Psalms

This Psalm and Psalm 112 both start with praise the Lord and are acrostics.  They have 22 lines that correspond with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  This Psalm praises God for He is.  Many times throughout the history of Israel the people turned away from the Lord.  Their faith veered off in a ditch for one reason or another.  When the circumstances of life are bad, people can often be tempted to looking for answers elsewhere.  When God showers blessings on His people, they also often forget where those blessings come from and depart from the Lord.  We don't know the circumstances but the writer is calling the people to faith in God because of His faithfulness and justice.

Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice

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

This should be read as a vow and a declaration.  Praise the Lord, without exception.  There are no qualifiers to say I only praise Him when I'm happy or get my way.  As we walk in this life things happen we don't understand; praise Him!  Sometimes it seems like a dark cloud is following you; praise Him!  He is our God, our maker and salvation.  There is no where else to go.  He knows where we are walking and if we are in these circumstances then a sovereign God allowed them.  We need to seek God and His purpose in all things.  In all things Praise the Lord!

It's possible that Jesus had this 2nd line in mind when he spoke the words in Matthew 22:37:  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

What is the assembly of the upright?  This is the smaller group of people withint the congregation of believers.  It's your circle of influence within the larger group that are in the church.  Within the church I will praise the Lord with my whole heart.  I won't be concerned about who I impress for who might not agree.  I'm just going to praise the Lord.  If we worship the Lord with anything less than our whole heart it is being double-minded.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The stable man stands praising the Lord with his whole heart in the assembly of upright.  The upright aren't sinless or perfect men and women.  But they are the pious ones who pursue God and seek to keep His commands.  The upright are those who are humble in attitude, face down in worship but looking toward God as the creator, sustainer, judge, savior and eternal God and king.

² The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

³ His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
God's people find pleasure in His works.  They give us comfort and hope.  We see a God who loves us and cares for us.  His works are eternal.  And even though they are of a higher order, they accomplish things we don't, or can't understand we can see the outcome over time.  God asked Noah to spend a hundred years of his life to build a boat.  Yet, God could have spoken a boat into existence; God could have supernaturally saved Noah and his family from the flood.  So we see a work of the Lord that we don't necessarily understand completely but we see the outcome.  God used a man named Noah to show us of His love to save his people from the wrath He was bringing down.  Through the use of upright men like Noah a story is told to the people in the world.  A story has been passed through time speaking the testimony of a man of faith who believed God in spite of what he saw, in spite of the costs.

Over and over we see the purpose of God worked out in the life of the faithful.  If we aren't faithful to a faithful God, what would we expect?  God's character and reputation are defined and revealed by His works.  From the foundations of the earth He remains unchanging.  Therefore, I can know God is present in my circumstances.  He loves me, hears my prayers and is working in my life, even when it doesn't seem that way. 

 
⁴ He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
⁵ He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
⁶ He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
Isn't it amazing that the stories of God are simple and basic where even as a child were able to learn them.  He has made them to be remembered.  These stories are a memorial to him.  Over and over we see a gracious God that is full of compassion.  Over and over we see the rebellion of men.  Yet God is patient and long suffering calling all men unto Him self so that none might be left out.  Those who fear him and trust Him know Him as a God who meets their needs.  He doesn't forget His promises or change His mind.  He doesn't get impatient with us.  From the beginning God has declared that all nations would be blessed by the heritage of His people.  Jesus is the heritage of the nations.

⁷ The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
⁸ They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.
⁹ He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.
Holy and awesome is God.  He does not waver or waffle.  The gospel message is the answer to the problem presented to man from the beginning.  Sin must be judged by a just God.  The penalty of sin is death.  There is no remission of sin apart from the shedding of blood.  How could man find their way back to a just God when we are all law breakers and deserve death so that our blood would pay for our sin?  The answer only lies in Jesus.  He alone is the perfect sacrifice to satisfy the requirements of a just God.  And the law stands, God didn't waffle.  His precepts are sure.  His word is eternally true, never changing.  It is just as true today as it has always been and always will be. 

¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.

Many times this fear is downplayed to mean just reverence.  That's true but it also means awesome and terrible.  As a mere man, it would be awesome and terrible for us to stand before the Lord.  We must know our place before such a God.  To know that we are small and sinful and insignificant and He is High and Holy and Righteous.  We are the clay, He is the Potter.  To understand that relationship is just the beginning of wisdom.  That knowledge of the Holy brings us to a place where we desire to be obedient.  We desire to do His commandments.  We know we could never earn our way.  We can never undo our lawlessness or rebellion.  Only Jesus can do that.  With that done we respond in obedience to love His laws, love His ways and seek Him.  Because of all that, His praise endures forever in the words of those saints that he has saved from death.  Eternally we sing to Him.

In this Psalm we see instructions to follow in order to assure we are abiding in Him and know that He is abiding in us.  To walk with the Lord:

• Praise and worship Him.
• Remember His works.
• Rely on His word and promises
• Obey Him.