Year 2, Day 242: Psalm 112

Psalm 112

Psalm 112 is an incredible psalm.  There are so many talking and teaching points here that I’m sure I’m going to miss something or simply run out of space.  So, let’s start in the beginning.

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord and who rejoices in His commandments.  Think about that for a second.  How many of us like obeying the rules?  How many of us genuinely stop at every stop sign?  No, rolling stops don’t count!  How many of us really obey the “no tasting the grapes before buying them” rule at the grocery store?  How many of us genuinely obey the “maximum 20 pounds of weight for this shelf” rule?  As a group, we tend to be rebels.  We tend to like to push the envelope a little.  We like to follow our own understanding of what the rules should be rather than actually following the rules.  {For the record, sometimes it works out and sometimes we get burned…}

But what does this psalm say?  Blessed is the one who fears the Lord and rejoices in His commandments.  Blessed is the one who has enough awe for God to actually live the life that He would have us live.  To summarize, blessed is the one who obeys God’s ways!

What happens to people who follow God’s ways?  They will be mighty in the land.  They will be upright.  Again, think about that.  This morning I heard a great expression that I’d love to pass on.  Here is the expression: “He’s one of those people that I can genuinely say that my life is better because I know them.”  That’s an awesome expression and a great compliment to the person about whom it was said.  But do you know who that expression represents?  The subjects of expressions like that one are the people who are upright in this world.  The people who are upright are those who fear the Lord and who rejoice in His commandments.

What else happens to those who fear the Lord?  Wealth and riches are in the house of those who fear the Lord.  Now … I know what you are thinking.  There are plenty of poor Christians throughout this world.  As Tevye says at the beginning of the song If I Were a Rich Man from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, “Oh dear lord.  You made many, many poor people.  I realize of course, it’s no shame to be poor.  But it’s no great honor, either.”  There are many poor Christians in the world.  It’s undeniable.

On the other hand, I don’t think the psalmist is talking about sheer materialism in this line.  Have you ever experienced the faithful and their approach to “stuff?”  Sure, everyone can likely make the comment, “If I had more, this is how I would spend it.”  But really?  I’ve many faithful people who manage just well with what God has given them.  They not only manage, but they are grateful for it.  They may not be “rich” in the eyes of the world, but they are “rich” in their mindset because they recognize it all as God’s blessing.  All who fear the Lord and love to obey His ways are indeed rich in Him.

What else happens to those who fear the Lord?  Those who fear the Lord are not afraid.  We’re not afraid of bad news.  We’re not afraid about what the future holds.  We’re not afraid of tomorrow.  We’re not afraid of the enemy.  We’re not afraid of those who would come against us.  We are not afraid because we know it is all held by God in His hands.  We’re not afraid because we know the promises of God and we know that He is faithful to those promises.

Indeed, it is good to fear the Lord and be obedient to His ways.  It is good to love His commandments because we trust that they are for our blessing.  God is good, all the time.

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