The Psalms - Psalm 111
In Remembrance of His Works
by Rev. Jim Jester
June 1, 2025
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 111:1
“Praise the LORD!
I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.”
SERIES INTRODUCTION
We are in the series on the Psalms under the subject of the History of Salvation. These will be verse by verse expositional studies. Some of these psalms are rather long; but others are short, as in this case.
A good place to begin a study in the Book of Psalms is with its title. This book is called Sepher Tehillim or “book of praises.” The word tehillim (8416) is derived from halal (1984) which means “to be of a clear sound or praise.” Thus, the Hebrew name of the collection, sepher (5623) or “book” of tehillim or “praises.”
The Greek title for the book(from the Septuagint) is BiblosPsalmos, from Psalmos (5568) which is a word derived from psallo (5567), which means “to touch, to twitch, to pluck, i.e., to cause to vibrate by touching;” hence the word is applied to instrumental music as well as singing. And Biblos (976) meaning “Book,” thus giving the translation, “Book of Psalms.”
I should remind us once again, that the Book of Psalms is the hymn-book of the Bible. Besides being the hymn book for the religious services of the second temple, it has perhaps served as the greatest source of material for hymns and gospel songs throughout the centuries. The Psalms are the oldest surviving complete collection of poetry in the world, and is likely the most prominent devotional source of the Scriptures. Its uses are many:
- It is a hymn book intended to be sung
- It is a devotional book for both public and private use
- It is a poetical book
- It contains praise, prayer, thanksgiving, affirmations of faith, liturgies, wisdom poetry, history, and prophecy
This collection of Hebrew poetry, the Book of Psalms, is not divided into chapters as the other books of the Bible are — it is the exception to the rule. It is not a book divided by chapters, but rather, it is a collection, just as a modern hymnal is a collection of hymns written by many authors at different times. There are no “chapters” in this book. Just as in a hymn-book, each psalm stands on its own as a separate composition.
INTRODUCTION
Psalm 111 begins with the simple declaration of “Praise the Lord,” i.e., in one word: “Hallelujah!” The first time we encounter the word “hallelujah” in the New Testament is in Revelation 19. That is when the Lord Jesus has judged Babylon the great, and begins to exercise His public kingship: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.” (Rev. 19:1) So with this one word, hallelujah, it was as if the psalmist thought, “Before I describe how I will praise Him, let me simply declare His praise.” This declaration also implies that others should do the same.
This first phrase, “Praise the Lord,” does not fit the structure of the rest of the psalm, that is, the psalmist expressed his praise in 22 lines, each succeeding line beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This suggests that the Psalm might have been sung as a solo in the presence of and in behalf of the congregation in the Temple.
David’s proclamation, “I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,” came after the declaration. In other words, there would be nothing held back in his praise (or, thanks); it would be given to God with his “whole heart.”
“In the assembly of the upright,” shows that this wholehearted praise would also be in a public worship environment. Praising God with others reveals that the psalmist gloried in the praises of God.
GOD’S GREAT WORKS (v. 2-3):
“The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.”
The works of the LORD are great: God should be praised for who He is, but what He has done is also worthy of praise. Here the emphasis is on His work in creation, and these works are “great” in number and in their significance. But even the little things that God does for us are great as well.
Psalm 111 is a song of praise for the great deeds of the LORD, especially the redemption and the covenant. The redemption here is the redemption from Egypt as a type of salvation from the power of the enemy. The covenant here is the covenant of Sinai as a type of the new and everlasting covenant.
Studied by all who have pleasure in them: The greatness of God’s work invites close study by the scientist, the historian, and the theologian. Their findings will lead them further in their work and take “pleasure" in how God’s wisdom and power are revealed through His “glorious” works.
“There is a science laboratory in Cambridge, England, called the Cavendish Laboratory, named after the eighteenth-century English chemist and physicist Sir Henry Cavendish (1731-1810). It has the words of Ps. 111:2 inscribed over the entrance to its building as a charter for every believing scientist: Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” (Boice)
His work is honorable and glorious: Not only are God’s works in creation great, but so is His work of guiding and arranging all things, His “work” of providence.
REMEMBERING GOD’S WORKS (v. 4-6):
“He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.”
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered: God’s saving acts are to "be remembered” among His people. It is a dishonor to Him that the miracles of His redemption are forgotten or worse yet, denied.
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion: Foremost in the mind of the psalmist was God’s great work of grace and love. Our Lord is “full” of these qualities within Himself. This compassion is towards his people in sparing, pardoning, and preserving us when we have deserved to be utterly destroyed.
He has given food to those who fear Him: The psalmist evidently had in mind God’s provision for Israel through the wilderness; the water from the rock, the quail; or the more general principle David wrote of in Psalm 37:25, that he had never seen the descendants of the righteous begging bread. God’s gifts are as varied as man’s need.
Wherever man is found, he is full of need, physically, mentally, and morally. But everywhere the promise holds good: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God’s gifts are equal to all emergencies that man may encounter. Everywhere and always “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” In business problems, “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God.” In family concerns, “Casting all your care on Him.” In pain and sickness, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”
He will ever be mindful of His covenant: God will never forget the covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12) or the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24). But the new covenant continues to bind God to care for His people.
He has declared to His people the power of His works: God did not hide His greatness, but “declared” it to “His people” — if they would just pay attention! His people” are not the “Jews” as Judeo-Christianity has falsely proclaimed. How can they possibly be God’s chosen when they deny the Lord Jesus Christ? It is white Christianity who are the chosen of God, no one else. This declaration of His great works brought Israel (not jews) into the land of Canaan, giving them the heritage of the nations.“I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.” (Gen. 35:11) Indeed, our race has truly possessed the nations of the world.
THE NATURE OF GOD’S WORKS (v. 7-9):
“The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.”
The works of His hands are verity and justice: In all “the works of His hands” there is nothing twisted or devious, but they “are truth and justice” (Pro. 8:8). His works are accomplished by His speaking. What He commands, happens; “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Ps. 33:6).
What God does is true and fair, and what He commands is settled: “His precepts are sure.” This is seen in God’s works in creation and in history. They all reflect His divine nature as a Father/King in relationship to his children/subjects.
He has sent redemption to His people: One of God’s greatest works is rescuing His people from their oppression and sin, and doing it in the context of “His covenant.” The psalmist likely had the exodus in mind, but it had greater fulfillment in the New Testament. The apostle Paul brings up the concept of two Adams when he compares Adam and Jesus Christ in relation to our redemption:
“17 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one[Adam]; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ[second Adam]. 18 Therefore as by the offense of one[Adam], judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One[Jesus],the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Rom. 5:17-18)
The first Adam fell into sin, and consequently its penalty; the second “Adam,” Jesus the Christ, atoned for sin, thus taking the punishment upon Himself. This alone (besides the definition of the word “redeem”) should put to rest any idea that redemption in Christ is for everyone on the planet.
He has commanded His covenant forever: God’s salvation is based on his covenant, his word, which is everlasting. The covenant is here represented as if it were obedient to the will of God, or under his control. The covenant refers to His dealings with his people, and points to the eternal covenant, which is based on the blood shed by the Lord Jesus (Heb. 13:20). Since the covenant at Sinai was not forever, this is prophetically about the new covenant. The key to the new covenant is the Mediator and the blood. Both are revealed only in the New Testament (or, New Covenant).
Holy and awesome is His name: God’s dealing in faithfulness to His covenant impresses upon the psalmist that His name is “holy and awesome.” This is the essence of the covenant and the redemption that flows from it. He said at the beginning that the works of the LORD are great, and He mentioned a number of works. From those works His Name was shown, for every work bears His Name. Those who look closely at His works cannot help but bow before that Name in holy reverence and awe.
The King James Version translates this statement as “holy and reverend is his name.” Most translations use either “awesome” or “fearful.” Adam Clarke says, “Holy and tremendous is God’s name. He is glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders, both in the way of judgment and in the way of mercy.”
There are those who would say that the name “Yahweh” is to be reverenced—and that is fine for the Old Testament. But the New Testament is more relationship based: Our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.”God has given Him a name that is above all names: That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Php. 2:9-11).
LESSONS FROM GOD’S WORKS (v. 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 fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government; the fear of offending him will lead us to do right. This fear is not that of a slave; it is not mere dread. It is consistent with love, and springs from it. It is consistent with calmness of mind, and does not produce terror, but rather delivers from itand preserves the mind from distress. The word here rendered “fear” is a noun of the same origin as the word for “reverend” in the previous verse. The suggestion to the mind of the psalmist that the “name of the Lord” was “reverend,” or was to be greatly respected, introduced the thought that such reverence is the very foundation of wisdom.
Recognizing the greatness of God’s works, one should appropriately fear Him with respect, reverence, and awe. This attitude of the creature toward the Creator is “the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom cannot advance further until this starting point is established. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Pro. 9:10)
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments: A life of obedience reveals that one has a “good understanding” of the greatness of God’s works.
His praise endures forever: One should always “praise” Him, and never stop. The angels surrounding God’s throne see His greatness and the greatness of His works, and they never stop praising Him: “…and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”(Rev. 4:8).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion we should note that the general theme of Psalm 111 would be God’s great works, for the word “work” is mentioned six times (v. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 ) in the psalm. Also, the “covenant” is mentioned twice, and it is a work. “Redemption” is mentioned and it certainly qualifies as work: The tears, sweat and blood of Jesus the Christ. There is also the emphasis on remember: “He has made His wonderful works to be remembered.” (v. 4) Remembrance is the key element in our observance of the Lord’s Supper: “This do in remembrance of Me.” (Lk. 22:19) Let us never forget.
