GOD’S WORKS

“The WORKS of the Lord are GREAT, studied by all who have pleasure in them”– Psalm 111:2

Having thoroughly considered God’s WORDS and WAYS, it’s time to meditate on GOD’S WORKS: “The WORKS of the Lord are GREAT, studied by all who have pleasure in them. HIS WORK is HONORABLE and GLORIOUS, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His WONDERFUL WORKS to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion” (Psa.111:2-4). In these first four verses of our meditation text, four adjectives are used to qualify God’s Works: Great, Honourable, Glorious, and Wonderful! Verses 7 and 8 also add: “The works of His hands are VERITY and JUSTICE; all His precepts are SURE. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in TRUTH and UPRIGHTNESS.” God’s Works are veritable (faithful and original), just (ever equitable), sure (trustworthy and dependable), true, and upright.

The expression “God’s Works” describes His creative acts in the natural world; the innumerable acts that God has performed in history; and the spiritual, often invisible expressions of His sovereignty across space, time, and eternity, and spanning the Old and the New Covenants. God’s works are worthy of scrutiny: “studied by all who have pleasure in them” (v.2). We study His works and ways as much as we can, confident that we can know Him truly though never exhaustively. Unfathomable as is the immensity of God’s wisdom, equity, justice, power, and mercy in His works, it behoves us to acquire as much knowledge of these as qualifies us to manifest His glory. The more we meditate on His works, the more our delight in them.

In turn, delight leads to more study. This is a fundamental principle. A Lover can recall every feature of his Beloved’s face. A mother knows every dimple, hair, and birthmark on her baby’s body. When we recognize something as full of grandeur and majesty, careful attention is no chore. When we are captivated, marvel at a wonder, and our hearts rise with delight in some reality, the inevitable response is to move further up and deeper in, to seek after the object of our affection and devotion.

So great are God’s works that we cannot help but proclaim them publicly. When we observe the design of the world around us – the majesty of the mountains, the opulence of the oceans, and the beauty of the fields – we cannot help but adore their Maker. We behold His attributes in His works of creation, and come to a clearer understanding of who God is and, if we have received new hearts by the Holy Spirit, we long to learn as much as we can about Him: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psa.19: 1-2). Romans 1:20 says: ^“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

The greatness of God's works captures His works of creation as well as His work of salvation, as shown in verses 5 to 9 which allude to: the Lord's provision of manna in the wilderness to feed those who fear Him (v.5); the conquest of Canaan – “the heritage of the nations” (v.6); the revelation of the Mosaic Law at Sinai (vv. 7-8); and the actual liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery (v.9). Looking to the generation of the exodus enabled the psalmist to conclude his hymn with the statement that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (v.10). That is, if we fear Him and obey His covenant, He will meet our needs. But, those who despise the fear of the Lord will miss His inheritance just as the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness and missed Canaan (Num.32:13).

God has “made His wonderful WORKS to be remembered” (v.4). He has written them in His Book so that we can study them with delight. Let us take time daily to reflect on the greatness of God’s works and renew our sense of delight in Him. Blessed New Month!