BLESSINGS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 112:1-10 / Keywords 112:6

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

 

Psalm 112[a]

112:1 Praise the Lord.[b]

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[c] 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.

Footnotes

a. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

b. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

c. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.

1. The previous Psalm described the blessings that God pours out due to his own goodness. This one focuses on the blessings that come as the result of a righteous life. What happens to those who fear the Lord and take delight in his commands, striving to be gracious and compassionate, to be generous and lend freely, and to conduct their business honestly? We may think that such people will lose out in this world, but it is not so. All that they do will be blessed, and they will have light even in the darkness (4). We should know that the rewards of a holy life are real.

 

2. When we receive God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus, and then live trusting God, day by day, we can have real inner stability, not being shaken by bad news (6-8). We will be honored by God and by people as well. On the other hand, things will not go well in the end for the wicked. When people resort to crooked ways to get what they want, their longings will come to nothing (10). It is right to praise God for his fairness in dealing with people.

 

Prayer Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus’ blood which gives us new power to live a righteous life. Help me never to doubt that an upright life is a blessed life.

One Word The righteous will never be shaken