Psalm 111
Psalm 111, The Greatness of God’s Works
Psalm 111 is a psalm of praise focused on the greatness of the LORD’s works. It is an acrostic psalm, meaning it is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet. After the opening declaration, “Praise ye the LORD,” each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This structure shows careful composition, theological order, and poetic discipline. The psalmist does not offer careless praise, he gives thoughtful, ordered, Scripture saturated praise.
Psalm 111 is closely connected with Psalm 112. Psalm 111 describes the greatness of God, His works, His righteousness, His covenant, His redemption, His truth, and His wisdom. Psalm 112 then describes the blessed man who fears the LORD and walks in His commandments. The order matters. God is first. The godly man is formed by knowing, fearing, praising, and obeying the LORD.
The psalm teaches that the works of God are not to be ignored, forgotten, or treated casually. They are to be studied, remembered, proclaimed, trusted, and praised. The works of God include creation, providence, covenant faithfulness, provision, redemption, judgment, and instruction. The proper response is wholehearted worship, reverent fear, obedience, and enduring praise.
A. Thinking About the Great Works of God
Psalm 111:1, The Declaration and the Decision to Give God Praise
Psalm 111:1, “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
The psalm begins with “Praise ye the LORD,” or “Hallelujah.” Before the psalmist explains the works of God, he begins with the command to praise. This is fitting because God is worthy of praise before man understands everything. Praise begins with who God is, then grows deeper as His works are considered.
The psalmist then makes a personal declaration, “I will praise the LORD with my whole heart.” This is not reluctant worship. It is not partial, distracted, formal, or divided praise. The whole heart is called into worship. The mind, will, affections, memory, conscience, and inner man are all summoned to honor the LORD.
God is not rightly praised with a divided heart. A man may mouth words of worship while his heart is attached to sin, pride, fear, bitterness, money, pleasure, or self. That kind of worship is not whole hearted. The psalmist sets the proper pattern. The greatness of God deserves the whole heart.
This same principle is seen in the command to love God fully.
Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
Deuteronomy 6:5, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
The psalmist’s praise is also public, “in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” Praise belongs in the private life, but it must not remain private only. The people of God should gather and praise the LORD together. The “assembly” points to a smaller gathering of the upright, a circle of faithful worshipers, while the “congregation” points to the larger gathered people of God.
This teaches that corporate worship matters. A man who truly loves the LORD should not despise gathering with the upright. Public praise strengthens others, bears witness to God’s greatness, and joins individual faith to covenant community.
Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”
Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Psalm 111 begins by showing that praise should be personal, wholehearted, and public. The man who wants others to praise God must praise Him first. The worshiper leads by example.
Psalm 111:2 to Psalm 111:3, The Study of God’s Great Works
Psalm 111:2, “The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”
Psalm 111:3, “His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.”
Verse 2 declares, “The works of the LORD are great.” God’s works are great because they come from a great God. No small thing is done by His hand. His works are great in design, wisdom, power, number, order, beauty, and purpose.
The works of the LORD include the heavens, the earth, living creatures, providence, history, covenant promises, judgment, redemption, and the sustaining of all things. Creation itself declares that God’s works are great.
Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Psalm 19:2, “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.”
Psalm 19:3, “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”
The psalmist says God’s works are “sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” The greatness of God’s works invites study. Believers should not be intellectually lazy about the works of God. His works in creation invite careful observation. His works in history invite remembrance and reflection. His works in redemption invite theological meditation. His works in providence invite patient discernment.
This verse provides a strong foundation for the serious study of creation, history, theology, and Scripture. The scientist who studies creation rightly should be led to worship the Creator. The historian who studies providence rightly should see the hand of God in the affairs of men. The theologian who studies Scripture rightly should grow in reverence, not pride.
Yet study must be joined to reverence. Knowledge without the fear of God becomes arrogance. Romans 1 warns that men can see the evidence of God’s power and Godhead in creation and still suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse:”
Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
The correct study of God’s works leads to delight, humility, thanksgiving, and praise. The more one looks with faith, the more one sees. The believer takes pleasure in the works of the LORD because they reveal His wisdom, power, faithfulness, and glory.
Verse 3 says, “His work is honourable and glorious.” The work of God is not common, crude, shameful, or unstable. It is filled with honor and glory. Whether we consider creation, providence, judgment, or redemption, God’s work reflects His character.
“And his righteousness endureth for ever.” God’s works are not merely powerful, they are righteous. His creation is righteous. His judgments are righteous. His covenant dealings are righteous. His redemption is righteous. God does not act unjustly, and His righteousness does not expire. It endures forever.
This is a needed correction to man’s short sighted judgments. Men often question God’s works because they see only part of the picture. The psalmist teaches that God’s work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. Faith begins with the settled truth of God’s righteous character.
B. Describing the Great Works of God
Psalm 111:4 to Psalm 111:6, Remembering God’s Great Works
Psalm 111:4, “He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.”
Psalm 111:5, “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.”
Psalm 111:6, “He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.”
Verse 4 says, “He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered.” God does not perform His works so that His people will forget them. He intends His saving acts to be remembered, proclaimed, taught, and passed down. Forgetting the works of God is not harmless. It is spiritual failure.
Israel’s history shows the danger of forgetfulness. When the people forgot God’s works, they turned to unbelief, murmuring, idolatry, and rebellion. Therefore, God established memorials, feasts, songs, and instruction so that His works would remain in the memory of His people.
Psalm 78:4, “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”
Psalm 78:5, “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:”
Psalm 78:6, “That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children:”
Psalm 78:7, “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”
The psalmist then declares, “the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.” This is one of the central truths revealed by His works. God’s works are not merely displays of raw power. They reveal grace and compassion. He spares, provides, forgives, restores, preserves, and redeems.
This description echoes God’s own revelation of Himself to Moses.
Exodus 34:6, “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”
Exodus 34:7, “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
Verse 5 says, “He hath given meat unto them that fear him.” God provides for those who fear Him. This may look back to His provision for Israel in the wilderness, when He gave manna, quail, and water. It also states a general principle that the LORD cares for His people.
Exodus 16:14, “And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.”
Exodus 16:15, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna, for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”
Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
The promise is specifically tied to “them that fear him.” The fear of the LORD is not cringing unbelief. It is reverent trust, submission, awe, and obedience. Those who fear Him look to Him as Provider and Lord.
“He will ever be mindful of his covenant.” God never forgets His covenant. He remembers the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He remembers His covenant promises to Israel. He remembers His redemptive purposes. God’s mindfulness is not passive memory, but faithful action.
Genesis 17:7, “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”
Genesis 17:8, “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
Verse 6 says, “He hath shewed his people the power of his works.” God did not hide His power from Israel. He displayed it in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the wilderness, at Sinai, and in the conquest of Canaan. He revealed His power so His people would know Him, trust Him, and obey Him.
The verse continues, “that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.” This refers to God giving Israel the land of Canaan, the inheritance formerly occupied by the nations. This was not because Israel was morally superior in herself, but because God was faithful to His covenant and judged the wickedness of the Canaanites.
Deuteronomy 9:4, “Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land, but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.”
Deuteronomy 9:5, “Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land, but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Psalm 111:4 to 6 teaches that God’s works must be remembered, His character is gracious and compassionate, He provides for those who fear Him, He never forgets His covenant, and He displays His power in giving His people their inheritance.
Psalm 111:7 to Psalm 111:9, The Nature of God’s Great Works
Psalm 111:7, “The works of his hands are verity and judgment, all his commandments are sure.”
Psalm 111:8, “They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”
Psalm 111:9, “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”
Verse 7 says, “The works of his hands are verity and judgment.” “Verity” means truth, faithfulness, and reliability. “Judgment” points to justice and righteous order. Everything God does is true and just. His works are not deceptive, unstable, unjust, or arbitrary.
This includes His works in creation and history, but also His works in redemption and judgment. God’s acts and God’s words agree because both flow from His nature. What He commands is consistent with who He is.
“All his commandments are sure.” God’s commandments are not experimental opinions. They are firm, trustworthy, settled, and righteous. Man’s laws change. Cultures change. Political systems change. Human opinions change. But the commandments of God stand sure because they come from the unchanging God.
Verse 8 says, “They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” God’s commandments and works stand permanently. They are not morally outdated. They are not corrected by later human wisdom. They are established in truth and uprightness.
This is why the believer must not treat God’s Word as negotiable. A culture that rejects God’s commandments does not become wise, it becomes rebellious. A church that treats God’s commandments lightly loses its fear of the LORD.
Psalm 119:89, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”
Psalm 119:160, “Thy word is true from the beginning, and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”
Verse 9 says, “He sent redemption unto his people.” This likely looks first to the Exodus, where God redeemed Israel from Egyptian bondage. Redemption means deliverance by power and purchase. Israel did not free herself. God sent redemption.
Exodus 6:6, “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”
The Exodus redemption points forward to the greater redemption accomplished by Christ. The Lord Jesus redeemed His people not with silver and gold, but with His own blood.
1 Peter 1:18, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;”
1 Peter 1:19, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
“He hath commanded his covenant for ever.” God’s covenant is not temporary in His mind. He commands it. He establishes it. He preserves it. He fulfills it. His covenant purposes do not depend on man’s instability, but on His own faithfulness.
“Holy and reverend is his name.” God’s name is holy because He is holy. His name is reverend, meaning to be feared, honored, and held in awe. The word does not point to casual respect, but to deep reverence. God’s name is not to be treated lightly, used vainly, mocked, commercialized, or reduced to religious sentiment.
Exodus 20:7, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
Psalm 111:7 to 9 teaches that God’s works are true and just, His commandments are sure, His truth and uprightness endure forever, His redemption is sent to His people, His covenant stands forever, and His holy name must be feared.
Psalm 111:10, What Should Be Learned From God’s Great Works
Psalm 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.”
The psalm ends by drawing the necessary conclusion from the greatness of God’s works, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” This is one of the central doctrines of biblical wisdom. Wisdom does not begin with man. It does not begin with self expression, education, money, experience, intelligence, or worldly success. Wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD.
The fear of the LORD means reverence, awe, worship, submission, and moral seriousness before God. It is the settled recognition that God is holy, sovereign, righteous, Creator, Judge, Redeemer, and Lord. A man who does not fear God may be clever, educated, wealthy, or influential, but he is not truly wise.
This truth is repeated throughout Scripture.
Job 28:28, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
Psalm 111:10 then says, “a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.” Biblical understanding is proven by obedience. A man does not understand God rightly if he refuses to obey Him. Obedience is not the enemy of wisdom, it is the fruit of wisdom.
This is where biblical knowledge differs from mere academic knowledge. A man may know facts about Scripture and still be a fool if he does not fear God and obey His commandments. True understanding is practical. It submits to God’s authority.
Jesus taught the same principle.
Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”
Matthew 7:25, “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.”
Matthew 7:26, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:”
Matthew 7:27, “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The psalm ends, “his praise endureth for ever.” The works of God are great. His righteousness endures forever. His covenant stands forever. His commandments are sure forever. Therefore His praise endures forever. The praise of God will not end with one generation. It will continue into eternity.
The angels around God’s throne never cease to praise Him.
Revelation 4:8, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Psalm 111 teaches that God’s works are great, worthy of study, worthy of remembrance, and worthy of praise. The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He provides for those who fear Him. He remembers His covenant. His works are truth and justice. His commandments are sure. He has sent redemption to His people. His name is holy and reverend. Therefore, the only wise response is to fear Him, obey Him, and praise Him forever.
