Psalm 112

Psalm 112

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I. Those who fear the Lord will grow to reflect the Lord; so we must be in awe of God and delight in His word to receive and reflect His blessings (Vv. 1-5)

a. “Hallelujah”, or “Praise the LORD!”, is a Hebrew confession of confidence in the Lord as the only Righteous One, who alone can impart righteousness to others. This confession is followed by a beatitude, promising blessing on the person who fears the Lord and delights in His word. God’s blessings are reserved for the lives of those who have been made righteous through faith in Him through Christ, live in awe and wonder of who He is, take His Name seriously, and grow to give Him the proper weight in all things. Awe of the Lord naturally leads one to delight in His Word. The blessed of the Lord don’t simply obey His commands begrudgingly, they love Him, delight in His Word, and make every effort to live obediently and pleasing to Him. (v. 1; Ps.1:1-2; 96:4-6; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Matt. 5:3-12; Rom. 1:16-17; 3:10; 4:4-5; 2 Cor. 5:9, 21; 1 John 5:1-3)

b. The righteousness of God through Christ, working in the hearts of those who fear and worship Him, impact both their condition and their conduct, which in turn impact their inner growth and outward impact. First, those who are blessed by the Lord are “mighty on earth” and have an impact on future generations. The term “mighty” doesn’t refer to strength, but to “stature and recognition”. They stand out in their uprightness and moral standing; people take notice of them in world. Their blessed uprightness impacts the uprightness of future generations, although each generation must make their own personal commitment to the Lord. Further, the person who is blessed by God lives a life of abundance. In some cases the abundance is material, but in all cases the abundance is spiritual and results in a fruitful life of righteousness produced from the overflow of God’s grace and righteousness in their life. Their righteousness endures forever because it is credited to them by the grace of God through Christ, and His righteousness is eternal and unchanging. Next, just as God is gracious and compassionate to be patient with humanity and reveal Himself, calling us to Him in humble faith and repentance for His saving and sustaining grace, the blessed person will also emit God’s light from within, where God has placed it, to illuminate the dark world as a beacon to the lost and a comfort and guide to the upright. Lastly, the blessed person, who receives generously, graciously, and mercifully from the Lord, is compelled to reflect His generosity, grace, and mercy to others in need through sharing the great abundance which they’ve received. They understand that God is limitlessly powerful and great, but He uses His power and greatness to save us in our brokenness, and so the blessed are generous, gracious, and just in lending all their assets, whether material, emotional, mental, physical, and temporal, to those in need. (Vv. 2-5; Exod. 23:11; Lev. 25:35-38; 34:6-7; Deut. 6:4-9; 15:7-11; 23:19-20; Ps. 111:3b-7; Prov. 3:16; 8:18-19; 11:23-28; 22:4; Matt. 5:13-16; 25:34-40; Mark 10:29-30; John 8:12; 10:10; 2 Cor. 9:6-15)

II. Those who fear the Lord will grow to reflect the Lord; so we must be in awe of God and delight in His word to reflect Him in all circumstances (Vv. 6-10)

a. If understood incorrectly, these many blessings of the Lord might seem to deliver His blessed from any difficulty or discomfort in life, but that’s never the case in a fallen world. Just as the blessings of the Lord impact us internally and are manifested through us externally, challenges, difficult circumstances, and wickedness are realities for all of us both internally and externally. Another of God’s blessings in the lives of His people, is His gift of growing grace to trust in Him in all circumstances. This creates stability in our lives in an instable world, and satisfaction in life because of the riches of His love and grace, no matter the circumstances of life or the battles we face. We need not fear pain, loss, or attack in life, but we can continue to live graciously, generously, and righteously, trusting completely in God to exalt our “horn”, or our “power and dignity” in Him now and eternally. We must not seek our own way and understanding in difficult circumstances, nor seek vengeance on those with wicked hearts and intentions towards us; but we must continue to live out a godly witness in their lives, trusting the Lord to judge justly. The righteous are blessed by God with rest and peace in all circumstances; but the wicked are perpetually restless. (Vv. 6-10; Deut. 32:35; Job 1:20-22; 2:10; 19:25-27; 28:28; 42:1; Ps. 11:1-7; 27:14; 57:7; 75:4-10; 108:1; 111:5-8; 119:113-120; Prov. 3:5-18; 14:32; 16:25; 24:15-20; Isa. 26:3-4; 48:22; 57:20-21; Matt. 5:38-48; 6:33; Luke 6:22-38; 12:15; John 14:27; 15:22; 16:33; Rom. 12:19-21; Eph. 6:10-12; Phil. 4:11-13; James 1:5-8; 4:6-8; 1 Pet. 5:6-11)