Today we come to Psalm 111. This Psalm is a praise song which reveals the majesty of God and celebrates Him and all His works. “Praise the LORD. I will extoll Him with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly” (verse 1). So begins this Psalm, and such an attitude should always characterize us before our Creator. God is holy and sovereign; He alone has the proper right to be extolled and worshiped above all else, for “great are His works and glorious are His deeds” (verses 2-3). We notice that the works of God are “pondered by all who delight in them” (verse 2). His works and wonders are “glorious and majestic … His righteousness endures forever. He is gracious and compassionate – providing food for those who fear Him” (verses 3-4). “The works of His hands” (verse 7) are highly treasured, praised, and loved by those of us who know Him. We, who know Him, recognize that He alone has brought all reality into being, and “through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (cf., John 1:3). If it exists, it exists by His hand alone. How ridiculous to talk about things kicking themselves up into existence from primordial slime or some “big bang.” Apart from Him, there could be no slime or bang. The Psalmist points out the absurdity of this nonsense by quoting from Proverbs – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (verse 10; cf., Proverbs 9:10). Indeed, to Him alone “belongs eternal praise” (verse 10).
In Isaiah 57:14-59:21, we see again God’s merciful heart and His additional comfort to those who are “contrite and lowly in spirit ... by reviving their hearts and spirits” (verse 15). It is God’s intent to “remove the obstacles out of the way of His people” (verse 14). He promotes “peace; peace to those far and near … and healing” (verse 19), but for the wicked, “there is no peace” (verse 21). Righteousness itself is an expression of peace, and it flows from an upright heart of peace. Wickedness, on the other hand, is tantamount to turmoil, and it is the epitome of disorder, confusion, and mayhem. Chapter 58 explains “true fasting,” which “loosens the chains of injustice; unties the cords of oppression; shares food with the hungry; and clothes the naked” (verses 6-7). These actions kindle “the light and appearance of healing” (verse 8). Chapter 59 tells us that “God’s arm is not too short to save – nor His ear too dull to hear” (verse 1). He promises “by covenant” (verse 21) that “the Redeemer will come to Zion” (verse 20). As Christians, we should be so thankful that God is loving, long suffering, patient, and understanding with us. He has seen our [evil] ways, “but He will heal us” (cf., 57:18). Only a loving, forgiving God can change us from sin to righteousness. We simply cannot do it without Him.
In Ephesians 3, Paul, “the prisoner of Jesus Christ,” explains “the mystery of Christ,” which was formerly concealed but now is made known. This mystery concerns God’s plan to include and invite the Gentiles to become “heirs, members, and sharers together with Israel” into one body within His kingdom (verse 6). After praying for the Ephesian Christians (cf., verses 14-20), Paul concludes this section by sharing with us what an “immeasurable” privilege is ours – “more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us – to know the love that surpasses knowledge – and be filled with all the fulness of God” (verses 19-20). Again, we reiterate – and here, Paul concurs with what we saw in Psalm 111 – to God alone “belongs eternal praise.”
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