Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 111:1 and following. Indeed, great are “the works” of the God of creation (verse 2). But what about his unique “work” (verse 3), that of redemption (verse 9)? How “glorious and magnificent” it is! We worship the One who fulfilled it and conclude as the Apostle: “The same one who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him for all of us, how can he not also give us, freely, all things with Him?” (Romans 8:31-39). Doesn’t He ensure our daily sustenance? (verse 5). Yes, what God does confirms what He is: “full of grace and merciful” (verse 4). Considering His works strengthens our faith in His Word; they never contradicted his precepts. Both are truth. His precepts are safe (verse 7) and practicing them is the way to acquire “good understanding” (verse 10). A man’s first step in the path of wisdom is the fear of God. For according to verse 5, this is also the only way to solve the painful problem of hunger in the world… but also the only one that people do not think about.
There is an elevation of Jehovah’s deliverance from Israel: Ps. 111, 112 and 113 form a whole, like a hallelujah that celebrates Jehovah’s ways toward Israel in the work of his deliverance. First, in Psalm 111, these are the works of the Lord, glorious in themselves. He made them memorable by his powerful intervention in court; nevertheless, he showed himself full of compassion, and also remembered his covenant. He manifested to his people the power of his works by giving them the heritage of the nations; moreover, his works remain. What gives rise to praise, with the knowledge of his name, is that he sent redemption to his people. The Lord being such, His fear is the beginning of wisdom: it makes us intelligent for the conduct we have to follow. Faith knows this, and the Lord’s appearance for judgment will prove it to the world. On the other hand, Ps. 112 describes the character of those who fear Jehovah, as well as the blessing that will be shared with them when God’s government is established.
All this shows how impossible it is to apply these Psalms to the position of today’s saints, although the exercises of faith and piety often have the same origin in saints of all ages. But it is through the deliverance of Israel that the name of Jehovah is then manifested. For inPs. 113 the subject of praise is more general, even quite universal, but the occasion is the same: This praise is celebrated now and forever; henceforth it is spread throughout the earth, but the one who is celebrated is the God of Israel, who dwells in the highest places, who nevertheless lowers himself to look so low, but in order to exalt those he loves, to make them sit with the nobles of his people and to fill with joy in their abode those who were hopeless.
“I will praise Jehovah with all my heart,” We find that the prophet, in this case, sets 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 celebrated the praises of God without fail, with all his heart, and that he would do so publicly, in the assembly of the faithful. It begins very well with the praise of the heart, because it is much better to praise in secret, and when no one is aware of it, than to raise your voice and shout your praises with feigned lips. At the same time, the person who secretly pours out his heart in grateful emotions to God, will also expose his praises in inflated tensions, otherwise God would be deprived of half of the honor due to him.
‘The works of the ternal are great,’ He now proceeds to inform us that there are abundant materials for the praise of God, provided by his works, to which he makes for the moment 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 that is generally beyond the scrutiny of men and, therefore, few of them know about it. This ignorance which the prophet attributes to the indifference and ingratitude of men, few who deign to notice the great wisdom, goodness, justice and power that shine in these works; for when he says that the excellence of God’s works is known to all who desire it, he means that no one ignores it, except those who are willfully blind, or rather, stifle with malice and contempt the light that is offered to eux.
We must, however, look after the means at our disposal to come to the knowledge of these words because we know that as long as the faithful are on earth, their understanding is dull and weak, so that they cannot penetrate the mysteries, or understand the height of God’s works. But, as incomprehensible as the immensity of God’s wisdom, fairness, justice, power and mercy may be, in his works the faithful nevertheless acquire as much knowledge as he qualifies them to manifest the glory of God; only it is up to us to begin the study of his works with reverence, so that we may take pleasure in them, however despicable they may be in the eyes of the reprobates, who treat them with unholy contempt.
‘His work is magnificent… ‘ Others make it a splendor. The meaning of the clause is as follows: Every act of God is filled with glorious majesty. In the next part of the verse, he makes it clearer what this beauty and magnificence consists of, declaring that God’s righteousness is visible everywhere. It is not God’s plan to provide us with such a demonstration of His power and sovereignty in His works, which could only fill our minds with terror, but He also gives us a demonstration of His righteousness in a way that invites us to captivate our hearts. This praise of God’s works and ways is introduced in opposition to the clamour and slander of the ungodly, by which they strive, to the fullest extent of their power, to disfigure the glory of God’s works.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord:
· Eternal God
Dt 32:40 For I raise my hand to heaven, and I say: I live eternally! Ps 135:13 Eternal! your name lives on forever, Eternal! your memory lasts from generation to generation. 2 Pet 3:8 But one thing, beloved, that you must not ignore, and that is that before the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Rev 1:8 I am the alpha and the omega, says the Lord God, the one who is, who was, and who comes, the Almighty. Rev 11:17 saying, “We thank you, Lord God Almighty, who are, and who were, for you have seized your great power and taken possession of your kingdom.
· God’s Compassion
Ex 3:7 Jehovah said, “I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt, and I have heard the cries of their oppressors, for I know their pains. Ps 78:38 However, in his mercy he forgives iniquity and does not destroy; He often holds back his anger and does not indulge in all his fury. Ps 86:15 But you, Lord, are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to anger, rich in goodness and faithfulness; Mi 7:19 He will still have compassion on us, He will put our iniquities under His feet; You will throw all their sins to the bottom of the sea.
· Fear of God, commanded
Dt 10:12 it is a land that Jehovah, your God, cares for, and on which Jehovah, your God, continually has his eyes, from the beginning to the end of the year. Isaiah 8:13 It is the Lord of hosts that you must sanctify, It is He whom you must fear and dread. Mt 10:28 Fear not those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can cause the soul and body to perish in Gehenna. 1 Pet 2:17 Honor everyone; love the brethren; fear God; honor the king.
· True wisdom, general references
The fear of God is wisdom Jb 28:28 And then he said to man: Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom; Moving away from evil is intelligence. Pr 1:20 Wisdom cries out in the streets, Raises Her Voice in the Squares:
-The Supreme Acquisition Pr 4:7 This is the beginning of wisdom: Acquire wisdom, And with all that you possess acquire intelligence.
-Perceives the divine truth Hos 14:10 (Thompson) who is wise? He will have the intelligence of these things. He who is intelligent will understand them. For the ways of the Lord are straight: the righteous will walk there, but the transgressors will stumble there.
-Establishes a solid foundation Mt 7:24 Therefore, whoever hears these words that I say and puts them into practice, will be like a prudent man who built his house on the rock.
-The Scriptures, source of true wisdom 2 Tim 3:15 from your childhood, you know the holy letters, which can make you wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
-Rich in spiritual fruits James 3:17 Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, moderate, conciliatory, full of mercy and good fruit, free from duplicity, hypocrisy.
From all the above, we note that in this psalm is revealed to us the great divine mystery of this “afflicted and poor” man, now exalted in heaven as “Lord”, and receiving the promise of the kingdom. The following psalms seem to retrace some of the exercises touching on this mystery. And this is how we should always receive all divine revelation. After having, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, evoked the profound and vast counsel of God (Rom 9:11), the Apostle, at the end of his presentation, cried out with admiration: “O depth of riches!” And how poor and worthless would be all the knowledge we have if it did not have this effect, if from all our meditations we did not take a few chips to light our own fire, so to speak. We hear Jesus himself, or the Spirit of Christ speaking through the mouth of the worshipper. Praise erupts from the very beginning. This may well be the fruit of the lips, when the soul (as we said above) has listened to the great theme developed in the previous psalms. Here, the worshipper celebrates the works of the God of the covenant; and in their midst, all the sufferings and glory of Jesus constitute, as we know, the great subject of praise. The “good understanding” of those who fear Jehovah is also announced, for the end will certainly manifest the wisdom of a life lived in this fear in the midst of the present evil century. Jehovah’s praise “endures in perpetuity” (verse 10; as does his righteousness: verse 3; and his precepts: verse 8). Let’s know how to sing it now. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the celebration of the name of the Lord who cares for the poor.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.