THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXII. Steady, Comprehensive, Personal Security

(Psalm 112:1-10)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

The need for steady, comprehensive, personal security abounds today:

(1) America stands in need of security due to its president’s ill health: With “the . . . debate between Trump and President Joe Biden . . . the American people” could “see that Biden is in steep mental and physical health decline . . . (But) (i)f Biden is this bad in public, who exactly is running . . . the White House? . . . Are there people in the White House who want to keep Biden there because he’s easily manipulated and unable to make important decisions now? Is Biden still calling the shots? If so, then God help us . . . And it’s not just the American people who saw Biden’s condition . . . (o)ur enemies . . . saw it, too . . . (W)e can’t afford to have a president who seems completely out of it . . .” (Jarrett Stepman, “Biden has a debate disaster for ages,” Republican-American, June 29, 2024, p. 6A)

(2) Our country lacks the truth from the mainstream media: “It was obvious to every reporter on the campaign trail during the 2020 campaign that Biden was suffering from some form of cognitive impairment . . . His aides had to haul in a teleprompter to even the tiniest event in Iowa and New Hampshire for a basic stump speech . . . (but) “(h)aving covered up Biden’s cognitive deficits . . . for four years, now the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsrooms are gaslighting us again, pretending they didn’t ignore signs of dementia in the commander in chief or harangue the few reporters in DC who tried to ask questions about it. No siree, they would have us believe they covered the story relentlessly.” (Miranda Devine, “Media saw it – for years,” New York Post, July 4, 2024, p. 15)

(3) Economic insecurity affects our nation: “The May job report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics” showed “(h)ouseholds reported a stunning drop in employment by over 400,000. Another 400,000 people gave up and left the labor force entirely. The result was an increase in the unemployment rate of 4% . . . The May jobs report shows what a disaster Bidenomics has been for the American people. They are losing their full-time jobs, and leaving the labor force, while the number of foreign-born workers in low-wage, part-time gigs skyrockets.” (E. J. Antoni, “Job market looks good – if you ignore what’s really going on,” Ibid., June 26, 2024, p. 6A)

(4) Physical insecurity affects many public schools: “The Waterbury Teachers Association has lodged numerous complaints this year that fights are occurring daily at the schools, the leading reason, the union says, why teachers do not feel safe.” (Ibid., July 1, 2024, p. 1A)

(5) Medical health insecurity affects many people locally: “Prospect Medical Holdings is countersuing Yale New Haven Health, accusing it of trying to strong-arm Prospect into lowering the negotiated $435 million sales price for Waterbury Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital by $285 million. The initial Yale lawsuit and subsequent Prospect counterclaim underscore the real jeopardy to the sale that is considered vital to the survival of the three struggling hospital operations and the nearly 500,000 state residents in the regions they serve.” (Paul Hughes and Livi Stanford, “Prospect turns the tables,” Ibid., June 7, 2024, p. 1A)

Need: So, we ask, “How should we handle the lack of steady, comprehensive, personal security that we face?”

I. Psalm 112:1-9 describes the CONTINUOUS, COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY of the GODLY MAN:

A. The man who reveres the Lord and greatly delights in His commandments will have his descendants dwell in security as a blessing from God, Psalm 112:1-2:

1. Such a man’s descendants will be mighty in the land, Psalm 112:1, 2a.

2. Such a man’s descendants through the generations will be blessed of the Lord, Psalm 112:1, 2b.

B. The man who reveres the Lord and greatly delights in His commandments will enjoy security with regard to his material needs, Psalm 112:1, 3:

1. Such a man will enjoy sufficient substance for his living needs, Psalm 112:1, 3a: The word “wealth” (v. 3a KJV) renders the Hebrew noun hon, meaning “substance considered necessary to make life ‘easy’” versus leaving one “‘poor,’” “‘helpless,’” (H. A. W., Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, vol. I, p. 213).

2. Such a man will enjoy “riches” (v. 3a KJV), what translates the Hebrew noun ‘osher, meaning “riches” (Ibid., vol. II, p. 706) in terms of actual items of wealth.

3. Since these material blessings will be in his house where he lives, the Lord then provides him will the security of material blessings to make his living circumstances comfortable and enjoyable.

C. The man who reveres the Lord and greatly delights in His commandments will enjoy personal security:

1. He will enjoy God’s provision of the insight needed to be settled at heart even in baffling times, v. 1, 4, 7:

a. Such a man will have the figurative light of insight dawn for him even when he lives in an era where darkness of a confusing, frightening lack of insight exists for the people around him, Psalm 112: 1, 4.

b. Such a man will have no fear from a “calamitous” (ra’ah, Ibid., Kittel; B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 949) news “report” (shemu’ah, Ibid., p. 1035), for his inner man is “fixed aright, steadfast” (kon, Ibid., p. 465-467) as he “relies fully (prostrate)” (batah, Ibid., p. 105) on God, v. 1, 7a, b.

2. He will enjoy emotional security, Psalm 112:1, 6a, 8a:

a. Such a man will never “totter, shake, slip” in emotional insecurity (mot, Ibid., p. 556-557), v. 1, 6a.

b. Such a man will have his inner man “supported, upheld, sustained” (samak, Ibid., p. 701f), v. 1, 8a.

3. He will enjoy blessings in his relationships with others, Psalm 112:1, 3c, 6b, 5, 8b, 9, 6c:

a. Such a man will enjoy a perpetual widespread reputation as a righteous man, Psalm 112:1, 3c, 6b.

b. Such a man will enjoy widespread goodwill in relationships due to his liberality to the needy, v. 1, 5.

c. Such a man will look triumphantly upon his unjust foes who will be defeated before him, v. 1, 8b.

d. Such a man will be honored and the knowledge of his uprightness be scattered abroad as he continues to spread his donations to the needy all around him, Psalm 112:1, 9a, 9b.

e. Such a man will have his righteousness perpetually remembered, Psalm 112:1, 6c.

II. However, in VAST CONTRAST to the godly man, Psalm 112:10 describes the lot of the WICKED man, that he will see all this blessing come upon the righteous, BUT HE will be GREATLY PROVOKED by it, and all his longings for such blessings will come to NOTHING.

Lesson: Steady, comprehensive, personal security with the welfare of one’s OWN offspring, material and personal blessings is assured for those who revere God and delight in His Word, but MANY who do not revere God or delight in His Word will be provoked upon seeing the godly be blessed while never themselves being blessed.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) Though we are not promised health and wealth in the Church era as was the psalmist who lived under the Mosaic Covenant, the blessings named in Psalm 112 apply in GENERAL to believers TODAY as they revere the Lord and obey His Word (3 John 2; Philippians 4:19).

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and provide additional guidance . . .)

For our edification, we apply Scripture to the issues of concern mentioned in our introduction (as follows):

(1) On the president’s health and our nation’s security, on the extensive coverup of the president’s dementia by the media, on job insecurity, on physical insecurity in our public schools and on medical health insecurity due to the threat to the existence of three area hospitals, (a) Romans 13:1 calls us to be subject to the powers that exist, for God has ordained them. We must trust that God knows what is occurring, we we must live by faith in Him. (b) Also, we have long noted that Revelation 3:21 with 7:17 predicted a “mini-Great Tribulation” for our era that would be marked by leaders full of intrigue in the government-academic-economic-religious world complex who would function in ways that oppress their subjects, a situation God would allow to drive people to seek balm and find it in Bible exposition. We then need to keep focused on personally heeding Scripture in our personal lives for personal blessing and in sharing this insight with other individuals who search for balm and come our way.

(2) Psalm 112:1-10 also generally applies to the issues in our introduction: (a) our children’s welfare is God’s concern if we revere Him and delight in heeding His Word (Psalm 112:1-2). (b) Our need for ample income is God’s concern if we revere Him and delight in obeying His Word (Psalm 112:1, 3). (c) Personal insight for settled thinking even if the world swirls in confusion or totters in fear at negative news are things God handles for us if we revere Him and delight in His Word (Psalm 112:1, 4, 7). (d) Our emotional stability in unsettling times is God’s concern, and He provides all we need as we revere Him and delight in His Word (Psalm 112:1, 6a, 8a). (e) Our relationships with people around us are upheld by God if we revere Him and delight in heeding His Word. (Psalm 112:1, 3c, 6b, 5, 8b, 9, 6c). (f) Regardless what occurs to the hospitals in our area, (i) we need not fear a bad report if we rely fully on the Lord, for He will cause our inner man to be fixed aright and steadfast. (Psalm 112:1, 6a, 8a) (ii) Also, exposing our minds to Scripture leads us to avoid many needs for hospital care (1 Timothy 5:23 [wine to purify drinking water]; Matthew 2:11 [essential oils for preventative care after childbirth]; Mark 5:22-23, 35-43 [food after illness for health]; Acts 27:33-34 [food before labor to endure]; Luke 10:34 [wine as an antiseptic and olive oil for wound healing], etc.).

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we revere God and delight in heeding His Word to enjoy continuous, comprehensive security.