Psalm 112

Psalm 112 is one of the shortest Psalms with only ten verses, but it has a lot to say about those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. 

“Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.” (Psalm 112:1-2)

Those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands are joyful. Would you describe yourself as joyful? Would others? Joy is endless as it comes from the eternal God; it is not based on circumstances or pleasure. Are you full of this joy which comes from the Lord? Do you delight in obeying God’s commands, or do His commands feel like burdens or restrictions? Too often what we can really delight in is our sinful desires. It should not be this way. Our delight should be in obeying God’s commands. Work each day to find delight in obeying our great God. We all want the best future possible for our children, and verse 2 says that the children of those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands will be blessed by God and successful everywhere. How’s that for securing a bright future for your children?

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” (3 John 1:4)

“Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.” (Psalm 112:4-6, 9)

Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world and whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. This light shines in all our dark places and the darkness of sin, Satan, and Hell cannot overcome this light. As we walk in the light we are described as generous, compassionate, and righteous. We’ve talked a lot on this site about that daily pursuit of righteousness, right living, and striving for the goal of perfection which Jesus set for us in Matthew 3:8. As followers of Christ, those blessed by Him, we should be generous and compassionate, lending money generously and conducting our businesses fairly. Even if you don’t own a business, when you lend money you are conducting business with someone.

“Do not charge interest on the loans you make to a fellow Israelite, whether you loan money, or food, or anything else.” (Deuteronomy 23:19)

“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you. Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. Instead, show your fear of God by letting him live with you as your relative. Remember, do not charge interest on money you lend him or make a profit on food you sell him.” (Leviticus 25:35-37)

“Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” (Matthew 5:42)

“And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:34-36)

We can shine the light of Christ in this dark world simply by the way we are generous with our money. Can you imagine lending money the way Jesus taught, with no expectation of being repaid? That hits at a higher level of generosity. Sometimes we lend money only if we will be repaid. But if we lend to our enemies and if we lend without an expectation of repayment then our reward will be very great and we will truly be acting as children of God because He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. Our compassion can identify us as followers of Christ.

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.” (Psalm 112:7-8)

Do you fear bad news? There’s a lot of bad news out there, not just in our personal lives with health or finances, but there is a lot of bad news on a national and global scale. The coronavirus is in the news daily. We hear about thousands and thousands of cases in countries all around the world with no real cure yet. Just a few days ago it was made known that one person who was thought to be cured of the virus started showing signs of it again. Its impact is felt around the world, hitting our American stock market and beginning to infect our country. The writer of Psalm 112 says those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands don’t fear bad news because we confidently trust in the Lord to care for us. We are confident and fearless and face our foes triumphantly. Our reaction to bad news can also identify us as children of God.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Finally, Psalm 112 addresses how this way of living will affect the wicked in this world.

“The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.” (Psalm 112:10)

If we live in obedience to God, fearing the Lord and nothing else, giving generously, being compassionate, sharing freely, and confidently trusting the Lord, the wicked will be angry and slink away. Let’s make it a goal to fit the description given in Psalm 112 and we will see these promises come to light in our lives. Our children will be successful everywhere, an entire generation will be blessed, and the wicked will slink away.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed