#842 Start to Finish

 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! Psalm 111 ESV

A Psalm of God's works.

Praise the Lord - Before the Psalmist even goes into detail of God's works, he burst forth in praise. Who is worthy of such adoration? The One that did not have to make the world, nor suffer it after the fall. If I am alive and have voice then I have reason to praise that which is above all creation. Men, in ignorance, praise things, without knowing God will still praise a god, or thinking themselves the highest form of consciousness, will praise themselves by what process our finite and vain mines can imagine. 

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart - Keep your rituals, hold your tongue unless it is with your whole frame, an utterance that stems from the fibers of your very being. It is more than a pleasure, a routine, God gains nothing from it for even the rocks will cry out if you hold your breath, but you gain everything from it, your sanity, your strength, your peace. Do you think you make Him worthy, no, whether you acknowledge Him or not, He is. 

…37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’… Matthew 22: 37-39

36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.… Matthew 10: 36-38

In the company of the upright, in the congregation - It almost seems as though written with a qualifier as to the congregation. A church isn't so because it says that on the door. God has caused buildings to be torn down before. It is crucial to obedience and growth that we "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together," since we are a body with all those who truly believe. You are incomplete in yourself, not furnished with every gift, and so what is it to forsake the body of Christ?

Studied by all who delight in them - Study brings appreciation, it unravels beauty in layers. If I were to see how quickly I could get through the book of God's revelation to man, I would miss a most that would appear more like all. Men pride themselves on "quick assessments", being "quick studies", a hand shake, the way someone smiles, their dress, but you don't know me. 

- The hidden wisdom of God is the most marvellous part of his works, and hence those who do not look below the surface miss the best part of what he would teach us. Because the works are great they cannot be seen all at once, but must be looked into with care, and this seeking out is of essential service to us by educating our faculties, and strengthening our spiritual eye gradually to bear the light of the divine glory. It is well for us that all things cannot be seen at a glance, for the search into their mysteries is as useful to us as the knowledge which we thereby attain. The history of the Lord's dealings with his people is especially a fit subject for the meditation of reverent minds who find therein a sweet solace, and a never failing source of delight. - C. H. Spurgeon

And His righteousness endures forever -

- There is none like the God of Jeshurun, and there is no salvation like that which he has wrought for his people. And his righteousness endureth for ever. In the work of grace righteousness is not forgotten, nor deprived of its glory; rather, it is honoured in the eyes of the intelligent universe. The bearing of guilt by our great Substitute proved that not even to effect the purposes of his grace would the Lord forget his righteousness; no future strain upon his justice can ever be equal to that which it has already sustained in the bruising of his dear Son; it must henceforth assuredly endure for ever. Moreover, the righteousness of God in the whole plan can never now be suspected of failure, for all that it requires is already performed, its demands are satisfied by the double deed of our Lord in enduring the vengeance due, and in rendering perfect obedience to the law. - C. H. Spurgeon

He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered - He has not left it merely by oral tradition, but has drawn many a picture of His grace in the saving of Isaac, the redeeming of Israel from Egypt, the Passover, the tabernacle, the promise of Messiah. He has given His word in the canon, through the prophets, the unmistakable inspiration of His Spirit in the pen of poets and scribes alike. Read the book of Isaiah alone, and you will never find it's depths while living here. The whole of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, tells of His works, His great work of redemption. 

In giving them the inheritance of the nations - 

…11 After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered among the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53: 11-12

All His precepts are trustworthy - He is faithful to His covenant promise. His commandments are always good for His word is timeless as He is. There is not faltering like with men, no double standard, He is true.

He sent redemption to His people - How righteous is He? He provides the infinitely just sacrifice to satisfy His infinite Holiness. So gracious is He that He condescends to men of low estate, humbles Himself to the cross. Everything needed to satisfy eternal justice was in Immanuel.

Holy and awesome is His name - The opposite of me, the finite, unjust, wavering, cowardly, wretch that I am. It is not a canal, no one can stand next to me and see the other side, except Christ. Without Him it is an impossible void. Shy of perfection is a consolation to men by way of their own standards, but it is a fearsome, infinite gulf in respect to a Holy God. Every one of His attributes are in their full and crowned with holiness. 

…15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.… 1 Peter 1: 15-17