Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

• “His (the Lord’s) righteousness endures forever” (111:3 NIV) – “His (the one who fears the Lord) righteousness endures forever.” (112:3 NIV)

Although the masterful art of the acrostic poem gives Psalm 111 a seamless quality, there are sev- eral emphasis indicated by the outline: I ALL MY HEART - v1- His Worship II AMAZING DEEDS - v2-4 His Wonders III ALWAYS REMEMBERS - v5-9 His Words IV ALL WHO OBEY HIM - v10 His Wisdom

I ALL MY HEART - v1- His Worship

““Praise the Lord. (Hallelujah) I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.” (v1)

Psalms 111 and 112 are the only two psalms that have the beginning “Hallelujah” but do not end with the same word. Spurgeon says of this first verse; ‘the one and undivided God cannot be accept- ably praised with a divided heart.’ Sincere worship unites all the faculties of the individual person to focus upon God: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”(Mrk. 12:30) Sincere worship is a key to unite the fragmented segments of the body of Christ, ‘his godly people.’ Before a symphony orchestra plays the individual members practice pas- sages from the various pieces they will perform. The sound is chaotic until the director takes the podium and they begin playing in one harmonious sound. Jesus has taken the podium and all over the world the church is uniting in spirit as they worship him. “How amazing are the deeds of the lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails (endures forever.) (2, 3) The deeds of the Lord spoken of here are his works of creation, provision and redemption. Amazing and powerful works accomplished the salvation of his people in both the Old and New Testaments. To “ponder them” comes from a word that means ‘place of study and research’. How much greater our theologians would be if they sang his praise and how much greater our singers would be if they “pondered” the works of his salvation. Pascal writes of verse 3; ‘Human things must be known to be loved, but Divine things must be loved to be known 2 .’ God unlocks the riches of his salvation to those who make the effort to love and honor him. His deeds not only ‘bring glory to God it also brings us to glory 3 .’ We praise him not only for what he does, but who he is; the one whose “righteousness endures” eternally. The danger of human nature is that it is easy to ignore and forget the wonders that he has and is performing on our behalf. In the Old Testament the Passover meal was instituted as a remembrance of his wonders; “You must remember this day forever. Each year you will celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord.” (Ex. 12:14) The communion table is a constant reminder of the wonders of Christ’s salva- tion; “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Lk. 19:20) The force of thought in this verse is that his salvation is continual, not just historical. His wonders are an outward expression of his inward attributes of compassion and mercy towards us. II AMAZING DEEDS - v2-4 His Wonders “Who can forget the wonders he performs? How gracious and merciful is our Lord!” (4)

III ALWAYS REMEMBERS - 5-9 His Words

“He gives food to those who trust him; he always remembers his covenant.” (v5)

The wondrous redemption of God’s people not only involves his great deeds but it is based upon his covenantal love that can never be broken. The spiritual “food” of the communion table alluded to here, is a constant remembrance of the New Covenant. Augustine and Theodor, early church theologians, said that this verse is; ‘ …the psalm of the Church at the celebration of the Lord’s supper 4 .’ Luther remarks; ‘ …it looks to me as though it had been composed for Easter.’ Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a reminder that the Covenant of life is still in effect.

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