“Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.” Psalm 112:1-4
Devotional Thought For The Day
These are remarkable verses, similar to the beatitudes of Jesus [Matt. 5:1-12], describing the outcome and consequences of being a child of God, one who knows and believes the love that God has for us in Christ Jesus. Note that the blessedness begins with “fearing the LORD.” This is based in knowing God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness [Ps. 130:3,4]. Such a person, one who is deeply aware of his sin and guilt, but who is comforted by and rejoices in God’s clemency and steadfast love for us, grows to “greatly delight” in God’s commandments – not only the Ten Commandments, but all of God’s moral law, and not only God’s law but all of His precepts and instruction, especially God’s call to put faith and trust in His gracious gift of salvation! Those who love God’s commandments are much more likely to keep them.
The whole psalm dwells upon the blessings that are bestowed upon the one whom God has blessed with faith, those whom God has befriended and who have become friends of God. There are promises in regard to our offspring, general promises and observations of the psalmist, even though there are also exceptions. Consider David’s son Absalom, for example, or his son Amnon. Nonetheless, it is generally true that children of pious parents are blessed for their parents’ piety – so long as they also remain part of “the generation of the upright,” that is, that they remain among those who fear God and love Him, and trust in Him. God will make them “mighty,” and they also will be blessed.
The blessed is described as having “wealth and riches” in his house. From a simplistic treatment of this and similar passages, some have developed what is referred to as “the prosperity gospel,” the sick teaching that wealth is a direct and unequivocal evidence of godliness and piety, whereas poverty is a clear and undeniable evidence of God’s wrath and judgment. While it is true that wickedness and godlessness generally denude one of wealth [consider the prodigal son in Luke 15], it is also true that wealth can be gained, at least temporarily, by means of wickedness and evil [consider Zacchaeus, Luke 19]. There are far more poor people who are blessed with faith and piety than rich people [James 2:5], and Scripture warns repeatedly about the danger and corrupting power of riches [1 Tim. 6:6-11]. In fact, the church is warned against treating the rich with deference, in that the rich oppress the church [James 2:6]. Nonetheless, the blessed, those who know and believe God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, have the promise of God that they shall receive their daily bread from His hand, and in the life to come the joys of heaven. A far greater promise is that the “righteousness” of the blessed “endures forever.” This is more often ascribed to God, that His righteousness endures forever; but the psalmist is drawing our attention to the fact that the godly and blessed become like God in goodness and love.
Lastly in these verses, God promises that “light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.” Again, this description corresponds to the character and nature of God – that He is gracious, merciful, and righteous. So again, the blessed man of faith comes to reflect the character of God. Because of this, even in the midst of darkness, catastrophe, suffering, trouble, tribulation, trial, and testing, the blessed man has “light.” God does not promise that we will never have to suffer such difficulties; indeed, the Scripture is clear that we will, and that children of God are subject to greater persecution and hardship. However, for the blessed and upright, such difficulties can never be our undoing – for God is with us, His grace is ever sufficient for us, and He will work all things together for our greatest good and blessing. This is the light that constantly dawns in our hearts and minds, we who know and believe God’s love for us.
So let us also “praise the LORD!” Let us continue to fear Him, growing in our knowledge of His love. As we do so, all of these blessings will come into our lives!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, bring us to deep repentance for our sin and utmost joy in Your salvation. You have made us blessed and righteous through Your cleansing blood. Grant that we continue to grow in faith and righteousness and that our offspring be blessed as well. Grant us the resources that we need to serve You and Your kingdom, the right amount of wealth and riches, and protect us from the damning corruption that wealth often brings. Make us grateful and content in Your blessedness that we bring all praise, honor, and glory to You. Amen.