Monday, 8 May 2017

Psalm 112 – The blessings of the upright

Anonymously written, this Psalm 112 is similar to Psalm 111. They are both Acrostic Psalms meaning each line begins with one of the 22 Hebrew alphabets. This Psalm also shows what wisdom is by contrasting the righteous person with one that’s wicked. In nine verses the Psalmist speaks of how much the Lord blesses the righteous man. He reserves only one verse to describe the wretched outcome of the wicked. In verse 10 he said the wicked will see how blessed the righteous are and would be vexed. They will be destroyed.  

Why are the righteous blessed? Verse 1 tells us that it’s because they fear the Lord and take great delight in the Lord’s commandments. They have chosen to faithfully obey Him. Hence of all people, they are those greatly blessed of God.

How will the righteous be blessed? Verses 2-9 describe their varied blessings. Their posterity will be greatly blessed and be endowed with wealth. They are given material abundance not as an end in itself. They are given so much so that they could use it to do the righteous work of God. They will also have God’s guidance. He will give them His light to guide them. Living in days of spiritual and moral darkness, they will be provided with God’s wisdom to deal with every given situation. They will know how to be upright, gracious and compassionate. And they will also be able to discretely help the poor. These righteous will be blessed with stability so much so that neither their foes nor their adversities can destabilize them. They will never be forgotten. And in troublesome time, their trust in the Lord remain fixed and steadfast. Their hearts are stoutly and resolutely set in the Lord and they will not become fearful or anxious.

In verse 10, the Psalmist describes the portion of the wicked. They will not experience the blessedness the righteous enjoy. Instead, they will loath their wretched circumstances. They will be able to see the blessings of the righteous and yet not enjoy them. They will never be able to experience the abundance of the righteous. What awaits them is but destruction.

There are two roads we can choose. We can choose the path of the righteous or that of the wicked. Wisdom dictates that we choose the former. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Why don’t we start by honouring the Lord with reverential fear!     

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