Psalm Devotional
Praise the Practical God!
The theme of praise to God runs prominently through Psalms 111 to 113. The structure and content of Psalms 111 and 112 tie them together as a pair. Both are <a href=”/psalms/category/acrostic>acrostic, with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet being the first letter of the first word of each line. The wording of verses 3-4 in both psalms is strikingly similar. By these means, the psalmist instructs us to see these psalms as two parts of one composition.
Psalm 111 presents the works of God for His praise from men (111:3) and Psalm 112 presents the works of the godly for his praise from God (112:3, 9). Only Christ truly satisfies this picture of the godly man in Psalm 112 (Heb. 7:26). We are conformed to it only in Christ and only in measure (Eph. 4:13; Col. 3:10). While we are not saved by our works, we are saved for doing His works (Eph. 2:5-10). We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for works alone, for God’s glory alone (Eph. 2:5-10).
While the themes of creation, providence and redemption overlap throughout the psalm, it is useful and appropriate to focus on each of these themes separately.
