PSALM 111 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

INTRODUCTIONSPURGEON, "There is no title to this psalm, but it is an alphabetical hymn of praise, having for its subject the works of the Lord in creation, providence, and grace. The sweet singer dwells upon the one idea that God should be known by his people, and that this knowledge when turned into practical piety is man's true wisdom, and the certain cause of lasting adoration. Many are ignorant of what their Creator has done, and hence they are foolish in heart, and silent as to the praises of God: this evil can only be removed by a remembrance of God's works, and a diligent study of them; to this, therefore, the psalm is meant to arouse us. It may be called The Psalm of God's Works intended to excite us to the work of praise.DIVISION. —The psalmist begins with an invitation to praise, Psalms 111:1; and then proceeds to furnish us with matter for adoration in God's works and his dealings with his people, Psalms 111:2-9. He closes his song with a commendation of the worship of the Lord, and of the men who practice it. ELLICOTT, "Psalms 111, 112 should be read closely together, the one being a pendant of the other. They are both acrostics of at once the simplest and most perfect construction, each clause (not, as usual, each verse of two or more clauses) exhibiting the alphabetical arrangement. There are therefore exactly twenty-two clauses, nearly of three words each. In order to limit the number of verses to ten—considered a perfect number—the last two verses in each psalm are arranged as triplets.The close relation of the two psalms is also exhibited in their subject. The first exhibits Jehovah in covenant with man; the second, man in covenant with Jehovah. The one sings the Divine praise in view of the kindness God has shown to Israel; in the second, the feeling of the just man—i.e., the Israelite faithful to the covenant, is the subject. In both we discover the strength of these religious convictions, which, in spite of the contradictions experienced in actual life, persist in maintaining the grand principle of Divine justice, and declaring that the cause of virtue will triumph, and success and wealth never fail the faithful.The close relation of the two psalms is marked by the echo in the second, of phrases applied in the first to Jehovah. (Comp. e.g., Psalms 111:3, with Psalms 112:3; Psalms 112:9; Psalms 111:4, with Psalms 112:4; Psalms 112:6.)

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1 Praise the Lord.[b]I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

BARNES, "Praise ye the Lord - Margin, “Hallelujah.” See Psa_106:1.I will praise the Lord with my whole heart - With undivided affections; holding back nothing. I will allow nothing to be in my heart that would interfere with the fullness of praise; no coldness or dividedness of affection; no love for other things that would deaden my love for God; no suspicion respecting him that would chill my ardor; no unbelief that would drag me down to earth, while the language of my lips ascended to God. See the notes at Psa_86:12.In the assembly of the upright - With the righteous when they are gathered together for public worship.And in the congregation - See Psa_22:22, Psa_22:25; Psa_66:13; Psa_89:5.CLARKE, "I will praise the Lord with my whole heart - If we profess to “sing

to the praise and glory of God,” the heart, and the whole heart, without division and distraction, must be employed in the work.In the assembly - - besod, in the secret assembly בסוד the private religious

meetings for the communion of saints. And in the congregation, עדה edah, the general assembly - the public congregation. There were such meetings as the former ever since God had a Church on the earth; and to convey general information, there must be public assemblies.

GILL, "Praise ye the Lord,.... Or "hallelujah"; this is the title of the psalm, and is expressive of the subject matter of it; and so it stands in the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions; as it should, as appears from the psalm being alphabetical; for the first letter of this word is the fifth and not the first of the alphabet; it is wanting in the Syriac version, which gives the title in this manner, without a name, concerning the glorious virtues of

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"the works of God; but it exhorts us to give thanks to Christ; and it is said in the person of the apostles.'' I will praise the Lord with my whole heart; the psalmist excites to praise God by his own example; the object of his praise is Jehovah, the self-existent Being, the Being of beings, the author of his Being, and in whom all men live and move, and have their being; the God of their mercies, temporal and spiritual, and therefore should praise him, even Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; especially Jehovah the Messiah may be here intended, whose work of redemption is particularly attended to: the manner in which he determines to perform this service is, "with his whole heart": which ought to be engaged in every religious exercise, even the whole of it, all the powers and faculties of the soul, without being divided between other objects, and distracted or drawn off from the Lord by them; the phrase is not expressive of perfection, which is not to be expected in any duty, but of sincerity and cordial affection. The place where follows, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation: which may signify one and the same; even the place where upright persons assemble and gather together for divine worship, the tabernacle in David's time, and the temple afterwards; and may point at any place of worship in Gospel times, and the people that meet there; who being for the most part upright persons, or in a judgment of charity so accounted, though every individual among them may not be such, are thus called; and that because they have the uprightness, righteousness, and holiness of Christ imputed to them; and have right spirits renewed in them, and so are upright in heart; and, in consequence of this, walk uprightly according to the rules of the Gospel. It may be rendered, as it is by the Targum, "in the secret (e) of the upright, and the congregation;'' because here the secret of the Lord is made known to his people; the mysteries of his grace are revealed; and his ordinances, which are his counsel, are administered: or it may design some particular friends and acquaintance of the psalmist's, who privately met and took sweet counsel together, and communicated their secrets to one another, as the other word "congregation" may intend the public assembly of the people; and then the sense is, that he would sincerely praise the Lord both in private and public, and that because of his works; as follows.

HENRY, "The title of the psalm being Hallelujah, the psalmist (as every author ought to have) has an eye to his title, and keeps to his text.

I. He resolves to praise God himself, Psa_111:1. What duty we call others to we must oblige and excite ourselves to; nay, whatever others do, whether they will praise God or no, we and our houses must determine to do it, we and our hearts; for such is the psalmist's resolution here: I will praise the Lord with my whole heart. My heart, my whole heart, being devoted to his honour, shall be employed in this work; and this in the assembly, or secret, of the upright, in the cabinet-council, and in the congregation of Israelites. Note, We must praise God both in private and in public, in less and greater assemblies, in our own families and in the courts of the Lord's house; but in both it is most comfortable to do it in concert with the upright, who will heartily join in it. Private meetings for devotion should be kept up as well as more public and promiscuous 3

assemblies.JAMISON, "Psa_111:1-10. The Psalmist celebrates God’s gracious dealings with His

people, of which a summary statement is given.Praise ye the Lord — or, Hallelujah (Psa_104:35). This seems to serve as a title to those of the later Psalms, which, like this, set forth God’s gracious government and its blessed fruits. This praise claims thewhole heart — (Psa_86:12), and is rendered publicly.upright — a title of the true Israel (Psa_32:11).

CALVIN, "1I will praise Jehovah The best and most efficient method of inculcating the performance of any duty is to be exemplary; and, accordingly, we find that the prophet, in the present instance, sets himself for an example, to lead others to engage in the celebration of God’s praises. His resolution to praise God consists of two parts; that he would celebrate God’s praises unfeignedly, with all his heart, and that he would do it publicly, in the assembly of the faithful. He very properly begins with heart-praise, because it is much better to praise in secret, and when no one is conscious of it, than to lift up our voice, and shout forth his praises with feigned lips. At the same time, the person who, in secret, pours out his heart in grateful emotions towards God, will also set forth his praises in swelling strains, otherwise God would be deprived of one half of the honor which is due to him. The prophet then determines to praise God with the whole heart, that is, with an upright and honest heart; not that he engages to come up to the full measure of his duty, but he declares that he would not be like the hypocrites, who, coldly and with a double heart, or rather guilefully and perfidiously, employ their lips only in the praises of God. This is a point worthy of notice, lest any should be discouraged, in consequence of not being able to cherish the hope of attaining to that perfection of heart which is so desirable; for however defective our praises may be, they may nevertheless be acceptable to God, provided only we strive unfeignedly to render unto him this act of devotion. We come now to the other part of his resolution, in which he says he would proclaim the praises of God before men; for although the Hebrew term סוד , sod, denotes a private assembly, (337) yet I think that, in this passage, he employs two words of synonymous import. At the same time, should any one be inclined to take a more refined view of the passage, he may do so if he please. He says, in the congregation of the just, because the principal object for which holy assemblies are convened, is to afford the worshippers of God an opportunity of presenting to him sacrifices of praise, agreeably to what is stated in Psalms 65:1,“Praise waits for thee, O Jehovah! in Zion.” SPURGEON, "Ver. 1. Praise ye the LORD, or, Hallelujah! All ye his saints unite in adoring Jehovah, who worketh so gloriously. Do it now, do it always: do it heartily, do it unanimously, do it eternally. Even if others refuse, take care that ye have always a song for your God. Put away all doubt, question, murmuring, and

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rebellion, and give yourselves up to the praising of Jehovah, both with your lips and in your lives.I will praise the Load with my whole heart. The sweet singer commences the song, for his heart is all on flame: whether others will follow him or not, he will at once begin and long continue. What we preach we should practise. The best way to enforce an exhortation is to set an example; but we must let that example be of the best kind, or we may lead others to do the work in a limping manner. David brought nothing less than his whole heart to the duty; all his love went out towards God, and all his zeal, his skill, and his ardour went with it. Jehovah the one and undivided God cannot be acceptably praised with a divided heart, neither should we attempt so to dishonour him; for our whole heart is little enough for his glory, and there can be no reason why it should not all be lifted up in his praise. All his works are praiseworthy, and therefore all our nature should adore him.In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation; — whether with few or with many he would pour forth his whole heart and soul in praise, and whether the company was made up of select spirits or of the general mass of the people he would continue in the same exercise. For the choicest society there can be no better engagement than praise, and for the general assembly nothing can be more fitting. For the church and for the congregation, for the family or the community, for the private chamber of pious friendship, or the great hall of popular meeting, the praise of the Lord is suitable; and at the very least the true heart should sing hallelujah in any and every place. Why should we fear the presence of men? The best of men will join us in our song, and if the common sort, will not do so, our example will be a needed rebuke to them. In any case let us praise God, whether the hearers be a little band of saints or a mixed multitude. Come, dear reader, he who pens this comment is in his heart magnifying the Lord: will you not pause for a moment and join in the delightful exercise?EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Whole Psalm. This is the first alphabetical psalm which is regular throughout. The four former alphabetical psalms, namely, 9 and 10, 34 and 37, are irregular and defective in many particulars, for the rectification of which neither Hebrew MS editions nor ancient versions afford sanction and authority. It is singular that not only are Psalms 111:1-10; Psalms 112:1-10 perfectly regular, but, furthermore, that not one various reading of note or importance occurs in either of these psalms.John Noble Coleman.Whole Psalm. The following translation is given to enable the reader to realize the alphabetical character of the psalm. It is taken from The Psalms Chronologically Arranged. By Four Friends.All my heart shall praise Jehovah, 1

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Before the congregation of the righteous; Deeds of goodness are the deeds of Jehovah, 2Earnestly desired of all them that have pleasure therein; For his righteousness endureth for ever, 3Glorious and honourable is his work; He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered, 4In Jehovah is compassion and goodness; Jehovah hath given meat to them that fear him, 5Keeping his covenant for ever, Learning his people the power of his works, 6Making them to possess the heritage of the heathen; Nought save truth and equity are the works of his hands, 7Ordered and sure are his commands, Planted fast for ever and ever, 8Righteous and true are his testimonies; Salvation hath he sent unto his people, 9Their covenant hath he made fast for ever; Upright and holy is His name, 10Verily, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Yea, a good understanding have all they that do thereafter;Zealously shall he be praised for ever.Whole Psalm. —The general opinion of interpreters is, that this and some of the following psalms were usually sung at the eating of the Paschal lamb, of which custom mention is also made, Matthew 26:1-75, that Christ and the disciples sang a hymn before they went out into the garden. —Solomon Gesner.Whole Psalm. —The two psalms, Psalms 111:1-10 and Psalms 112:1-10, resemble one another in construction, alphabetical arrangement, and general tone and manner. They are connected in this way: Psalms 111:1-10 sets forth the greatness, mercy, and righteousness of God: Psalms 112:1-10 the reflection of these attributes in the greatness, Psalms 112:2, mercy, Psalms 112:5, and righteousness, Psalms 112:4; Psalms 112:9, of his chosen. The correspondence of purpose in the two psalms is important to the right appreciation of some difficulties connected with the latter psalm. —Speaker's Commentary.Whole Psalm. —The scope of this Psalm is to stir up all to praise God, and that for so many reasons as there are verses in the psalm. The exhortation is in the first words, "Praise ye the Lord." The reasons follow in order. The psalm is composed so

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after the order of the Hebrew alphabet, as every sentence or half verse begins with a several letter of the A B C in order, and all the psalm is of praise only. Whence we learn in general,1. Sometimes it is expedient to set all other things apart, and employ ourselves expressly to proclaim the praises of the Lord only; for so is done in this psalm.2. The praises of the Lord are able to fill all the letters and words composed of letters, in all their possible junctures of composition; for so much doth the going through all the letters of the A B C point out unto us, he is Alpha and Omega, and all the middle letters of the A B C of praise.3. The praises of the Lord are worthy to be kept in memory: for that this psalm may be the better remembered, it is composed after the manner of the A B C, and so it insinuated thus much to us. —David Dickson.Ver. 1. Praise ye the LORD, etc. The exhortation is immediately succeeded by the expression of a firm resolve; the psalmist having commenced by urging the duty of gratitude upon others—"Praise ye the LORD, "forthwith announces his determination to act upon his own advice—"I will praise the LORD with my whole heart." Such a conjunction of ideas is fraught with several most important lessons.1. It teaches us, very emphatically, that our preaching, if it is to carry weight and conviction, must be backed and exemplified by our conduct; that we need never expect to persuade others by arguments which are too weak to influence ourselves.2. Another inference is similarly suggested—that our own decision should be given without reference to the result of our appeal. The psalmist did not wait to ascertain whether those whom he addressed would attend to his exhortation, but, before he could receive a reply, declared unhesitatingly the course he would himself adopt. —W.T. Maudson, in a Sermon on Thanksgiving, 1855.Ver. 1. With my whole heart. That is, earnestly, and with a sincere affection; meaning also, that he would do it privately, and, as it were, within himself, as by the next words he notes that he will do it openly. —Thomas Wilcocks.Ver. 1. —With my whole heart. We see the stress here laid upon a whole heart, and the want of which is the great canker of all vital godliness. Men are ever attempting to unite what the word of God has declared to be incapable of union—the love of the world and of God—to give half their heart to the world, and the other half to God. Just see the energy, the entireness of every thought and feeling and effort which a man throws into a work in which he is deeply interested; the very phrase we use to describe such an one is, that "he gives his whole mind to it." Attempt to persuade him to divert his energies and divide his time with some other pursuit, and he would wonder at the folly and the ignorance that could suggest such a method of success. "Just take a hint from Satan, "says some one; "see how he plies his powers

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on the individual, as if there were but that one, and as if he had nothing else to do but to ruin that one soul." It was a holy resolution of the Psalmist that he would praise God; and a wise one to add, "with thy whole heart." And we have the result of this determination in the following verses of the psalm. —Barton Bouchier.Ver. 1. Two words are used, assembly and congregation. The former implies a more private meeting of worshippers, the latter the more public. The former may apply to the family circle of those who were celebrating the passover, the latter to the public worship connected with the feast. —W. Wilson.COKE, "The Psalmist by his example inciteth others to praise God for his glorious and gracious works. The fear of God breedeth true wisdom.הללויה halleluiah. THIS psalm in the original consists of as many versicles as there are letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Bishop Patrick very reasonably supposes it to be a kind of epitome of the 105th and 106th psalms.BENSON, "Psalms 111:1-2. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart — I will make my acknowledgments to him, and give him thanks for the displays which he hath made of his wisdom, power, and goodness in his wonderful works, and that not only with my lips, and with some slight affections of my mind, but with all my heart and soul: in the assembly, &c. — Hebrew, בסוד, besod, in the secret, or private society, as Bishop Patrick interprets it, of the upright — Or righteous; “of those good men with whom I am more particularly acquainted,” and in the congregation — The public congregation of the people of Israel. The works of the Lord are great — Very magnificent. They are like himself; there is nothing in them that is mean or trifling. They are the products of infinite wisdom and power, which we must acknowledge upon the first view of them, before we come to inquire into them more particularly. They astonish and strike us with awe the moment we behold them. Every one of them, whether in the natural or spiritual system, is marvellous. “Nothing cometh from the hands of the Divine Artist but what is excellent and perfect in its kind, adapted with infinite skill to its proper place, and fitted for its intended use.” Sought out of all them that take pleasure therein — Of all who take delight in observing and considering them: such highly value and regard these works: they frequently call them to mind, meditate upon, and give themselves up to the contemplation of them. And happy are they who do this with humility and diligence, with faith and devotion. “To them shall the gate of true science open; they shall understand the mysteries of creation, providence, and redemption; and they who thus seek shall find the treasures of eternal wisdom.” — Horne. COFFMAN, "Verse 1PSALM 111PRAISING JEHOVAH FOR HIS GOODNESS

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This and the next two psalms are called Hallelujah Psalms because of the use of that word at the beginning and usually at the end of the psalms in this classification. It is particularly paired with Psalms 112 because of a number of similarities which have led some scholars to designate them as "Twins."These resemblances are: (a) "Both begin with `Hallelujah'; (b) both are alphabetical (acrostic); (c) both consist of twenty lines, arranged into ten verses; (d) and they complement each other, Psalms 111 setting forth the greatness, mercy, and righteousness of God; and Psalms 112 is concerned with reflections upon the happiness, beneficence, and righteousness of God's servants."[1]The date of the psalm is generally labeled post-exilic, as the knee-jerk response of some critics; but a far better estimate of this is by McCaw, who wrote that, "The references to the assembled congregation (Psalms 111:1), the works of the Lord (Psalms 111:2,3,4,6,7) and the covenant (Psalms 111:5,9) suggest that the psalm was designed for use at Passover or Tabernacles in the pre-exilic community."[2] Supporting a pre-exilic date is the admission by McCullough that, "The acrostic form and echoes of wisdom interest in Psalms 111:10 are the chief evidences of a post-exilic date."[3] Neither of these so-called "evidences" is significant. As Maclaren was quoted earlier in this commentary, far too little is known about the origin of the acrostic pattern to allow its use as a dependable indication of date. And as for "the echo" of wisdom literature in Psalms 111:10, there is hardly a verse in the Psalter of which the same thing may not be said.Regarding the theme of the psalm, Dummelow wrote that, "The theme of Psalms 111 is the refrain of Psalms 107, `Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.'"[4]Kidner observed one of the curiosities of the psalm in that, "In five of the ten verses the word `works' appears in the RSV. The Hebrews makes this emphasis less obvious by using a number of synonyms, but it is still there."[5] The acrostic pattern of writing is a highly artificial method and carries a great deal of inflexibility with it. In order for the writer to come up with the proper letter of the alphabet, he must sometimes resort to a change of the subject matter. In consequence of this, as Maclaren noted, "This psalm has allusions to other Psalms and to the Book of Proverbs (like many other of the psalms in Book V), and has the character of mainly working over of old materials."[6]There is hardly any organization whatever in this psalm. "Both this Psalm (Psalms 111) and Psalms 112 are only chains of acrostic lines without any strophe grouping, and therefore cannot be divided out."[7]Psalms 111:1-3"Praise ye Jehovah. I will give thanks unto

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Jehovah with my whole heart.In the council of the upright, and in the congregation.The works of Jehovah are great,Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.His work is honor and majesty;And his righteousness endureth forever.""Praise ye Jehovah" in the Hebrew is "Hallelujah." The expression here serves as a title, standing apart from the acrostic arrangement."In the council in the congregation" (Psalms 111:1). These expressions indicate the Temple as still standing and with "the congregation of Israel" worshipping in it."The works of Jehovah are great" (Psalms 111:2). "They are great in number, great in magnitude, great in wisdom, and great in goodness."[8] If that was true (and it was) when men had only their natural vision to behold the night sky, how much more is it true today with all that men can "see,' by telescope, radar, etc.!"His work is honor and majesty" (Psalms 111:3). God's "works" partake of his own character; and in this Psalm, the following qualities are evident: "Majesty, honor, righteousness, mercy, justice, faithfulness, truth, holiness, and eternity."[9]CONSTABLE, "Verses 1-10Psalm 111This is one of the acrostic psalms (cf. Psalm 9 , 10; Psalm 25; Psalm 34; Psalm 37; Psalm 112; Psalm 119; Psalm , 145). Each successive line in the Hebrew text begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The writer evidently expressed his thoughts this way so the Israelites could memorize and recite the psalm easily. He recounted the Lord"s great works of redemption that should draw out His people"s praise."Acrostic poems in general do not show logical development because of the arbitrary imposition of the alphabetic form." [Note: VanGemeren, p700.]" Psalm 111-113all begin with Hallelujah, and there is a specially close bond between111,112. These two are ... a matched pair in their subject-matter, which tells of God in this Psalm , and of the man of God in the next, even sharing the same or similar phrases in one or two verses." [Note: Kidner, Psalm 73-150 , p396.]

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"But Psalm 111 , 112are treated separately because they have a slightly different accent, an unqualified statement that the world is ruled by God with moral symmetry. That symmetry in the world is reflected in the disciplined acrostic structure of these two psalms. The world works so that persons receive the consequences of their actions ( Galatians 6:7); this statement entertains no doubt about it." [Note: Brueggemann, p45.]This author called these psalms "songs of retribution." [Note: Ibid.] WHEDON, "Verse 11. Praise ye the Lord—This belongs to the title of the psalm, as is clearly shown by the alphabetical numbering of the lines, beginning with the next sentence.In the assembly—In the select, or confidential, circle. In this sense the word rendered “assembly” is often used.Upright— “Straightforward; a title given to the true Israel from the days of Balsam downwards.”—Alexander. See Numbers 23:10. The word Jeshurun, which occurs four times in the Scripture as a poetical name of Israel, is a diminutive from the same root, (Yashar, upright,) signifying the good or upright little people. See on Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 33:5; Deuteronomy 33:26; Isaiah 44:2.Congregation—The collective multitude of the people. A distinction seems here drawn between the select number of the upright, or true Israel, and the nation at large. See Romans 9:6. If the two terms are taken as synonymous, then the term “upright” could apply to the “congregation” only as their profession.

K&D, "That which the poet purposes doing in Psa_111:1, he puts into execution from Psa_111:2 onwards. ועדה, according to Psa_64:7; Psa_118:14, is equivalent to עדתם .וAccording to Psa_111:10, הפציהם in Psa_111:2 apparently signifies those who find pleasure in them (the works of God); but חפצי חפצי = (like שמחי, Isa_24:7 = is (שמחיless natural than that it should be the construct form of the plural of חפץ, that occurs in three instances, and there was no need for saying that those who make the works of God the object of their research are such as interest themselves in them. We are led to theright meaning by לכל־חפצ in 1Ki_9:11 in comparison with Isa_44:28; Isa_46:10, cf. Isa_53:10, where חפץ signifies God's purpose in accordance with His counsel: constantly searched into, and therefore a worthy object of research (דרש, root דר, to seek to know by rubbing, and in general experimentally, cf. Arab. drâ of knowledgeempirically acquired) according to all their aims, i.e., in all phases of that which they have in view. In Psa_111:4 זכר points to the festival which propagates the remembrance of the deeds of God in the Mosaic age; טרף, Psa_111:5, therefore points to the food provided for the Exodus, and to the Passover meal, together with the feast of unleavened

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bread, this memorial ן) Exo_12:14) of the exemption in faithfulness to the ,זכר covenant which was experienced in Egypt. This Psalm, says Luther, looks to me as though it had been composed for the festival of Easter. Even from the time of Theodoret and Augustine the thought of the Eucharist has been connected with Psa_111:5 in the New Testament mind; and it is not without good reason that Psa_111:1-10 has become the Psalm of the church at the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In connection with הגיד one is reminded of the Pesach-Haggada. The deed of redemption which it relates has a power that continues in operation; for to the church of Jahve is assigned the victory not only over the peoples of Canaan, but over the whole world. The power of Jahve's deeds, which He has made known to His people, and which they tell over again among themselves, aims at giving them the inheritance of the peoples. The works of His hands are truth and right, for they are the realization of that which is true and which lasts and verifies itself, and of that which is right, that triumphantly maintains its ground. His ordinances are נאמנים (occasionally pointed נאמנים), established, attested, in themselves and in their results authorizing a firm confidence in their salutariness (cf. Psa_19:8). סמוכים, supported, stayed, viz., not outwardly, but in themselves, therefore imperturbable (cf. סמו used of the state of mind, Psa_112:8; Isa_26:3). עשוים, moulded, arranged, viz., on the part of God, “in truth, and upright;” ישר is accusative of the predicate (cf. Psa_119:37), but without its being clear why it is not pointed וישר. If we have understood Psa_111:4-6 correctly, then פדות glances back at the deliverance out of Egypt. Upon this followed the ratification of the covenant on Sinai, which still remains inviolable down to the present time of the poet, and has the holiness and terribleness of the divine Name for a guarantee of its inviolability. The fear of Jahve, this holy and terrible God, is the beginning of wisdom - the motto of the Chokma in Job (Job_28:28) and Proverbs (Pro_1:7; Pro_9:10), the Books of the Chokma. Psa_111:10 goes on in this Proverbs-like strain: the fear of God, which manifests itself in obedience, is to those who practise them (the divine precepts, ב (פקודים שכל ט (Pro_13:15; Pro_3:4, cf. 2Ch_30:22), a fine sagacity, praiseworthy discernment - such a (dutiful) one partakes of everlasting praise. It is true, in glancing back to Psa_111:3, תהלת seems to refer to God, but a glance forward to Psa_112:3 shows that the praise of him who fears God is meant. The old observation therefore holds good: ubi haec ode desinit, sequens incipit (Bakius)PULPIT, "ANOTHER "Hallelujah psalm," and at the same time an "alphabetic psalm." It has been called a "twin psalm" with the one which follows (Psa_112:1-10.), and beyond all doubt closely resembles it. Both begin with "Hallelujah;" both are alphabetic; both consist of twenty lines, arranged into ten verses. The one is the complement of the other; while Psa_111:1-10. "sets forth the greatness mercy, and righteousness of God," Psa_112:1-10. is concerned with "the reflection of these in the happiness, beneficence, and righteousness of God’s servants" (Kay). The two together seem to have been in tended to form an introduction to the "Hallel," or chant sung at the Passover, at Pentecost, and at the Feast of Tabernacles, which consisted of Psalm 113-118.Psa_111:1Praise ye the Lord. Scarcely a part of the psalm—rather a heading or introduction. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart (comp. Psa_9:1; Psa_119:34, Psa_

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119:58, Psa_119:69). "With my whole heart" replaces the "greatly" of Psa_109:30. In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. Professor Cheyne translates, "in the council and assembly of the upright;" and it seems to be generally allowed that two distinct assemblies are not spoken of, but that the one congregation of the faithful is designated by two names. Thus the Prayer-book translation is wrong.

BI 1-10, "Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart. The highest work of mankind—praising GodI. A noble resolution for this highest work.

1. Thoroughness. “With my whole heart.”(1) Without this thoroughness it would be unacceptable to God. “He abhors the sacrifice where not the heart is found.”(2) Without this thoroughness it will yield no happiness to ourselves.(3) Without this thoroughness it will not be continuous, but broken, desultory, and worthless.

2. Publicity. Man has to do with society, he lives in society, and by it; and if he is thorough, worship will come out in every conversation, in every act, in the sublimity of the look, in the dignity of gait.II. A mighty argument for this highest work. Founded upon—

1. The works of God.(1) They are here spoken of generally. His works, whether of creation, government, or redemption, whether in connection with matter or mind, are in every sense great, infinitely great in number, variety, and perfection. It is here implied, however, that their greatness is only seen by those who search for them, “sought out.” Their greatness is not in their bulk, their form, their colour, but in their essence, their plan, their uses, their relations, their bearings, etc. That those only search into them who have pleasure in them. A man must be interested in the works of God before he will study them. And to be interested in them he must love their Author. Hence piety is the spring of true philosophy.(2) They are spoken of specifically. His works are grand. Whatever He does in nature is worthy of Himself, who Himself is “clothed with honour and majesty” (Psa_104:1). Wonderful. Can the greatest created intellect in the universe comprehend all concerning what appears to be the most insignificant work of God? Memorable. Can anything impress the human soul like the worlds of God? Beneficent (verse 5). Truthful (verse 7).

2. The character of God.(1) His rectitude (verse 3).(2) His mercifulness (verse 4).(3) His faithfulness (verses 5, 7).

III. An essential qualification for this highest work (verse 10).13

1. This “fear of the Lord,” or piety, is the commencement of wisdom. He who has not a reverential love for God has not learnt the first lessons of true wisdom. True philosophy begins in piety.2. The “fear of the Lord,” or piety, secures a sound understanding. (Homilist.)

Hallelujah“Praise ye the Lord.” Just as though the psalmist would say, “Whether you will or no, I will; I will praise Him, if I am alone in doing so; I will praise Him with my whole heart—with all the fervour, spirituality, and sincerity with which I am endowed; I will praise the Lord with all my heart; and, in order that I may not be alone in praising Him, I will get into ‘the assembly of the upright,’ and probably some of my rustic notes will induce them to praise Him also; and Jehovah shall have the entire revenue of praise and glory that can be sounded forth from all the ransomed souls on earth, and all the ransomed souls in heaven.”I. An exhortation. “Praise ye the Lord.”

1. This exhortation is addressed to those who possess a capacity to praise God—a heaven-born life—a quickened nature. It must be the praise of the soul, called into exercise under the immediate operation of the graces of the Holy Spirit.2. Those persons who have a spiritual capacity—who have been born from above—have many reasons for praising God. Has this mighty God, to whom we sound our hosannahs, put forth His operations of grace, touched your proud, rebellious heart, nay, created a spiritual capacity in you, implanted all His own graces, opened your eyes to your own ruin and the law’s terrors, and then opened them to see the light of the glorious Gospel? If so, can you cease to praise the Lord?

II. A vow. “I will praise the Lord.” I verily believe that we have not paid attention enough to the act of praise, as going forth from the inmost soul. We may have paid more attention to the act of prayer, we may have paid more attention to the act of believing; we may have paid more attention to the act of humiliation before God in deep repentance; all these are very important; but shall we forget to praise Him? shall we forget to acknowledge the infinite debt of gratitude we owe to Him? What should we think of creatures who did this towards each other? How many thousands of providences, of a most momentous description, has He overruled for us, and not received any return of praise? How many thousands of prayers has He answered, and we not given a single tribute of praise?III. Experimental godliness. “With my whole heart.” This includes spirituality, simplicity, and earnestness. There seems something of emulation in this expression—“with my whole heart”; and sure I am, that when the Holy Ghost enables us to move upwards in the spirit of praise, troubles, difficulties, temptations, snares, enemies, afflictions, sorrows, death itself, have no power to harm us; the spirit of praise bears us above all, carries us within celestial regions, where we seem to mingle our praises with the hallelujahs of glorified spirits around the throne. “With my whole heart.”IV. The relative position. “In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.” Where am I to find “the assembly of the upright”? The man that is upright before God has owned or confessed the worst he knows of his case before the footstool of Divine

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mercy, he has thrown open his books, he has declared his insolvency to the law and justice of God, he adopts the very language of the psalmist, “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid”; and instead of offering any compromise or making any specious promises, he betakes himself to the Divine Surety, of whom he obtains by faith a perfect obedience, a full satisfaction, a perfect righteousness, and presents them before God as His own. Thus he is accepted before the throne as an upright character. His condemnation is removed—his justification proclaimed—his absolution is enjoyed (without the interference of infidel priests)—his sanctification is given to him, and his glorification waits for him. (J. Irons.)

Whole-hearted praiseI. Without whole-heartedness our praise is not acceptable to God. He requires us, not ours. “He abhors the sacrifice where not the heart is found.”II. Without whole-heartedness it will yield no happiness to ourselves. There is no true enjoyment in any service not rendered with the whole soul. No man is ever happy in any enterprise into which he cannot throw his whole being.III. Without this whole-heartedness it will not be continuous. (Homiletic Review.)

Psalms 111:4He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.The duty of remembering God’s wonderful works1. In reference to any signal benefits, any extraordinary mercy received, it is necessary we should have a true sense and firm persuasion of the work of God in it, that we may learn to depend on His providence, which we find so vigilant over us, so beneficial to us; that we may attribute nothing to ourselves, or sacrifice to our own nets; that we may discern His hand in His own work, and say (Psa_52:9; Psa_75:1).

2. This design of God teacheth man to make a true estimate, and set a value upon the benefit received as coming from His hand.3. This design of God ought to be embraced with all comfort and cheerfulness. For what greater honour can man receive, than that God should desire to be honoured by him? What greater advantage can we have, than that He should therefore bless us, that He may receive praise from us, and purchase His glory by the expense of His goodness?4. The equity and excellency of the duty enforce the obligation. Here is not anything required, but what may be justly challenged, what cannot be with any pretence denied. There is a moral obligation between men, to render to every man his due, honour to whom honour: and this Divine acknowledgment is required upon no other terms (Psa_29:2). It is required in a due proportion (Psa_150:2), according to the manifestation of it. This is the exercise of the blessed saints and angels in the nearest view of His perfections: the language of heaven is Alleluia; and there is nothing more

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heavenly upon earth. (Bp. Pearson.)

2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

BARNES, "The works of the Lord are great - They are great in number; great in magnitude; great in wisdom; great in goodness. This language was appropriate in the time of the psalmist, when people looked upon the heavens with the naked eye alone, and when they had very imperfect views of the real magnitude of the universe as it is now disclosed by the telescope. It is entirely appropriate now, and conveys a more solemn and sublime impression than it would in the time of the psalmist. It will still be appropriate under the larger views which may yet be obtained of the universe by more perfect instruments, by more accurate observation, and by more profound study. And it will be appropriate when people shall survey the greatness of the universe from the heights of heaven.

Sought out of all them - Studied by all such.That have pleasure therein - More literally, “Sought to all their wishes.” Perhaps the meaning is, that they would find all their desires gratified in those works; they would find in them all that they would wish to find respecting the power, wisdom, goodness, and majesty of God. Still it implies that they have a desire thus to study his works, or that they do find a pleasure in examining the proofs of the being and attributes of God in his works. A man who loves God will have real pleasure in studying his works as well as his word; and it is as proper to find pleasure in the one as in the other - as proper to wish to find the knowledge which the one imparts as that which the other bestows. One great error among the friends of God is the neglect to study his works. In doing this, people need not neglect or undervalue the Bible and the knowledge which it gives, for such studies would be among the best means of illustrating the Bible.

CLARKE, "The works of the Lord are great - ;gedolim, vast in magnitude גדליםas רבים rabbim signifies their multitude and variety.

Sought out - Investigated, carefully examined.Of all them that have pleasure therein - By all that delight in them: by every genuine philosopher; every lover of nature; he who traces out the great First Cause by means of his works. And the man that does so will be astonished at the perfections of the

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Creator, and admire all the operations of his hands.

GILL, "The works of the Lord are great,.... His works of creation are great, being made out of nothing, are the effects of great power, and the produce of great wisdom, and which greatly display the glory of their Maker; the works of providence are great, which are daily wrought, especially such as concern the church and people of God, for whom he does great things, whereof they have reason to be glad and praise his name; the miracles of Christ he wrought here on earth were surprisingly great, some of them such as had not keen known from the creation of the world; and yet greater things were shown him, and done by him, particularly the work of redemption, a work which angels and men were unequal to, a work which none but the great God and our Saviour could effect, and is truly called the great salvation; the work of grace upon the heart is a great work, and requires the exceeding greatness of the divine power, and which is exerted in the beginning, carrying on, and finishing that work; and for all which the Lord is to be praised: and the rather since they are such as are sought out of all them that have pleasure therein; or "sought out because of all the pleasures of them, or that are in them" (f), which comes to much the same sense: there is a pleasure in the contemplation of the works of nature and providence; to behold the power, wisdom, and goodness of God in them, and his care over all his creatures; and particularly how he makes all things to work together for the good of his people; and especially it is delightful to observe the works of grace, how the glory of all the divine perfections is displayed in them; angels themselves take pleasure in looking into them: now these are sought and found out by those who delight in them; the works of creation are to be sought and found in the book of nature, the works of providence in the book of experience, and the works of grace in the book of God; and indeed all of them are recorded there, which are searched with pleasure by those that are inquisitive after them.

HENRY 2-5, "He recommends to us the works of the Lord as the proper subject of our meditations when we are praising him - the dispensations of his providence towards the world, towards the church, and towards particular persons. 1. God's works are very magnificent, great like himself; there is nothing in them that is mean or trifling: they are the products of infinite wisdom and power, and we must say this upon the first view of them, before we come to enquire more particularly into them, that the works of the Lord are great, Psa_111:2. There is something in them surprising, and that strikes an awe upon us. All the works of the Lord are spoken of as one (Psa_111:3); it is his work, such is the beauty and harmony of Providence and so admirably do all its dispensations centre in one design; it was cried to the wheels, O wheel! Eze_10:13. Take all together, and it is honourable and glorious, and such as becomes him. 2. They are entertaining and exercising to the inquisitive - sought out of all those that have pleasure therein.Note, (1.) All that truly love God have pleasure in his works, and reckon all well that he does; nor do their thoughts dwell upon any subject with more delight than on the works of God, which the more they are looked into the more they give us of a pleasing surprise. (2.) Those that have pleasure in the works of God will not take up with a superficial transient view of them, but will diligently search into them and observe them. In studying both natural and political history we should have this in our eye, to discover the greatness and glory of God's works. (3.) These works of God, that are humbly and

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diligently sought into, shall be sought out; those that seek shall find (so some read); they are found of all those that have pleasure in them, or found in all their parts, designs, purposes, and several concernments (so Dr. Hammond), for the secret of the Lord is with those that fear him, Psa_25:14. 3. They are all justly and holy; His righteousness endures for ever. Whatever he does, he never did, nor ever will do, any wrong to any of his creatures; and therefore his works endure for ever (Ecc_3:14) because the righteousness of them endures. 4. They are admirable and memorable, fit to be registered and kept on record. Much that we do is so trifling that it is not fit to be spoken of or told again; the greatest kindness is to forget it. But notice is to be taken of God's works, and an account to be kept of them (Psa_111:4). He has made his wonderful works to be remembered; he has done that which is worthy to be remembered, which cannot but be remembered, and he has instituted ways and means for the keeping of some of them in remembrance, as the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by the passover. He has made himself a memorial by his wonderful works (so some read it); see Isa_63:10. By that which God did with his glorious arm he made himself an everlasting name. 5. They are very kind. In them the Lord shows that he is gracious and full of compassion. As of the works of creation, so of the works of providence, we must say, They are not only all very great, but all very good. Dr. Hammond takes this to be the name which God has made to himself by his wonderful works, the same with that which he proclaimed to Moses, The Lord God is gracious and merciful, Exo_24:6. God's pardoning sin is the most wonderful of all his works and which ought to be remembered to his glory. It is a further instance of his grace and compassion that he has given meat to those that fear him, Psa_111:5. He gives them their daily bread, food convenient for them; so he does to others by common providence, but to those that fear him he gives it by covenant and in pursuance of the promise, for it follows, He will be ever mindful of his covenant; so that they can taste covenant-love even in common mercies. Some refer this to the manna with which God fed his people Israel in the wilderness, others to the spoil they got from the Egyptians when they came out with great substance, according to the promise, Gen_15:14. When God broke the heads of leviathan he gave him to be meat to his people, Psa_74:14. He has given prey to those that fear him (so the margin has it), not only fed them, but enriched them, and given their enemies to be a prey to them. 6. They are earnests of what he will do, according to his promise: He will ever be mindful of his covenant, for he has ever been so; and, as he never did, so he never will, let one jot or tittle of it fall to the ground. Though God's people have their infirmities, and are often unmindful of his commands, yet he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

JAMISON, "His works, that is, of providence and grace aresought — or, carefully studied, by all desiring to know them.

CALVIN, "2The works of Jehovah are great He now proceeds to inform us that there are abundant materials for praising God, supplied by his works, to which at present he makes only a general reference, and which he, subsequently, defines more explicitly in relation to the government of the Church. The magnitude of God’s works is a subject which, generally, eludes the observation of men, and, therefore, few of them are acquainted with it. This ignorance the prophet ascribes to

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the indifference and ingratitude of men, comparatively few of whom condescend to notice the great wisdom, goodness, justice, and power, which shine forth in these works. Expositors are divided in their sentiments about the second clause of the verse. Some translate it, sought out for all their delights; and, indeed, the Hebrew term חפף, chaphets, signifies good pleasure; but as this is too harsh an interpretation of the word, it is better to understand it as an adjective, expressing the idea of loving or desiring. As to the participle, sought out, which, according to the Hebrew verb, darash, properly denotes, to search with diligence, we yet find that the works of ,דרשJehovah are, in this place, called דרושים, derushim, that is, perceived or found out. Hence, in Isaiah 65:1, it is said, “I was found of them who sought, me not.” I must, however, not lose sight of the prophet’s design, namely, that in consequence of so few applying themselves to the study of the works of God, he teaches us that that is the reason why so many are blind amidst a flood of light; for, when he says that the excellency of the works of God is known to all who desire it, he means that none are ignorant of it, except such as are wilfully blind, or rather, malignantly and contemptuously quench the light which is offered to them. We must, however, attend to the means which we possess for arriving at the knowledge of these words because we know, that as long as the faithful are on earth, their understandings are dull and weak, so that they cannot penetrate the mysteries, or comprehend the height of the works of God. But, incomprehensible as is the immensity of the wisdom, equity, justice, power, and mercy of God, in his works, the faithful nevertheless acquire as much knowledge of these as qualifies them for manifesting the glory of God; only it becomes us to begin the study of his works with reverence, that we may take delight in them, contemptible though they be in the estimation of the reprobate, who treat them with impious scorn. The LXX. having rendered it, sought out in all his wills, Augustine has therefore taken occasion, with philosophic finesse, to ask, How can there be, or, at least, appear to be, a plurality of wills in God? And it is indeed a pleasing consideration, that though God manifest his will in his law, nevertheless there is another secret purpose by which he is guided in the wonderful management of human affairs. This doctrine, however, is, foreign to the exposition of this passage. SPURGEON, "Ver. 2. The works of the LORD are great. In design, in size, in number, in excellence, all the works of the Lord are great. Even the little things of God are great. In some point of view or other each one of the productions of his power, or the deeds of his wisdom, will appear to be great to the wise in heart.Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Those who love their Maker delight in his handiwork, they perceive that there is more in them than appears upon the surface, and therefore they bend their minds to study and understand them. The devout naturalist ransacks nature, the earnest student of history pries into hidden facts and dark stories, and the man of God digs into the mines of Scripture, and hoards up each grain of its golden truth. God's works are worthy of our researches, they yield us instruction and pleasure wonderfully blended, and they grow upon, appearing to be far greater, after investigation than before. Men's works are noble from a distance; God's works are great when sought out. Delitzsch

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reads the passage, "Worthy of being sought after in all their purposes, "and this also is a grand truth, for the end and design which God hath in all that he makes or does is equally admirable with the work itself. The hidden wisdom of God is the most marvellous part of his works, and hence those who do not look below the surface miss the best part of what he would teach us. Because the works are great they cannot be seen all at once, but must be looked into with care, and this seeking out is of essential service to us by educating our faculties, and strengthening our spiritual eye gradually to bear the light of the divine glory. It is well for us that all things cannot be seen at a glance, for the search into their mysteries is as useful to us as the knowledge which we thereby attain. The history of the Lord's dealings with his people is especially a fit subject for the meditation of reverent minds who find therein a sweet solace, and a never failing source of delight.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 2. The works of the LORD are great. Their greatness is known from comparison with the works and powers of men, which, verily, die and perish quickly. We should, therefore, admire, fear, confide, obey. —Martin Geier.Ver. 2. The works of the LORD are great, etc. Their greatness is equally manifest when we turn from the immensity to the variety of his works...How great are the works of him who gives to every plant its leaf and flower and fruit; to every animal its faculties and functions; to every man his understanding, affections, and will. What an accumulative idea of the magnitude of his works do we gather from the innumerable multitudes and endless diversities of being called into existence by his powers. —Samuel Summers, 1837.Ver. 2. The works of the LORD are great. The workman who never makes a small article, an inferior article, but makes all his articles both great and valuable, deserves much praise; and any one that will study God's works, which we think so little of by reason of their being so constantly before us, cannot fail to behold God's infinite power and wisdom in every one of them, even though he cannot comprehend them. —Robert Bellarmine.Ver. 2. Great. The word lwdg (gadol) great, has in the Hebrew so extensive a range of meaning, that in the English there is no single substitute expressive enough to take its place. It denotes greatness and augmentation of various kinds. In this passage the works of Jehovah are described as greatly "magnified or augmented" in their influences and effects on the minds of men who behold them. The greatness ascribed to these works, is a greatness in number, in character, in dignity, in beauty, in variety, in riches. —Benjamin Weiss.Ver. 2,4. Great...sought out. Remembered. The works of Jehovah surpass the reach of human discovery, but are yet searched and explored with delight by all the members of his church; for, if they are too great to be understood, they are also too great to be forgotten. —Edward Garrard Marsh.

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Ver. 2. Sought out. To see God in his creatures, and to love him and converse with him, was the employment of man in his upright state. This is so far from ceasing to be our duty, that it is the work of Christ, by faith, to bring us back to it; and therefore the most holy men are the most excellent students of God's works; and none but the holy can rightly study or know them. Your studies of physics and other sciences are not worth a rush, if it be not God by them that you seek after. To see and admire, to reverence and adore, to love and delight in God appearing to us in his works, and purposely to peruse them for the knowledge of God; this is the true and only philosophy, and the contrary is mere foolery, and so called again and again by God himself. —Richard Baxter, 1615-1691.Ver. 2. It does not follow, that because the study of nature is now of itself an insufficient guide to the knowledge of the Creator and the enjoyment of eternal felicity, such studies are either to be thrown aside, or considered as of no importance in a religious point of view. To overlook the astonishing scene of the universe, or to view it with indifference, is virtually to "disregard the works of Jehovah, and to refuse to consider the operations of his hands." It is a violation of Christian duty, and implies a reflection on the character of the Deity, for any one to imagine that he has nothing to do with God considered as manifested in the immensity of his works; for his word is pointed and explicit in directing the mind to such contemplations. "Hearken unto this, stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God." "Lift up thine eye on high, and behold who hath created these orbs." "Remember that thou magnify his works which men behold." "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty! Thy saints shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power, to make known to the sons of men the mighty operations and the glorious majesty of thy kingdom." —Thomas Dick (1772) in "The Sidereal Heavens."Ver. 2. Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. This is a true characteristic of the upright and pious. The works of God are said to be "sought out of them, "when they regard them, call them to mind, and carefully, taking them one by one, investigate them; and at the same time explain them to others, and recount them: all which is included in the verb vrd; for that verb, properly is trivit (to rub, beat, or bray) hence by thrashing and grinding he has investigated perfectly, and has rubbed out the kernel of it for the use and profit of another: whence it is used for concionari, etc. —Hermann Venema.Ver. 2. Sought out, ...have pleasure therein. Philosophy seeks truth, Theology finds it, but Religion possesses it. Human things must be known to be loved, but divine things must be loved to be known. —Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662.Ver. 2-4. Sought out... The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. This is the grand discovery of all the searching, and therein lies the glory that is the conclusion of all. As in searching into any experiments in nature, there is an infinite pleasure that accompanies such a study to them that are addicted thereunto; so to him that hath pleasure in the works of God, and is addicted to spy out his kindness in them,

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there is nothing so pleasant as the discovery of new circumstances of mercy that render his work glorious and honourable. Get, therefore, skill in his dealings with thee, and study thy friend's carriage to thee. It is the end why he raised thee up, and admitted thee into friendship with him, to show his art of love and friendship to thee; to show, in a word, how well he could love thee. —Thomas Goodwin.is addicted to spy out his kindness in them, there is nothing so pleasant as the discovery of new circumstances of mercy that render his work glorious and honourable. Get, therefore, skill in his dealings with thee, and study thy friend's carriage to thee. It is the end why he raised thee up, and admitted thee into friendship with him, to show his art of love and friendship to thee; to show, in a word, how well he could love thee. —Thomas Goodwin. COKE, "Psalms 111:2. Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein— Studied, or inquired into by all those who have pleasure therein. Houbigant and Green. Mudge renders it, Exquisitely contrived for all their purposes. This is a reflection, says he, arising from a view of the divine wisdom, which unerringly directs all its doings to their proper ends. This appeared by God's whole miraculous dealing with the Jewish nation, which at length safely instated them in the promised land. ELLICOTT, "(2) Sought out—i.e., they are the object of meditation and enquiry. (See Note, Psalms 105:4.) The psalmist was no doubt thinking of historical proofs of Jehovah’s goodness to the chosen race, but his words are capable of a wide range. The best illustration of them may be found in the writings in which Mr. Ruskin warns this generation against the danger of insensibility to natural beauty.WHEDON, " 2. Works of the Lord—This is the theme of the psalm, and might include all God’s works in nature, providence, moral government, and redemption; but the psalm celebrates specially his moral acts in government and redemption, particularly that wonderful chain of providences by which his people had been saved and his covenant confirmed.Sought out— Diligently studied, searched into; and which are, by implication, excellent and satisfying to the earnest inquirer who is attracted by their merit and takes delight in their teachings: but they must be studied not only for doctrine and history, but for practical living.PULPIT, "Psa_111:2The works of the Lord are great. Not his material works, but the doings of his providence (see Psa_111:3-9). Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Searched into and carefully studied by all who take an interest in such things. Derushim, "objects of study," is etymologically connected with madrasa, a college, a "place of study and research."

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SIMEON, "THE GREAT WORK OF REDEMPTIONPsalms 111:2. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.THIS psalm is one of those appointed by our Church for Easter Day: for which it is sufficiently appropriate, in that it celebrates that redemption of God’s people from Egypt, which was typical of the redemption wrought out for us by Christ upon the cross, and perfected by his resurrection from the dead. The structure of it is very peculiar. Every sentence begins with the different letters of the Hebrew alphabet in their order; the eight first verses consisting each of two sentences, and the two last of three sentences. This artificial mode of writing it seems to have been with a view to its being more easily remembered. The first word of it, “Hallelujah,” was, in fact, no part of the psalm itself, but only the title of it; and it shews us with what disposition of mind the subject should be contemplated, and with what feelings it was recorded. O that our souls might rise to the occasion, whilst we consider,I. The greatness of God’s works!Great indeed they were, even the deliverances accomplished for Israel in Egypt. Who can read of all the plagues with which that land was visited; or of the destruction of Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea; or of the wonders wrought for Israel in the wilderness; or of their final establishment in the land of Canaan; and not exclaim, “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty!” But, however much we may be disposed, in imitation of David in this psalm, to admire the perfections of God as illustrated in that stupendous work, we are called to the consideration of infinitely greater works, of which the deliverance from Egypt was but a type and shadow. Yes: in the redemption of the world we do indeed behold the perfections of our God shining forth, as it were, in meridian splendour. That was a work beyond all parallel and all conception great,1. In wisdom and power—[When Moses saw what God had wrought for the people of Israel at the Red Sea, he sang, “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders [Note: Exodus 15:11.]?” But St. Paul speaks of our blessed Lord as concentrating in himself all that is great and glorious, and as being, as it were in the abstract, “The wisdom of God, and the power of God [Note: 1 Corinthians 1:24.].” O what unsearchable depths of wisdom were contained in that mystery, the substitution of God’s only dear Son in the place of sinners; whereby the sins of the whole world are expiated, and the kingdom of heaven opened to millions, who, without such a Saviour, must have inherited the blackness of darkness for ever! — — — Nor was the power that effected our redemption less manifest, in forming the human nature of our Lord in the womb of a pure Virgin, free from all the taint of our original corruption; and enabling that body, so wonderfully formed, to bear the curse due to our iniquities, and to work

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out a righteousness adequate to the wants, and sufficient for the necessities, of a ruined world. View the triumphs of Jesus in the wilderness, and in the garden, and on the cross; in all of which “he spoiled the principalities and powers of hell:” view them also in his resurrection, and ascension, and in the operations of the Holy Spirit, whom he sent from heaven to complete the wonders of his grace: view these things, and say, whether “his work be not indeed honourable and glorious [Note: ver. 3.],” the very summit of wisdom, and the perfection of power.]2. In goodness and mercy—[So conspicuous were these perfections in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, that David could behold, as it were, nothing else. In a psalm where he specifies a great variety of particulars relating to it, he repeats no less than twenty-six times in as many verses, “His mercy endureth for ever [Note: Psalms 136.].” But what shall we say of his goodness and mercy to us in Christ Jesus? Eternity will be too short to enumerate the instances wherein these perfections are displayed, and to make such acknowledgments as this exhibition of them calls for at our hands. The manna from heaven, and the water from the rock, were but faint images of what we receive in and from the Lord Jesus Christ. O what supplies of grace, what rich communications of his blessed Spirit, does he impart to us from day to day! — — — And what forbearance does he exercise towards us! — — — Well indeed may we say with David, that “goodness and mercy have followed us all our days.”]3. In righteousness and truth—[In the whole dispensation, whether towards the Lord Jesus Christ himself, as our representative, or towards us whom he has redeemed, there has not been one single act which was not an act of justice, and an accomplishment of some preexisting declaration. Were our iniquities laid on the Lord Jesus, and punished in him? Was he, after having expiated those sins, exalted to glory, and seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high? All, as David speaks, “was verity and judgment [Note: ver. 7.].” In like manner, if we are pardoned, and raised to a participation of his glory, “mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other [Note: Psalms 85:10.].” Every threatening denounced against sin has been executed in the person of Christ; and every thing promised to Christ, or to us, is fulfilled, when for Christ’s sake we are restored to God’s favour, and made heirs of his inheritance — — —]Agreeable to this character of God’s works is,II. The respect paid to them by every true Christian.The Christian is fitly represented as one “who has pleasure in these works”—[The generality of mankind have, alas! no pleasure in these works, but rather put away the remembrance of them with abhorrence — — — But not so the Christian:

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he regards them with far different sensations. He indeed is not insensible to pleasures of other kinds, provided they be such as may be enjoyed with a good conscience towards God. He may, as a scholar and philosopher, feel delight in intellectual pursuits; and he may, as a member of society, find pleasure in the intercourse of friendship, or the enjoyment of domestic comforts. But, though he lose not his taste for such pleasures, his delight in them is altogether subordinated to higher and more spiritual enjoyments. Whatever he once accounted gain, is now esteemed by him comparatively as dross and dung [Note: Philippians 3:7-8.] — — — The wonders of redeeming love are on earth, as they will be in heaven, his constant solace, and his song.]By him they “are sought out” with care and diligence—[With a view to a more enlarged knowledge of these works, he reads the Holy Scriptures, searching into them as for hid treasures — — — He attends carefully on the ministry of the word, that he may both obtain a further insight into the Gospel, and have a richer experience of it in his soul — — — By constant meditation also, and by fervent prayer, he dives deeper and deeper into the great mysteries of godliness; musing, as it were, day and night, and crying mightily to God, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law!” Never does he imagine that he has yet attained. The more enlarged his views become, the more he sees, that he knows nothing yet as he ought to know: and he looks forward with proportionable earnestness to the eternal world, where the veil shall be taken from before his eyes, and he “will see as he is seen,” and “know even as he is known.”]Address—1. Seek yet more and more this most desirable of all knowledge—[See with what persevering diligence the philosopher prosecutes the attainment of science — — — And will not ye, for the acquiring of knowledge wherein eternal life consists, and “which the angels themselves desire to look into?” — — —]2. Endeavour more and more to make a suitable improvement of it—[“Hallelujah” stands as the introduction to the contemplations of David. Let all your contemplations lead to, and terminate in, a similar acclamation. Such will be the result of all the knowledge which we shall possess in heaven — — — and such should be our improvement of all that we attain on earth — — —]Verse 10DISCOURSE: 686THE FEAR OF THE LORD

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Psalms 111:10. 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.OF all attainments that are made by man, wisdom is confessedly the highest: and well does it deserve the highest place in our esteem, because it elevates and ennobles him in whom it is found. This is true even of human wisdom: how much more, then, of that which is divine! But where shall divine wisdom be found? or who can ever estimate it aright, when found? These are questions propounded by holy Job; and they deserve our most attentive consideration. “Where,” says he, “shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not in me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx and the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it; neither shall it be valued with pure gold [Note: Job 28:12-19.].” Having stated all this, he again asks the question, “Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?” He then answers, that it is hid from the eyes of all living: that God alone understandeth it: and that he hath declared where and what it is: “Unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding [Note: Job 28:20-21; Job 28:24; Job 28:27-28.].” Now, rich and determinate as this passage is, it does not equal the declaration of David, who says, “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.” Here he not only identifies the fear of the Lord with wisdom, but carries on the comparison from the beginning to the end, from the first formation of them in the soul to their final completion in glory.To enter fully into his meaning, we shall consider the fear of the Lord,I. As existing in the soul—“Man is born like a wild ass’s colt,” and is as destitute of true wisdom as he. “The fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom;” and then only does wisdom exist in the soul, when the fear of the Lord is implanted in it. But,What do we understand by the fear of the Lord?[This needs not to be stated at any length, because a very few words will suffice to explain it. The fear of the Lord is here put for true religion; even for such religion as manifests itself by a deep humiliation before God, a simple affiance in the Lord Jesus Christ, and an unreserved obedience to his will. This is well understood amongst you, and therefore needs not to be insisted on. You all know that it does not consist in a mere assent to Christianity as true, or a profession of it as the only true

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system: you are fully aware that there is comprehended in it a real surrender of ourselves to God as his redeemed people.]This, when existing in the soul, is true wisdom—[There is no true wisdom where this fear is not; for without this fear, a man views nothing aright, and does nothing aright. Earthly things have in his eyes an importance which does not properly belong to them — — — and heavenly things are in no respect appreciated according to their real worth — — — But when “God has put his fear into our hearts,” our misconceptions are removed, and our mistakes rectified. Sin is no longer that light and venial evil which we before supposed it to be; nor is salvation judged to be of so small consequence, that we can any longer neglect it. The salvation of the soul becomes from that moment the one thing needful; and all the concerns of time are swallowed up in those of eternity — — — This may be accounted folly: yea, it is so accounted by an ignorant and ungodly world: but God declares it to be wisdom; and such it will prove itself to be in the issue — — —]But trace it,II. As operating in the life—In all its bearings, and in all its operations, the fear of the Lord approves itself to be true wisdom. Mark it as operating,1. In the different ages and relations of life—[Of whatever age a person be, whether young or old, the fear of the Lord will dictate to him such a deportment as befits him. And in every relation of life it will exalt his character. Husband or wife, parent or child, master or servant, magistrate or subject, all will know their place; all will fulfil their duties; all will execute their respective offices with care. In nothing will the operation of this principle more clearly appear, than in stimulating every one to discharge with diligence and propriety the duties of his own peculiar calling — — —]2. In the different circumstances in which it may be placed—[Are we in prosperity? this will keep us humble, and watchful against the temptations to which prosperity will expose us. Are we in adversity of any kind? this will support us from fainting and murmuring, on the one hand; and from a contemptuous apathy on the other. It will cause us to acknowledge a divine agency in every thing that occurs: and to make such an improvement of it, as that God may be glorified in all.Of course, I must not be understood to say that the fear of the Lord will enlarge a man’s intellectual powers, any more than it will increase his bodily stature; at least,

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not to such a degree as to divest a man of his natural weakness. A man who is of slender capacity will continue so; and he will be liable to misapprehensions as arising out of that circumstance. A person of a weak mind will betray that weakness in any thing that may engage his attention: and, if it betray itself in his religious deportment, it will be very unjust to ascribe that to religion which proceeds only from his own imbecility, and would equally shew itself in any other occupation or pursuit. But this I will say, that this divine principle will go far to direct him, where his judgment, not so regulated, would err: and that, consequently, he will on the whole excel in wisdom those whose capacity and attainments are in other respects on a level with his own. I will further say, that, in proportion as he advances in true piety, his profiting in wisdom also will appear unto all.]Let us view this principle yet further,III. As completed in a better world—The applause which ungodly men gain from their blind companions is of very short continuance. But that which piety secures will endure for ever.The man who fears the Lord is not without applause in this world—[What if he be derided by some? it is only by those who know not what true wisdom is: and who, if they acted in reference to earthly things as they do in relation to their heavenly concerns, would themselves be regarded by all mankind as fools and idiots. By every man whose good opinion is worth having, the godly man is loved and honoured — — — yea, and God himself also honours him with the richest manifestations of his presence and love — — —]And how is he honoured in the eternal world!—[Thither the angels of God bear him on their wings, exulting in the office assigned to them of ministering unto him. And no sooner is he arrived at the portals of heaven, than he is welcomed by God himself, who, in the presence of all the heavenly host, addresses him, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Behold the crown prepared for him! the throne also made ready for his reception! Behold the kingdom awarded to him as his inheritance, of which he takes possession as an “heir of God, and joint-heir with Christ!” Yes, truly, this is his praise; and will be so when they who here despised him shall “awake to shame and everlasting contempt.” “This praise, too, endureth for ever.” Whilst his once contemptuous enemies are “weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth” in hell, he will be in the full enjoyment of glory and honour and immortality, in the bosom of his God.]Address—1. Those who despise religion—

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[Whence is it that ye despise it? Your contempt of it is altogether founded on your own ignorance and wickedness. “Satan has blinded your eyes,” and hardened your hearts, and is “leading you captive at his will.” And how long, think you, will you retain your present opinions? If God Almighty ever have mercy on your soul, your eyes will be opened to see your folly and impiety: but, if this mercy never be vouchsafed to you, not a minute will intervene between your departure hence and a total change of your views. You will then be perfectly like-minded with those whom you now despise: but who can express the regret which you will then feel at the review of your conduct? But then your regrets will be in vain: your day of grace will have for ever passed away; and you will for ever reap the bitter fruits of your wickedness — — —]2. Those who are afraid of confessing Christ by reason of the contempt which they shall thereby encounter—[It was not thus that your Saviour dealt with you. He knew to what shame and ignominy he should be exposed for you; and yet, “for the joy of saving your souls, he endured the cross and despised the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The same blessed issue is reserved for you also, if you approve yourselves faithful unto him: “If you deny him, he will deny you:” but, if you submit willingly to “suffer with him, you shall also be glorified together [Note: Romans 8:17 and 2 Timothy 2:12.].” Regard not, then, the scoffs of an ungodly world; but “rejoice rather that you are counted worthy to endure them.” But, after all, what is it that you are afraid of? an unkind look? an opprobrious name? or the finger of scorn? Truly you have but little pretence to wisdom, if by such things as these you can be deterred from confessing Him who lived and died for you.]3. Those who by reason of indiscretion “give occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully”—[It is greatly to be lamented that all who profess godliness do not act so wisely as they ought. There are many who, by the extravagance of their notions, or the absurdity of their deportment, cause religion itself to be reproached, and “the way of truth to be evil spoken of.” But I must declare to all such professors, that they incur a fearful responsibility before God; and that for every one who falls over the stumbling-blocks which are thus laid in his way, they must give account in the day of judgment. See to it then, Brethren, that ye “walk in wisdom towards those that are without;” and that instead of giving occasion of offence by any unwise conduct on your part, ye “put to silence the ignorance of foolish men by your well-doing.” Never forget that wisdom is identified with religion. It admits of nothing that is foolish or extravagant in any respect. Prudence, sobriety, soundness of judgment, and true discretion, are inseparable from it: and if we would adorn our profession, or be accepted of our God, we must “walk wisely before him in a perfect way [Note: Psalms 101:2.].”]

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3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

BARNES, "His work is honorable and glorious - literally, “Honour and glory is his work;” that is, All that he does is honorable and glorious. The language would cover all that God does in the works of creation, providence, and redemption. There is honor -there is majesty - in “everything” that he does.

And his righteousness endureth for ever - That is, It will be found in all the investigations of his works, that he is unchangeably righteous or just. All that he has done, or that he now does, goes to demonstrate this. There are doings of people - even of good people - which will not bear investigation; but there are no such acts of God. There are things that people do which excite admiration only when there is no investigation in regard to them; but the works of God are admired the more, the more they are studied. There are things which appear beautiful, or appear sweet only when they are not shaken; a collection of perfumes will give out sweets the more it is stirred.

CLARKE, "His work is honorable, etc. - He has done nothing in nature or grace that does not redound to his own honor and glory; and because all is done in righteousness, it endureth for ever.

GILL, "His work is honourable and glorious,.... Or "honour and glory" (g) itself; there is nothing mean and trifling done by him; nothing unworthy of him in nature, providence, and grace; every work of his serves to display his glory, and set off the greatness of his majesty; the heavens and the earth are full of his glory; and he does all things well and wisely in the government of the world; and whatever he does in a way of grace is for the glory of it, and tends to make his people honourable and glorious, as well as manifests his own glory, and makes for the honour of his own name. And his righteousness endureth for ever; his justice and holiness, which appear in all his ways and works; for there is no unrighteousness in anything done by him, just and true are all his ways; there is a constant tenor of righteousness in them all; his faithfulness in fulfilling every word of promise, in making his words good by his works, is to be seen in all generations; and true evangelical righteousness, the righteousness of Christ, which is so considerable a branch of the work of redemption and salvation, is an everlasting one; it can never be abolished, it will answer for the saints in a time to come.

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JAMISON 3-4, "honourable and glorious — literally, “honor and majesty,” which illustrate His glorious perfections.

righteousness — (Psa_7:17; Psa_31:1), which He has made memorable by wonders of love and mercy, in supplying the wants of His people according to covenant engagements.

CALVIN, "3His work is beautiful Others render it splendor. The meaning of the clause is this, That every act of God is replete with glorious majesty. In the following part of the verse he specifies more clearly in what this beauty and magnificence consist, by stating that the justice of God is everywhere conspicuous. It is not the design of God to furnish us with such a display of his power and sovereignty in his works, as might only fill our minds with terror, but he also gives us a display of his justice in a manner so inviting as to captivate our hearts. This commendation of the works and ways of God is introduced in opposition to the clamor and calumny of the ungodly, by which they impiously endeavor, to the utmost extent of their power, to disfigure and deface the glory of the works of God. In the next verse, he more especially extols the wonderful works in which God has principally set forth his power. To cause his marvellous works to be remembered, is equivalent to the doing of works worthy of being remembered, or the renown of which shall continue for ever. (338) And having above called upon us to contemplate his justice, now, in like manner, and almost in like terms, he celebrates the grace and mercy of God, principally in relation to his works, because that justice which he displays in the preservation and protection of his people, issues from the source of his unmerited favor which he bears towards them.SPURGEON, "Ver. 3. His work is honourable and glorious. His one special work, the salvation of his people, is here mentioned as distinguished from his many other works. This reflects honour and glory upon him. It is deservedly the theme of the highest praise, and compels those who understand it and experience it to ascribe all honour and glory unto the Lord. Its conception, its sure foundations, its gracious purpose, its wise arrangements, its gift of Jesus as Redeemer, its application of redemption by the Holy Ghost in regeneration and sanctification, and all else which make up the one glorious whole, all redound to the infinite honour of Him who contrived and carried out so astounding a method of salvation. No other work can be compared with it: it honours both the Saviour and the saved, and while it brings glory to God it also brings us to glory. There is none like the God of Jeshurun, and there is no salvation like that which he has wrought for his people.And his righteousness endureth for ever. In the work of grace righteousness is not forgotten, nor deprived of its glory; rather, it is honoured in the eyes of the intelligent universe. The bearing of guilt by our great Substitute proved that not even to effect the purposes of his grace would the Lord forget his righteousness; no future strain upon his justice can ever be equal to that which it has already sustained in the bruising of his dear Son; it must henceforth assuredly endure for

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ever. Moreover, the righteousness of God in the whole plan can never now be suspected of failure, for all that it requires is already performed, its demands are satisfied by the double deed of our Lord in enduring the vengeance due, and in rendering perfect obedience to the law. Caprice does not enter into the government of the Lord, the rectitude of it is and must for ever be beyond all question. In no single deed of God can unrighteousness be found, nor shall there ever be: this is the very glory of his work, and even its adversaries cannot gainsay it. Let believers, therefore, praise him evermore, and never blush to speak of that work which is so honourable and glorious.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 3. His work is honourable and glorious. The first thing that we notice is, that whereas the preceding verse spoke of the Lord's "works" in the plural number, this speaks of his "work" in the singular number; it would seem as if the psalmist, from the contemplation of the works of the Lord in general, was, as it were, irresistibly drawn away to the study of one work in particular; his mind and whole attention, so to speak, absorbed in that one work: a work so preeminently glorious and divine, that it eclipses, at least in his eyes, all the other works, although he has just said of them that they are great, and sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. "The works of the Lord are great. His work is honourable and glorious." My next remark is, that the words used in the original are different, and as the former more strictly signifies makings, or things made, so the word in this verse more properly imports a doing or a thing done, and this, perhaps, is not without its significance. It leads me to the inference, that from the contemplation of the great works of creation, God's makings, wonderful, and interesting, and useful as they are, the spiritual mind of God's servant rapidly passes to some greater deed which the Lord hath done, some more marvellous act which he has accomplished, and which he designates as an honourable and a glorious deed. Now, since I consider that he spoke before of Christ, as the visible and immediate agent in creation, without whom was not anything made that was made, can we hesitate long as to this greater work, the rather as to it is immediately subjoined the suggestive sentence, And his righteousness endureth for ever. Is not this doing, the making an end of sin, and the bringing in of an everlasting righteousness? Is it not the great mystery, in which, as in creation, though the Eternal Father is the Fountain source, the Original Contriver, He, the coeternal Son, is the Doer, the Worker? Is it not, in short, salvation, the all absorbing subject of God's people's wonder, love, and praise? —James H. Vidal, in "Jesus, God and Man, "1863.BENSON, "Verse 3-4Psalms 111:3-4. His work — Either all his works, or that eminent branch of them, his providence toward his people, as is expressed afterward; is honourable and glorious — Becoming the Divine Majesty, and bringing glory to him from all that observe and consider it. And his righteousness — His justice or faithfulness in performing his word; endureth for ever —

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Hath always been, and will still be, evident to his people in all generations, and in all conditions, even when he afflicts them, and seems to deal most severely, and to break his promise with them. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered — Either, 1st, By those memorials which he hath left of them in his word; or, rather, 2d, By their own wonderful nature, and their lasting effects, and the benefits flowing from them, which are such as cannot easily be forgotten. The Lord is full of compassion — Toward his people, as appears from his works and conduct toward us, in sparing, pardoning, restoring, and preserving us, when we deserved to be utterly destroyed.COKE, "Psalms 111:3. His work is honourable and glorious— This and the following verses seem to refer to those glorious manifestations of God's power in Egypt; to the passover, which was a gracious memorial of his favour to his people when he slew the Egyptians; to his miraculous provision for them in the wilderness, and to his settling them in their inheritance in Canaan.WHEDON, " 3. Honourable and glorious—Two words of nearly the same import, often occurring together and applied to God and to kings, as Psalms 21:5; Psalms 45:3; Psalms 96:6; Psalms 104:1, where they express whatever is excellent in quality or grand in appearance, associated with royal dignity. The works of God rank with his own eternal nature, and fitly show forth his character and will, and man’s only path to honour, immortality, and eternal life. Psalms 19; Psalms 145:10MACLAREN, "GOD AND THE GODLYPsalms 111:3; Psalms 112:3.These two psalms are obviously intended as a pair. They are identical in number of verses and in structure, both being acrostic, that is to say, the first clause of each commences with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second clause with the second, and so on. The general idea that runs through them is the likeness of the godly man to God. That resemblance comes very markedly to the surface at several points in the psalms, and pervades them traceably even where it is less conspicuous. The two corresponding clauses which I have read as my text are the first salient instances of it. But I propose to deal not only with them, but with a couple of others which occur in the course of the psalms, and will appear as I proceed.The general underlying thought is a noteworthy one. The worshipper is to be like his God. So it is in idolatry; so it should be with us. Worship is, or should be, adoration of and yearning after the highest conceivable good. Such an attitude must necessarily lead to imitation, and be crowned by resemblance. Love makes like, and they who worship God are bound to, and certainly will, in proportion to the ardour and sincerity of their devotion, grow like Him whom they adore. So I desire to look with you at the instances of this resemblance or parallelism which the Psalmist emphasises.

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I. The first of them is that in the clauses which I have read as our starting-point, viz. God and the godly are alike in enduring righteousness.That seems a bold thing to say, especially when we remember how lofty and transcendent were the Old Testament conceptions of the righteousness of God. But, lofty as these were, this Psalmist lifts an unpresumptuous eye to the heavens, and having said of Him who dwells there, ‘His righteousness endureth for ever,’ is not afraid to turn to the humble worshipper on this low earth, and declare the same thing of him. Our finite, frail, feeble lives may be really conformed to the image of the heavenly. The dewdrop with its little rainbow has a miniature of the great arch that spans the earth and rises into the high heavens. And so, though there are differences, deep and impassable, between anything that can be called creatural righteousness, and that which bears the same name in the heavens, the fact that it does bear the same name is a guarantee to us that there is an essential resemblance between the righteousness of God in its lustrous perfectness, and the righteousness of His child in its imperfect effort.But how can we venture to run any kind of parallelism between the eternity of the one and that of the other? God’s righteousness we can understand as enduring for ever, because it is inseparable from His very being; because it is manifested unbrokenly in all the works that for ever pour out from that central Source, and because it and its doings stand fast and unshaken amidst the passage of ages, and the ‘wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.’ But may there not be, if not an eternity, yet a perpetuity, in our reflection of the divine righteousness which shall serve to vindicate the application of the same mighty word to both? Is it not possible that, unbroken amidst the stress of temptation, and running on without interruptions, there may be in our hearts and in our lives conformity to the divine will? And is it not possible that the transiencies of our earthly doings may be sublimed into perpetuity if there is in them the preserving salt of righteousness?‘The actions of the justSmell sweet, and blossom in the dust.’And may it not be, too, that though this Psalmist may have had no clear articulate doctrine of eternal life beyond, he may have felt, and rightly felt, that there were things that were too fair to die, and that it was inconceivable that a soul which had been, in some measure, tinged with the righteousness of God could ever be altogether a prey to the law of transiency and decay which seizes upon things material and corporeal? That which is righteous is eternal, be it manifested in the acts of the unchanging God or in the acts of a dying man, and when all else has passed away, and the elements have melted with fervent heat, ‘he that doeth the will of God,’ and the deeds which did it, ‘shall abide for ever.’ ‘His righteousness endureth for ever.’

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Now, brethren! there are two ways in which we may look at this parallelism of our text: the one is as containing a stringent requirement; the other as holding forth a mighty hope. It contains a stringent requirement. Our religion does not consist in assenting to any creed. Our religion is not wholly to consist of devout emotions and loving and joyous acts of communion and friendship with God. There must be more than these; these things there must be. For if a man is to be guided mainly by reason, there must, first of all, be creed; then there must be corresponding emotions. But creed and emotions are both meant to be forces which shall drive the wheels of life, and conduct is, after all, the crown of religion and the test of godliness. They that hold communion with God are bound to mould their lives into the likeness of His. ‘Little children, let no man deceive you,’ and let not your own hearts deceive you. You are not a Christian because you believe the truths of the Gospel. You are not such a Christian as you ought to be, if your religion is more manifest in loving trust than in practical obedience which comes from trust. ‘He that doeth righteousness is righteous,’ and he is to be righteous ‘even as He is righteous.’ If you are God’s, you will be like God. Apply the touchstone to your lives, and test your Christianity by this simple and most stringent test.But again, we may look at the thought as holding forth a great hope. I do not wish to force upon Old Testament writers New Testament truth. It would be an anachronism and an absurdity to make this Psalmist responsible for anything like a clear evangelistic statement of the way by which a man may be made righteous. That waited for coming days, and eminently for Jesus Christ. But it would be quite as great a mistake to eviscerate the words of their plain implications. And when they put side by side the light and the reflection, God and the godly, it seems to me to be doing violence to their meaning for the sake of trying to make them mean less than they do, if we refuse to recognise that they have at any rate an inkling of the thought that the Original and Pattern of human righteousness was likewise the Source of it. This at least is plain, that the Psalmist thought that ‘the fear of the Lord’ was not only, as he calls it at the close of the former of the two psalms, ‘the beginning of wisdom,’ but also the basis of goodness, for he begins his description of the godly with it.I believe that he felt, what is assuredly true, that no man, by his own unaided effort, can ever work out for himself a righteousness which will satisfy his own conscience, and that he must, first of all, be in touch with God, in order to receive from Him that which he cannot create. Ah, brethren! the ‘fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of saints,’ is woven in no earthly looms; and the lustrous light with which it glistens is such as ‘no fuller on earth can white’ men’s characters into. Another Psalmist has sung of the man who can stand in the holy place, ‘He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, even righteousness from the God of his salvation,’ and our psalms hint, if they do not articulately declare, how that reception is possible for us, when they set forth waiting upon God as the condition of being made like Him. We translate the Psalmist’s feeling after the higher truth which we know, when we desire ‘that we may be found in Him, not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is of God by faith.’ So much, then,

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for the first point of correspondence in these two psalms.II. God and the godly are alike in gracious compassion.If you will turn to the two psalms for a moment, and look at the last clauses of the two fourth verses, you will see how that thought is brought out. In the former psalm we read, ‘The Lord is gracious and full of compassion’: in the latter we find, ‘he’ {the upright man} ‘is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous.’I need not trouble you with any remarks about certain difficulties that lie in the rendering of that latter verse. Suffice it to say that they are such as to make more emphatic the intentional resemblance between the godly as there described, and God as described in the previous one. Of both it is said ‘gracious and full of compassion.’Now that great truth of which I have been speaking, the divine righteousness, is like white Alpine snow, sublime, but cold, awful and repellent, when taken by itself. Our hearts need something more than a righteous God if we are ever to worship and draw near. Just as the white snow on the high peak needs to be flushed with the roseate hue of the morning before it can become tender, and create longings, so the righteousness of the great white Throne has to be tinged with the ruddy heart-hue of gracious compassion if men are to be moved to adore and to love. Each enhances the other. ‘What God hath joined together,’ in Himself, ‘let not man put asunder’; nor talk about the stern Deity of the Old Testament, and pit Him against the compassionate Father of the New. He is righteous, but the proclaimers of His righteousness in old days never forgot to blend with the righteousness the mercy; and the combination heightens the lustre of both attributes.The same combination is absolutely needful in the copy, as is emphatically set forth in our text by the addition of ‘and righteous,’ in the case of the man. For whilst with God the tyro attributes do lie, side by side, in perfect harmony, in us men there is always danger that the one shall trench upon the territory of the other, and that he who has cultivated the habit of looking upon sorrows and sins with compassion and tenderness shall somewhat lose the power of looking at them with righteousness. So our text, in regard to man, proclaims more emphatically than it needs to do in regard to the perfect God, that ever his highest beauty of compassion must be wedded to righteousness, and ever his truest strength of righteousness must be softened with compassion.But beyond that, note how, wherever there is the loving and childlike contemplation of God, there will be an analogy in our compassion, to His perfectness. We are transformed by beholding. The sun strikes a poor little pane of glass in a cottage miles away, and it flashes with some likeness of the sun and casts a light across the plain. The man whose face is turned Godwards will have beauty pass into his face, and all that look upon him will see ‘as it had been the countenance of an angel.’

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If we have, in any real and deep measure, received mercy we shall reflect mercy. Remember the parable of the unmerciful debtor. The servant that cast himself at his lord’s feet, and got the acquittal of his debt, and went out and gripped his fellow-servant by the throat, leaving the marks of his fingernails on his windpipe, with his ‘Pay me that thou owest!’ had all the pardon cancelled, and all the debt laid upon his shoulders again. If we owe all our hope and peace to a forgiving God, how can we make anything else the law of our lives than that, having received mercy, we should show mercy? The test of your being a forgiven man is your forgivingness. There is no getting away from that plain principle, which modifies the declaration of the freedom of God’s full pardon.But I would have you notice, further, as a very remarkable illustration of this correspondence between the gracious and compassionate Lord and His servant, that in the verses which follow respectively the two about which I am now speaking, the same idea is wrought out in another shape. In the psalm dealing with the divine character and works we read, immediately after the declaration that He is ‘gracious and full of compassion,’ this-’He hath given meat to them that fear Him’; and the corresponding clause in the second of our psalms is followed by this-to translate accurately-’It is well with the man who showeth favour and lendeth.’ So man’s open-handedness in regard to money is put down side by side with God’s open-handedness in regard to giving meat unto them that fear Him. And again, in the ninth verse of each psalm, we have the same thought set forth in another fashion. ‘He sent redemption unto His people,’ says the one; ‘He hath dispersed, He hath given to the poor,’ says the other. That is to say, our paltry giving may be paralleled with the unspeakable gifts which God has bestowed, if they come from a love which is like His. It does not matter though they are so small and His are so great; there is a resemblance. The tiniest crystal may be like the hugest. God gives to us the possession of things in order that we may enjoy the luxury, which is one of the elements in the blessedness of the blessed God, who is blessed because He is the giving God, the luxury of giving. Poor though our bestowments must be, they are not unlike His. The little burn amongst the heather carves its tiny bed, and impels its baby ripples by the same laws which roll the waters of the Amazon, and every fall that it makes over a shelf of rock a foot high is a miniature Niagara.III. So, lastly, we have still another point, not so much of resemblance as of correspondence, in the firmness of God’s utterances and of the godly heart.In the first of our two psalms we read, in the seventh verse, ‘All His commandments are sure.’ In the second we read, in the corresponding verse, ‘his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.’ The former psalm goes on, ‘His commandments stand fast for ever and ever; and the next psalm, in the corresponding verse, says ‘his heart is established,’ the original employing the same word in both cases, which in our version is rendered, in the one place, ‘stand fast,’ and in the other ‘established.’ So that the Psalmist is thinking of a correspondence between the stability of God’s utterances and the stability of the heart that clasps them in faith.

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His commandments are not only precepts which enjoin duty. All which God says is law, whether it be directly in the nature of guiding precept, or whether it be in the nature of revealing truth, or whether it be in the nature of promise. It is sure, reliable, utterly trustworthy. We may be certain that it will direct us aright, that it will reveal to us absolute truth, that it will hold forth no flattering and false promises. And it is ‘established.’ The one fixed point amidst the whirl of things is the uttered will of God.Therefore, the heart that builds there builds safely. And there should be a correspondence, whether there is or no, between the faithfulness of the Speaker and the faith of the hearer. A man who is doubtful about the solidity of the parapet which keeps him from toppling over into the abyss will lean gingerly upon it, until he has found out that it is firm. The man that knows how strong is the stay on which he rests ought to lean hard upon it. Lean hard upon God, put all your weight upon Him. You cannot put too much, you cannot lean too hard. The harder the better; the better He is pleased, and the more He breathes support and strength into us. And, brethren! if thus we build an established faith on that sure foundation, and match the unchangeableness of God in Christ with the constancy of our faith in Him, then, ‘He that believeth shall never make haste,’ and as my psalm says, ‘He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.’The upshot of the whole matter is-we cannot work out for ourselves a righteousness that will satisfy our own consciences, nor secure for ourselves a strength that will give peace to our hearts, and stability to our lives, by any other means than by cleaving fast to God revealed in Jesus Christ.We have borne the image of the earthly long enough; let us open our hearts to God in Christ. Let us yield ourselves to Him; let us gaze upon Him with fixed eyes of love, and labour to make our own what He bestows upon us. Thus living near Him, we shall be bathed in His light, and show forth something of His beauty. Godliness is God-likeness. It is of no use to say that we are God’s children if we have none of the family likeness. ‘If ye were Abraham’s sons ye would do the works of Abraham,’ said Christ to the Jews. If we are God’s sons we shall do the works of God. ‘Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect;’ be ye merciful as your Father is merciful. And if thus we here, dwelling with Christ, are being conformed to the image of His Son, we shall one day ‘be satisfied’ when we ‘awake in His likeness.’PULPIT, "Psa_111:3His work is honorable and glorious; literally, honor and glory; but our translators have rightly paraphrased. And his righteousness endureth forever; i.e. his just and righteous dealing with all his creatures.

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4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

BARNES, "He hath made his wonderful works - In heaven and in earth.To be remembered - literally, “Memory hath he made for his wonderful works.” “They” are so made, that man may remember them; the memory of man, also, is so made, that it may retain them. The highest and most appropriate exercise of memory is to retain the lessons which the works of God inculcate; to treasure up for gratitude and for use what he teaches his intelligent creation through those works. Memory can never be better employed than in treasuring up the truths which the Creator teaches in his providential dealings with us, and in his word. How much better would it be for man if he labored more to “remember” these things; if he sought to forget many of those things which he is so careful now to retain in his recollection.The Lord is gracious ... - See the notes at Psa_86:5. This is stated here as the result of the careful study of the doings of God; as the conclusion to which all will come who carefully study his works. “Illustrations” of what God has done that deserves to be remembered occupy the remainder of the psalm, except the last verse.

CLARKE, "He hath made his wonderful works - He who seeks them out will never forget them; and every thing of God’s framing is done in such a way, as to strike the imagination, interest the senses, and charm and edify the intellect. But the psalmist may here intend principally the works of God in behalf of the Jewish people; and particularly in their deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, which this Psalm is supposed to celebrate.

GILL, "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered,.... All his works are marvellous ones; his works of creation, that they should rise out of nothing at a word of command; his works of providence, which have such a depth of wisdom and knowledge in them, are unsearchable and past finding out; and his works of redemption and grace; and these are so wrought by him, and such methods taken to continue the memory of them, that they cannot well be forgotten: all things in nature are as they were from the beginning; the sun, moon, and stars, keep their course and station; cold and heat, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, are as they always were; remarkable providences have been carefully recorded, and memorials of them handed down to posterity. The deliverance of Israel out of Egypt was annually remembered in the passover; the feeding of them with manna in the wilderness was caused to be remembered by a pot of manna preserved in the tabernacle and temple; and the great work of our redemption by Christ is brought to remembrance in the ordinance of the

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Lord's supper, appointed for that purpose. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; so he was in eternity, and is in time; this appears in all his works, and especially in our salvation by Jesus Christ; see Psa_86:5.

SPURGEON, "Ver. 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. He meant them to remain in the recollection of his people, and they do so: partly because they are in themselves memorable, and because also he has taken care to record them by the pen of inspiration, and has written them upon the hearts of his people by his Holy Spirit. By the ordinances of the Mosaic law, the coming out of Egypt, the sojourn in the wilderness, and other memorabilia of Israel's history were constantly brought before the minds of the people, and their children were by such means instructed in the wonders which God had wrought in old time. Deeds such as God has wrought are not to be admired for an hour and then forgotten, they are meant to be perpetual signs and instructive tokens to all coming generations; and especially are they designed to confirm the faith of his people in the divine love, and to make them know thatthe Lord is gracious and full of compassion. They need not fear to trust his grace for the future, for they remember it in the past. Grace is as conspicuous as righteousness in the great work of God, yea, a fulness of tender love is seen in all that he has done. He treats his people with great consideration for their weakness and infirmity; having the same pity for them as a father hath towards his children. Should we not praise him for this? A silver thread of lovingkindness runs through the entire fabric of God's work of salvation and providence, and never once is it left out in the whole piece. Let the memories of his saints bear witness to this fact with grateful joy.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. The memorials of the Divine benefits are always valued greatly by a grateful heart, as making present with us the things which transpired ages before: such under the Old Testament was the sacrament of the paschal Lamb; but now the sacred Supper under the New Testament. Therefore, whatever recalls the Divine works to the memory, e.g. the ministry of the church, also the Sacred Scriptures, are worthy of the highest reverence. —Martin Geier.Ver. 4. The sweet spices of divine works must be beaten to powder by meditation, and then laid up in the cabinet of our memories. Therefore, says the psalmist here, God hath made his wonderful works to be remembered; he gives us the jewels of deliverance, not (because of the commonness of them) to wear them on our shoes, as the Romans did their pearls; much less to tread them under our feet; but rather to tie them as a chain about our necks. The impression of God's marvellous acts upon

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us must not be like that which the stone makes in the water, raising circles, beating one wave on another, and for a time making a noise, but soon after it sinks down, and the water returneth to its former smoothness; and so we, while judgment is fresh, are apt to publish it from man to man, but soon after we let it sink into the depth of oblivion, and we return to our old sins. —Abraham Wright.Ver. 4. Made his wonderful works to be remembered. The most amazing perverseness in man is proven by the fact that he does not remember what God has so arranged that it would seem impossible that it should be forgotten. —William S. Plumer.Ver. 4.For wonderful indeed are all his works,Pleasant to know and worthiest to be allHad in remembrance always with delight. —John Milton. COFFMAN, "Verse 4"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:Jehovah is gracious and merciful.He hath given food to them that fear him:He will ever be mindful of his covenant.He hath showed his people the power of his works,In giving them the heritage of the nations.""Wonderful works" (Psalms 111:4). We agree with Miller that both here and in Psalms 111:9, below, "There is a reference to the exodus."[10] Delitzsch noted that, "Here there are glances back at the deliverance from Egypt."[11]"He hath given food for them that fear him ... mindful of his covenant" (Psalms 111:5). Just as Psalms 111:4 speaks of the "remembrance" of God's mighty works in Egypt (etc.), this verse stresses the "bread of that remembrance," the feast of unleavened bread and the Passover. "Even from the times of Theodoret and Augustine, the thought of the Eucharist has been connected with this Psalms 111:5; consequently, this psalm has become the psalm of the church at the celebration of the Lord's Supper."[12] The "church" referred to here by Delitzsch is the historical church.

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"In giving them the heritage of the nations" (Psalms 111:6). "Probably the writer refers to the conquest by Joshua."[13] We consider the reference as certain instead of `probable.' The conquest of Canaan is the only time known when God gave to Israel the "heritage of the nations."CONSTABLE, "Verses 4-92. Praise for specific works111:4-9Psalm 111:4 states the theme of this section. God graciously helped His people, and consequently they remember to praise Him. Psalm 111:5-6 cite examples of God"s goodness. In Psalm 111:7-9, the writer praised God further for His redemption and His faithfulness.EXPOSITOR'S DICTIONARY, "Heavenly Light in Earthly DarknessPsalm 111:4Everywhere the blessing is given on conditions. Men fail to receive because they refuse to meet the conditions laid down. Even grace can enter only the open heart and a free salvation can be gripped only by faith.I. The man who in the text is promised light is the upright. He dares stand on his feet, does not cringe to the great, nor apologize to the foolish. With a clear conscience he can look the whole world in the face. He is upright. He does the right thing at any cost. We must admit that the hard and sometimes harsh theology of our fathers made strong men. I am afraid the softer theology of today has a tendency to make a race of weaklings. There seems to be nothing worth contending for. Even among Christians we have too much moral flabbiness and too little grit. True manliness is not all strength, but strength blended with grace. The good man is not only brave, but is also a gentleman.II. Man"s pain is never in vain. His sufferings are never for nothing. Prayer of Manasseh , to be Prayer of Manasseh , must struggle, fight, and conquer. He must struggle on to even keep what he has, and if he wants more he can have it only in the sweat of his face. His very dinner is a victory over many opposing forces. His clothing is won in battle. The house in which he dwells is a conquest. All progress is through war and sacrifice. Those who oppose us teach us. A world without pain, without a trial, without a sorrow, would be a world without a hero, without a saint, without a martyr.III. Nothing succeeds like failure. On noblest natures failure acts like a spur to greater efforts. Men are stung to victories. Out of failures they are made conquerors. For the upright there is light in the darkness itself. We sometimes think progress is slow and evil is strong, but amidst all the strifes and fightings we hear the voice of the all-conquering Christ saying: "Lo, I come". He is winning His

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kingdom, the kingdom of love and truth. He will not fail us nor fail any who trust Him. In this confidence let us face the future. The Lord"s servants are not fighting a losing battle, for the battle is the Lord"s, and our defeat would be His too. Our victory will be His also.—W. J. Evans, Homiletic Review, vol. LVI. p386.Psalm 111:4Speaking of the Irish problem in1868 , John Bright observed: "It is a dark and heavy cloud, and its darkness extends over the feelings of men in all parts of the British Empire. But there is a consolation which we may all take to ourselves. An inspired king and bard and prophet has left us words which are not only the expression of a fact, but which we may take as the utterance of a prophecy. He says, "To the upright there ariseth light in the darkness". Let us try in this matter to be upright. Let us try to be just. That cloud will be dispelled."PULPIT, "Psa_111:4He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered; literally, a memorial hath he made for his wonders; i.e. he has so done them that they cannot cease to be had in remembrance. Memorial institutions, like the Passover, are scarcely glanced at. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; or, "compassionate" (comp. Psa_103:13).

5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

BARNES, "He hath given meat unto them that fear him - Margin, “prey.” The idea is, that he has supplied their needs. The Hebrew word is, “prey,” and the allusion is to the mode in which the needs of the beasts of the field are supplied. The meaning may be that they had obtained this from their enemies, as beasts of prey take their food by making war; or the word may be used in a general sense, as meaning that God had supplied their needs.

He will ever be mindful of his covenant - He will never leave or forsake his people; he will be faithful to all the promises that he has made to them.

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CLARKE, "He hath given meat - tereph, Prey. This may allude to the quails טרףin the wilderness. The word signifies what is taken in hunting - wild beasts, venison, or fowls of any kind; particularly such as were proper for food. It also signifies spoil taken from enemies. And he may also refer to the wondrous manner in which they were fed and supported during their captivity; and by his support he proved that he was mindful of his covenant. He had promised such blessings; he was faithful to his promises.

GILL, "He hath given meat to them that fear him,.... Or a "prey" (h), alluding to the spoil of the Egyptians; or to the manna; corporeal food, daily bread, which they that fear him shall not want, Psa_34:9 spiritual meat, such that endures for ever; the flesh of Christ, which is meat indeed; the word and ordinances, in which are milk for babes, and meat for strong men; savoury meat does God give his people, such as their souls love, and the world knows nothing of; all is given, and freely given, and in plenty. He will ever be mindful of his covenant; made with Abraham, and that at Sinai; and especially which he made with his people in Christ before the world was; and which is the ground and foundation of all his works of grace and redemption, and the reason why he gives food unto them; he never forgets that, his promises in it, nor the blessings of it, nor the people for whom they are made and provided, nor his love unto them; he is a covenant keeping God. CALVIN, "5He hath given a portion to them that fear him The Church being a mirror of the grace and justice of God, what the prophet said respecting them is here expressly applied to her; not that he designs to treat of the justice of God, in general, but only of that which he peculiarly displays towards his own people. Hence he adds, that God’s care of his people is such as to lead him to make ample provision for the supply of all their wants. The word טרף, tereph, which we have translated portion, is frequently taken for a prey: (339) others render it meat; but I rather choose to render it portion, in which sense it is taken in Proverbs 30:8, and Proverbs 31:15; as if he should say, that God had given his people all that was needful, and that, considered as a portion, it was large and liberal; for we know that the people of Israel were enriched, not in consequence of their own industry, but by the blessing of God, who, like the father of a family, bestows upon his household every thing necessary for their subsistence. In the following clause of the verse, he assigns as the reason for his care and kindness, his desire of effectually demonstrating that his covenant was not null and void. And here it must be carefully observed, that if, in former times, and from a respect to his gracious covenant, he manifested so great kindness towards the people of Israel, in like manner, the goodness which we receive from him is the result of our adoption into his family; and because God is never weary in showing kindness to his people, he says that the remembrance of his covenant shall never be effaced. Moreover, as he daily and constantly loads us with his benefits, so our faith must, in some measure, correspond with it: it must not fail, but must rise above life and death.

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The next verse is subjoined, by way of exposition, for the purpose of showing that God, in bestowing upon his people the heritage of the heathen, had manifested to them the power of his works. He does indeed employ the term show, but he means a true showing; because the possession of the Holy Land was not acquired by mere human power, but it was given to them by Divine power, and through the working of many miracles; and thus God, as it were, openly testified to the descendants of Abraham with what incomparable power he is invested. It is on this account that he sets up the people of Israel as a match for so many other nations, who would assuredly never have vanquished so many enemies, unless they had been sustained from on high. SPURGEON, "Ver. 5. He hath given meat unto them that fear him. Or spoil, as some read it, for the Lord's people both in coming out of Egypt and at other times have been enriched from their enemies. Not only in the wilderness with manna, but everywhere else by his providence he has supplied the necessities of his believing people. Somewhere or other they have had food convenient for them, and that in times of great scarcity. As for spiritual meat, that has been plentifully furnished them in Christ Jesus; they have been fed with the finest of the wheat, and made to feast on royal dainties. His word is as nourishing to the soul as bread to the body, and there is such an abundance of it that no heir of heaven shall ever be famished. Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, since it secures to a man the supply of all that he needs for soul and body.He will ever be mindful of his covenant. He could not let his people lack meat because he was in covenant with them, and they can never want in the future, for he will continue to act upon the terms of that covenant. No promise of the Lord shall fall to the ground, nor will any part of the great compact of eternal love be revoked or allowed to sink into oblivion. The covenant of grace is the plan of the great work which the Lord works out for his people, and it will never be departed from: the Lord has set his hand and seal to it, his glory and honour are involved in it, yea, his very name hangs upon it, and he will not even in the least jot or tittle cease to be mindful of it. Of this the feeding of his people is the pledge: he would not so continually supply their needs if he meant after all to destroy them. Upon this most blessed earnest let us settle our minds; let us rest in the faithfulness of the Lord, and praise him with all our hearts every time that we eat bread or feed upon his word.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 5. The first hemistich is the consequence of what is stated in the second, i.e., because God remembered his covenant, therefore he gave food to them who fear him. —George Phillips.Ver. 5. He hath given meat, etc. The meat here mentioned is supposed to respect the paschal lamb, when they were to remember the works of God. —Thomas Manton.Ver. 5. Meat. Literally, booty or spoil:the spoil (Exodus 12:36) brought by Israel out

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of Egypt, as God had engaged by covenant to Abraham, Genesis 15:14, They shall come out with great substance(Kimchi). Rather the manna and quails, which to the hungry people were like a booty thrown in their way. The word is used for "meat" in general, in Proverbs 31:15; Malachi 3:10. —A. R. Fausset.Ver. 5. He hath given meat. I rather choose to render it portion, in which sense it is taken in Pr 30:8 31:15; as if he should say, that God has given his people all that was needful, and that, considered as a portion, it was large and liberal; for we know that the people of Israel were enriched, not in consequence of their own industry, but by the blessing of God, who, like the father of a family, bestows upon his household everything necessary for their subsistence. In the following clause of the verse, he assigns as the reason for his care and kindness his desire of effectually demonstrating that his covenant was not null and void. —John Calvin.Ver. 5. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. This clause would seem to be introduced parenthetically—a passing thought, a happy thought, presenting itself spontaneously to the psalmist's mind, and immediately expressed with his lips. It will be observed it is in the future tense, while all the other clauses are in the past—"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered"; "He hath given meat unto them that fear him"; "He will ever be mindful of his covenant"; not he hath ever been. Dwelling on these past favours of God to Israel, it is his joy to think that they were but partial fulfilments of a covenant promise, which still remained, and in its highest sense should remain for ever; and that covenant itself the memorial or type of the better, the spiritual covenant, the gospel. So out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh, and he celebrates God's promised truth to Israel as the memorial and pledge of his eternal faithfulness to the New Testament Israel, his blood ransomed church. —James H. Vidal.BENSON, "Verse 5-6Psalms 111:5-6. He hath given meat — All necessary provisions for their being and well-being; unto them that fear him — To the Israelites, the only people in the world that feared and worshipped the true God according to his will, and especially to those among them that truly feared him, and, for their sakes, to the body of that nation, as well in the wilderness as in their following straits and miseries. He will ever be — Or, he hath ever been, mindful of his covenant — Which he made with Abraham, and with his seed for ever; whereby he engaged to be their God, and to provide all necessaries for them. He hath showed — Not only by his words, but by his actions; the power of his works — His mighty power in his works, and especially, as it here follows, in giving them the heritage of the heathen, the land of Canaan, which had been possessed and inherited by the heathen.ELLICOTT, " (5) He hath given.—Better, He gave.Meat.—The word often means “prey,” from its being torn as by a wild beast, but it is used in Proverbs 31:15, Malachi 3:10, in the simple sense of food. (Comp. also the

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verb, Proverbs 30:8.) There need not therefore be any allusion to the spoils taken in the Canaanitish wars, though the next verse makes this exceedingly probable. (See Sir G. Grove’s remarks; article “Meat” in Smith’s Bible Dictionary.)WHEDON, "5. He hath given meat—The word “meat” commonly signifies prey, booty, but should here be understood of ordinary food, as in Proverbs 31:15; Malachi 3:10. The passage is parallel to Psalms 34:9. The first hemistich is the fruit and evidence of the truth of the second. Because he is mindful of his covenant, therefore he giveth food to those who fear him. The language indicates that the people had recently emerged from want and penury to plentifulness. See on Psalms 107:4-7. The sustentation of an overburdened population in Palestine (commonly estimated at 6,000,000 in prosperous times, within an area of about 12,000 square miles, or about one third of that of the State of New York,) was always a wonder, and called forth many specific laws and humane customs.PULPIT, "Psa_111:5He hath given meat unto them that fear him. The manna may be primarily in the writer’s mind, but he is also thinking of the "food given to all flesh" (Psa_136:25) continually. He will ever be mindful of his covenant. The covenant with Abraham, made "to a thousand generations" (Psa_105:8).

6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

BARNES, "He hath showed his people - The Jewish people. He has made this known to them. The reference here is not to his “announcing” it, or stating it, but to his acts of interposition in their behalf in which he had manifested the greatness of his power.The power of his works - The power of his acts; the power involved in what he does. The power referred to here was that which was evinced in destroying the Egyptians, and in subduing the nations of Canaan.

That he may give them the heritage of the heathen - The nations; to wit, the nations of Palestine. The word “heritage” is often used in the large sense of possessions; and the meaning here is, that God had shown the greatness of his power by giving all that they possessed into the hands of his people.

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CLARKE, "The power of his works - They have seen that these things did not arrive in the common course of nature, it was not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts they were done. And it required a display of the power of God to give them the heritage of the heathen.

GILL, "He hath showed his people the power of his works,.... Or his works of power, his mighty works, in which his great power was shown; as to the people of Israel in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, and in bringing them to and settling them in the land of Canaan; these he showed to them in fact, they saw them with their eyes; and he showed or declared them to them in prophecy, before they came to pass, as Kimchi observes, that it might not be said they came by chance. So he hath showed his works of power to his people in Gospel times, as the miracles of Christ, his resurrection from the dead, redemption by him, and the work of grace on the hearts of men in all ages. That he may give them the heritage of the Heathen; the Lord did the above works of his power for the people of Israel, that he might put them into the possession of the land of Canaan, inherited by Heathens; that it might become their inheritance, and they might enjoy their houses, vineyards, and fields; and he wrought powerfully through the ministration of the Gospel, by his Spirit and grace, upon the hearts of men in the Gentile world; that the Christian church might possess the dominions of it, as it did in the times of Constantine and of others, and as it will more largely in the latter day; see Psa_2:8.

HENRY 6-10, "We are here taught to give glory to God,I. For the great things he has done for his people, for his people Israel, of old and of late: He has shown his people the power of his works (Psa_111:6), in what he has wrought for them; many a time he has given proofs of his omnipotence, and shown them what he can do, and that there is nothing too hard for him to do. Two things are specified to show the power of his works: - 1. The possession God gave to Israel in the land of Canaan, that he might give them, or in giving them, the heritage of the heathen.This he did in Joshua's time, when the seven nations were subdued, and in David's time, when the neighbouring nations were many of them brought into subjection to Israel and became tributaries to David. Herein God showed his sovereignty, in disposing of kingdoms as he pleases, and his might, in making good his disposals. If God will make the heritage of the heathen to be the heritage of Israel, who can either arraign his counsel or stay his hand? 2. The many deliverances which he wrought for his people when by their iniquities they had sold themselves into the hand of their enemies (Psa_111:9): He sent redemption unto his people, not only out of Egypt at first, but often afterwards; and these redemptions were typical of the great redemption which in the fulness of time was to be wrought out by the Lord Jesus, that redemption in Jerusalem which so many waited for.II. For the stability both of his word and of his works, which assure us of the great things he will do for them. 1. What God has done shall never be undone. He will not undo it himself, and men and devils cannot (Psa_111:7): The works of his hand are verity and judgment (Psa_111:8), that is, they are done in truth and uprightness; all he does is consonant to the eternal rules and reasons of equity, all according to the counsel of his wisdom and the purpose of his will, all well done and therefore there is nothing to

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be altered or amended, but his works are firm and unchangeable. Upon the beginning of his works we may depend for the perfecting of them; work that is done properly will last, will neither go to decay nor sink under the stress that is laid upon it. 2. What God has said shall never be unsaid: All his commandments are sure, all straight and therefore all steady. His purposes, the rule of his actions, shall all have their accomplishment: Has he spoken, and will he not make it good? No doubt he will; whether he commands light or darkness, it is done as he commands. His precepts, the rule of our actions, are unquestionably just and good, and therefore unchangeable and not to be repealed; his promises and threatenings are all sure, and will be made good; nor shall the unbelief of man make either the one or the other of no effect. They are established, and therefore they stand fast for ever and ever, and the scripture cannot be broken. The wise God is never put upon new counsels, nor obliged to take new measures, either in his laws or in his providences. All is said, as all is done, in truth and uprightness, and therefore it is immutable. Men's folly and falsehood make them unstable in all their ways, but infinite wisdom and truth for ever exclude retraction and revocation: He has commanded his covenant for ever. God's covenant is commanded, for he has made it as one that has an incontestable authority to prescribe both what we must do and what we must expect, and an unquestionable ability to perform both what he has promised in the blessings of the covenant and what he has threatened in the curses of it, Psa_105:8.III. For the setting up and establishing of religion among men. Because holy and reverend is his name, and the fear of him is the beginning of wisdom, therefore his praise endureth for ever, that is, he is to be everlastingly praised. 1. Because the discoveries of religion tend so much to his honour. Review what he has made known of himself in his word and in his works, and you will see, and say, that God is great and greatly to be feared; for his name is holy, his infinite purity and rectitude appear in all that whereby he has made himself known, and because it is holy therefore it is reverend, and to be thought of and mentioned with a holy awe. Note, What is holy is reverend; the angels have an eye to God's holiness when they cover their faces before him, and nothing is more man's honour than his sanctification. It is in his holy places that God appears most terrible, Psa_68:35; Lev_10:3. 2. Because the dictates of religion tend so much to man's happiness. We have reason to praise God that the matter is so well contrived that our reverence of him and obedience to him are as much our interest as they are our duty. (1.) Our reverence of him is so: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is not only reasonable that we should fear God, because his name is reverend and his nature is holy, but it is advantageous to us. It is wisdom; it will direct us to speak and act as becomes us, in a consistency with ourselves, and for our own benefit. It is the head of wisdom, that is (as we read it), it is the beginning of wisdom. Men can never begin to be wise till they begin to fear God; all true wisdom takes its rise from true religion, and has its foundation in it. Or, as some understand it, it is the chief wisdom, and the most excellent, the first in dignity. It is the principal wisdom, and the principal of wisdom, to worship God and give honour to him as our Father and Master. Those manage well who always act under the government of his holy fear. (2.) Our obedience to him is so: A good understanding have all those that do his commandments. Where the fear of the Lord rules in the heart there will be a constant conscientious care to keep his commandments, not to talk of them, but to do them; and such have a good understanding, that is, [1.] They are well understood; their obedience is graciously accepted as a plain indication of their mind that they do indeed fear God. Compare Pro_3:4, So shalt thou find favour and good understanding. God and man will look upon those as meaning well, and approve of them, who make conscience of their duty, though they have their mistakes.

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What is honestly intended shall be well taken. [2.] They understand well. First, It is a sign that they do understand well. The most obedient are accepted as the most intelligent; those understand themselves and their interest best that make God's law their rule and are in every thing ruled by it. A great understanding those have that know God's commandments and can discourse learnedly of them, but a good understanding have those that do them and walk according to them. Secondly, It is the way to understand better: A good understanding are they to all that do them; the fear of the Lord and the laws of that give men a good understanding, and are able to make them wise unto salvation. If any man will do his will, he shall know more and more clearly of the doctrine of Christ, Joh_7:17. Good success have all those that do them (so the margin), according to what was promised to Joshua if he would observe to do according to the law. Jos_1:8, Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and shalt have good success. We have reason to praise God, to praise him for ever, for putting man into such a fair way to happiness. Some apply the last words rather to the good man who fears the Lord than to the good God: His praise endures for ever. It is not of men perhaps, but it is of God (Rom_2:29), and that praise which is of God endures for ever when the praise of men is withered and gone.

JAMISON 6-8, "His power was shown especially in giving them the promised land, and His faithfulness and justice thus displayed are, like His precepts, reliable and of permanent obligation.

SPURGEON, "Ver. 6. He hath shewed his people the power of his works. They have seen what he is able to do and what force he is prepared to put forth on their behalf. This power Israel saw in physical works, and we in spiritual wonders, for we behold the matchless energy of the Holy Ghost and feel it in our own souls. In times of dire distress the Lord has put forth such energy of grace that we have been astonished at his power; and this was part of his intent in bringing us into such conditions that he might reveal to us the arm of his strength. Could we ever have known it so well if we had not been in pressing need of his help? We may well turn this verse into a prayer and ask to see more and more the power of the Lord at work among us in these latter days. O Lord, let us now see how mightily thou canst work in the saving of sinners and in preserving and delivering thine own people.That he may give them the heritage of the heathen. He put forth all his power to drive out the Canaanites and bring in his people. Even thus may it please his infinite wisdom to give to his church the heathen for her inheritance in the name of Jesus. Nothing but great power can effect this, but it will surely be accomplished in due season.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 6. He hath shewed his people, etc. The Prophet indicates the unbelief of the Jews, who murmured against God in the desert, as if he could not enable them to

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enter into the promised land, and possess it, because the cities were walled, and the inhabitants strong, and giants dwelt in it. He shewed, he says, i.e., he placed before their eyes, the power of His works, when he gave the lands of the heathen to be inhabited by his own people. —Wolfgang Musculus.Ver. 6. He hath shewed his people the power of his works. So he hath showed his works of power to his people in Gospel times, as the miracles of Christ, his resurrection from the dead, redemption by him, and the work of grace on the hearts of men in all ages. —John Gill.Ver. 6. He hath shewed his people, etc. To them it is given to see, but not to others who are delivered up to a judicial blindness. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not., Jeremiah 33:3. —John Trapp.Ver. 6. To give them the heritage of the heathen. The heathen themselves are bequeathed to God's people, and they must take possession of this inheritance to draw them to themselves.] —Richter, in Zange's Commentary. WHEDON, " 6. He hath showed his people—He has not only declared his ability to do, but has publicly manifested the power of his works by the great salvation he has actually wrought out for his people. This is God’s method in all ages. Thus “experience worketh hope through tribulation.” Romans 5:4; Psalms 20:6; Psalms 41:11.Give them the heritage of the heathen—This was notably done in the times of Moses and Joshua, and in a degree scarcely less illustrious by the return of the exiles and the re-establishment of the nation by Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah, under the decrees of Cyrus, (Ezra 1:1-4;) of Darius. (Ezra vi;) and of Artaxerxes, (Nehemiah 2.)PULPIT, "Psa_111:6He hath showed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen; rather, in giving them. God manifested his power to Israel very specially by causing them to overcome the many strong Canaanitish nations, and to take their lands and labors in possession (Psa_105:44). This was one of the greatest of his "works," or "doings."

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;51

all his precepts are trustworthy.

BARNES, "The works of his hands - All that he does in the works of creation and providence; all in his acts toward the children of men.

Are verity - Truth. That is, They tend to establish and confirm the truth; they are done in the cause or the defense of truth. Truth in any case may be ascertained by what God “does,” for all that he defends and protects is “truth,” and his acts, therefore, may be regarded as an expression of what is true and right.And judgment - In the cause of justice; or, in maintaining the principles of right. God never does anything to vindicate wrong. None of his acts can be fairly interpreted as having been done to sustain injustice, fraud, deceit, ambition, oppression, murder, or licentiousness. That he suffers free agents to do these things without interference is no evidence that he approves of them. That he “disapproves” of them is shown(a) by his declarations;(b) by his threatenings;(c) by all that he does to punish the wicked here.All his commandments are sure - His statutes; his ordinances. They are sure; that is, they are to be relied on; or, are worthy of confidence.

CLARKE, "Verity and judgment - His works are verity or truth, because they were wrought for the fulfillment of the promises he made to their fathers. And they were just; for their punishment was in consequence of their infidelities: and the punishment of the Babylonians was only in consequence of their gross iniquities; and in both respects he had proved his work to be according to justice and judgment.

GILL, "The works of his hands are verity and judgment,.... His works of providence are just and true, particularly these which respected the driving the Canaanites out of their land, and settling the Israelites in it; these were done according to the truth of the divine promises and prophecies, and so were "verity" or "truth"; and for the sins of the Heathen, and by him who has a right to dispose of the earth and the fulness of it to whom he pleases, and so are "judgment" or righteous; and this holds good of his work of grace upon the heart, which is the work of his hands, and is "truth in the inward parts": and is created in righteousness and true holiness; and of all his acts of grace in election, redemption, &c. which are according to the truth of the divine nature and its perfections, and in which there is no unrighteousness. Some interpret this of the two tables of stone, which were the work, writing, and engraving of God, and on which were inscribed the judgments of the Lord; and are "true and righteous altogether". Aben Ezra understands it of the law implanted in the hearts of men.

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All his commandments are sure: firm, and to be believed and complied with, either to destroy the nations, or to possess their land; or rather the commands of the moral law, which are firm and sure, one jot or tittle of which shall never pass away; all have been fulfilled by Christ, and remain with him a rule of walk and conversation; or the word which the Lord has commanded to a thousand generations, Psa_105:8 the covenant which is ordered in all things and sure; the promises of which are yea and amen in Christ; and the blessings of it, the sure mercies of David; and even the doctrines of the Gospel are the commandments and testimony of the Lord, which are sure, Psa_19:8 and to be believed, being the word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation, and coming from God, who cannot lie.CALVIN, "7The works of his hands In the first clause of the verse he exclaims that God is known to be faithful and upright in his works, and then he goes on to extol the same truth and rectitude as pervading the doctrine of the law; the amount of which is, that a beautiful harmony characterises all the sayings and doings of God, because every where he shows himself to be just and faithful. We have a memorable proof of this fact in the redemption of his ancient people. Yet I doubt not, that, under the term, works, the prophet comprehends the constant government of the Church; because God daily and unceasingly shows that he is just and true, and unweariedly pursues the same course. Among men it is reckoned to be of more importance for one to be found just in practice than in profession; yet, as the doctrine of the law was the very life and safety of the people, the prophet very properly, and in several expressions, dwells upon the sentiment contained in the second clause of the verse; saying, all his statutes are true, they are established for ever, and are drawn up in perfect accordance with the strict law of truth and equity And assuredly, but for God’s having kept the people united to him by the sacred chain of the law, the fruit of their redemption would have been very small, and even that benefit would have soon been lost by them. We ought to observe, then, that this subject is brought prominently forward in this place; because, in attesting the eternal love of God, it became the means of imparting life. SPURGEON, "Ver. 7. The works of his hands are verity and judgment. Truth and justice are conspicuous in all that Jehovah does. Nothing like artifice or crooked policy can ever be seen in his proceedings; he acts faithfully and righteously towards his people, and with justice and impartiality to all mankind. This also should lead us to praise him, since it is of the utmost advantage to us to live under a sovereign whose laws, decrees, acts, and deeds are the essence of truth and justice.All his commandments are sure. All that he has appointed or decreed shall surely stand, and his precepts which he has proclaimed shall be found worthy of our obedience, for surely they are founded in justice and are meant for our lasting good. He is no fickle despot, commanding one thing one day and another another, but his commands remain absolutely unaltered, their necessity equally unquestionable, their excellence permanently proven, and their reward eternally secure. Take the word commandments to relate either to his decrees or his precepts, and we have in each case an important sense; but it seems more in accordance with the connection

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to take the first sense and consider the words to refer to the ordinances, appointments, or decrees of the great King.Whatever the mighty Lord decrees,Shall stand for ever sure.The settled purpose of his heartTo ages shall endure.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 7. The works of God expound his word, in his works his word is often made visible. That's an excellent expression, The works of his hands are verity and judgment. The acts of God are verity, that is, God acts his own truths. As the works of our hands ought to be the verity and judgments of God, (every action of a Christian ought to be one of Christ's truths), so it is with God himself; the works of his hands are his own verity and judgments. When we cannot find the meaning of God in his word, we may find it in his works: his works are a comment, an infallible comment upon his word. —Joseph Caryl.Ver. 7-8. God is known to be faithful and just both in his works and in his word, insomuch that the most beautiful harmony is apparent between the things he has spoken and those he has done. This wonderfully confirms the hope and faith of the godly. —Mollerus.BENSON, "Verses 7-9Psalms 111:7-9. The works of his hands — All that he doth, either on the behalf of his people, or against his or their enemies; are verity and judgment — Are exactly agreeable to his word or promises, and to the rules of eternal justice. All his commandments — His laws given to the Israelites, especially the moral law, considered with its sanctions, the promises made to the observers of it, and the threatenings denounced against transgressors; are sure — Constant and unchangeable, as being grounded upon the immutable rules of justice and equity. They stand fast, Hebrew, סמוכים, semuchim, they are established upon a sure foundation; and are done — Constituted or ordered; in truth and uprightness — With a sincere regard to the good and happiness of mankind, and without the least shadow of partiality or iniquity, and they will then appear in perfect glory and beauty, when all the arts and labours of man shall cease to exist. He sent redemption unto his people — That deliverance out of Egypt, which was a type and pledge of that greater and higher redemption, which is by the Messiah. He hath commanded — Appointed, or firmly established, by his power and authority; his covenant for ever — Through all successive generations of his people, to the end of the world; for the covenant is the same for substance in all ages, and differed only in

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circumstances. Holy and reverend is his name — Terrible to his enemies, venerable in his people’s eyes, and holy in all his dealings with all men.COFFMAN, "Verse 7"The works of his hands are truth and justice;And his precepts are sure.They are established forever and ever;They are done in truth and uprightness.""The reference in these two verses is the giving of the law at Sinai."[14]"Forever and ever" (Psalms 111:8). This is a reference to all time until the Christ should come. And, in the truth that Christ's righteousness consisted, among other things, in the absolute and perfect fulfilment of that Law given at Sinai; and, since the righteousness of Christ is the grounds of salvation for all men for all ages to come, there is a sense in which the words are strictly true as a reference to all time until the end of time.WHEDON, " 7. Verity and judgment—Truth and absolute administrative justice.All his commandments are sure—That is, they are true, established. The words “sure” and “verity” in the preceding line are from a common root, the one being affirmed of the “works” of God, the other of his “precepts.”PULPIT, "Psa_111:7The works of his hands are verity and judgment. All that God does is right and just—"done in truth and uprightness" (Psa_111:8). All his commandments are sure; i.e. firm, unchangeable—being based on truth and right.

8 They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.

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BARNES, "They stand fast forever and ever - Margin, “established.” The Hebrew word means “sustained, supported.” They will not fail or fall. Whatever else may be shaken, his law, his word, and the principles of his administration, will not fail. See the notes at Mat_5:18. Compare Luk_16:17; Mat_24:35. The great principles of truth and righteousness will stand, and whatever is founded on those principles will endure forever.

And are done in truth and uprightness - Are based on truth, or on a just view of things; they are done in such a way that truth will be maintained and promoted. The word “uprightness” here means that all this is done on the principles of equity - of what “ought” to be done, or what is “best” to be done. Compare Psa_19:9.

CLARKE, "They stand fast for ever - ,semuchim, they are propped up סמוכיםbuttressed, for ever. They can never fail; for God’s power supports his works, and his providence preserves the record of what he has done.

GILL, "They stand fast for ever and ever,.... Not only the covenant and its promises do, but both law and Gospel, the commandments of the one and the doctrines of the other; the law is an eternal law, as to the matter of it, and is not made void by faith, but established; and the Gospel is an everlasting Gospel, which lives and abides for ever, being established upon the word of God, which cannot be broken; and is continued in the church, the pillar and ground of truth, from whence it can never be removed. And are done in truth and uprightness; either made by the Lord according to the truth of things, the moral perfections of his nature and will, and the rectitude of it; or observed by men that truly fear the Lord with great truth and sincerity.

SPURGEON, "Ver. 8. They stand fast for ever and ever. That is to say, his purposes, commands, and courses of action. The Lord is not swayed by transient motives, or moved by the circumstances of the hour; immutable principles rule in the courts of Jehovah, and he pursues his eternal purposes without the shadow of a turning. Our works are too often as wood, hay, and stubble, but his doings are as gold, silver, and precious stones. We take up a purpose for a while and then exchange it for another, but he is of one mind, and none can turn him: he acts in eternity and for eternity, and hence what he works abides for ever. Much of this lasting character arises out of the fact which is next mentioned, namely, that theyare done in truth and uprightness. Nothing stands but that which is upright. Falsehood soon vanishes, for it is a mere show, but truth has salt in it which preserves it from decay. God always acts according to the glorious principles of truth and integrity, and hence there is no need of alteration or revocation; his works will endure till the end of time.

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EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 8. They stand fast for ever and ever. Mykwmo, semuchim, they are propped up, buttressed for ever. They can never fail; for God's power supports his works, and his providence preserves the record of what he has done. —Adam Clarke.Ver. 8. They stand fast, are established, for ever and ever, etc. This verse seems to have reference to the works of God mentioned in the former. His doings were not the demand of an occasion, they were in unison with a great and extensive purpose, with respect to the people of Israel and the Messiah. Not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law of his mouth, till all be fulfilled. —W. Wilson.Ver. 8. They are done in truth. It is impossible that any better way should be directed, than that which the Lord useth in the disposal of all things here below, for all the works of the Lord are done in truth. As the word of God is a word of truth, so all his works are works of truth; for his works are nothing else but the making good of his word, and they are answerable to a threefold word of his. First, to his word of prophecy. Whatsoever changes God makes in the world, they hit some word of prophecy. Secondly, the works of God are answerable to his word of threatening. God threatens before he smites, and he never smote any man with a rod or sword, but according to his threatening. Thirdly, the works of God are answerable to his word of promise. All mercies are promised, and every work of mercy is the fulfilling of some promise. Now seeing all the works of God are reducible, either to prophecies, threatenings, or promises; they "are done in truth"; and what can be better done than that which is done in truth? The Jewish doctors observe, that the word emeth here used for truth, consists of aleph, the first letter of the alphabet, mem, the middle letter thereof, and tau, the last; to shew, that as God is alpha and omega, so the truth of God is the all in all of our comfort. Grace and truth by Christ is the sum of all the good news in the world. —Abraham Wright.Ver. 8. Are done., Psalms 111:7-8 contains a precious meaning for the soul whose rest is in the finished work of Christ. Jehovah has commanded, giving it in trust to Jesus to make sure, in perfect obedience, the word of truth and holiness. The commandment therefore has been "done." It has been done in truth and uprightness by him whose meat it was to do it; who willingly received it with a knowledge of its end, and in whose accomplishment of it the believing sinner finds his assurance of eternal peace. John 12:50. Jesus held the law within his heart, to keep it there for ever. As the fulfiller in truth of the commandment, he has become its end for righteousness to every believer in his name. —Arthur Pridham.WHEDON, "8. They stand fast for ever and ever—Literally, They [both his works and his commandments, Psalms 111:7,] are established from eternity to eternity. The idea of duration must here be taken in its widest sense.

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PULPIT, "Psa_111:8They stand fast forever and ever. This is exegetical of the "sure" in Psa_111:7. In the sense in which they were given—the spiritual sense underlying them—not one jot or tittle of God’s commandments ever passes away (Mat_5:18). And are done in truth and uprightness; rather, being done. It is the intrinsic truth and equity of the commandments that render them ever lasting and unchangeable (see Cudworth on ’Immutable Morality’).

9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

BARNES, "He sent redemption unto his people - In their deliverance from Egypt. He has now sent it in a higher sense under the great Deliverer, the Saviour.

He hath commanded his covenant for ever - He has ordained or appointed it. The covenant is here represented as if it were obedient to the will of God, or under his control. The covenant refers to his arrangements with his people; his assurances of favor, with the terms on which that favor will be shown.Holy and reverend is his name - Holy and to be venerated; literally, “to be feared.” That is, he has shown in all this that he is holy, and that he is a Being who is to be had in reverence.

CLARKE, "He sent redemption - He sent Moses to redeem them out of Egypt; various judges to deliver them out of the hands of their oppressors; Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel, to deliver them from Babylon; and the Lord Jesus to redeem a whole lost world from sin, misery, and death.

Holy and reverend is his name - The word reverend comes to us from the Latins, reverendus, and is compounded of re, intensive, and vereor, to be feared; and most or right reverend, reverendissimus, signifies to be greatly feared. These terms are now only titles of ecclesiastical respect, especially in the Protestant ministry; but there was a time in which these were no empty titles. Such was the power of the clergy, that, when they walked not in the fear of the Lord, they caused the people to fear, and they themselves were to be feared; but, when the secular power was added to the spiritual, they were then truly reverendi and reverendissimi, to be feared and greatly to be feared. But reverend is 58

not applied to God in this way; nor does the word נורא nora bear this signification; it rather means terrible: Holy and terrible, or holy and tremendous, is his name. This title belongs not to man; nor does any minister, in assuming the title reverend, assume this. Indeed, the word reverend, as now used, gives us a very imperfect conception of the original term. 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.

GILL, "He sent redemption unto his people,.... Or one to redeem them, who effected it; Moses to redeem Israel out of Egypt, and Christ to redeem his people from sin, Satan, and the law, and who has done it; and having obtained eternal redemption, he sent his ministers to publish it in the world, and his Spirit to apply it, and to show his people their interest in it; and make it over to them, and the blessings of it, that they may enjoy it, and all the comforts and advantages arising from it; temporal redemption, as typical of the spiritual and eternal one, is here meant. He hath commanded his covenant for ever; which cannot be the covenant of circumcision, or that at Sinai, neither of which were for ever; but the covenant of grace made with Christ, and which stands fast with him for ever; it is everlasting, sure, and can never be removed; its blessings and promises are for ever; and it is so made and framed, and so kept and observed, as that it shall always continue, which is meant by its being "commanded": as well as it may denote the decree and resolution of God never to break and alter it; see Psa_89:3. Holy and reverend is his name; the name of God is "holy"; it is his nature, and appears in all his works; and in which he is glorious, and so is reverend; he is to be feared and reverenced by all his creatures, and among his saints, as he is by the angels in heaven.JAMISON, "The deliverance He provided accorded to His established covenant. Thus He manifested Himself in the sum of His perfections (Psa_20:1, Psa_20:7; Psa_22:3) worthy of reverence.CALVIN, "9He sent redemption to his people What he had already stated is here repeated in different words. And as the deliverance of his people was the commencement of their salvation, it is first introduced; next is subjoined its confirmation in the law, by reason of which it comes to pass that God’s adoption could never fail. For though, long prior to this, God had established his covenant with Abraham, which also was the occasion of the redemption of the people; yet what is here mentioned refers exclusively to the law, by which the covenant was ratified, never to be disannulled. The amount is, that, in the deliverance of the people, God did not act the part of a beneficial father, merely for a day, but that, in the promulgation of the law, he also establishedhis grace, that the hope of eternal life might continue for ever in the Church. Moreover, you must attend carefully to what I have elsewhere cautioned you against, and to which I shall advert more at length on Psalms 119:0, where the law is spoken of, That the commandments must not be taken always abstractly, for the Holy Spirit, in an especial manner, refers to

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the promises which are in Christ, by which God, in gathering his chosen people to himself, hath begotten them again to eternal life. SPURGEON, "Ver. 9. He sent redemption unto his people. When they were in Egypt he sent not only a deliverer, but an actual deliverance; not only a redeemer, but complete redemption. He has done the like spiritually for all his people, having first by blood purchased them out of the hand of the enemy, and then by power rescued them from the bondage of their sins. Redemption we can sing of as an accomplished act: it has been wrought for us, sent to us, and enjoyed by us, and we are in very deed the Lord's redeemed.He hath commanded his covenant for ever. His divine decree has made the covenant of his grace a settled and eternal institution: redemption by blood proves that the covenant cannot be altered, for it ratifies and establishes it beyond all recall. This, too, is reason for the loudest praise. Redemption is a fit theme for the heartiest music, and when it is seen to be connected with gracious engagements from which the Lord's truth cannot swerve, it becomes a subject fitted to arouse the soul to an ecstasy of gratitude. Redemption and the covenant are enough to make the tongue of the dumb sing.Holy and reverend is his name. Well may he say this. The whole name or character of God is worthy of profoundest awe, for it is perfect and complete, whole or holy. It ought not to be spoken without solemn thought, and never heard without profound homage. His name is to be trembled at, it is something terrible; even those who know him best rejoice with trembling before him. How good men can endure to be called "reverend" we know not. Being unable to discover any reason why our fellow men should reverence us, we half suspect that in other men there is not very much which can entitle them to be called reverend, very reverend, right reverend, and so on. It may seem a trifling matter, but for that very reason we would urge that the foolish custom should be allowed to fall into disuse.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 9. He sent redemption to his people. Once out of Egypt, ever out of Satan's thraldom. —John Trapp.Ver. 9. Sent redemption...commanded his covenant. The deliverance was the more thankworthy, as being upon a covenant account: for thus every mercy is a token of the Lord's favour to his favourite: it is this which makes common mercies to become special mercies. Carnal men, so that they enjoy mercies, they mind not which way they come in, so as they can but have them; but a child of God knows that everything that comes through the Redeemer's hands and by his covenant is the better for it, and tastes the sweeter by far. —William Cooper, in the Morning Exercises. HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER.

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Ver. 9. Redemption. Praise our Triune Jehovah for his redemption. Write it down where you may read it. Affix it where you may see it. Engrave it on your heart that you may understand it. It is a word big with importance. In it is enfolded your destinies and those of the Church, to all future ages. There are heights in it you never can have scaled, and depths you never can have fathomed. You have never taken the wings of the morning, and gained the utmost parts of earth, to measure the length and breadth of it. Wear it as a seal on your arm, as a signet on your right hand, for Jesus is the author of it. O! prize it as a precious stone, more precious than rubies...Let it express your best hopes while living, and dwell on your trembling lips in the moment of dissolution; for it shall form the chorus of the song of the redeemed throughout eternity. —Isaac Saunders, 1818.Ver. 9. He hath commanded his covenant for ever. As he covenanted, so he looketh that his covenants should be respected, which are as binding to us, as his covenant is to him; and, through grace, his covenant is as binding to him, as those are to us. —John Trapp.Ver. 9. Holy and reverend, or, terrible, is his name. "Holy is his name, "and therefore "terrible" to those who, under all the means of grace, continue unholy. —George Horne.Ver. 9. Holy and reverend is his name. Which therefore we should not presume on a sudden to blurt out. The Jews would not pronounce it. The Grecians (as Suidas observeth), when they would swear by their Jupiter, forbare to mention him. This should act as a check to the profaneness common amongst us. Let those that would have their name reverend, labour to be holy as God is holy. —John Trapp.Ver. 9. Redemption. Conceived, arranged, executed, and applied by God. By price and by power. From sin and death. That we may be free, the Lord's own, the Lord's glory.Ver. 9. Redemption.1. Its author: "He sent."2. Its objects: "Unto his people."3. The pledge it gives us: "He hath commanded his covenant, "etc.4. The praise it creates in us.Ver. 9. Holy and reverend.1. The holiness of God the object of our reverence.2. Such reverence has much useful influence over us.

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3. It should always accompany our faith in redemption and covenant. See preceding clauses of verse. COFFMAN, "Verse 9"He hath sent redemption unto his people;He hath commanded his covenant forever:Holy and reverend is his name.The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;A good understanding have all they that do his commandments:His praise endureth forever.""He hath sent redemption unto his people" (Psalms 111:9). "This redemption was the deliverance from Egypt."[15]"He commanded his covenant forever" (Psalms 111:9). See under Psalms 111:8, above, for comment on this."Holy and reverend is his name" (Psalms 111:9). "This is the only place in the Bible where the word `reverend' occurs, and it is applied to God, NOT to ministers."[16]"The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalms 111:10). "The meaning is that religion is the foundation of all wisdom."[17] Jamieson observed that, "The love and fear of God is the chief element of true wisdom."[18] Whatever intellectual achievements in a man may be hailed as `wisdom,' if there is no knowledge and fear of God, such a person is a "fool," regardless of what earthly information he may possess.WHEDON, " 9. He sent redemption—It is better to understand this of a recent “redemption,” as that from Babylon, rather than that of Israel from Egypt.He hath commanded his covenant—That is, he hath established, made firm, his covenant, which he made first with Abraham, and again with the body of the Israelites at Sinai.NISBET, "REVERENCE TOWARD GOD‘Holy and reverend is His name.’Psalms 111:9

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What is the character of the age in which we live? It is an age of great advance and progress, but, alas! an age of irreverence. There are many things which give the age this tone of irreverence, but time will not allow me to dwell upon them all. I will glance at two of them: (1) The prevalent shallowness; (2) the general impatience of authority.I. The daily papers, the cheap literature which is so enormously circulated, all contribute to this shallowness, this superficiality of thought.—Now, in matters of religion, this shallowness is painfully evident. There are many whose religion consists of a few doctrines learnt by rote in the same superficial way, without any real apprehension of the deep truths embodied therein; a religion whose origin was emotional, and whose present being is but the mere recollection of that emotion, but with no abiding spiritual life, no close walk with God, no actual self-denial, no personal communion with the Saviour.II. Another source of reverence that we have mentioned is a general impatience of authority.—Men profess in these days to be much wiser than their ancestors; they will no longer run in the same narrow groove, be blinded by the same prejudices, or be hemmed in by the same barriers as their forefathers. So we have the world heaving to and fro with new nationalities and new theories of government. In our own land the labouring classes are beginning to find out their strength, and to assert it in a very significant manner. Old ways of thinking are now abandoned, hitherto accepted truths are rudely assailed, and the foundations of society are roughly shaken.—Rev. Forbes E. Winslow.Illustration‘Oh, how boldly and familiarly men talk of the supreme Being—how they invoke His aid in their unrighteous quarrels, how they use His holy Name in sanction of their wicked, lawless deeds! How boldly they rush into His presence, how carelessly they venture to kneel and lift up their voices in prayer, and without one feeling of solemnity or godly fear insult the God they should reverently adore by the cold, faithless utterance of their unrepenting lips!’PULPIT, "Psa_111:9He sent redemption unto his people. The "redemption" from Egypt (Exo_6:6) is perhaps especially in the writer’s mind, but he may be thinking also of other deliverances. He hath commanded his covenant forever (comp. Gen_9:12; Gen_17:13; Exo_31:16, etc.). Holy and reverend is his Name. Intrinsically "holy," and therefore "reverend," or to be reverenced.

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10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

BARNES, "The fear of the Lord - Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government, himself; the fear of offending him, which will lead us to do right. This fear is not that of a slave; it is not mere dread; it is not terror. It is consistent with love, and springs from it. It is consistent with calmness of mind, and promotes it. It does not produce terror, but rather delivers from it, and preserves the mind from alarms. The word here rendered “fear” is a noun of the same origin as the word rendered “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 venerated, introduced this thought that such reverence is the very foundation of wisdom.

Is the beginning of wisdom - The foundation, the origin, the commencement of being truly wise. It is so. There is no true wisdom which does not recognize the being, the perfections, and the claims of God. The highest wisdom - the most lofty endowment of man - is that he “may” know and honor God. This, in capability, makes him wise above the brute creation; this, in exercise, makes one man more wise than another; this, when it springs up in the soul, makes a man more wise than he was before - or, is the “beginning” of true wisdom in the soul. Compare Pro_1:7; Pro_9:10; Deu_4:6; Job_28:28; Ecc_12:13.A good understanding ... - Margin, “good success.” The original word - śêkel שכל -

is rendered “understanding” (as here) in 1Sa_25:3; Ezr_8:18; Job_17:4; Pro_3:4; Pro_13:15; Pro_16:22; “wisdom” in 1Ch_22:12; Pro_12:8; Pro_23:9; “prudence,” 2Ch_2:12; Pro_19:11 (margin); “sense,” in Neh_8:8; “knowledge,” 2Ch_30:22; and “policy” in Dan_8:25. It “may” denote, therefore, understanding, wisdom, knowledge, success, prudence; and it is true in regard to “all” of these - for the fear of the Lord, or true religion, produces them “all.” It is not necessary, therefore, to endeavor to ascertain precisely which of these is the meaning here.That do his commandments - Margin, as in the Hebrew, “do them.” That do the things connected with the fear of the Lord; that is, who obey God.His praise endureth for ever - That is, the foundation for his praise endures to all

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eternity; or, is unchangeable. As God is always the same, so there is, as derived from his being and perfections, always the same foundation for praise. As there will always be created beings who can and will appreciate this, so it will be literally true, as it should be, that his praise “will” be celebrated forever.

CLARKE, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom - The original stands thus: ראשית חכמה יראת יהוה reshith chokmah, yirath Yehovah, The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah. Wisdom itself begins with this fear; true wisdom has this for its commencement. It is the first ingredient in it, and is an essential part of it. In vain does any man pretend to be wise who does not fear the Lord; and he who fears the Lord departs from evil: he who lives in sin neither fears God, nor is wise.

A good understanding have all they that do his commandments - These last words we add as necessary to make up the sense; but there is no need of this expedient, as the words of the original literally read thus: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah; good discernment to the doers.” That is, They who act according to the dictates of wisdom, the commencement of which is the fear of Jehovah, have a sound understanding, discern their duty and their interest, and live to secure their own peace, their neighbour’s good, and God’s glory.

GILL, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,.... The fear of the Lord, whose name is revered, is not a fear of his judgments here or hereafter, but of his goodness and grace; it is a reverential affection for him, a fiducial fear of him, a fear of offending so good a Being as he is; and it includes all religious worship of him, inward and outward, private and public; and at this true wisdom begins; a man begins to be wise when he fears the Lord, and not till then; this is his highest wisdom, and this is, as it may be rendered, "the chief of wisdom" (i), the principal part of it; see Pro_9:10. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments; or "that do them" (k); the fear of the Lord and wisdom; that exercise them, that do as they oblige and direct to; so R. Moses in Aben Ezra connects the words; such have a good understanding of the Lord, know him as the object of their fear and reverence, and of their duty to him, and of their own interest, it being their wisdom to fear him; since by attending to their duty, to the word and ordinances of God, such arrive to a greater degree of knowledge and understanding of divine things. Some render it "good success (l)" or "prosperity", as Kimchi; such usually have prosperity in soul and body, in things temporal and spiritual; see Jos_1:8. His praise endureth for ever; or "its praise" (m); the praise of the fear of the Lord, of divine wisdom, and of a good understanding; just as of circumcision in the heart, Rom_2:29 or the praise of him that does the above things, that does the commandments of God, or acts under the fear of God, and as a wise man, 1Co_4:5 or rather the praise of God, which shall be given him by angels and men now and for evermore, as it ought to be; and to stir up to which is the design of the psalm throughout; and which men are encouraged to from the works and word of God, from his name, nature, and covenant, and from his blessings and acts of grace and goodness.

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JAMISON, "And hence love and fear of such a God is the chief element of true wisdom (compare Pro_1:7; Pro_9:10).CALVIN, "10.The fear of Jehovah Having treated of the kindness of God, and paid a well-merited tribute to the law, the prophet goes on to exhort the faithful to reverence God, and be zealous in the keeping of the law. In calling the fear of God, The beginning or source of wisdom, he charges with folly those who do not render implicit obedience unto God. As if he should say, They who fear not God, and do not regulate their lives according to his law, are brute beasts: and are ignorant of the first elements of true wisdom. To this we must carefully attend; for although mankind generally wish to be accounted wise almost all the world lightly esteem God, and take pleasure in their own wicked craftiness. And as the very worst of men are reputed to be superior to all others in point of wisdom; and, puffed up with this confidence, harden themselves against God, the prophet declares all the wisdom of the world, without the fear of God, to be vanity or an empty shadow. And, indeed, all who are ignorant of the purpose for which they live are fools and madmen. But to serve God is the purpose for which we have been born, and for which we are preserved in life. There is, therefore, no worse blindness, no insensibility so grovelling, as when we contemn God, and place our affections elsewhere. For whatever ingenuity the wicked may possess, they are destitute of the main thing, genuine piety. To the same effect are the words which immediately follow,a good understanding have all they who keep God’s commandments. There is great emphasis upon the qualifying adjunct טוב, tob; because the prophet, in inveighing against the foolish opinion to which we have already adverted, tacitly condemns those who delight in their own wicked craftiness. His meaning is, I admit, that they are usually deemed wise who look well to their own interests, who can pursue a temporising policy, who have the acuteness and artifice of preserving the favorable opinion of the world, and who even practice deception upon others. But even were I to grant that this character belongs to them, yet is their wisdom unprofitable and perverse, because true wisdom manifests itself in the observance of the law. Next he substitutes the keeping of God’s commandments for the fear of God. For though all men, without exception, boast that they fear God, yet nothing is more common than for them to live in the neglect of his law. Hence the prophet very properly inculcates upon us the voluntary assumption of his yoke, and submission to the regulations of his word, as the most satisfactory evidence of our living in the fear of God. The term beginning (340) has misled some, leading them to imagine that the fear of God was denominated the entrance of wisdom, as it were the alphabet, because it prepares men for true piety. Such an opinion is scarcely deserving of notice, seeing that, in Job 28:28, it is called “wisdom.” In this passage fear is not to be understood as referring to the first or elementary principles of piety, as in 1 John 4:18, but is comprehensive of all true godliness, or the worship of God. The conclusion of the psalm requires no explanation; it being the object of the prophet simply to inculcate upon the faithful, that nothing is more profitable for them, than to spend their lives in the celebration of the praises of God.

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SPURGEON, "Ver. 10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. It is its first principle, but it is also its head and chief attainment. The word "beginning" in Scripture sometimes means the chief; and true religion is at once the first element of wisdom, and its chief fruit. To know God so as to walk aright before him is the greatest of all the applied sciences. Holy reverence of God leads us to praise him, and this is the point which the psalm drives at, for it is a wise act on the part of a creature towards his Creator.A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should he not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against the holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. Men may know and be very orthodox, they may talk and be very eloquent, they may speculate and be very profound; but the best proof of their intelligence must be found in their actually doing the will of the Lord. The former part of the psalm taught us the doctrine of God's nature and character, by describing his works: the second part supplies the practical lesson by drawing the inference that to worship and obey him is the dictate of true wisdom. We joyfully own that it is so.His praise endureth for ever. The praises of God will never cease, because his works will always excite adoration, and it will always be the wisdom of men to extol their glorious Lord. Some regard this sentence as referring to those who fear the Lord—their praise shall endure for ever: and, indeed, it is true that those who lead obedient lives shall obtain honour of the Lord, and commendations which will abide for ever. A word of approbation from the mouth of God will be a mede of honour which will outshine all the decorations which kings and emperors can bestow. Lord, help us to study thy works, and henceforth to breathe out hallelujahs as long as we live.EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.Ver. 10 (first clause). In this passage fear is not to be understood as referring to the first or elementary principles of piety, as in 1 John 4:18, but is comprehensive of all true godliness, or the worship of God. —John Calvin.Ver. 10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, etc. The text shows us the first step to true wisdom, and the test of common sense. It is so frequently repeated, that it may pass for a Scripture maxim, and we may be sure it is of singular importance. Job starts the question, "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" He searches nature through, in quest of it, but cannot find it: he cannot purchase it with the gold of Ophir, and its price is above rubies. At length he recollects the primitive instruction of God to man, and there he finds it: To man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding., Job 28:28. Solomon, the wisest of men, begins his Proverbs with this maxim, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, Proverbs 1:7. And he repeats it again: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the

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knowledge of the holy, (the knowledge of those that may be called saints with a sneer), is understanding, Proverbs 9:10. "The fear of the LORD" in Scripture signifies not only that pious passion or filial reverence of our adorable Father who is in heaven, but it is frequently put for the whole of practical religion; hence it is explained in the last part of the verse by doing his commandments. The fear of the Lord, in this latitude, implies all the graces and all the virtues of Christianity; in short, all that holiness of heart and life which is necessary to the enjoyment of everlasting happiness. So that the sense of the text is this: To practise religion and virtue, to take that way which leads to everlasting happiness, is wisdom, true wisdom, the beginning of wisdom, the first step towards it: unless you begin here you can never attain it; all your wisdom without this does not deserve the name; it is madness and nonsense. To do his commandments is the best test of a good understanding: a good sound understanding have all they that do this, all of them without exception: however weak some of them may be in other things, they are wise in the most important respect; but without this, however cunning they are in other things, they have lost their understandings; they contradict common sense; they are beside themselves. In short, to pursue everlasting happiness as the end, in the way of holiness as the mean, this is "wisdom, "this is common sense, and there can be none without this. —Samuel Davies, A.M. (1724-1761), President of Princeton College, New Jersey.Ver. 10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Now, then, I demand of the worldling what is the most high and deep point of wisdom? Is it to get an opulent fortune, to be so wise as fifty thousand pounds? Behold, godliness is great gain, saith Paul, and the Christian only rich, quoth the renowned catechist Clement of Alexandria. Is it to live joyfully, (or to use the gallant's phrase) jovially? Behold, there is joyful gladness for such as are true hearted, Psalms 97:11. A wicked man in his mad merry humour for a while may be Pomponius Laetus, but a good man only is Hilarius; only he which is faithful in heart is joyful in heart. Is it to get honour? the praise of God's fear (saith our text) endures for ever. Many worthies of the world are most unhappy, because they be commended where they be not, and tormented where they be; hell rings of their pains, earth of their praise; but blessed is the man that feareth the Lord (Psalms 112:1), for his commendation is both here lasting, and hereafter everlasting; in this world he is renowned among men, in the next he shall be rewarded amongst saints and angels in the kingdom of glory. —John Boys.Ver. 10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. It is not only the beginning of wisdom, but the middle and the end. It is indeed the Alpha and Omega, the essence, the body and the soul, the sum and substance. He that hath the fear of God is truly wise...It is surely wisdom to love that which is most lovable, and to occupy our hearts with that which is most worthy of our attachment, and the most capable of satisfying us. —From the French of Daniel de Superville, 1700.Ver. 10 (first clause). Fear is not all then; no, for it is but the beginning. God will have us begin, but not end there. We have begun with qui timet Eum, who fears

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him; we must end with et operatar justitiam, and does justice, and then comes acceptus est Illi, and not before. For neither fear, if it be fear alone; nor faith, if it be faith alone, is accepted of Him. If it be true fear, if such as God will accept, it is not timor piger, "a dull lazy fear"; his fear that feared his lord and went and digged his talent into the ground, and did nothing with it. Away with his fear and him into outer darkness. —Lancelot Andrewes.Ver. 10. Can it then be said that the nonreligious world is without wisdom? Has it no Aristotle, no Socrates, no Tacitus, no Goethe, no Gibbon? Let us understand what wisdom is. It is not any mere amount of knowledge that constitutes wisdom. Appropriate knowledge is essential to wisdom. A man who has not the knowledge appropriate to his position, who does not know himself in his relation to God and to his fellowmen, who is misinformed as to his duties, his dangers, his necessities, though he may have written innumerable works of a most exalted character, yet is he to be set down as a man without wisdom. What is it to you that your servant is acquainted with mathematics, if he is ignorant of your will, and of the way to do it? The genius of a Voltaire, a Spinoza, a Byron, only makes their folly the more striking. As though a man floating rapidly onwards to the falls of Niagara, should occupy himself in drawing a very admirable picture of the scenery. Men who are exceedingly great in the world's estimation have made the most signal blunders with regard to the most important things; and it is only because these things are not considered important by the world, that the reputation of these men remains.If you have learned to estimate things in some measure as God estimates them, to desire what he offers, to relinquish what he forbids, and to recognize the duties that he has appointed you, you are in the path of wisdom, and the great men we have been speaking about are far behind you—far from the narrow gate which you have entered. He only is wise, who can call Christ the wisdom of God. —George Bowen.Ver. 10. The beginning of wisdom. That is, the principle whence it springs, and the fountain from which it flows. —William Walford.Ver. 10. As there are degrees of wisdom, so of the fear of the Lord; but there is no degree of this fear so inferior or low, but it is a beginning, at least, of wisdom; and there is no degree of wisdom so high or perfect, but it hath its root in, or beginning, from this fear. —Joseph Caryl.Ver. 10. Beginning of wisdom. The word translated beginning is of uncertain sense. It may signify the first in time only, and so the rudiments, first foundation, or groundwork, and so though the most necessary, yet the most imperfect part of the work. And if it should thus be understood here and in other places, the sense would be no more but this, that there were no true wisdom, which had not its foundation in piety and fear of God. But the word signifies the first in dignity as well as in order or time, and is frequently used for the chief or principal of any kind...And thus it is to be understood here, that the fear of the Lord (which signifies all piety) is the principal or chief of wisdom, as sapientia prima in Horace is the principal or most

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excellent wisdom; according to that of Job 28:28 : Unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding, that, by way of eminence, the most excellent wisdom and understanding. —Henry Hammond.Ver. 10. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. They which do the commandments have a good understanding; not they which speak of the commandments, nor they which write of the commandments, nor they which preach of the commandments, but they which do the commandments, have a good understanding. The rest have a false understanding, a vain understanding, an understanding like that of the scribes and pharisees, which was enough to condemn them, but not to save them. —Henry Smith.Ver. 10. A good understanding have all they that do, etc. So much a man knoweth in true account, as he doth; hence understanding is here ascribed to the will; so Job 28:28. Some render it good success. —John Trapp.Ver. 10 (last clause). The praise of it endures for ever; or as other translations, his praise; referring it either to God, or else to the man who fears God. Some divines ascribe this praise to God alone, because tehilla properly signifieth only that kind of praise which is due to God; and so they make this clause to contain both a precept and a promise. Precept, exhorting us to praise God with all our heart, both in the secret assemblies of the faithful and in the public congregation. And lest any man in executing this office should be discouraged, the prophet addeth a promise, "God's praise doth endure for ever"; as if he should have said, "The Lord is King, be the people never so impatient; the Lord is God, albeit the Gentiles furiously rage together, and the Jews imagine a vain thing; the kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers combine themselves against him, "Ps 99:1 18:31 2:1. He that dwelleth in heaven hath all his enemies in derision, and makes them all his footstool; his power is for ever, and so consequently his praise shall endure for ever; in the militant church, unto the world's end; in the triumphant, world without end.Most interpreters have referred this unto the good man who fears the Lord, yet diversely. S. Augustine expounds it thus, "his praise, "that is, his praising of the Lord, "shall endure for ever, "because he shall be one of them of whom it is said (Psalms 84:4) Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Others understand by "his praise" the commendation of the good man, both in the life present and in that which is to come, for his righteousness shall be had in an everlasting remembrance. Psalms 112:6 —John Boys.Ver. 10 (second clause). Where the fear of the Lord rules in the heart, there will be a constant conscientious care to keep his commandments: not to talk them, but to do them; and such have a good understanding, i.e., First, They are well understood, their obedience is graciously accepted as a plain indication of their mind, that they do indeed fear God. Secondly, They understand well.

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1. It is a sign they do understand well: the most obedient are accepted as the most intelligent. They are wise that make God's law their rule, and are in everything ruled by it.2. It is the way to understand better. "A good understanding are they to all that do them"; i.e., the fear of the Lord, and the laws of God give men a good understanding, and are able to make them wise unto salvation. —Condensed from Matthew Henry.BENSON, "Psalms 111:10. The fear of the Lord — That is, piety, or true religion, which consists in the fear, or worship and service of God; is the beginning of wisdom — Is the only foundation of, and introduction to, all true wisdom: or, is the chief part, the first and principal point of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do his commandments — That conscientiously walk according to them; for the practice of them, as Bishop Patrick observes, “gives men a better understanding of what is good for them, than any politic maxims can infuse into them.” His praise endureth for ever — Let the Lord be for ever praised, who hath given us these good and wholesome laws, and thereby shown us the way to eternal honour and happiness. But the Hebrew may be rendered, the praise of it, that is, of the wisdom and good understanding of those that fear the Lord, endureth, or standeth fast, as signifies, for ever: this will procure them such a substantial happiness as they ,עמדתcan never be deprived of, either in this world or the next. ELLICOTT, " (10) A good understanding . . .—Better, a good estimation have all they that do them. The parallelism here, as the context of Proverbs 3:4, decides for this rendering against that of the margin, “a good success.” Not only is piety the beginning of wisdom, but righteousness wins good esteem. For by his praise we must certainly understand the praise of the good man.CONSTABLE, "Verse 103. Concluding Wisdom of Solomon 111:10The writer may have quoted Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7 or Psalm 9:10, or Ecclesiastes 12:13."This famous saying is virtually the motto of the Wisdom writers, where its truth appears in various forms ..." [Note: Kidner, Psalm 73-150 , p398.]In view of God"s great acts and faithfulness, fearing Him is the better part of wisdom. Obedience expresses reverential trust. Continuing worship is also appropriate. Some interpreters take the last clause as a prayer rather than a statement. [Note: E.g, Dahood, 3:125.]God"s people should commit to memory the great characteristics and works of their God so they will remember to trust and obey Him.

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PULPIT, "Psa_111:10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (comp. Pro_1:7; Pro_9:10; Ecclesiasticus 1:16; and also Job_28:28). The meaning seems to be that "the beginning of wisdom is not found in keen insight, nor wide experience, nor the learn-hag of the schools, but in the temper of reverence and awe. The fear of the finite in the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the presence of the Holy, self-abhorring, adoring, as in Job’s confession—this for the Israelite was the starting-point of all true wisdom" (Dean Plumptre). A good under standing have all they that do his commandments; literally, that do them; but the "commandments" of verse 7 are, no doubt, intended. His praise endureth forever. The praise "of him," not "of it," as in the Prayer-book Version. As he had begun (verse 1), so the psalmist ends, with Jehovah’s praise.

COKE, "Psalms 111:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning— Or, as the original word ראשית reishith also signifies the first, the principal point. A good understanding have all they, &c. That is, "it is the surest mark of a good judgment, to apply one's self to the strict observance of God's commandments:" or, according to the original, A good understanding have all they that do it; i.e. who constantly observe this wisdom, this fear of the Lord: this will give them a better understanding of what is good for them, than any politic maxims can infuse into them. The next words may be rendered, the praise of it; i.e. of the wisdom and good understanding of those who fear the Lord: this will procure them such a substantial happiness, as nothing sub-lunary can possibly bestow upon them. This wisdom is called the fear of God, because deduced from the sovereign right of the Creator to demand the regard and obedience of his creatures: but it is such a fear, as is founded on a belief of, and attention to, all the attributes of the Deity, his goodness and mercy, as well as his justice and power, particularly as they are revealed to us in and through Jesus Christ: it is therefore often in scripture called, the love of God, and trust in God; it is a fear of displeasing him; a desire of imitating him; an affectionate sense of his adorable excellencies; a resolution of conforming ourselves to his will; and, in consequence, a satisfactory confidence of enjoying his protection in all events. The fear of God, thus understood and practised, turns the most awful of the divine attributes into the most consolatory articles of belief. The infinite power of God is no longer terrifying, when through Christ it is disarmed of vengeance; nay, is even matter of joy and delight, when considered as engaged in our behalf. The terrors of his justice need not make us afraid, when not offended by our wilful provocations, and satisfied by the atoning blood; yea, they are converted into supports of our expectations, when we reflect on the security and condition of the divine promises. His holiness will not make us fly his presence, when through Almighty Grace we have endeavoured to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Then all his gracious attributes of goodness to all, of patience and longsuffering to sinners, of mercy to returning penitents, appear mere exceeding gracious, and fill that soul with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, which is conscious of the divine favour through the gracious Redeemer, and has

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habitually and uniformly endeavoured to please and obey its Maker and Saviour: "Happy is the man that thus feareth alway." Proverbs 28:14. See Dodwell's sermon on Psalms 34:11.REFLECTIONS.—We here find the Psalmist,1. Professing his purpose to praise God with his whole heart, with unfeigned sincerity, and warm affection, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation, in social worship, or the courts of the sanctuary.2. He would take the matter of his song from the works of the Lord, the works of creation, providence, and redemption, which are each of them so great and wonderful, and sought out of all them that have pleasure therein; who make these the delightful subjects of their contemplation, and long to increase their knowledge of them, that they may be more enlarged in love and praise. His work is honourable and glorious in itself, and suited to exalt the glory of the Divine artificer: his righteousness endureth for ever; all the dispensations of his providence and grace are altogether and everlastingly righteous and true, and especially that Divine work of redemption which Jesus wrought out for believers, to justify all who trust in it from every condemnation. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered; they well deserve to be treasured up in our memories; and God hath graciously been pleased to transmit to us, in his word, his wonders of old time, to excite still our wonder and praise: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, as sinners, to their unutterable comfort, experience in the salvation of Jesus Christ, and in the great and precious promises which are in him; and as appears also in all the instances of his providential care: for he hath given meat unto them that fear him, or, a prey; the spoil of the Egyptians; and, rather than they should want, hath provided in the wilderness, for Israel, bread from heaven; and still he continues to feed his believing people daily with that better bread from heaven, which giveth life unto the world: he will ever be mindful of his covenant, none of the promises of it shall ever fail, nor any of the blessings of it be withheld from his faithful people; and therefore they are bound to say Hallelujah, for mercies so inestimably precious, so gracious, and so free. WHEDON, " 10. The beginning of wisdom—Not only in the sense of order of time, but also as chief or first in dignity. See Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 4:7, where the same word, “beginning,” occurs. Understanding must here be taken in its ethical sense of wisdom, prudence, discretion; which was always looked upon as the gift of God and the guaranty of success and happiness. Job 28:28; Proverbs 13:15.His praise endureth—Whose praise? Some suppose the praise of the wise man, who keeps the commandments, is meant, as in Psalms 112. But Jehovah in his works is the theme of the psalm, and the pronoun more properly refers to “Lord” in the first member of the verse, to whom all praise is due.EXPOSITOR'S DICTIONARY, "The Beginning of Wisdom

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Psalm 111:10Are we as a people entering upon a period of physical and moral deterioration? It is a question which is vexing the minds of many. May it not be said that few lovers of their country can be wholly at their ease as they watch the streams of thought and habit and speech which seem to be carrying along with them the great masses of our people of every rank and class?I. The Source of Strength.—Have we as a people the moral stuff and strength with which we can venture to be what is called an imperial race. It is easy, of course, to talk in generalities. Do we not all agree in our heart of hearts that we stand as a people in grave need of a moral renovation, a strengthening of our moral fibre, and a raising of our moral idea? Now if this be Song of Solomon , what is to be the attitude of those who wish to be on the side of religion? We are not to bemoan these tendencies but to redeem them. It is the special duty of a religious man at the present moment to look round about and ask, What is it that I feel to be wrong in the tendencies of this people of which I am a part? and then to set himself, with serious prayer and self-discipline, to exhibit in his own life and extend by his own influences just those very primary moral qualities of which he feels that his kind is lacking.II. The Lack of Reverence.—If you were asked which of all these qualities is the one of which we stand most patiently in need, what would your answer be? I think there are many of you who would say, We stand most in need of the sense of reverence, the recognition of an excellence beyond and above ourselves which claims our homage and devotion. Now it is plain is it not? it is needless to labour the point, that there can be no great future for any nation which is lacking in the sense of reverence. In the case of the people, as in the case of men, we can only rise if we can dare to stoop; we can only rise in character if at some point we bow in reverence. It is forgetfulness of God that is accountable for the spread of impudence and irreverence. It is the fear of God that alone can restore it.III. The Fear of God.—So it is that the Bible lays down from beginning to end that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is not a slavish terror. It is merely a reverent and reasonable recollection of the claim and being of God.IV. God as a Sovereign.—In our hold of the Fatherhood of God let us not forget His sovereignty. Let us keep before us always this sense of the majesty and the mastery of God. And from this sense of reverence for God we shall draw a sense of reverence for the world in which he has placed us. We shall feel that it is after all the vestibule of a great Presence.—Archbishop Lang, Christian World Pulpit, vol. LXVII. p213.References.—CXI:10.—J. Thomas, Myrtle Street Pulpit, vol. ii. p177. CXI.—

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International Critical Commentary, vol. ii. p382.

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