“He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 111:9 Mean?
The psalmist describes God's salvation with two dimensions: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever." Redemption is sent (dispatched, delivered like a package) and the covenant is commanded (established by authoritative decree, not by negotiation). Both are divine initiatives: God sends, God commands. The people receive what was dispatched and live under what was decreed.
The word "sent" (shalach — to dispatch, to release on a mission) treats redemption as an agent God deploys. Redemption doesn't emerge from human effort. It arrives from God's hand. The sending implies distance traveled: redemption came from heaven to earth, from God to people, from the source of freedom to the location of bondage.
The covenant being "commanded" (tsavah — to order, to establish by authoritative command) means the covenant relationship isn't a contract negotiated between equals. It's a decree issued by a sovereign. God doesn't propose the covenant. He commands it. The terms are his. The initiation is his. The permanence ("for ever") is his guarantee.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does redemption being 'sent' (dispatched by God) differ from redemption being 'earned' (achieved by you)?
- 2.What does the covenant being 'commanded' (not negotiated) teach about who sets the terms of your relationship with God?
- 3.How do 'holy and reverend is his name' connect God's character to the permanence of what he sends and commands?
- 4.Where are you treating the covenant as a negotiation when God established it as a command?
Devotional
God sent redemption. God commanded the covenant. Both are divine verbs: sent and commanded. The redemption arrives because God dispatched it. The covenant holds because God decreed it. Neither depends on human contribution. Both depend on divine initiative.
The sending of redemption treats freedom as a delivery — something packaged in heaven and shipped to earth. The people in bondage didn't earn their liberation. They received a delivery. The redemption traveled from its source (God) to its destination (his people) because the sender decided to ship it. You didn't place the order. God fulfilled it anyway.
The commanding of the covenant establishes the relationship's authority structure: God commands, the people live within the command. The covenant isn't a negotiation where both parties contribute terms. It's a decree where one party sets the terms and the other receives them. The permanence ('for ever') means the decree doesn't expire. The terms God commanded don't need renewal. The covenant is as permanent as the authority that commanded it.
The verse's closing — 'holy and reverend is his name' — connects the redemption and the covenant to God's character. The name behind the sending and the commanding is holy (qadosh — set apart, utterly other) and reverend (nora — awe-inspiring, fearsome, commanding trembling). The God who sends redemption and commands covenants is the God whose name produces reverence in everyone who hears it.
The redemption you received was sent. The covenant you live under was commanded. Both are gifts from a name that is holy and reverend. Neither originated with you. Both originated with the God whose character guarantees their permanence.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He sent redemption unto his people,.... Or one to redeem them, who effected it; Moses to redeem Israel out of Egypt, and…
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture