Psalms 111:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

PSALM 111 THE ARGUMENT The excellency of this Psalm appears, as from other things, so from the psalmist's care to digest the several parcels of it into an exact order, according to the order of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, that it might be better fixed in the memories of those who read it. It is a short, yet full, commemoration of God's works. The psalmist by his own example exhorteth all men to praise God, Psalms 111:1; rehearseth his glorious and wonderful works, Psalms 111:2-4; his keeping covenant with them that fear him, Psalms 111:5-9; whose fear is the beginning of wisdom, Psalms 111:10. Of the upright; of the sincere worshippers of God, of the Israel of God, as this very word is explained, Numbers 23:10; where they who are called Israel in one clause, are called righteous or upright in the next. And this title he gives to the assembly or congregation of Israelites, partly, because many of them were such, and he was obliged in charity to judge all of them to be so, of whom he had no evidence to the contrary; partly, because upright persons do most exercise and delight themselves in this duty of praising God; and hypocrites, though sometimes they give themselves to prayer, yet are very apt to neglect the duty of thanksgiving; partly, because this duty of praise is most comely for the upright, Psalms 33:1; and partly, because David's heart was most united to the sincere Israelites, and his desire was, as far as he could, to associate himself with such in the worship and service of God.