Great Are the Works of the Lord
He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name. Psalm 111:9 · Berean Standard Bible
God has sent liberation to His people and established His covenant as permanent; His name itself is sacred and demands reverence.
The psalmist uses the language of rescue and deliverance—God 'sent redemption' suggests active intervention on behalf of people who couldn't save themselves. The emphasis on His name being 'holy and awesome' reinforces that we're not dealing with a distant or diminished God.
The psalmist reaches a crescendo, moving toward the climactic summation.
This points forward to the ultimate redemption in Christ while looking back at all of God's rescues throughout history. The covenant He's 'ordained' connects to Noah, Abraham, David, and ultimately to the new covenant sealed by Jesus.
God has sent redemption to His people, established His covenant as eternally binding, and His name itself carries overwhelming holiness and awe.
The term 'redemption' (פדות, pidyon) originally denoted the payment required to secure release from slavery or servitude—a transaction implying God as the active agent purchasing Israel's freedom. The assertion of covenant permanence ('ordained forever') combats the trauma of exile by insisting that no historical catastrophe can annul God's binding commitment.
The cultic spokesperson or prophet declaring God's redemptive initiative to the assembled community.
This verse crystallizes the entire Old Testament narrative arc from liberation to covenant. Christian theology interprets this as typologically pointing toward Christ's redemptive work—the ultimate 'payment' that secures not national but universal restoration, grounded in an 'everlasting covenant' mediated through His sacrifice.
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.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
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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