Reflecting, Rejoicing, Renewal
Psalm 111:1-10
29 Dec 2024
Today, the last Sunday of 2024, we thought we could take time for reflection, rejoicing, and in prayer for the new year. As we reflect on God’s character and His hand in our lives it is a reason for rejoicing. But God doesn’t want us to simply rejoice in Him and because of His works - He wants us to experience His life, transformation, and renewal. If you have your Bibles, let’s turn to Psalm 111.
Psalm 111:1-10 (ESV)
1 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He 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; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
This particular Psalm is believed to have been written after the Babylonian exile and so when the psalmist looks back on his life and the lives of God’s people, he’s reflecting on the long journey God has brought them through. They returned to Jerusalem but they were in a very difficult place - just coming out of captivity, still under threat from other nations, in an unfortified city which provided no protection, and so they were understandably shaken and distracted.
This Psalm was carefully constructed by the writer to tune their hearts back to God so that they could sing His praises once again. In verse 1, the psalmist was determined that no matter what difficulties they had faced in the past and would be facing in the future, he was going to reflect on God’s goodness and praise and worship Him with all his heart. And he was not going to do it alone - he openly praised God in the company of the assembly and in the congregation.
We’re reminded here in Psalm 111 that though our faith is personal and intimate, it’s not individualistic. Godliness involves heartfelt worship (Deut 6:5; Ps 100:1-2), and it involves public participation in worship. In other words, it’s one thing to praise the Lord in your personal devotional time, but it’s another to praise the Lord with others in the assembly and in the congregation. The assembly speaks of a smaller gathering (like a life group) and the congregation speaks of the whole church. God wants us to reflect on how He has worked in our own lives and share this testimony with others.
Why is the psalmist able to praise the Lord? It’s because he has studied His works. What does it mean to study the works of God? The word “study” in v. 2 conveys a sense of diligent searching or investigation - with the intent of obtaining deeper knowledge or understanding. It’s the act of seeking God, His will, His guidance and wisdom in order to align one's life with divine principles. Many have studied the works of God and given Him glory.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), while observing half a million stars and discovering over 2600 planets said: "I am thinking over again the first thoughts of God." What was Kepler referring to? Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Copernicus before him (1473-1543) said:
For who would not, while constantly studying the universe so clearly arranged in the most beautiful order and directed by divine wisdom – who would not, through the constant contemplation of this… be induced to admire the Architect who created all this.
The historian, who sees God’s hand in the course of history and the theologian who sees His perfect plan of redemption throughout the Scriptures are delighting in the sovereign works of God. What one delights in reveals much about their character and priorities. OT scholar John Goldingay said, “studying the work of God shapes people’s faith, hope, trust, and life.”
Not only are God’s works full of splendor and majesty as we see in verse 3, but His righteousness endures forever. The psalmist observed that everything the Lord does and teaches and calls us to do is right. The psalmist was reflecting on God’s character, His goodness, grace, and mercy, and then rejoicing over all His works which were full of splendor and majesty.
In the same way, as we reflect on God’s character and creative and redemptive works we can rejoice in who He is today and what we have witnessed Him accomplish. But in verse 4 we see that God has caused His works and covenant promises to be remembered because what normally happens when we face new challenges? What happens when we are under work and family pressures, deadlines, or an uncertain future? We tend to forget about what God has done, forget about what He is able to do, forget about who He is.
This is why the psalmist is drawing our attention to God and His “wondrous works.” He wants us to focus on an all-powerful God and the things He has done that go way beyond human understanding because they are extraordinary and miraculous. This phrase is often used to refer to the supernatural events of the Exodus where God did the impossible. Reflecting on the extraordinary and miraculous works of God comforts us in our present situation. Thanking Him for these things and focusing on His character and truth clears out the anxious thoughts and renews our minds.
These are the things the Lord wants us to “remember.” That’s why He instituted specific feasts, congregational gatherings, celebrations, where the oral and written testimonies of God’s miraculous works are taught, spoken about and passed down from generation to generation. These specific times of gathering serve as physical reminders of God's past actions and promises. As Abraham went from place to place, he left behind altars and wells as memorials to remind him and all who followed about God’s faithfulness to His Word and promises.
5) The psalmist recalls how God provided food for his people who wandered in the desert for 40 years.
6) God not only delivered them from Egypt and from Pharaoh's mighty army, He brought them into the Promise
land. These were all physical displays of God’s power which revealed His character of compassion, patience, and mercy on a people who were constantly complaining and rebelling. He didn’t have to deliver them from Babylon, He didn’t have to restore them after the exile but He did these things for His name’s sake and because He loved them. God revealed His power to the children of Israel back then and He has also revealed it to us when He sent His Son to break the power of sin, death, and judgment and to give us an eternal inheritance.
Have you ever taken time to list the amazing things God has done for you and in your life, and in His church? Perhaps for yourself, a wonderous thing was the day of your salvation, maybe it was a miraculous answer to prayer, or a time God delivered you from a bad situation, or brought about a transformation in your life or the life of someone you love.
Vv. 7 & 8 tell us:
The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
The psalmist moves from God's works to His words - All His precepts - everything God teaches in His Word - everything He says whether it is a blessing, warning, exhortation, encouragement, or a promise is trustworthy. We can trust God at His Word and say, “Amen.” God’s Word is powerful and will endure forever. Isa 55:11 says (SL 5):
So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
The last two verses in Psalm 111 tell us:
He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Ps 111:9-10).
The psalmist is reflecting on and rejoicing about how the Lord kept His people and it has emboldened him to trust the Lord to keep his promises in the future. Reflecting led to rejoicing and His rejoicing led to renewal of his hope and joy in the Lord.
What does the phrase “fear of the Lord” mean? In today’s culture we understand fear as something to run from, something that requires a defensive or retaliatory stance. The fear of the Lord is quite the opposite - the root of the word fear here speaks of clinging to, loving, and serving. This is the beginning of all wisdom and understanding. This is what we are being called to.
One commentator said:
Life would be so much simpler, so much richer, so much happier, so much easier if we would just follow Jesus and put His wisdom into practice. Of course, we can’t do that perfectly …and we can’t do it by ourselves; that’s why Jesus gives us his Spirit.
God delivered His people throughout the ages and He will do the same for us today; He provided for them and He will provide for us today, He guided and directed them and He will guide and direct us through every circumstance we will face this coming year.
This is my prayer for this year - that as God’s people and as His church we would reflect on who He is, study His wondrous works, rejoice in all He has done, and allow Him to continually renew our minds as we can cling to, love, and serve Him in a way that brings glory to His Name. This is a prayer for ourselves and also for the next generation.
