Psalm 111: Sought Out
The psalmist marvels at God’s wonderful works, saying that they are “sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” He concludes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.”
Psalm 112: “The Man That Feareth … Shall Not Be Afraid”
The psalmist says, “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.” He lists a number of blessings, including, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” And then, “His heart is established, he shall not be afraid.” Clearly the fear of the Lord is a different emotion from everyday fear. It’s a fear that anchors and stabilizes people and protects them against anxiety.
Psalm 113: Who Humbleth Himself
The first part of the psalm emphasizes God’s supremacy. “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.” Then, the psalm shifts to emphasize His condescension. “Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill.” That last sentence is a direct quotation from Hannah’s prayer at the tabernacle (see 1 Samuel 2:8).
Psalm 114: The Sea Saw It, and Fled
A concise, poetic retelling of the Exodus story, emphasizing God’s governance over the elements. The (Red) sea saw Israel coming and “fled.” The river Jordan “was driven back.” Mountains and hills skipped away like rams and lambs. The psalmist says, “Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- Mormon says, “At his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake. … Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake” (Helaman 12:9, 11).
Psalm 115: Not Unto Us
The children of Israel refuse to accept credit for their blessings. “Not unto us,” they say, “not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.” The psalmist contrasts the true God with idols, which have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet, but which cannot speak, see, hear, or act.
Book of Mormon connections:
- In the Lord’s prayer, the Savior models this same humility, saying, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” (3 Nephi 13:13; compare Matthew 6:13).
- The psalm says, “The Lord hath been mindful of us.” Ammon uses that phrase when he says to his brothers, “Blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land” (Alma 26:36). And Mormon writes to his son Moroni, “I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you” (Moroni 8:2).
Psalm 116: I Love the Lord
The psalmist expresses his love for God, making a series of promises. “I will walk before the Lord.” “I will take the cup of salvation.” “I will pay my vows unto the Lord.” “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- The psalm says, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.” Alma recalls his feeling after being rebuked by an angel: “I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell” (Alma 36:13; see also Jacob 3:11; Alma 14:6; 26:13).
Psalm 117: O Praise the Lord, All Ye Nations
The shortest psalm, and in fact, the shortest chapter in the Bible.
The psalmist calls upon all nations to praise the Lord. The apostle Paul quotes the first verse of this psalm in his epistle to the Romans as evidence that God welcomes Gentiles among His people (Romans 15:11).
Book of Mormon connection:
- The final chapter in 3 Nephi, which is also only two verses long, invites “all ye Gentiles” to turn to Jesus Christ, “that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 30:2).
Psalm 118: The Stone Which the Builders Refused
The psalmist expresses trust in the Lord, even in the face of overwhelming persecution. He says, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” Then, he adds, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” And, “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” which is the phrase the people shouted on Palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem (see Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13).
Book of Mormon connection:
- Jacob introduces the Allegory of the Olive Tree by prophesying that the Jews “will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation.” But, he adds, “according to the scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build.” Then, he asks, “How is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner?” (Jacob 4:15-17). Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Tree is his answer to that question.
Psalm 119: Thy Word Is a Lamp
The longest psalm (and the longest chapter in the Bible), running 176 verses, eight verses for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In Hebrew, every verse begins with the letter for that section of the psalm, so verses 1-8 all begin with the letter א (aleph), verses 9-16 all begin with ב (beth), and so on.
The overarching theme across all stanzas is the psalmist’s confidence in the law or the word of God. “I trust in thy word,” he says. “Thy word hath quickened me,” he testifies. He compares God’s word to honey, declaring, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!” And he calls God’s word, “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” He declares, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”
Perhaps it’s not surprising that a psalm structured by the alphabet would be an ode to words.
Book of Mormon connection:
- Nephi opens his psalm by saying, “My soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children” (2 Nephi 4:15).
Psalm 120: I Am for Peace
The first of the psalms of ascent, which people sang as they traveled to the temple in Jerusalem. Fittingly, this psalm describes what they are traveling away from.
The psalm describes a person who is surrounded by deceitful and contentious people. “I am for peace,” he says, “but when I speak, they are for war.”
Today I will express my love for God by giving Him glory, by treasuring His word, and by seeking peace.
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