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869 / 1113 · Psalms 111 · Return & Rebuilding · Undated; read here after the return (after 538 BC)

Great Are the Works of the LORD

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Walk into a primary classroom almost anywhere in India and you will find an alphabet chart on the wall, one letter per box, each with a picture beside it. It is a tool for remembering: once you know the order, you can recall every word. Psalm 111 is built the same way. After an opening 'Praise the LORD', its twenty-two short lines each begin with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is praise designed to be learned by heart, a whole history of God's goodness arranged so that nothing gets left out.

Where it sits in the story: Psalm 111 surveys God's deeds in Israel's story in compact phrases: the wonders remembered, food given to those who fear him (probably recalling the manna), covenant faithfulness, the land given as an inheritance, redemption sent. For a restored community it was a way of carrying the whole story in memory. Its last line, 'the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom', ties this history to the wisdom tradition of Proverbs.

What this chapter is doing: To praise God by rehearsing his works and character in a form that can be memorised, and to show that remembering what God has done is the foundation of a wise life.

Why it is read here: Books 4–5 of the Psalms carry few headings. Most scholars think the Psalter reached its final shape after the exile, so we read these untitled psalms at the close of the Old Testament story. Individual psalms may be much older.
The walk-through
  • 111:1–4 — The singer gives thanks with a whole heart in the company of the upright. God's works are great and worth studying by all who delight in them; his deeds are splendid and his righteousness lasts. He has made his wonders memorable, for he is gracious and compassionate, words that echo Exodus 34:6.
  • 111:5–6 — He gives food to those who fear him and always remembers his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works by giving them the heritage of the nations, a reference to the land promised to Abraham.
  • 111:7–10 — His works are faithful and just, his instructions trustworthy, established forever. He sent redemption to his people and commanded his covenant for all time; holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and his praise endures forever.
What it showsPsalms 111 and 112 are twin acrostics: each has twenty-two lines after an opening 'Hallelujah', and phrases from the first ('his righteousness endures forever', 'gracious and compassionate') reappear in the second.
Where the evidence stopsThe acrostic pattern points to careful literary composition, often linked to later wisdom circles, but it does not give the psalm a firm date or author.

Key verse: Psalm 111:10  ·  So what: Gratitude fades when memory fades. This psalm treats remembering as a discipline, something built with care and learned by heart. Families and churches that tell their stories of God's faithfulness, in songs or at festivals or around the table, are doing what this psalm does: making sure the next generation can recite the goodness before they need it.

← How Many Are Your WorksYou have just read Psalm 104, the great hymn of creation. Next, Psalm 112 uses the same alphabet pattern to describe the person who fears the LORD, mirroring this psalm's picture of God.Like Father, Like Child →
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