Praise to Jehovah for Blessings Upon the Righteous a brief study of Psalm 112, adapted from PCC Prayer Meeting Exhortation on 29 Oct 2010 Psalm 112 is a Hallelujah Psalm. Like Psalm 111 and 113, it begins with the Hebrew word hallelujah (הללויה). Hallelujah means ‘Praise Jehovah’ or ‘Praise the LORD.’ So Psalm 112 is a psalm of praise like Psalm 111. Indeed, the two psalms have a very similar structure. Both psalms are alphabetic psalms with each half verse or so ordered according to the Hebrew alphabet. And both psalms begin with an introductory call to praise followed by seven reasons why we should praise the LORD; and a concluding statement to encourage us to praise the LORD. But the content of the two psalms are somewhat different. Psalm 111 celebrates the character and ways of the LORD in the work of redemption; but Psalm 112 celebrates the blessing of those that are truly the LORD’s people, or the redeemed. We may entitle Psalm 112 as: “The Hallelujah of Messiah & His People when Rejoicing in God’s Blessings Upon the Righteous” or simply “Praise to Jehovah for Blessings Upon the Righteous.” Let’s consider the three sections of this psalm briefly. 1. The Call to Praise 1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Once again, the words “Praise ye the LORD” translate the Hebrew hallelujah. As the first word of this psalm it sets the tone and purpose of the whole psalm. This psalm is about the blessedness of the righteous, but it is not a song of self-congratulations or a celebration of our blessings. It is a psalm of praise. It is a psalm of praise to the LORD for His blessings upon the righteous. If you like, Psalm 111, is a psalm of praise for the Potter, for His skill in moulding the vessels; whereas Psalm 112 is a psalm of praise for the Potter for the beautiful vessels that He has made. So, immediately after the word Hallelujah, we are reminded of the blessedness of the Lord’s people. Who are these?
It is interesting, isn’t it, that it is spoken in the singular? Well, of course, the singular could represent the whole. We call this a synecdoche. But isn’t it true that there is only one man who will fit into this and all the other descriptions in this psalm without any mingling of sin at all. This man is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, Christ came to redeem a people, and not only is His righteousness imputed to them, but His Spirit is given unto them so that what may be said of Christ absolutely may be said of every child of God relatively. So who is the child of God? Well, this psalm opens by telling us that he “fears the LORD and greatly delights in His commandment.” He is not afraid of the LORD, but he loves and reverences the LORD. He wants to know the LORD, to draw near to Him and to please Him. And therefore he delights in His commandments. Why? Because he wants to please the LORD, and because to love the LORD is to keep His commandments. So the true child of God, like the Lord Jesus Christ, delights in God’s commandments. Hypocrites may delight in doctrine and debate; but they will not delight in the LORD’s commandment. Beloved brethren and children, do you delight in the LORD’s commandments? Do you seek to please the LORD by keeping his commandments cheerfully in your thoughts, speech and deeds? If so, you would be one of the beautiful souls praising the LORD that Psalm 112 describes. But let’s look at these souls in a little more details as we consider why they are beautiful and why we should praise the LORD for them. 2. The Reasons to Praise Seven reasons are given. First, we should praise the LORD, because by his providence, the righteous will have a great impact on society by way of the children or those influenced by them:
Children are a blessing, not a burden. God often gives those who fear His name children as Psalm 127 & 8 suggests. But it is not just children, but a godly heritage that He gives. And even those who do not have children but walk uprightly can also have such a heritage. We think of John Calvin for example. Secondly, we should praise the LORD, for by His bounty. The righteous will have sufficient of the material things of this world that they may also be a blessing to others.
Godliness with contentment is great gain. The righteous may not have great wealth, but they will have sufficient to do good with them. Remember the apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians to work hard to earn a living? Why should we do so? “That [we] may have to give to him that needeth” he suggests (Eph 4:28). It's more blessed to give than to receive and the Lord often blesses the righteous that they may also enjoy the blessing of giving. Thirdly, we should praise the LORD, for the grace and joy that He bestows on the righteous through his Spirit:
By the work of the Holy Spirit, the righteous has an inner peace and comfort that the world does not understand. By the same Spirit, the righteous is made more and more gracious, compassionate and righteous. Fourthly, we should praise the LORD, because it is evident that those whose lives have been touched by Him are both wise and generous in their dealings with others:
“There is none that doeth good, no not one,” says the apostle Paul. Only by the grace of God are believers enabled to do good; and are encouraged to do good by the compelling example of Christ laying down his life for us. And he does good with discretion, not indiscriminately, for what appears to be good in the sight of man, may be bad in the sight of God. Fifthly, we should praise the LORD because He ensures that a positive legacy of the righteous should endure.
The righteous, like all men, lives under the consequence of the Fall; and as such there will be times when he would stumble and fall, or suffer this or that, and his testimony may be compromised. But the Lord sees to it that they will be vindicated and they will be held in everlasting remembrance. Sixthly, we should praise the LORD because of the firm assurance that all things are working together for the good of the righteous.
The believer’s life is not a bed of roses. He has bad news and enemies too. But he need not be afraid for he has the assurance that all things are working together for his good (Rom 8:28), and that while he must not take vengeance against his enemies, God will vindicate him. Finally, we should praise the LORD because of how He preserves the righteous and glorifies them at the end of their journey on earth.
Pure religion is not just reading the Bible and praying everyday. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” says James (Jms 1:27). True religion according to the Lord Jesus involves giving cups of cold water in his name. That is true righteousness for faith without works is dead. Thus, believers who, for Christ’s sake, give of their time and energy to help the needy will be exalted. Their “horn shall be exalted with honour.” The horn represents the dignity of a person. They will be highly praised, for they shall hear the Lord say: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” Here then are the seven reasons why we should praise the LORD. We should praise Him for His marvellous work in the lives of his saints. We should praise Him for their testimony and influence; for their material sufficiency; for their gracious disposition; for their generosity and discretion; for their positive legacy; and for their labours and glorification. We should praise the LORD, in other words for the life abundant and free of His people. But let’s consider the concluding word of this psalm, which gives us a further encouragement to praise the LORD … 10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish. All things are ordained by the Lord. As Solomon puts it: “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Prov 16:4). But there is a difference in the way that the Lord deals with the wicked and with the righteous. In the case of the righteous, the Lord intervenes providentially and spiritually to bring them into fellowship with him and to preserve and bless them in their pilgrimage. However, in the case of the wicked, the Lord would leave them to their own devises. All their actions are, no doubt, ordained of the Lord, but everything is consistent with their heart’s desire. So whatever they do, they choose to do in their wickedness. In this way, God is not the author of sin. And in this way, the wicked walks in wickedness by his own choice. He rejects God, and experiences the sorrows and pains that result from his own wickedness. And at the end of his journey, he enters into eternal damnation. His suffering because of his sin would be brought to a level that he would never experience in his whole life. But at the same time, he would see the joy and blessing of the righteous in heaven! He will be filled with grief, and in indignation, he will gnash his teeth even as he wastes away in eternal punishment. All his earthly desires would come to nothing but pain and eternal regret. Beloved brethren and children, were it not for the grace of the LORD, this would be our lot and destiny, for we are one blood with the wicked. We are no different from the wicked. We deserve God’s wrath and curse. We were children of God’s wrath. Can you see how the description of the righteous in this psalm ought to provoke us to praise and thank the LORD? Can you see how the words of this psalm are indeed suitable for us to praise the LORD with? Conclusion Beloved brethren, youths and children, are you walking in righteousness as a grateful imitator of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are, blessed are you. You have every reason to praise the LORD. But if you are not, I would beseech you not to squander your life away. What is the point of living a life that has no purpose, no meaning, no real joy, only to end with everlasting torment. Oh will you not rather live a life of praise unto the Lord? Turn to the Lord, therefore, to seek his grace. Fear Him. Confess and repent of your sin and waywardness. Ask the Lord to cleanse your heart in the blood of Christ and to make you a new person whose life redounds unto the glory of the Father and the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous. Amen. Ω |
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