Psalm 111:7-10
7 The works of His hands are
verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.
8 They stand fast forever and
ever, And are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to
His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His
name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His
commandments. His praise endures forever.
Today, I am calling our pastor’s
chat, “In God We Trust”. I just checked to make sure, but on our United States currency
you can find these words still stamped on them, “In God We Trust”. In a day and
age when it is hard to know who to trust because of the apparent lies and deceitfulness
of our culture and government, it is wonderful to know that we have a God of
the Bible that we can put our trust in.
Remember that Psalms 111 and
112 were most likely written by some Levite after the Babylonian captivity. Life
was not easy for the Jewish remnant that returned to Jerusalem after their
exile in Babylon to reestablish the nation and to rebuild the temple and the
walls of Jerusalem. Their neighbors were often hostile, the Persian officials
were not always cooperative, and the economic situation was difficult. In this
time of great discouragement, the psalmist wanted to assure them that Jehovah
was able to take care of them.
The psalmist of Psalm 111 encouraged
them in verse 1 to praise the Lord anyway. In verses 2-6, he reminded them of the
great and awesome works of God! Now, in verses 7-9, he exhorts them to take the
time to look into God’s Word and rely on it. And finally in verse 10, he tells
them to fear the LORD and be willing to obey His Commandments.
From the works of God it was
an easy transition to the Word of God, for it is God's Word that brought all
things into being and that keeps things together (Psalm 33:6-11). God gave His
law to His people so that they might enjoy His blessings. His righteousness is
forever (v. 3), but so are His covenants (vv. 5, 9) and His precepts (v. 8).
God's Word is trustworthy, and we can rely on it. His precepts are given in
love and His promises never fail.
As for the covenant He made
with Israel, He has been faithful to keep it even when Israel was not faithful
to obey it. If we obey His Word, He is faithful to bless; if we disobey, He is
just to chasten us in love. As the people of God, we bear His name and want to
glorify His name in all that we say and do. "Holy and awesome is his name,"
To the Jewish people, God's name was so awesome that they would not speak the
name "Jehovah" but substituted "Adonai" lest they would
inadvertently blaspheme His holy name. Would that God's people today had such
reverence for the name of the Lord!
The awesomeness of God's name
leads to the importance of fearing the Lord and obeying His will. The fear of
the Lord is a topic mentioned frequently in Scripture, especially in the book
of Proverbs. It is not the slavish fear of a criminal before a judge but the
loving and reverential fear of a child for his or her parents. If we want to
understand God's works and God's Word, we must maintain this reverential fear
of the Lord, for this attitude is the basis for receiving spiritual wisdom and
understanding. (See Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7 and 9:10.) The word
"beginning" means "the principal part," and without this we
are unprepared to learn God's truth. But fearing the Lord leads to obeying the
Lord, and obedience is important to spiritual understanding (John 7:17).
Remember the old hymn says, “Trust
and obey, there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey! Yes,
my friend, today you can still “Trust in God”!
God bless!
