Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. — Psalm 112:6

My parents are buried in a lovely cemetery that is spread across rolling hills and surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens. From time to time, my brother and I go there to honor and reminisce about our mom and dad. Recently we brought flowers they both had loved. As I laid the blooms across the names on their tombstones, I thought of how insignificant my offering seemed compared to the years they had put into loving and caring for me.

Throughout my parents’ lives, everything they did reflected God’s love. Psalm 112:9 commends the good man who “hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor.” That certainly could be said about my parents! Kindness and generosity flowed from them. We lived on a farm, so they gave produce and homegrown vegetables to acquaintances with large families, people who had little or no income, and even to those they did not know who came to them—no one was ever turned away. The bushels of fruit and vegetables they harvested each fall could never be compared to the bushels of love they willingly gave when they saw a need. They labored hard to keep our family happy, healthy, and comfortable, but they were never too busy to lend a helping hand to a neighbor. They taught us to work hard and to never give up when things did not go well.

In spiritual matters, my parents were examples as well. Mom and Dad held God in reverence, and delighted in obeying His commandments and passing them on to the next generations. They served the Lord faithfully for many years, daily reading the Bible with us, and praying for each of their children. They especially loved their six granddaughters once they joined our family, and prayed for them daily too. Though Mom and Dad are in Heaven now, they are cherished in my memory and in the memories of many others as well. And as our focus verse indicates, I know that their generous and compassionate righteousness will be kept in “everlasting remembrance” in the annals of Heaven.

As we remember godly individuals who have gone on before, let us purpose in our hearts to faithfully serve the Lord so that one day we can have a part in God’s everlasting remembrance also, and dwell eternally with Him.

BACKGROUND

Psalm 110

Psalm 110 was written by David and is a Messianic prophecy, a fact confirmed by Jesus himself in Matthew 22:41-45. David foretold the day when Christ would be resurrected from the dead, ascend to Heaven victorious over sin, and take a place of honor on the throne beside God to serve as King and High Priest for eternity. The psalm also alludes to the end of the tribulation period, when Christ’s people will come forth arrayed in the beauty of holiness to willingly fight with Him.

In verse 1, the phrase “The LORD said unto my Lord” could be translated “Jehovah said unto Adonai” (“Adonai” is the Hebrew word for any potentate). Since David was the ruler of Israel, his master or potentate could only be the Messiah. The phrase “until I make thine enemies thy footstool” referred to a common practice in that era in which a conqueror would place his foot on the neck of the one he had defeated as a symbol of complete mastery.

This psalm is quoted more frequently in the New Testament than any other psalm.

Psalm 111

Psalm 111 is an acrostic psalm, with each sentence beginning with the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalms 111 and 112 make up a pair, as they are parallel in both structure and theme: Psalm 111 focuses on the character of God, while Psalm 112 considers the character of a godly man. This psalm is classified as a hymn of praise or thanksgiving.

The psalmist, who is not named, described God’s “works” (or deeds) in a series of superlatives: they are “great,” “honorable,” “glorious,” “powerful,” “true,” and “fair.” Throughout the psalm, he stressed that God’s works would endure eternally, and therefore God’s praise would continue forever.

Psalm 112

Psalm 112 was most likely written by the same person who wrote Psalm 111. It follows the same acrostic form; each psalm has ten verses with the first eight being couplets, and the last two being triplets. Psalm 112 begins where Psalm 111 left off, with a statement about the fear of the Lord. This psalm tells of the blessings that result from following God’s precepts. As with Psalm 111, no author is cited.

Psalm 113

Like Psalms 111 and 112, Psalm 113 has no title, and the authorship is unknown. It is traditionally sung by the Jewish people at the beginning of Passover. This psalm is the first in a group of six (113-118) known as the Egyptian Hallel, which are used as a unit in synagogue worship on joyous occasions. (The allusion to Egypt is based upon the opening verse of Psalm 114.) Psalm 113 begins with an exhortation to the servants of God to praise Him. The Hebrew word halal, which means “praise,” is used seventy-six times in the Book of Psalms. This likely was included in the hymn sung by Christ and His disciples just before they went together to the Garden of Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:30).

Psalm 114

As with other psalms in the Egyptian Hallel, Psalm 114 is anonymous and no title is given. Psalm 114 highlights the power of God through the miracles He did while delivering the Israelites from Egypt and leading them to the Promised Land. Two specific acts of deliverance are mentioned in verse 3: the parting of the water at the Red Sea, and the later crossing of Jordan into Canaan. The psalmist celebrated the fact that even nature is subject to the commands of God.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)
I.     Book I (1:1 — 41:13)
II.    Book II (42:1 — 72:20)
III.   Book III (73:1 — 89:52)
IV.   Book IV (90:1 — 106:48)
V.    Book V (107:1 — 150:6)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Which of the Psalms in today’s text describes Israel’s exodus from Egypt? 
   
   
2. Psalm 112 says, “Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD.” How might a proper reverence and awe of God show itself in our daily actions?
   
   
3. Psalms 111, 112, and 113 all begin with the injunction, “Praise ye the LORD.” What are some ways we can praise God outside of church?

CONCLUSION

Even when the memory of godly people fades on this earth, their remembrance in Heaven is truly everlasting. Their righteousness and reward will endure forever!