I am not sure about all the details of the assembly that the psalmist mentions in Psalm 111, but I do know that a great blessing awaits us in how the assembly applies to our lives. The psalmist said, “Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.” He calls that assembly, “the congregation.”
There is an assembly, a congregation, we know that is part of Christianity. Who does not know these words? “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…” (Heb. 10:25). This is the church, and this assembly is when she gathers to worship. If the psalmist rejoiced at the opportunity to be part of the congregation when it assembled, how much more should we!
The psalmist described the assembly as the made up, those who were the upright. Peter describes our assembly as being “living stones,” who are part of “a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.” But, he does not stop with these words in describing those righteous ones who are in that assembly. He says, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). These are those who assemble to praise the Lord.
Consider what a blessing it is to assemble with God’s chosen ones. Consider what happens every time I am part of that congregation of priests who serve Him.
These upright ones sing to me, and I sing to them as we join our voices in praising the Lord. The unseen guest in the midst of that assembly is Jesus (Heb. 2:12).
These upright ones listen, as I listen to the Lord speak in that assembly. He was the visible teacher in the Sermon on the Mount, but He is the invisible Teacher in the assembly, as we study the exact same words in our worship of Him.
These upright ones join me in prayers in that assembly. We pray together in His name because wherever two or three pray together, He is our unseen guest (Matt. 18:20).
These upright ones share the memorial feast remembering Him. We have communion in the body and the blood of that unseen guest. He promised He would be present and share it with us (Matt. 26:29).
He is present every week. I hope you are!