August 17th
Psalm 111
Praising
God
1:
Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in
the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. 2:
The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have
pleasure therein. 3:
His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth
for ever. 4:
He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is
gracious and full of compassion. 5:
He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful
of his covenant. 6:
He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give
them the heritage of the heathen. 7:
The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments
are sure. 8:
They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and
uprightness. 9:
He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant
for ever: holy and reverend is his name. 10:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding
have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 112
A
good person is happy
1:
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that
delighteth greatly in his commandments. 2:
His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright
shall be blessed. 3:
Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness
endureth for ever. 4:
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious,
and full of compassion, and righteous. 5:
A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs
with discretion. 6:
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in
everlasting remembrance. 7:
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting
in the LORD. 8:
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his
desire upon his enemies. 9:
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness
endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. 10:
The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his
teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Today we are
reading Psalm 111 & 112. Psalm 111 is a song dedicated to the
praise of the Lord for all his works. It is the first of three
Hallelujah songs. The song begins and ends with praise to the LORD
and between these things we have two verses that first describe his
works and then speak of its bounty and the objects of his works. He
begins saying Praise the LORD with me because I will praise the LORD
with my whole heart. Praise the Lord in the assembly of the
righteous. He says the works of the Lord are great and those who find
pleasure in them seek out all of them. The works of the Lord are
honourable, glorious and right and they will be eternal. The Lord has
made his glorious works memorable because he is kind and full of
compassion. Then he explains how Gods kindness is seen. He provides
food for the righteous and he will not forget his promise of
blessing. He has demonstrated to his people the almighty power of his
deeds, so that he may give them the inheritance of the gentiles. All
of his works are truth and righteous judgment and all his
commandments are trustworthy. They will stand fast forever and ever
and they will be lived out in truth and uprightness. The Lord sent
redemption to his people and he has confirmed his covenant forever.
His name is holy and reverent. Those that fear him start to be wise
and those who have a good understanding of his laws keep his
commandments. And they will praise his name for all eternity. Psalm
112 is a song of praise for the LORD’s ways. The song starts with
Hallelujah then it begins and ends with a description of the
righteous man and then wicked man. The blessed man fears the Lord and
the wicked man will gnash with his teeth and fall. He begins with the
statement that the man that fears the Lord is the object of Gods
blessing and he delights to keep the commandments of the Lord. This
of course is a description of the man who lives under the Mosaic Law
and is in contrast to the Christian who is redeemed from the law of
commandments. He continues, his children will be strong in the earth
and his generation will know Gods blessing if they follow him. They
will know riches in their houses and his righteous life will endure
for ever. The Mosaic Law promises wealth riches, many children and
health to those who remained faithful to the Lord whereas the
blessing of God to Christians is the joy of serving God in the midst
of persecution, suffering, sickness, toil, struggles and trials are
the daily meat and drink of NT believers who are righteous by faith
in Christ. The Psalmist continues the righteous under the law have
light in the midst of darkness, because the Lord is gracious and full
of compassion and righteous toward them. A good man is generous to
the needy but he will also be wise. He will be secure forever and he
will be remembered forever. He will not be disturbed by bad news
because his heart is fixed – trusting in the LORD. His mind will be
steady and he won’t be afraid until he eventually sees his wishes
carried out against his enemies. How different to the Christian who
loves his enemies. The righteous man under the law gives money in
charity to the poor. He will endure forever. His strength will be
lifted up in honour. The wicked will see this and be grieved. They
will grind their teeth and melt away and their wicked plans will
never be fulfilled.
- How does the Psalmist praise the Lord?
- What is the secret of being blessed?
- What will happen to the wicked?
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