Psalms 112

Psalms 112:1-10

Prosperity in Serving the Lord Psalms 112:1-10 Here are the two conditions of the blessed life: first, to fear the Lord; second, to delight greatly in His commandments. And then the blessed results: a mighty seed; a blessed generation; wealth and riches; enduring influence; light amid darkness; and many suchlike things. The psalm is replete with the beatitudes that alight on the heart of the man who lives for God alone. Around us may be the encircling gloom, in which evil men and tidings lurk as savages in the shadow of the forest, but within there is the blessed sense of the presence of God, like the circle of fire within which the traveler is secure. The voice of God assures him that he shall never be moved, and the heart is so established that it cannot yield to fear. It is good to have that quiet, unperturbed confidence in God. Moses had it at the Red Sea, Exodus 14:13; Asa, before the overwhelming hosts that threatened to submerge his little army, 2 Chronicles 14:9-12; Jehoshaphat, when confronted by the hordes of Ammon, 2 Chronicles 20:12; and Hezekiah, when the Assyrian threatened to invade Judah, 2 Chronicles 32:6-8. Such a life is full of the “ Hallelujah Chorus,” in accord with the opening note of the psalm.

Hallelujah The at the beginning of this Psalm closely relates it to the preceding and following ones. Evidently they were composed about the same time, perhaps by the same author, and belong manifestly to the era of’ return from the Captivity. Like the preceding Psalm, this also is an alphabetical acrostic.

Psalms 112:1. Blessed is the man that delighteth in His commandments The only way of delighting in God’s commandments is to do them (Revelation 22:14).

Psalms 112:2. The generation of the upright shall be blessed We have ample warrant for believing that though godliness is not hereditary, yet the belief of a godly parent has the strongest possible influence on children. Blessing is passed on to after-generations (Psalms 103:17; Isaiah 59:21). Psalms 112:3. Wealth in his house Although the Christian dispensation is one of spiritual, rather than of temporal, blessing–it is nevertheless true that “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

Psalms 112:4. There ariseth light in the darkness We may not always see the light, but it is behind the cloud, waiting God’s signal (Psalms 97:11; Isaiah 50:10).

Psalms 112:5. A good man lendeth There is a premonition here of our Lord’s words (Matthew 5:42). 7. He shall not be afraid The heart which is trustfully fixed on God is not afraid. No tiding can reach it save through the Father’s care. All tidings must be of the Father’s appointment. If you are dreading evil tidings, do not look along the road by which the postman comes, but upward and Godward. Trust is expulsive of fear.

Psalms 112:9. He hath given to the poor There is no great difficulty in giving to the poor, when once we have learned our unsearchable riches in Christ. Oh to be purveyors of these to others! (Ephesians 3:2-10).

Psalms 112:10. The wicked shall see, and be grieved The wicked are vexed, partly because they are aware that the righteous have possessions of which they are destitute. Partly because their own schemes melt away before their eyes, as wreaths of smoke.