Psalm 112

Again we see evidence that the collecting of the Psalms has some order to it.  Certainly 111 and 112 fit like two adjoining pieces of a puzzle.  The point of Psa. 111 is in the final verse:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.  His praise endures forever.

The point of Psa. 112 is in the first verse:

Praise the Lord!  Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.

Let us not miss the fundamental truth having to do with the fear of the Lord.  Psalm 112 does not say that magic things happen to the righteous man.  His blessedness is the result of his relationship with his God!

·         112:2: The man who fears God will bring blessing on his descendents as well as his peers.  Everyone around him will be better for having him as a father or grandfather or friend.  It is not their luck but the life of the one who fears God.

·         112:3: He will be better off financially.  So it is not that God will drop extra cash in his wallet.  It is that, by fearing God, his desires/lusts are diminished.  Thus he lives on less and thus has more.  Even better, he has a treasure of righteousness that endures.

·         112:4: In the dark times he has a light on his path.  And he has a treasure of character that enables him to be compassionate to others in the dark times.  Note that these qualities are God-like; God is known for these perfections as we know from His Name (Exodus 34:6-7).

·         112:5: He is able to be helpful to others, lending to them rather than being a borrower.  His day-to-day affairs are handled with discretion, not simply doing what he is able to do but what is wise.

·         112:6: He will stand firm amidst life’s storms.  His legacy will be enduring. 

·         112:7: When bad news comes he will not melt under the pressure.  Instead he will be faithful because he trusts in the Lord.

·         112:8: And in the face of those who try to make his life miserable, who attack him without cause and who speak evil of him, he will not panic but will outlast the antagonists.  We might say, he will get the last laugh.

In the final verses (v9-10) there is a summary/conclusion of it all.  Those who fear the Lord, and thus who delight in keeping His commandments, will bless others and will be standing in the end.  On the other hand, the wicked will eventually melt before the righteous; their desires will go unmet.  The one satisfying and satisfied; the other self-centered and empty. 

It’s a little like the advertisement that always ends, so what’s in your wallet?  We might put it this way: so what’s in your heart?