The Giving God (vv. 9-15). “Trust the Lord and He will give His blessing” is the theme of this section, and how the discouraged remnant needed that assurance! They needed His blessing on their crops, and they wanted their number to increase (v. 14). Of course, the Lord had stated this in His covenant with Israel (Lev. 26:1-13; Deut. 28:1-14), and all they needed was His reminder. In verses 11 and 13, “those who fear God” were not the Gentile “God fearers” that we meet in the New Testament (Acts 13:16, 26; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7), but the devoted Jewish believers in the nation of Israel (22:23; 111:10). You find similar threefold lists in 118:1-4 and 135:19-21. Both Ezra 6:21 and Nehemiah 10:28 indicate that the returned remnant was not too hospitable to the “strangers” in the land. God had been Abraham’s help and shield (Gen. 15:1), and He will also protect us and provide for us (3:3; 28:7; 33:20; Deut. 33:29). Because Jehovah God is the “Maker of heaven and earth” (v. 15; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; 146:6; Isa. 40:12-26; Jer. 10:11), we should worship Him and not what He has created or what we manufacture ourselves.