Praise the Lord! His praise endures forever.

Psalm 111 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

The Lord Praised for His Goodness.

Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
² Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
³ Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will remember His covenant forever.
⁶ He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.

⁷ The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
⁸ They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in truth and uprightness.
⁹ He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and awesome is His name.
¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.

The psalmist begins today saying: Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart.   In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul writes:  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.   Thanksgiving and contentment are certainly key attitudes for us as we walk through life. Paul says he has learned contentment in any and every circumstance, he mentions, being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. But Paul experienced much more than just those things. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Paul describes some of the things he experienced, endured and yet was content in:    Beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;  I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.     James 1:2-4 says:   My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.      It’s not that we are thankful for the trials themselves. It’s not that we take joy in the difficult times. James says that through those difficult times, through the testing of our faith, we become complete, lacking nothing. When we lack nothing, we are content. The psalmist says:  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)  The becoming complete is described in Romans 8:28-29:  We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.    All things, even the difficult things, work for our good to conform us to the perfect image of Christ, God’s Son.  So we learn to be content and even thankful, not for the difficulty, but in it.

The psalmist continues today saying:  Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered.     When we look at the great and majestic work of creation, the beauty of all that surrounds us in nature, both the living things and the natural formations, we remember their splendor. Their images remain fixed in our minds. Even more, when we see the majesty, the vastness and the intricacy of creation, we remember the splendor and the majesty of God the creator. Romans 1:20 says:  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.   It is more than just creation, God’s natural works, which testify of His goodness. The psalmist says:  His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. He has made known to His people the power of His works.  God’s goodness toward people, His graciousness and compassion, His provision for their needs also speak of His splendor. His covenant, which He remembers forever, is to bless His people. The original covenant was with the nation of Israel, a promise to bless them as they kept His commandments.

The psalmist continues saying:  The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.    The nation of Israel could not be redeemed by the law. Over and over they failed in keeping the commandments and so could not obtain all the blessings of the covenant of God. God sent redemption for His people. This time it was not for Israel alone but rather:  God so loved the world, (all people) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  His redemption, through Christ, is for whoever believes in Him. Truth and justice are works of God just as creation itself. It is because of God’s justice and His righteousness, which people on their own could not live up to that we needed a redeemer. God is righteous and holy. Sin separated us from God. Jesus is the one who redeems us from that sin so we can be restored through the new covenant He has ordained forever.   

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever… The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to (all) His people; He has ordained His covenant (through Christ) forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.    Amen.