He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111:9-10)   Psalm 111 praises God for his great works—two of them mainly—God's work of fulfilling his covenant of promise to Abraham and God's work of giving his covenant of law to Israel.  Many of the works named in the first part of the psalm correspond directly to God's work of saving Israel from Egypt, providing for them through the desert, and bringing them safely into the land of promise.  Our God is a God of redemption, faithful to his covenant and promises. But God has given his people not only a covenant of promise, but also a covenant of law.  While wandering through the desert, God discipled his people into the ways of his commandments.  Commandments that, over many long years in the desert, the people learned to quite literally walk out in their lives day by day.  Our God is a God who commands a trustworthy, faithful, and upright way in which to walk and live.  The beauty of this psalm is that it draws both of these great works of the Lord together—both his covenant of promise and his covenant of law—and then reflects on them.  The things that God himself did on Israel's behalf as he fulfilled his promise to them is the very thing that God calls them to do in response through his commandments.  God has redeemed and commands his people to redeem.  God provided for his people and commands them to provide for one another.  God has been faithful and commands his people to be faithful.  God is trustworthy and commands his people to be trustworthy.  We have been taught to pray "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  This psalm would suggest that the way to know, understand, and live the kingdom and will of the Lord is to watch what he himself has done and to follow in obedience after what he himself has commanded.  For: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  This fear of the Lord is also the beginning of praise.  When we watch and learn from the fearsome and marvelous deeds of the Lord and when we follow his precepts, we cannot help but say thank you.  We cannot help but marvel at the way he lovingly saves and mercifully provides for us and so return some awe and wonder his way.  All his people who have watched and followed this, their God have done just that for centuries and will continue to do so into and through the day his kingdom comes—for "to him belongs eternal praise."  

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