In Psalm 135, the Psalmist draws a stark contrast between the omnipotent God of Israel and the impotent idols of the Gentiles.
God is all-powerful. He is able to do anything He wants. "For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps" (vs. 5 and 6). God is in charge of weather (vs. 7), He orchestrated the Plagues in Egypt (vs. 8 and 9), and He oversaw the Conquest of Canaan (vs. 10-12).
Furthermore, God's character is revealed in the choices that He makes and the steps that He undertakes. Chief among these actions, at least in the mind of the Psalmist, is the Lord's choosing of Israel to be His people: "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession" (vs. 4). The special place in God's heart for Zion echoes throughout the psalm.
If the Lord is omnipotent, however, the false gods of the nations are the exact opposite. They cannot speak, see, hear or even breathe (vs. 15-17). They are only relics of gold and silver fashioned by human hands. And those who put their trust in such worthless things shall become just like them (vs. 18).
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