Great Are the Works of the Lord
The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy. Psalm 111:7 · Berean Standard Bible
Everything God does—His actions and His instructions—is fundamentally honest, fair, and completely reliable; you can stake your life on it.
In a world full of injustice and broken promises, the psalmist is saying: God isn't like that. His works are truthful (meaning they actually accomplish what they appear to), and His precepts—His commands and teachings—are worthy of trust because they flow from His character.
The psalmist, now emphasizing God's integrity and the trustworthiness of His word.
This becomes crucial for how Israel understands the Law. God's commandments aren't arbitrary rules meant to restrict; they flow from a God who is genuinely committed to justice and truth, so they're worth following.
The works God performs embody absolute truth and justice, and all His commandments prove reliable and worthy of trust.
The parallelism of 'works of His hands' with 'precepts' (חוקים, hukim) indicates that God's revealed law reflects the same righteousness evident in His historical acts—there is no discontinuity between what God does and what God commands. The term 'truth' (אמת, emet) in Hebrew philosophy means not merely factual accuracy but ontological reliability and faithfulness.
The wisdom teacher presenting law as consistent with divine character.
This bridges the wisdom and prophetic traditions, asserting that God's ethical demands flow from His essential nature. In Christian terms, this finds culmination in Christ as both the Logos (the rational principle behind creation) and the Torah-embodied righteousness revealed in incarnate form.
5He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
6He has shown His people the power of His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His precepts are trustworthy.
8They are upheld forever and ever, enacted in truth and uprightness.
9He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name.
Read all of Psalm 111 — An acrostic of praise — each line beginning with the next Hebrew letter. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
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