THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

CXII: Appreciating The Value Of Revering The Lord

(Psalm 112:1-10)

I. Introduction

A. Psalm 112, another acrostic psalm designed around the Hebrew alphabet, calls believers to appreciate the great value that revering the Lord produces to one's life.

B. We thus view this psalm for motivation to revere the Lord in our own lives as believers (as follows):

II. Appreciating The Value Of Revering The Lord, Psalm 112:1-10.

A. The verse numbering system in the Hebrew text matches that of the English Bible (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1075), so we stay with the English Bible's numbering system for this lesson and mark the acrostic entries en route.

B. We thus translate Psalm 112:1-10 (as follows):

1. "Praise Jahweh. (Aleph) Blessed is the nobleman ('ish, Ibid.; Robert B. Girdlestone, Syns. of the O. T., 1973, p. 48-50) who reveres Jahweh, (Beth) who takes great delight in His commandments," Psalm 112:1.

2. "(Gimel) His descendants will be mighty in the land; (Daleth) each generation of the upright will be blessed," Psalm 112:2.

3. "(He) Sufficient substance for living needs (hon, H. A. W., Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, v. I, p. 213) and riches are in his house, (Waw) and his righteousness remains standing perpetually," Psalm 112:3.

4. "(Zayin) Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, (Heth) for the gracious and compassionate and righteous one," Psalm 112:4.

5. "(Cheth) Good will comes to the nobleman ('ish, cf. v. 1) who is generous and lends freely, (Yodh) who conducts his affairs with justice," Psalm 112:5.

6. "(Kaph) Because he will never be shaken in insecurity; (Lamedh) a righteous man will be remembered forever," Psalm 112:6.

7. "(Mem) He will have no fear of a calamitous news report; (Nun) his heart is steadfast, relying fully on Jahweh," Psalm 112:7.

8. "(Samech) His heart is sustained, he will have no fear; (Ayin) in the end he will look triumphantly upon his foes," Psalm 112:8.

9. "(Pe) He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, (Tsade) his righteousness endures perpetually; (Qoph) his horn (symbolizing dignity, NIV ftn.) will be lifted high in honor," Psalm 112:9.

10. "(Resh) The wicked will see and be provoked (by it); (Sin) he will gnash his teeth and waste away; (Tau) the longings of the wicked will come to nothing," Psalm 112:10.

C. We consider significant observations regarding this psalm (as follows):

1. The comprehensive value of revering the Lord, a reverence that leads to obeying His commands (v. 1), is seen in the numerous blessings God provides as a result of such reverence and obedience -- (a) blessings in one's offspring [their might in each generation, v. 2a,b], (b) material blessings of sufficiency, wealth and riches in the home (v. 3) and personal blessings [a perpetual reputation as upright, v. 3c, 6b; insight and prosperity even in trials (v.4); goodwill due to generosity (v. 5); never being shaken in insecurity (v. 6a); having no fear of clamitous news reports (v. 7a) as one relies steadfastly on Jahweh (v. 7b); having one's heart sustained without fear in bad times (v. 8a); looking triumphantly on one's fallen foes (v. 8) and honor and longevity of one's works due to his contributions to others (v. 9a,b)].

2. Ryrie notes that reverence for the Lord related to obeying God's commands "brings freedom from all other fears," verse 1 with verses 7-8; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Psalm 112:1. Thus, the key to living without fear is to revere the Lord, a healthy type of fear that eradicates all other unhealthy terrors.

3. The wicked by contrast, those defined in this psalm as people who do not revere Jahweh so as not to obey His commands, can only look on and be provoked by the blessings of the upright, gnashing his teeth in regret as he wastes away, his longings for blessing coming to nothing, in stark contrast to the godly, v. 10. In other words, the psalmist heavily urges his hearers to revere the Lord as essential to a blessed life.

Lesson: Opposite what often occurs in today's needy world, God calls us to place a high value on revering the Lord so as to obey Him that we might enjoy His comprehensive blessings. Failure to revere God brings utter disaster!

Application: May we realize our deep accountability to the Lord so as to respect and obey Him for blessing!