John Calvin Commentary Psalms 115:1

"Not unto us, O Jehovah, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy lovingkindness, and for thy truth`s sake." — Psalms 115:1 (ASV)

Not unto us, O Jehovah! It is not certain by whom, or at what time, this psalm was composed. We learn from the first part of it that the faithful turn to God in circumstances of extreme distress. They do not make known their desires in plain words but indirectly hint at the nature of their request.

They openly disclaim all merit and all hope of obtaining deliverance other than God acting from a sole regard to his own glory, for these things are inseparably connected. Deserving, therefore, to meet with rejection, they yet beseech God not to expose his name to the derision of the heathen.

In their distress they desire to obtain consolation and support. However, finding nothing in themselves meritorious of God’s favor, they call upon him to grant their requests so that his glory may be maintained.

We should carefully consider this point: even though we are altogether unworthy of God’s regard, we may still cherish the hope of being saved by him. This hope arises because he respects the glory of his own name and because he adopted us on the condition that he would never forsake us.

It should also be noted that their humility and modesty prevent them from openly complaining about their distresses. They do not begin with a request for their own deliverance, but for the glory of God.

Suffused with shame because of their calamity—which in itself amounts to a kind of rejection—they dared not openly seek from God what they wished. Instead, they appealed indirectly, so that from a regard for his own glory, he would prove to be a father to sinners who had no claim upon him whatsoever.

And, as this pattern of prayer has been delivered to the Church, let us also, in all our approaches to God, remember to lay aside all self-righteousness and to place our hopes entirely on his free favor. Moreover, when we pray for help, we should have the glory of God in view in the deliverance we obtain.

It is most likely they adopted this form of prayer, being led to do so by the promise. For, during the captivity, God had said, “Not for your sake, but for mine own sake will I do this,” (Isaiah 48:11).

When all other hopes fail, they acknowledge this to be their only refuge. The repetition of it is an evidence of how conscious they were of their own demerit, so that, if their prayers were to be rejected a hundred times, they could not, in their own name, bring any charge against him.