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Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
My Thoughts
Hallelujah! Psalm 111:1 encourages heartfelt praise to the Lord, emphasizing the importance of sincerity and unity in worship among believers. The psalmist declares, “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,” speaking up for undivided devotion without distractions. Commentaries highlight the dual context of private and public assembly, urging individuals to set an example in praise. Ultimately, praising God, whether in intimate gatherings or larger congregations, reflects one’s commitment to honoring Him by being real, fostering encouragement and unity among worshippers…….Bill
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Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Praise ye the LORD,” or, Hallelujah! All ye his saints unite in adoring Jehovah, who worketh so gloriously. Do it now, do it always: do it heartily, do it unanimously, do it eternally. Even if others refuse, take care that ye have always a song for your God. Put away all doubt, question, murmuring, and rebellion, and give yourselves up to the praising of Jehovah, both with your lips and in your lives.
“I will praise the LORD with my whole heart.” The sweet singer commences the song, for his heart is all on flame: whether others will follow him or not, he will at once begin and long continue. What we preach, we should practice. The best way to enforce an exhortation is to set an example, but we must let that example be of the best kind, or we may lead others to do the work in a limping manner. David brought nothing less than his whole heart to the duty; all his love went out towards God, and all his zeal, his skill, and his ardor went with it. Jehovah, the one and undivided God, cannot be acceptably praised with a divided heart, neither should we attempt so to dishonor him; for our whole heart is little enough for his glory, and there can be no reason why it should not all be lifted up in his praise. All his works are praiseworthy, and therefore, all our nature should adore him.
“In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation;”—whether with few or with many, he would pour forth his whole heart and soul in praise, and whether the company was made up of select spirits or of the general mass of the people he would continue in the same exercise. For the choicest society, there can be no better engagement than praise, and for the general assembly, nothing can be more fitting. For the church and for the congregation, for the family or the community, for the private chamber of pious friendship, or the great hall of popular meeting, the praise of the Lord is suitable; and at the very least, the true heart should sing hallelujah in any and every place. Why should we fear the presence of men? The best of men will join us in our song, and if the common sort will not do so, our example will be a needed rebuke to them. In any case, let us praise God, whether the hearers be a little band of saints or a mixed multitude. Come, dear reader, he who pens this comment is in his heart magnifying the Lord: will you not pause for a moment and join in the delightful exercise?
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Enduring Word
Praise the LORD: Psalm 111 begins with the simple declaration, Hallelujah! It was as if the psalmist thought, Before I describe how I will praise Him, let me simply declare His praise. The declaration also has the idea of encouraging others to do the same: I will praise the LORD, and you should also. (Guzik)
I will praise the LORD with my whole heart: The proclamation came after the declaration. There would be nothing held back in his praise; it would be given to God with his whole heart. (Guzik)
i. “If we want other people to praise God, we must praise God first. If we want them to love God, we must love him too. If we want others to serve God, we must serve him. We must set an example.” (Boice)
In the assembly of the upright: The praise would be wholehearted, but it would also be public. Praising God with others showed that the psalmist gloried in the praises of God; praising God with others was also a help and encouragement to praise Him. (Guzik)
i. The word for assembly and the word for congregation indicate different size groups. Assembly refers to a smaller, private group – something like our modern small group. Congregation refers to the larger gatherings of God’s people. (Guzik)
ii. “Company [assembly] is that intimate word sod, which has the connotation of a circle of friends or advisers.” (Kidner)
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Barnes
Praise ye the Lord – Margin, “Hallelujah.” See Psalms 106:1.
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart – With undivided affections; holding back nothing. I will allow nothing to be in my heart that would interfere with the fullness of praise; no coldness or dividedness of affection; no love for other things that would deaden my love for God; no suspicion respecting him that would chill my ardor; no unbelief that would drag me down to earth, while the language of my lips ascended to God. See the notes at Psalms 86:12.
In the assembly of the upright – With the righteous when they are gathered together for public worship.
And in the congregation – See Psalms 22:22, Psalms 22:25; Psalms 66:13; Psalms 89:5.
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John Gill
Praise ye the Lord,…. Or “hallelujah”; this is the title of the psalm, and is expressive of the subject matter of it; and so it stands in the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions; as it should, as appears from the psalm being alphabetical; for the first letter of this word is the fifth and not the first of the alphabet; it is wanting in the Syriac version, which gives the title in this manner, without a name, concerning the glorious virtues of “the works of God; but it exhorts us to give thanks to Christ; and it is said in the person of the apostles.”
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart; the psalmist excites to praise God by his own example; the object of his praise is Jehovah, the self-existent Being, the Being of beings, the author of his Being, and in whom all men live and move, and have their being; the God of their mercies, temporal and spiritual, and therefore should praise him, even Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; especially Jehovah the Messiah may be here intended, whose work of redemption is particularly attended to: the manner in which he determines to perform this service is, “with his whole heart”: which ought to be engaged in every religious exercise, even the whole of it, all the powers and faculties of the soul, without being divided between other objects, and distracted or drawn off from the Lord by them; the phrase is not expressive of perfection, which is not to be expected in any duty, but of sincerity and cordial affection. The place where follows,
in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation: which may signify one and the same; even the place where upright persons assemble and gather together for divine worship, the tabernacle in David’s time, and the temple afterwards; and may point at any place of worship in Gospel times, and the people that meet there; who being for the most part upright persons, or in a judgment of charity so accounted, though every individual among them may not be such, are thus called; and that because they have the uprightness, righteousness, and holiness of Christ imputed to them; and have right spirits renewed in them, and so are upright in heart; and, in consequence of this, walk uprightly according to the rules of the Gospel. It may be rendered, as it is by the Targum, “in the secret of the upright, and the congregation;” because here the secret of the Lord is made known to his people; the mysteries of his grace are revealed; and his ordinances, which are his counsel, are administered: or it may design some particular friends and acquaintance of the psalmist’s, who privately met and took sweet counsel together, and communicated their secrets to one another, as the other word “congregation” may intend the public assembly of the people; and then the sense is, that he would sincerely praise the Lord both in private and public, and that because of his works;
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Matthew Henry
He resolves to praise God himself, v. 1. What duty we call others to we must oblige and excite ourselves to; nay, whatever others do, whether they will praise God or no, we and our houses must determine to do it, we and our hearts; for such is the psalmist’s resolution here: I will praise the Lord with my whole heart. My heart, my whole heart, being devoted to his honor, shall be employed in this work; and this in the assembly, or secret, of the upright, in the cabinet-council, and in the congregation of Israelites. Note, We must praise God both in private and in public, in less and greater assemblies, in our own families and in the courts of the Lord’s house; but in both it is most comfortable to do it in concert with the upright, who will heartily join in it. Private meetings for devotion should be kept up, as well as more public and promiscuous assemblies.
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Clarke
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart — If we profess to “sing to the praise and glory of God,” the heart, and the whole heart, without division and distraction, must be employed in the work.
In the assembly — בסוד besod, in the secret assembly – the private religious meetings for the communion of saints. And in the congregation, עדה edah, the general assembly – the public congregation. There were such meetings as the former ever since God had a Church on the earth, and to convey general information, there must be public assemblies.
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Cross-References
1 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Psalm 9:1.
1 Praise ye the Lord.
Sing unto the Lord a new song,
And his praise in the congregation of saints.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Psalm 149:1.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Psalm 109:30.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation:
I will praise thee among much people.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Psalm 35:18.
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KJV W/Strongs Bible
111:1 Praise 1984 8761 ye the LORD 3050. I will praise 3034 8686 the LORD 3068 with [my] whole heart 3824, in the assembly 5475 of the upright 3477, and [in] the congregation 5712.(Praise ye…: Heb. Hallelujah)
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Geneva Bible 1560
Psalm 111:1
1 I Wil (a) praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assemblie and Congregation of the just.
(a) The Prophet declares that he will praise God both privately and openly, and that from the heart, as he that consecrates himself wholly and openly unto God.
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You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV
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