The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

112Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!

²                 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³                 Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴                 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

⁵                 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.

⁶                 For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.

⁷                 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

⁸                 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

⁹                 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.

¹⁰               The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish!

 

Reflection

• Ps 112, like Psalm 111, is an acrostic psalm, with each lines beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. While Psalm 111 celebrates God’s mighty deeds on behalf of the people, Psalm 112 offers instruction for response to God by the people.  
• This psalm puts the spotlight on humans, focusing on the blessings enjoyed by those who fear God (vv2-3). Though living in a dark and evil world, God’s people will be secure and steady because their hearts are with the Lord (vv4, 7-8, 10). Having themselves experienced God’s mighty acts on their behalf as well as God’s quiet, steady action of blessing (v2), they will share with the poor what God has given them (vv5, 9).
• If our sense of security and happiness depends on the stock market, the weather forecast, the evaluation report, we will continually be anxious of the “bad news”. However, if we honour the Lord, live according to God’s commandments and respond to God in praise and worship, our lives are built upon the solid eternal foundation of the Lord. We are being transformed by our relationship with the Lord and we will not be “afraid of bad news”, and our hearts will remain “firm, trusting in the Lord”.
• Do any of the lines in this psalm fit someone you admire? Do any fit yourself? Which one do you wish to fit you?

 

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.