As we said yesterday, Psalms
111 and 112 could be called twins. Neither have a title, we have no idea who wrote
them, but most likely they were written by some Levite after the Babylonian
captivity, probably early in the post-exilic period. Life was not easy for the
Jewish remnant that returned to Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. Their
neighbors were often hostile, the Persian officials were not always
cooperative, and the economic situation was difficult. Ezra the scribe and the
prophet Haggai described some of these problems in their books.
The psalmist of Psalm 111
gives us four instructions to follow if we would enjoy the help and blessing of
the Lord in the difficult and discouraging situations of life. In verse 1, we should
look up and be committed to praise and worship the Lord anyway. In verses 2-6,
we should look around and remember the works of God! In verses 7-9, we take the
time to look into God’s Word and rely on it. And in verse 10, we learn to fear
the LORD and be willing to obey His Commandments.
First, we should deal with our
discouragement with worship and praise (v. 1). We might not be able to rejoice
in our circumstances, but we can always rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). This
opening verse is actually a vow. The writer is determined to praise God no
matter what happens. Sometimes we simply need to get ourselves by the nape of
the neck and decide to do what is right no matter how we feel! Notice that the psalmist does not stay at home
and worship in private, as important as that is; he goes to the sanctuary and
joins in with others. We encourage one another as we praise God together. The "assembly
of the upright" is a smaller group of the psalmist's friends who, like
him, are a part of the larger "congregation."
All of us have people in
church who are very special to us, and as long as we do not form an exclusive
clique, there is nothing wrong with worshiping God with your close friends. The
"small group" movement in the church today has proven very helpful,
especially in larger congregations. But the important thing is that we are
wholehearted in our worship, giving God our very best.
Secondly, we should remember
God's great and awesome works (vv. 2-6). God's people do not live in the past,
but they know how to use the past to give them encouragement in the present and
hope for the future. God’s works reveal His attributes, for like Him they are
great (v. 2), glorious, majestic and righteous (v. 3), wonderful, gracious and
compassionate (v. 4), powerful (v. 6), faithful, just and trustworthy (v. 7),
and holy and awesome (v. 9). Who could not trust a God with that kind of
character!
In reviewing the kinds of
works God did, the psalmist also reminded us of what some of those works were
(vv. 5, 6, 9). We should delight in pondering the record of God's works and
learn more about the Lord from our study, but we should also review how He has
worked in our own lives. The word "remembered" in verse 4 is
"memorial." We may read it, "He has caused His wonders to be
a memorial." In fact, Israel itself is a memorial to the power and
grace of God. As Abraham went from place to place, he left behind altars and
wells as memorials that God had brought him that way, and the Jewish nation
left "memorial stones" after they entered Canaan (Josh. 4:1-7) and
during their passage through the land. Jewish parents were commanded to teach
their children the meaning of the special days and the memorial stones (Ex.
13:3-10; Deut. 6:4-9; Josh. 4:4-7).
There should be special places
in our lives that we mark where God can bring edifying memories to mind that
will help us remember His greatness and grace. What are yours?
God bless!
