What Shall I Render to the Lord

The psalmist expresses his close relationship with God. He knows that the LORD hears him whenever he prays. Although he feels he is at the lowest point of life, even like death, he knows the LORD will lift him up again.

In response to this, the psalmist is full of thanks to God. He has experienced God's wonderful salvation and mercy and knows that there is nothing that he can pay God with. And so he declares himself to be a servant to God. He will praise and give thanks to God.


Psalm 116
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

1 I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.

10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”

11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?

13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.

14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,

19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

They Have Mouths, But They Do Not Speak

A great praise to God that the LORD is the only true living God. Compared to the other gods who are just idols:

"They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;"

The God of Israel is the one true God. So this psalm encourages people to put their trust in their LORD and they will be blessed in many ways. Everything belongs to God, including the heavens and Earth; but God has given men the Earth. This is a picture of the Almighty God who is living and has relationship with His people.



Psalm 115  
The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God

1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.

2 Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”

3 But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;

6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;

7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.

8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.

9 O Israel, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.

13 He will bless those who fear the Lord,
Both small and great.

14 May the Lord give you increase more and more,
You and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.

17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor any who go down into silence.

18 But we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!

The Mountains Skipped Like Rams

A brief account of God delivering His people out of Egypt. The emphasis here seemed to be more than a historical reminder but rather that God is the personal God of His chosen people Israel, that is the descendants of Jacob.

As God led the children of Jacob out of Egypt, nature had to obey God such as the sea parting to let the Israelites through. The mountains and hills also skipped to make way for God's people. The rock in the desert had to turn to water for the provision to the people. So God's creation had to obey God and make way for the Israelites coming through.



Psalm 114
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel

1 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,

2 Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.

3 The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.

5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?

6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.

He Raises the Poor Out of the Dust

A call to praise the LORD. Acknowledging that God is higher than all the nations. It also recognizes one of the key characteristic of God for His caring of the poor and needy by raising them up. Also mentioned is His care for barren woman, as shown in various parts of Scripture too.


Psalm 113 
The Majesty and Condescension of God

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,

6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,

8 That He may seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.

9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Blessed is the Man who Fears the LORD

Starting off like one of the beatitudes, this psalm specifically details the blessings on those who are upright, in other words, those "who fear the LORD".

The characteristics of such a person are:
- delights greatly God's commandments
- gracious, compassionate, righteous
- deals graciously
- lends to people
- not be shaken
- not be afraid of evil
- solid trust in the LORD

The blessings are:
- descendants will be mighty on Earth
- wealth and riches in his house
- there is light even in darkness
- in everlasting remembrance

What seemed to be a list of blessings is rather a list of the characteristic of a person described as righteous. The Word of God, through this psalm at least, is driving us to consider such characteristics for ourselves. Then the blessing will come and the enemies will fall away.


Psalm 112
The Blessed State of the Righteous

 1 Praise the LORD!
         Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
         Who delights greatly in His commandments.
       
 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
         The generation of the upright will be blessed.
 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house,
         And his righteousness endures forever.
 4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
         He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
 5 A good man deals graciously and lends;
         He will guide his affairs with discretion.
 6 Surely he will never be shaken;
         The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
 7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
         His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
 8 His heart is established;
         He will not be afraid,
         Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.
       
 9 He has dispersed abroad,
         He has given to the poor;
         His righteousness endures forever;
         His horn will be exalted with honor.
 10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
         He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
         The desire of the wicked shall perish.

The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning of Wisdom

A wonderful psalm of praise for our LORD. It highlights so many of the awesome characteristics of the LORD such as grace, compassion, just, truth, uprightness to name a few. In addition to these personal attributes, the psalm also reminds us that our God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. This is perhaps to encourage us, not only because God has such wonderful characteristics, but He also relates to us, His children, in a personal and binding way through the covenant.

The ending verse is worth memorizing: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom"


Psalm 111
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.
       
 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.
 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.
       
 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.
       
 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.

The LORD (YAHWEH) Said To My Lord (Adonai),

This is the psalm in which Jesus quoted at least one time when He confronted the Pharisees. The Pharisees were stumped by the first verse when confronted by Jesus. The understanding is that Messiah is a descendant of David - and the people could accept that. But what was amazing to most is that Messiah is also divine, otherwise David would not refer to his descendant as Lord (Adonai, also meaning master).

This psalm thus reveals the divinity of Christ and also establishes that His spiritual children will all be considered priests of the order of Melchizedek. It also reveals the supreme authority of Messiah over all nations, kings and countries,



Psalm 110
–A Psalm of David.

 1 The LORD said to my Lord,
         “Sit at My right hand,
         Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
 2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
         Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
       
 3 Your people shall be volunteers
         In the day of Your power;
         In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
         You have the dew of Your youth.
 4 The LORD has sworn
         And will not relent,
         “You are a priest forever
         According to the order of Melchizedek.”
       
 5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
         He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
 6 He shall judge among the nations,
         He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
         He shall execute the heads of many countries.
 7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
         Therefore He shall lift up the head.