"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 splendour and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures for ever.
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 for ever.
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 for ever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practise it have a good understanding.
His praise endures for ever!"
Psalm 111
The next reference to God's work is that it is 'honourable and glorious' (3). Maclaren says, 'What was at first but dimly apprehended as 'great' resolves itself, as we look; and, first, 'Honour and majesty', the splendour of His reflected character, shine out from His deeds, and then, when still more deeply they are pondered, the central fact of their righteousness, their conformity to the highest standard of rectitude, becomes patent.' Well might the Psalmist say that these divine works are to be remembered, and never to be forgotten. The word 'memorable' in its classical meaning is the real idea here: God works in such a way that what He does is not soon or easily forgotten, and the wonder of it engages the thought of His people from generation to generation. In 4b- 7a the 'works' are specified. There seem to be references to particular episodes in Old Testament history in the very wording of these verses: the idea of the 'memorial' in 4a echoes Exodus 12:24; in 4b 'gracious and full of compassion' is borrowed from Exodus 34:6; the 'food' in 5 is a reference to the provision of manna in the wilderness. In thus providing for them God gave a striking instance of how He was ever mindful of His covenant. It was not their worthiness that brought them this great boon, as Leopold puts it, but God's fidelity to what He had promised. The giving of the land of Canaan to His people is the next great act mentioned (6). And all these the Psalmist enumerates as 'verity and judgment, true and just’ (7a). To see in these divine provisions not only the power and majesty of God, but His mercy and compassion - this is the inspiration of the Psalmist's worship.