Psalms · psalm 111 of 150
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Psalm 111 is a hallelujah in the form of an alphabetic poem that praises the Lord with the whole heart for his great works, full of splendor and righteousness. It recalls that he provides food for those who fear him, remembers his covenant, gave his people the inheritance of the nations and sent redemption, and ends affirming that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 111 begins with hallelujah and has no title. It is an acrostic psalm: each of its twenty-two lines begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order, which helped in memorizing it. Psalm 112 has the same form and is its partner: one speaks of what God is and does, the other of what the one who fears him does. Both are in Book V of the Psalms.
The psalmist opens with hallelujah and proposes to praise the Lord with his whole heart, in the company of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who delight in them. His work is full of splendor and majesty, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered, and the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Verses 5-9 develop those works. He provides food for those who fear him and remembers his covenant forever. He showed his people the power of his works in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy, established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people, commanded his covenant forever, and holy and awesome is his name.
Verse 10 is the center of teaching: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord's works are great and studied by those who delight in them; his work is glorious and his righteousness endures forever. Praising God includes observing and reflecting on what he has done.
He provides food for those who fear him and remembers his covenant forever. The covenant God does not only save: he sustains day by day those who trust him.
He sent redemption to his people and commanded his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name. God's redemption springs from his faithfulness and leads his people to revere him.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and those who practice his precepts have good understanding. Wisdom begins with a reverent relationship with God, not with knowledge alone.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: With his whole heart, among the upright and in the congregation. — Psalm 111:1
Answer: Great, studied by all who delight in them. — Psalm 111:2
Answer: Food, and he remembers his covenant forever. — Psalm 111:5
Answer: The inheritance of the nations. — Psalm 111:6
Answer: Redemption. — Psalm 111:9
Answer: The fear of the Lord. — Psalm 111:10
Psalm 111 encourages us to study the Lord's works and not just sing. In a Sunday school class we can set aside time to review what God has done in the Bible and in the community's history, and put it into words of praise. The alphabetic form of the psalm suggests that praising God can be orderly and thoughtful, from A to Z.
The last verse teaches where wisdom begins: in the fear of the Lord, that loving reverence that recognizes who God is. For young people and adults making important decisions, it is a reminder that good understanding springs from putting God first and practicing his word.
Psalm 111 ends with the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 112, also an acrostic, shows the person who fears the Lord: blessed, generous and steady in the face of bad news.
It is a poem in which each line or group of lines begins with a letter of the alphabet, in order. In Hebrew there are several, such as Psalms 9-10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145. It helped memory and expressed that praise or teaching covers everything, from the first letter to the last.
It is not only fright but reverence and respect before God, which leads to obeying and trusting him. In the Old Testament the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom and an upright life, and it is joined to love and gratitude.