Psalm 111:4
He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
He has caused His wonders to be remembered
This phrase emphasizes the intentionality of God in ensuring that His miraculous deeds are not forgotten. The Hebrew root for "wonders" is "פֶּלֶא" (pele), which refers to extraordinary, awe-inspiring acts that reveal God's power and majesty. Historically, these wonders include the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna, and other miraculous events that demonstrated God's sovereignty and care for His people. The act of causing them to be remembered suggests a divine orchestration in the preservation of these accounts through oral tradition and scripture, ensuring that each generation can witness God's faithfulness and power.

the LORD is gracious and compassionate
This phrase highlights two of God's essential attributes: grace and compassion. The Hebrew word for "gracious" is "חַנּוּן" (channun), which conveys the idea of favor and kindness that is undeserved. It reflects God's willingness to extend mercy and blessings to His people, even when they fall short. "Compassionate" comes from the Hebrew "רַחוּם" (rachum), which is related to the word for "womb," suggesting a deep, nurturing love akin to that of a mother for her child. This imagery underscores the tender, caring nature of God, who is moved by the suffering and needs of His creation. Together, these attributes assure believers of God's loving and forgiving nature, encouraging them to trust in His enduring mercy.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, Yahweh is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal presence and faithfulness to His people.

2. Wonders (Hebrew: ??????????, niphla'ot)
Refers to the miraculous acts and mighty deeds of God, which are designed to inspire awe and remembrance among His people.

3. Remembrance
The act of recalling God's mighty works, which serves to strengthen faith and encourage worship among believers.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Remembrance
Remembering God's wonders is crucial for maintaining a vibrant faith. It helps believers to stay grounded in the reality of God's power and presence in their lives.

God's Gracious Nature
God's grace is unmerited favor. Understanding this attribute encourages believers to rely on His mercy rather than their own efforts.

Compassion as a Model
As God is compassionate, believers are called to emulate this trait in their interactions with others, showing kindness and understanding.

Worship Through Reflection
Reflecting on God's wonders should lead to worship. Believers are encouraged to regularly recount God's deeds as a form of praise and adoration.

Faith in Action
Recognizing God's past faithfulness should inspire believers to trust Him in present and future challenges, knowing He is both willing and able to act on their behalf.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can you incorporate the practice of remembering God's wonders into your daily life?

2. In what ways does understanding God's gracious and compassionate nature affect your relationship with Him and others?

3. Can you identify a time when recalling God's past deeds helped you through a difficult situation? How did it impact your faith?

4. How does the description of God in Psalm 111:4 compare to other attributes of God found in the Bible, such as in Exodus 34:6-7 or Psalm 103:8-12?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that God's wonders are remembered and celebrated within your family or community?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 34:6-7
This passage describes God as "gracious and compassionate," echoing the attributes mentioned in Psalm 111:4, and highlights His mercy and forgiveness.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Emphasizes God's faithfulness and covenant love, which are foundational to understanding His wondrous acts and compassionate nature.

Psalm 103:8-12
Further elaborates on God's gracious and compassionate character, providing a broader context for His dealings with humanity.
The Duty of Remembering God's Wonderful WorksBp. Pearson.Psalm 111:4
HallelujahJ. Irons.Psalm 111:1-10
The Highest Work of Mankind -- Praising GodHomilistPsalm 111:1-10
The Works of the LordS. Conway Psalm 111:1-10
The Works of the LordC. Short Psalm 111:1-10
Whole-Hearted PraiseHomiletic ReviewPsalm 111:1-10
People
Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Caused, Compassion, Compassionate, Full, Gracious, Memorial, Memory, Merciful, Mercy, Pity, Remembered, Wonderful, Wonders, Works
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 111:1-10

     8660   magnifying God

Psalm 111:2-9

     6688   mercy, demonstration of God's

Psalm 111:3-4

     1030   God, compassion
     8608   prayer, and worship

Library
God and the Godly
'His righteousness endureth for ever.'--PSALMS cxi. 3; cxii. 3. These two psalms are obviously intended as a pair. They are identical in number of verses and in structure, both being acrostic, that is to say, the first clause of each commences with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second clause with the second, and so on. The general idea that runs through them is the likeness of the godly man to God. That resemblance comes very markedly to the surface at several points in the psalms,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

December the Tenth the Only Wise Beginning
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." --PSALM cxi. If I want to do anything wisely I must begin with God. That is the very alphabet of the matter. Every other beginning is a perverse beginning, and it will end in sure disaster. "I am Alpha." Everything must take its rise in Him, or it will plunge from folly into folly, and culminate in confusion. If I would be wise in my daily business I must begin all my affairs in God. My career itself must be chosen in His presence, and in the
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Third Commandment
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." I was greatly amazed not long ago in talking to a man who thought he was a Christian, to find that once in a while, when he got angry, he would swear. I said: "My friend, I don't see how you can tear down with one hand what you are trying to build up with the other. I don't see how you can profess to be a child of God and let those words come out of your lips." He replied:
Dwight L. Moody—Weighed and Wanting

The Ordinance of Covenanting
THE ORDINANCE OF COVENANTING. BY JOHN CUNNINGHAM, A.M. "HE HATH COMMANDED HIS COVENANT FOR EVER." Ps. cxi. 9. "THOUGH IT BE BUT A MAN'S COVENANT, YET IF IT BE CONFIRMED, NO MAN DISANNULETH, OR ADDETH THERETO." Gal. iii. 15. GLASGOW:--WILLIAM MARSHALL. SOLD ALSO BY JOHN KEITH. EDINBURGH:--THOMAS NELSON AND JOHN JOHNSTONE. LONDON:--HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. MANCHESTER:-GALT & ANDERSON. BELFAST:--WILLIAM POLLOCK. TO THE REVEREND ANDREW SYMINGTON, D.D., PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Covenanting Adapted to the Moral Constitution of Man.
The law of God originates in his nature, but the attributes of his creatures are due to his sovereignty. The former is, accordingly, to be viewed as necessarily obligatory on the moral subjects of his government, and the latter--which are all consistent with the holiness of the Divine nature, are to be considered as called into exercise according to his appointment. Hence, also, the law of God is independent of his creatures, though made known on their account; but the operation of their attributes
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Morning Light
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. O ne strong internal proof that the Bible is a divine revelation, may be drawn from the subject matter; and particularly that it is the book, and the only book, that teaches us to
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

A Canticle of Love
It is not only when He is about to send me some trial that Our Lord gives me warning and awakens my desire for it. For years I had cherished a longing which seemed impossible of realisation--to have a brother a Priest. I often used to think that if my little brothers had not gone to Heaven, I should have had the happiness of seeing them at the Altar. I greatly regretted being deprived of this joy. Yet God went beyond my dream; I only asked for one brother who would remember me each day at the Holy
Therese Martin (of Lisieux)—The Story of a Soul

Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500
In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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