Psalm 111:5
He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
He provides food
The phrase "He provides food" underscores God's role as the ultimate provider. The Hebrew word for "provides" is "nathan," which means to give, bestow, or grant. This word conveys the idea of a generous and intentional act of provision. In the historical context of ancient Israel, food was a daily concern, and the provision of food was seen as a direct blessing from God. This phrase reminds us of God's faithfulness in meeting our physical needs, just as He provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16). It is a call to trust in God's provision and to recognize His hand in our daily sustenance.

for those who fear Him
The phrase "for those who fear Him" highlights the recipients of God's provision. The Hebrew word for "fear" is "yare," which can mean to fear, revere, or respect. In the biblical context, fearing God is not about being afraid but about having a deep reverence and awe for Him. It implies a relationship of trust and obedience. This phrase indicates that God's provision is particularly directed towards those who honor and respect Him, aligning with the biblical principle that reverence for God brings blessings (Proverbs 9:10). It serves as an encouragement to cultivate a heart that reveres God, knowing that He cares for those who honor Him.

He remembers His covenant forever
The phrase "He remembers His covenant forever" speaks to God's faithfulness and unchanging nature. The Hebrew word for "remembers" is "zakar," which means to recall, call to mind, or keep in mind. This is not a mere act of memory but an active, ongoing commitment. The "covenant" refers to the solemn agreement between God and His people, a central theme throughout the Bible. God's remembrance of His covenant signifies His unwavering commitment to His promises. Historically, covenants were binding agreements, and God's covenant with Israel was a foundational aspect of their identity. This phrase reassures believers of God's eternal faithfulness and His commitment to His promises, encouraging us to trust in His unchanging nature.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as the provider and covenant keeper. His actions are a reflection of His character and faithfulness.

2. Those who fear Him
This refers to the people who have a reverent awe and respect for God. In the Hebrew context, "fear" (yare') implies a deep respect and acknowledgment of God's power and authority.

3. Covenant
This is a solemn agreement or promise made by God to His people. The verse highlights God's faithfulness in remembering His covenant, which is a recurring theme throughout the Bible.
Teaching Points
God's Provision
God is the ultimate provider for His people. Just as He provided manna for the Israelites, He continues to meet the needs of those who fear Him today.

Fear of the Lord
A healthy fear of the Lord is foundational to receiving His blessings. This fear is not about being afraid but having a deep respect and reverence for God.

Covenant Faithfulness
God's faithfulness to His covenant is unchanging. Believers can trust that He will fulfill His promises, as He has done throughout history.

Trust in God's Timing
God's provision often comes in His perfect timing. Believers are encouraged to trust in His timing and not be anxious about their needs.

Living in Gratitude
Recognizing God's provision should lead to a life of gratitude and worship. Believers are called to remember and give thanks for His faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the concept of "fear of the Lord" change your perspective on receiving God's provision?

2. In what ways have you experienced God's provision in your life, and how does this reinforce your trust in His faithfulness?

3. How can you actively remember and celebrate God's covenant faithfulness in your daily life?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to seek God's kingdom first, as encouraged in Matthew 6:31-33?

5. How can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's provision, and how might this impact your relationship with Him and others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 16
The provision of manna in the wilderness is a direct example of God providing food for His people, demonstrating His faithfulness to those who fear Him.

Deuteronomy 7:9
This verse emphasizes God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant and lovingkindness to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Matthew 6:31-33
Jesus teaches about God's provision, encouraging believers not to worry about their needs but to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
Covenant BlessingsPsalm 111:5
Meat Given to Them that Fear the LordS. Conway Psalm 111:5
The CovenantPsalm 111:5
The Excellency of the Divine MemoryR. Tuck Psalm 111:5
The Lord's Faithfulness in Providing Food for His PeopleE. Cooper, M.A.Psalm 111:5
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
Age, Agreement, Always, Covenant, Fear, Fearing, Forever, Meat, Mind, Mindful, Prey, Provides, Remember, Remembereth, Remembers, Worshippers
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 111:5

     1330   God, the provider
     5341   hunger
     8331   reliability
     8335   reverence, and blessing
     8670   remembering

Psalm 111:1-10

     8660   magnifying God

Psalm 111:2-9

     6688   mercy, demonstration of God's

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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