Tuesday - Psalm 111 - Work

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ork is not a curse. Work is not a part of the curse. Difficulty, failure and fatigue associated with work are certainly a result of the curse, but work itself is good. Psalm 111 includes the word work (or works) five times in nine short verses.  God is a worker.  He does deeds.  He completes tasks (Philippians 1:6).  He fulfills responsibilities and accomplishes feats.  He is active, busy... occupied with a purpose.  He labors diligently and reliably.  And, obviously, He does a good job every time.

There is another word that surfaces noticeably in this Psalm: the word "covenant." God's covenant is comprised of His promises, which He has revealed to us with expectant intentions.  He expects us to work as He has worked.  Now, it is true that God worked for six days in creating the world and that He then rested on that first Saturday (Genesis 2:2).  It is also the case that God commands men to follow His example in our employment (Deuteronomy 5:13-14).  After all, "In all labor there is profit" (Proverbs 14:23).  But there is something deeper going on here.  What are the works of God anyway?

God's work (His deeds) and works (His actions) are presented here in this song with defining adjectives. The exertions of the Almighty are always honorable, glorious, wonderful, powerful, true, just, permanent, etc.  So, ours also should be.  However, there is one work that He did because we can't do it ... that is, the salvation of our souls.  Moreover, there are works which we must do in order to become co-laborers with God (I Corinthians 3:9).  Since God is fully faithful, He demands that we be full of faith in Him (John 6:29). His business is to get us involved in His kind of work... rooted in faith.