Psalm 111 is the first of a three-psalms block that begins with the Hebrew hallelujah (הללויה). After Psalm 113, the next block of psalms that begin with hallelujah, would be Psalms 146-150. Hallelujah means ‘Praise Jehovah’ or ‘Praise the LORD.’ So Psalm 111 is a psalm of praise. From the content of the psalm, we see that it is a psalm of praise unto the LORD for His work of redemption as typified by His Redemption of Israel from Egypt. It was appointed by the early church as one of the psalms to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the joy that the resurrection brings to the body of Christ. 

We may entitle it “The Hallelujah of Messiah & His People when Reviewing the Work of Redemption” or simply, “Praise to Jehovah for Redemption.”

Now, Psalm 111 is also an acrostic psalm. It is one of seven such psalms in the Psalter (cf. Pss 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145). In this case, every half a verse or so begins with the next letter in the Hebrews Alphabet. Quite obviously this would be a memory aid for the Hebrew children. However, for those of us who are not Hebrew speakers, there is not much advantage to know the acrostic structure except to remind ourselves of how basic and important it is for us to remember and praise the LORD who is our Alpha and Omega. 

Content-wise, this psalm has a very simple structure. The first verse is an introductory call to praise. Then from verses 2-9 are seven reasons why we should praise the LORD. And finally, verse 10 is a concluding statement. 

In each of these three sections, a phrase or word stands out to summarise the content of the section. It would do well for us to notice them. In the first section, the words must be ‘with my whole heart’; in the second section, the words are ‘He hath”; and the third section, the word is ‘wisdom.’ 

Let’s consider first…


1. The Call To Praise: With My Whole Heart! 

¹ Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. 

“Praise ye the LORD,” translates the Hebrew Hallelujah. It is a call to all who are in earshot to join in to praise the LORD. The apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:16 that we are to teach and admonish one another in the singing of psalms. When we sing Hallelujah or “praise ye the LORD,” we are stirring one another’s heart to praise the LORD. 

But to do so with sincerity, we ourselves must praise the LORD wholeheartedly. So we sing, “I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” 

I must not only praise the LORD, I must love the Lord with all my whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Dt 6:5). Therefore, I must praise Him with my entire being. Now, that does not mean that I must drop everything and exercise myself to praising the Lord in public worship. What it does mean is that when I praise the Lord in the singing of His Word, I must not go through the motion, but sing with depth of emotion and gratitude. 

Of course, by nature I cannot do that. Christ alone can be perfectly wholehearted when He praises the Father. But Christ has given us His Spirit so that when we sing His Word in union with Him, we are enabled by the Spirit to sing with grace in our heart and our worship is acceptable and pleasing to the Father for the sake of His son our covenant head.

But now, why? Why should we praise the LORD?


2. The Reasons to Praise: He Hath 

Here are seven reasons centred around the words “He hath.” 

First, “The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein” (v. 2). That is to say: the works that He hath done are great and mighty. Those who ponder about that will take great delight in them. Think about His Work of creation small and great. Think about His Work of providence general and special; and surely you cannot but overflow with thanksgiving from your heart. 

Secondly, we should praise the LORD, for “His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth forever” (v. 3). Not only are the works of the Lord that He hath done great, they are also honourable and glorious. They display His righteousness. This is especially in His redemption of Israel, for it is not only a display of His might, but also an outworking of His covenant promises. Indeed, His redemption of the church is even more a display of God’s honour and righteousness, for it involves Christ our Lord paying for the penalty of our sin. How much more then should we bestir our hearts to praise the Lord. 

Thirdly, we should praise the LORD because “He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion” (v. 4). The LORD would have His people remember Him as being gracious and full of compassion. That was how He led the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. They deserved nothing but His wrath, and yet He graciously and compassionately provided for all that they needed, whether in terms of protection or food or water. 

Fourthly, we should praise the LORD because “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant” (v. 5). Not only does He provide food for His people, He provides them with His blessing. He is mindful of His covenant that they would be His people and He would be their God. Thus, while He sends the rain and the sunshine on the just and unjust, He does specially provide for His people all things to enjoy with His blessings. 

Fifthly, we should praise the LORD for “He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.” (v. 6). He had promised to give the land of Canaan to His people. He saw to it that the land was given to them through mighty signs and wonders. 

Sixthly, we should praise the LORD since “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. ⁸ They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness” (v. 7-8). The Lord is true, faithful and just in all that He does. He is not capricious and undecided. His commandments are sure. They do not change with time and situations. He is trustworthy and dependable, unlike man. 

Finally, we should praise the LORD because “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name” (v. 9). In other words, we should praise Him simply because He has redeemed His people. He has ordered our redemption according to His covenant faithfulness and His perfection of transcendent holiness. As He had decreed and spoken, so He would do. Nothing would hinder His great work. This is true for the Israelites in the Old Covenant. This is true for the church throughout the ages. 

Beloved brethren and children, what do we learn from here as to the reason we should praise the LORD? I trust you can see how we should praise the LORD on the basis of what He has done and never on whether we feel happy and triumphant. Man and circumstances may change, but the LORD never changes. We must always praise Him as we think about His holy Character and His mighty works.^[1]