward his people.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Psa 115:12 The LORD hath been mindful of us:…
Psa 115:12 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.
Ver. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us] God hath, God will, is an ordinary Scripture medium, as hath been above noted.
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He will bless the house of lsrael] Not help and keep them only, but bless them with the blessings of both lives; for he is no penny father, &c. See Eph 1:3.
He will bless the house of Aaron] Ministers were ever a distinct order from the rest. Note this against the Libertines, who would gladly make a jumble, affirming the ministry to be as arrant a fruad as the Papacy itself.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Hath been mindful of us in our former straits…
Hath been mindful of us in our former straits and calamities, and therefore we trust he will still
bless us, & c. as it follows. Or, is or will be mindful of us. Though he hath chastened us sore, yet he hath not yet cast us out of the care of his providence.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv12–14 The Lord hath been mindful of us,.... The Targum…
The Lord hath been mindful of us,.... The Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord hath remembered us for good.''
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And is another reason why his people should trust in him: he has been mindful of his covenant with them and promises to them, and has kept them; he remembered them in their low estate, and sent redemption to them; goodness and mercy have followed them all their days. Past experiences of divine favour should encourage trust in the Lord, as well as promises of future blessings, as follow:
he will bless us; with all kind of blessings, temporal and spiritual; with blessings indeed, solid and substantial: it is certain and may be depended upon; he has promised it, and swore to it, that in blessing he will bless. Kimchi interprets it as a wish, "let him bless": the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, render it in the past tense, "he hath blessed"; but the Targum as we: and as it follows,
he will bless the house of Israel; with whom he has made his new covenant; the household of faith, the family named of Christ, the whole Israel of God.
He will bless the house of Aaron; his priests, his ministers, all that offer up spiritual sacrifices to him; he will bless them with an increase of gifts and grace, and with his presence and Spirit, and therefore they should trust in him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv12–13 Mindful - In our former straits, and therefore we…
Mindful - In our former straits, and therefore we trust he will still bless us.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v12 Verse 12. The Lord hath been mindful] He has…
Verse 12. The Lord hath been mindful] He has never yet wholly abandoned us to our enemies.
He will bless the house of Israel] He will bless the people as a nation; he will bless the priesthood and Levites; he will bless all of them who fear him, great and small, in whatsoever station or circumstances found. There is a great deal of emphasis in this verse: several words are redoubled to make the subject the more affecting. I give a literal translation: -
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Ps 115:12: "The Lord has been mindful of us he will bless the house of Israel; she will bless the house of Aaron.
Ps 115:13: He will bless them that fear Jehovah, the small with the great.
Ps 115:14: Jehovah will add upon you, upon you and upon all your children.
Ps 115:15: Blessed are ye of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Ver. 16: The heavens of heavens are the Lord's: but the earth he hath given to the sons of Adam."
Jehovah is absolute Master of the universe. He has made the heavens of heavens, and also the earth; and this he gives to the children of Adam. When he exiled him from paradise, he turned him out into the earth, and gave it to him and his sons for ever, that they might dress, till, and eat of its produce all their days.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv12, 14 Psa 115:12-13. The Lord hath been mindful of us…
Psa 115:12-13. The Lord hath been mindful of us — In our former straits and calamities, and therefore we trust he will still bless us, for he is still the same; his power and goodness are the same, and his promises inviolable; so that we have reason to hope he that hath delivered, and doth deliver, will yet deliver. He will bless the house of Israel — That is, he will bless the commonwealth; will bless his people in their civil and secular interests; he will bless the house of Aaron — The church, the ministry; he will bless his people, in their religious concerns. He will bless them that fear the Lord — Though they be not of the house of Israel, or of the house of Aaron; for it was a truth before Peter perceived it, that, in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him, Act 10:34-35. He will bless them, both small and great — That is, both young and old; both rich and poor; both high and low. God has blessings in store for them that are pious in early life, and for them that are old disciples; both for those that are poor and mean in the world, and those that are rich and make a figure in it; the greatest need his blessing, and it shall not be denied to the meanest that fear him. Both the weak in grace and the strong shall be blessed of God, the lambs and sheep of his flock.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv12–14 The Lord hath been mindful of us - This…
The Lord hath been mindful of us - This would be especially appropriate if the psalm was written, as is commonly supposed, after the return from the captivity of Babylon. In such circumstances it would be every way proper to bring before the mind of the people the fact that God had remembered them and had delivered them.
He will bless us - Our past experience furnishes the fullest evidence that he will continue to bless us. He who has delivered us from so great calamities, and who has restored us to our native land after so long and so painful a captivity, will not forsake us now. There can be now no circumstances in which he cannot bestow on us all the blessings which we need; there will be none when we may not hope that he will bless us. If he could save us from such troubles, be can save us from all; if he did thus interpose, we may argue that he will always grant us his help when we need it.
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He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron - Compare Psa 115:9-10.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv12, 14 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us—A recognition…
12. The Lord hath been mindful of us—A recognition of recent victory, or of victory assured by some prophet or oracle upon which the people were wont to rely, as 2Ch_20:14-18; 2Ki_19:20-34. Here, and in Psa_115:13, the above three classes are again brought into view.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv12–14 12. Jehovah who hath remembered us will bless (us)]…
12. Jehovah who hath remembered us will bless (us)] By bringing them back from Babylon Jehovah proved that He had not forgotten His people (Isa_49:14-15; Psa_98:3; Psa_136:23), and the Psalmist points to this deliverance as a pledge that He will still further bless them.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–14 (13) Them that fear the Lord—i.e., all Israel.
(13) Them that fear the Lord—i.e., all Israel.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Vers. 12, 13. The whole choir, or perhaps the…
Vers. 12, 13. The whole choir, or perhaps the whole congregation, expresses its confidence in God. He has always Been mind-fill of his people, and, in response to their threefold expression of trust, will bestow on them a threefold blessing.
The Lord hath been mindful of us. (comp. Psa_98:4 Psa_136:23) He will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel (comp. ver. 10). He will bless the house of Aaron (comp. ver. 11).
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Vers. 12-18. God"s practical kindness, past and future.
Much as is said in ver. 12, more is implied. Written in full, it would read thus: "The Lord has been mindful of us: he has blessed us; he will still be mindful of us, and will still bless us." We have
I GOD"S GREAT KINDNESS IN THE PAST.
1. His thoughtfulness of us. He has had us in his mind, has "remembered us in our low estate," has been concerned for our true welfare, has rejoiced in our well-being, has sympathized with us in our sorrows.
2. His action on our behalf. He has blessed us; he has given to us a great estate this earth for our use (ver. 16). He has blessed us with material bounties, with the nappy bonds of kindred and friendship, with the treasures that feed and satisfy the mind, with all sacred privileges.
II ITS CONTINUANCE IN YEARS TO COME. "He will bless us," will "increase" us. The guarantees of this continuance are found:
(1) In his own unchangeableness he is the same forever.
(2) In the fact that we are his own people, those whom his Son has redeemed with his own blood. If Israel, if the house of Aaron, might count on his kindness by reason of their relationship to him, much more may we, who are his children by faith in Jesus Christ!
(3) In the loyalty and obedience we intend to maintain: those who "fear him" (ver. 13), who worship and serve him, will, as his servants, draw down his benediction and his blessing; the humblest as well as the highest of these may claim his mercy and his grace. But is there not
III A TIME-LIMIT TO HIS SERVICE. "The dead praise not the Lord" (ver. 17). We have it in our heart to seek and serve the Lord; and we believe that, so long as we do, we may reckon on his abounding kindness. But how long will that last? At any moment "death may interrupt these songs." A flash of lightning, an engine off the rails, a puff of poisonous air, a chill, may bring the holiest and the wisest to the grave. And there is perpetual silence no more song, no more service, no more rejoicing in that "long home." That is so; but then we have
IV THE TRUER AND THE LARGER OUTLOOK. Coming after Christ, we can give to the "evermore" of ver. 18 a meaning which goes beyond the psalmist"s thought. We think not of our departed as silent in the grave; we think of them as blessing and praising Christ in the heavens, as spending their powers in his higher service there, as taken out of, and not down into, the shadows of time, and introduced into the blessed light and unfading glories of eternity.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY Vers. 1-18. The heathen taunt, and what came of it.
To Israel, recently returned from exile, that taunt still seemed to sound in their ears. In this psalm, apparently a liturgical one, and used at high festivals in the service of the second temple, the mocking question of those who had held them in captivity is now their God?" was yet audible, through the keenness with which it was remembered. The sting and anguish of it still rankled in their hearts; and this psalm is the result of it. Consider, then
I THE MOCKING QUESTION OF THE HEATHEN, "Where is now," etc.? This, no doubt, was often asked. They had heard of the ancient glories of Israel, and the wonderful works God had done for them; but what a contrast was now presented the abject condition into which Israel had fallen! And the character of the people also, as a whole, won scant respect. It was but a remnant, an elect few, that cherished the sacred memories of the past, and who were prepared, when opportunity came, to go back to their own land. But to the faithful few the question was full of pain. And here, in this psalm, we see
II THE EFFECT OF IT UPON THE MINDS OF THE FAITHFUL.
1. It humbled them before God. Ver. 1 is a confession of their own unworthiness, that no glory was due to them. And today, when the world mocks and scorns as it does, the people of God may well make like confession and similar disclaimer of all merit. Had the Church been different, the world would not have mocked as it does.
2. It led them to God to seek his aid, that this mockery on the part of the heathen should cease (ver. 2). They desired that God would manifest his glory, and so silence the heathen scorn. And this is the need of the Church today. Let God be seen in our midst, and the taunt of the world will sink into silence.
3. Submission to Gods will. (Ver. 3) They knew that God was in the heavens, possessed of all power, wisdom, holiness; and whatever he pleased could only be right. It was not for them to dictate, but only to submit. They could trust him, that in due time he would interpose.
4. Scorn of idols and those who worshipped them. (Vers. 4-8) The very brightness of their conception of God showed up all the more the darkness of ignorance in which the heathen lived. And the psalm pours out its sacred scorn of these mere dolls before which the heathen bowed down. Hence the scathing sarcasm and concentrated con tempt of these memorable verses. But has the day passed when men"s "idols are silver and gold"? Is not that the exact description of ourselves as a nation? Do not we worship silver and gold? Would that we could but catch the contagion of the contempt which pervades these verses for our idols of today! We need to, and shall have to; and if we will not learn by gentle means, God will have to purge us of our idolatry by methods sharp and terrible, like as those by which Israel was brought to a better mind.
5. Earnest endeavor to arouse one another to trust only and altogether in God. (Vers. 12-15) Would that the world"s contempt of Christians today led them thus earnestly to stir one another up to a more completely God-surrendered life!
6. Renewed assurance of the grace and goodness of the Lord in his faithful people. (Vers. 12-15) This follows on it always does earnest endeavor to deepen the hold of God on the hearts of others. Our own hearts come to be filled with deep and blessed sense of God"s love, and the witness of the Spirit is beard full and clear within.
7. Fresh consecration to God. This seems to be the force of the concluding verses of the psalm (vers. 16-18). The Lord in the heavens is sure to do his part; but we are here to do ours. Our time, however, is but short, for we are hastening to the grave where the dead are, and where none can praise God; therefore let us use our time well; and, God helping us, we will (ver. 18).
III LESSONS FOR OURSELVES.
1. How completely was the heart of Israel turned round! Their besetting sin before the Exile had been idolatry and departure from God. But now! God knows how to turn our hearts altogether to himself.
2. The contrast of the Christians faith as to the life after this with the faith of Israel. Theirs is dark, ours is bright. S.C.
Looking back and looking on: a new year"s sermon.
There never has been a year in which, when we look back, we have been unable to say, "The Lord hath been mindful of us." And we may be sure there never will be a year of which, when we look forward to it, we may not say, "The Lord will bless us." The psalmist is quite sure about this: may we be so likewise! But
I LET US LOOK BACK ALONG THE COURSE OF THE OLD YEAR.
1. We affirm our conviction that we all should make thankful confession of the Lords mindfulness of us.
2. But many will look back in far other ways.
(1) Some in self-congratulating spirit, but with no thankfulness to God. They will say to themselves, that what good they have won has been all their own doing. But for their own mindfulness of them selves, there would have been but little to be glad about.
(2) Others will deny that the Lord hath been mindful of them; it seems to them that he has forgotten them, if he has not turned against them. They point to their lessened, much lessened, resources. They were ever so much better off at the beginning of the year than they are now. Or here is a widow mourning bitterly the loss of her husband and the father of her now helpless children. Or a husband, whose home is darkened by bereavement of his beloved wife. Or others, who are kept prisoners on beds of weak ness, hopeless disease, or pain. "What!" say these, "hath the Lord been mindful of us? It does not at all seem like it.
3. Well, we reply, if he has not, then it is very unlike him.
(1) For his mindfulness of us is certainly not a recent thing; he says to his people that the kingdom has been prepared for them from before the foundation of the world.
(2) And all around us are proofs of his loving forethought. See in the history of creation how all our needs were thought of before man was placed on the earth. You cannot do so simple a thing as put some coal on the fire without being reminded of this. Where did that coal come from? Was it not got ready for our use long ere we could need it?
(3) And in the kingdom of his grace this mindfulness of us is conspicuously seen. Christ was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world. God was not taken by surprise when sin entered our world and began to do its deadly work. God had reckoned with it, and had determined that where sin did abound, grace should much more abound. The two arms of Christ"s cross embrace one, all the sinners of the past; the other, all that shall be to the end of time. "The mischief is more than met by the remedy, the malady by the medicine, and the plaster is as wide as the wound" (M. Henry).
(4) And it is true also in God"s personal dealings with us. Reckon up your mercies spiritual, temporal, personal, relative and set them over against your sorrows, and see which are most numerous.
(5) And think, too, of what our deservings have been. Then see if you can deny any more that God has been mindful of you.
II LET US LOOK ON THROUGH THE NEW YEAR, AND BE ASSURED THAT GOD WILL HELP US.
1. It is an argument drawn from what has gone before and it is valid. We reckon, in regard to men, that what has been will be. The law of habit ensures this. And we may reverently say that God himself conforms to this law. Hence we may reason from what he hath done to what he will do.
2. Furthermore, he has known all along what reasons there are why he should not bless us. No one can tell God anything worse of us than he already knows.
3. And we are in Christ by faith in him. Therefore we are accepted in Christ. Shall not, then, God with him freely give us all things?
CONCLUSION.
1. We will believe that he will bless us.
2. Inasmuch as his blessing is given into the hands outstretched in prayer and faith, and that move in obedience to him, so shall our hands be, and thus will we confidently expect his blessing.
3. And we will tell others of this. S.C.
The certainty of the Divine benediction.
"He will bless us." The repetition of the word "bless" adds great effect to this passage. The Lord has many blessings, each one worthy to be remembered he blesses, and blesses, and blesses again. Where he has once bestowed his favor, he continues it, his blessing delights to visit the same house very often, and abide where it has once lodged. Blessing does not impoverish the Lord; he has multiplied his mercies in the past, and he will pour them forth thick and threefold in the future. He will have a general blessing for all who fear him, a peculiar blessing for the whole house of Israel, and a double blessing for the sons of Aaron. It is his nature to bless, it is his prerogative to bless, it is his glory to bless, it is his delight to bless; he has promised to bless, and therefore be sure of this he will bless, and bless without ceasing. The subject dealt with should be this The past is the pledge of the future. A nation makes a fatal mistake when it separates itself from its past; though it misuses the past when it binds itself with precedents, and so destroys its own freedom and individuality. A man makes the gravest mistake when he separates himself from his past, but he makes as grave a mistake when he persists in forcing his present life and relations into the old moulds. What is always safe to do is, keep in mind what God has been to us in the past. Our selves in our past seldom teach us much. In regard to human experience, Froude"s word is a wise one, "Experience is like the stern-lights of a ship, which throw their rays on a way which has been taken." God in our past always teaches us much, seeing that we have no very definite aim in working for ourselves, and he has a very definite aim in working for us.
I GOD HAS BLESSED US. How true this is seen to be in a review of the history of God"s people Israel! Especially if we take, as the chief idea of God"s blessing, over ruling for God. The more clearly we understand our own lives, the more fully we shall realize that as our best idea of God"s blessing. Certainly it is what would most come home to the restored exiles.
II GOD IS BLESSING US. This is a fact of observation; a conviction of feeling; and an argument from the nature of God. We cannot conceive of him as beginning to do a good, and leaving it off; and the blessing we need is blessing that we continuously need.
III GOD WILL BLESS US. Since we are well assured that our conditions, relations, and needs will remain much the same, and call still for his merciful overrulings and blessings. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv12–14 Ver. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us,…
Ver. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us, or "Jehovah hath remembered us." His past mercies prove that we are on his heart, and though for the present he may afflict us, yet he does not forget us. We have not to put him in remembrance as though he found it hard to recollect his children, but he hath remembered us and therefore he will in future deal well with us.
He will bless us. The word "us" is supplied by the translators, and is superfluous, the passage should run, He will bless; he will bless the house of Israel he will bless the house of Aaron. The repetition of the word "bless" adds great effect to the passage. The Lord has many blessings, each one worthy to be remembered, he blesses and blesses and blesses again. Where he has once bestowed his favour he continues it; his blessing delights to visit the same house very often and to abide where it has once lodged. Blessing does not impoverish the Lord: he has multiplied his mercies in the past, and he will pour them forth thick and threefold in the future. He will have a general blessing for all who fear him, a peculiar blessing for the whole house of Israel, and a double blessing for the sons of Aaron. It is his nature to bless, it is his prerogative to bless, it is his glory to bless, it is his delight to bless; he has promised to bless, and therefore be sure of this, that he will bless and bless and bless without ceasing.
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Ver. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us. God hath, and therefore God will, is an ordinary Scripture argument. John Trapp.
Ver. 12. What we have experienced. What we may expect. Matthew Henry.
Ver. 12-13.
1. What God has done for his people: "He hath been mindful of us." (a) Our preservation proves this. (b) Our mercies. (c) Our trials. (d) Our guidance. (e) Our consolations. Everything, even the minutest blessing, represents a thought in the mind of God respecting us. "How precious are thy thoughts concerning me, O God, how great, "etc., and those thoughts go back to an eternity before we came into being. "The Lord hath been mindful of us"; then should we not be more mindful of him?
2. What he will do for his people"He will bless us." (a) Greatly. His blessings are like himself, great. They are blessed whom he blesses. (b) Suitably. The house of Israel, the house of Aaron, all who fear him, according to their need, both small and great. (c) Assuredly. "He will, ""he will, ""he will, ""he will." With one" will" he curses, with four "wills" he blesses. G. R.
Psalms 115:13*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv12–13 The Lord hath been mindful of us.
Psa_115:12
The Lord hath been mindful of us.
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The mindfulness of God
I. Grateful acknowledgment for grace bestowed. Have we not abundant reason, individually and collectively, to say one to another in exhortation, and together in thankful acknowledgment to God, The Lord hath been mindful of us? Let us look back and reflect upon the way in which He has led us these many years. Shall we not, like Samuel of old, raise our Ebenezer? And as we travel through the past, until we step from the past into the future, shall net we take encouragement and joyfully exclaim, Jehovah-jireh? In creation, in redemption, in providence and in grace, in the fulness of spiritual blessings provided, and in the measure of grace imparted, we have abundant cause for the grateful acknowledgment, The Lord hath been mindful of us.
II. A grateful sense of past mindfulness begets a sure confidence of future blessing. He will bless us. To what extent does this promise go? He will bless us in our walk and all our work, and in whatever He calls us to do! His blessing will ever rest upon us for good. His everlasting hand will be beneath us and will keep us from falling. He will guide us with His counsel and afterward receive us to glory. You deserve to perish, you deserve to reap what you have sowed, but God is merciful and kind. You may look to Him in confidence, for He will bless you. He will blot out the past, and He will break the power of sin. I have also a word for the true believer in God, who is sorely tempted and doubtful of the future, who is conscious of weakness, knowing painfully the power of temptation, knowing sadly in recollection the influence of this evil world. Do not think you will prove unfaithful at the last. The Lord hath been mindful of you, and it will be in the future as it has been in the past. Look at the promises which He has given for your comfort in His Word. He hath been mindful of you and He will bless you. (Bishop Pelham.)
Past mercies inspire confidence of continued good
Many minds know a good deal of the Roman Emperors forebodings, that if things have long gone well with you, then something amiss is very likely to come. If we could but all rise to the happier argument from the past to the future of a certain ancient and inspired poet, and really believe that The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us. The common way of judging constantly is, that since all has been so pleasant for many days or years, now a smash is due. But though this way of judging be common, and though, to a superficial glance, it seems to be confirmed by facts, it would be very easy to show that it is entirely wrong. (A. K. H. Boyd.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v12 takes notice of us
takes notice of us
"has paid attention to us"
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the family of Israel
This refers to the people of Israel, who are descendants of Jacob, who also called Israel. AT: "the people of Israel" (See: Metonymy)
the family of Aaron
This refers to the priests, who are descendants of Aaron. AT: "the descendants of Aaron" or "the priests" (See: Metonymy)
both young and old
"both small and great." Possible meanings are that this refers 1) to social status or 2) to age. In either case, the two extremes represent every person, regardless of age or social status. (See: Merism)
May Yahweh increase your numbers more and more
The writer is speaking of the number of children that the people of Israel would have. AT: "May Yahweh increase the number of your children more and more" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
yours and your descendants'
"both your children and your descendants' children." The writer clarifies that his request for more children applies not only to the present generation, but to their descendants, as well.
translationWords
Yahweh
bless
family
Israel
Aaron
honor
descend
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12, 14 115:12-13 The groups named in 115:9-11 receive assurance of…
115:12-13 The groups named in 115:9-11 receive assurance of the Lord’s blessing, regardless of their social status (see 113:8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.