Read Psalm 112
1 Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.
2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn will be lifted high in honor.
10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Go Deeper
A cursory reading of Psalm 112, the last of the wisdom psalms we’re going to read, can seem to support the concept of the “prosperity gospel,” the idea that Christianity Today describes as “God rewards faith …with financial blessings,” but a careful study reveals a call to deep faith resulting in peace, perseverance, and purpose.
Psalm 112 constructs a biblical concept through the literary technique of cause and effect, beginning in verse 1. Blessed (cause) are those who have respect for the Lord (cause). “Blessed” is translated from the Hebrew root word asher. which means to go straight or advance and be happy. This isn’t blessed in the world’s terms of riches, but in God’s terms of guidance and peace. How do we receive this blessing? By having respect for the Lord, recognizing His power and perfection and giving it the appropriate priority.
The writer elaborates on this blessing: They (those who have respect/fear for the Lord) find great delight (effect) when they obey God’s commands (cause). Obedience is difficult, as demonstrated by every human being in the Bible. What we see in Psalm 112 is that we were designed for obedience to God. In obedience, we find the warm fuzzy blanket of guidance and protection which provides peace, patience, and purpose.
When we seek the blessings of the world we will encounter trouble, but when we walk in the directions of God, we will find peace (John 16:33). This world and our own self-centeredness lead us to pursue our desires and our plans, but we know that His purpose is better (Proverbs 19:21). Through following God’s commands, we receive the grit of perseverance because we know we are in His will (Ephesians 1:1) and He works all things to His good (Romans 8:28).
The remainder of Psalm 112 elaborates on the blessings and delights God graciously grants us (effects) as we respect and obey Him (cause). May we never mistake the true and eternal blessings of God built on faith for the temporary and shallow matter of this world.
Questions
- What does having respect for the Lord look like in your daily life?
- Which of God’s commands do you struggle to obey?
- Which of the remaining verses (2-10) bring you the most comfort? Why?
Keep Digging
To learn more about what “the prosperity gospel” is and what the Bible says about it, check out this article on GotQuestions.org.
4 responses to “Psalm 112”
Both Psalm 111 and 112 are succinct acrostic, with each of its 20 lines beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
“Verse 1 states that “contentedness” comes to the one who “fears the LORD.” “Fear” is a very good translation of the Hebrew word yara’. But in today’s culture, the idea of fear is usually connected with the base instincts to run, defend, or retaliate. The Hebrew word actually encompasses a larger meaning of “awe, reverent respect, honor.” It appears in the Hebrew Bible as a synonym for “love” (Deuteronomy 10:12), “cling to” (Deuteronomy 10:20), and “serve” (Deuteronomy 6:13; Joshua 24:14). At its base, the word denotes obedience to the divine will.” Nancy deClaissé-Walford Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages.
God has placed in His word all that pertains to life and godliness. Every thing, not just everything but E V E R Y thing we need to know is in this 66 books. What we need, to achieve righteousness, right living, correct order, and truth to function in this world can be found studying God’s Word.
God I do give thanks to You with my whole heart. Great are Your works and I will continue to study and delight in what I am learning. God You are full of splendor and majesty with Your majesty enduring forever. Thank You for helping preserve Your word so I can remember how gracious and merciful You are. Holy and awesome is Your name. Thank You for me being fearfully respectful of You and Your name. God I want to understand, so I ask for wisdom to know more about You and Your word. God thank You for me, not being afraid of news because I desire my heart to be firmly planted in the trust I have for You. No matter what the world brings, thank You that my heart is steady because of You being my first thought. God thank You for the minutes of this day. Thank You for how amazing You worked in the minutes of my yesterday, I give You praise and honor for me seeing You there. God may my words and actions follow the longing of my heart, to glorify and honor You with all things, today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting about the Hebrew acrostic!
In Psalm 111 David highlighted God’s immutable character, however in Psalm 112 David outlines the response of faithful people:
*fear of the Lord
*delight in his commands
*upright & righteous
*gracious
*compassionate
*generous, lend freely
*just in affairs
*steadfast heart
*trust in the Lord
The goal of every believer should be to reflect God’s character in a world that desperately needs to know him.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
We often will ask, “which do you want first, the good news or the bad news?”.
Given this verse, hearing the bad news first is not to be feared!