World English Bible
- Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.
- The LORD’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them.
- His work is honor and majesty. His righteousness endures forever.
- He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered. The LORD is gracious and merciful.
- He has given food to those who fear him. He always remembers his covenant.
- He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
- The works of his hands are truth and justice. All his precepts are sure.
- They are established forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness.
- He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome!
- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
Psalm 111 is not only a song; it is a carefully built house of memory. In Hebrew, it is an acrostic: each line steps through the alphabet from beginning to end. That detail matters. The psalmist is not merely having a burst of feeling. He is teaching the people of God how to remember. Praise here is disciplined, shaped, almost architectural. The Lord’s wonders are too important to be left to mood.
That may be one thing many Western readers miss. In Israel, memory was not nostalgia. It was covenant survival. Forgetfulness was not a minor weakness; it was the root of rebellion. So when the psalm says God “has caused his wonderful works to be remembered,” it means he has built memorial into the life of his people. The poem itself becomes a kind of sanctuary made of letters.
Verse 2 is striking: the Lord’s works are “pondered” by those who delight in them. The Hebrew word suggests being sought out, studied, investigated. Biblical praise is not the enemy of thought. It is thought set on fire by delight. The saints are not asked to switch off their minds before God, but to bring their minds fully awake. Archaeology often uncovers the boastful inscriptions of kings celebrating battles, buildings, and dynasties. Israel also rehearsed mighty acts—but with one crucial difference: God’s greatness is never separated from his mercy. He gives food. He remembers covenant. He acts in truth and justice.
That joining of power and goodness is one of the psalm’s deepest gifts. The world is full of impressive works that are morally ugly. Psalm 111 will not let us admire strength by itself. “The works of his hands are truth and justice.” His deeds and his words agree. His precepts are sure because his character is sure. In us, there is often a gap between what we say and what we do. In God, there is no seam. His holiness is not cold distance; it is moral beauty without fracture.
Then the psalm culminates: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” “Beginning” here means more than first step; it means the chief principle, the living root. Augustine and Calvin both saw this clearly in different ways: wisdom is not mere sharpness of mind, but rightness of soul before God. You can master facts and still be a fool. Real understanding begins when a person is brought into reverent alignment with reality—God’s reality.
And notice: wisdom belongs to “those who do.” Obedience is not opposed to understanding; it is often the door into it.
In Christ, this psalm opens even wider. God has “sent redemption to his people”—not only in exodus memory, but in the Son who became our Passover and our living bread (see Luke 1:68–75; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Colossians 1:15–20). The greatest work of God is not only to amaze us, but to remake us.
Suggested hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Suggested cross-references: Proverbs 1:7; Deuteronomy 8:2–3; Exodus 16:12–15; Luke 1:49–55; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Lord, teach me to remember rightly. Save me from shallow praise and from cleverness without fear. Let me study your works until wonder becomes obedience, and obedience becomes wisdom. In Christ, your redemption has come near; make my whole heart answer with lasting praise. Amen.