Search
Search

February 10: Psalm 112

February 10: Psalm 112
Description of the wise man who fears the Lord
(an acrostic psalm about the righteous life)

87.87                         Stuttgart (God, My King, Thy Might Confessing), p. 160
Beecher (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling), p. 149

All praise to the Lord Almighty,

Blessed are those who fear His name.

Come and revel in His statutes,

Delight in His righteous fame.

Each descendent of the righteous,

Filled with blessing, and set free;

Generations of the upright,

Happy, holy, they shall be.

In their house they’ll find true riches,

Joy and righteousness endure.

Kindled light into the darkness,

Love and mercy evermore.

Mighty is the one who’s gen’rous,

Never failing to be just.

Open-hearted towards his neighbor,

Praise is his e’vn from the dust.

Quiet trust despite bad tidings,

Resolute in all he does.

Steady is his fearless stature,

Triumphs over all his foes.

Upright, just ones give so freely,

Visiting the poor with food.

With their righteousness enduring,

Excellent in honor, good!

You shall see the wicked angry,

and shall see him grind his teeth.

Zion shall be vindicated,

when they perish from the earth.

(If using Beecher, repeat verses 1-2)

The fear of the Lord is far more than the cultivated sentiment of reverence. It is, rather, a resolved dedication of oneself to the accomplishing of God’s will through the industry of obedience. As the psalm says, it is something to be practiced. The wisdom promised in Holy Scripture is derived from reverent obedience to God.  This is a motif found here in these two consecutive psalms…the Gospel itself includes a call to a life of obedience. In fact, the very act of faith, which is man’s correct response to the Gospel, involves a certain kind of obedience. It is called the ‘hypakoe pisteos’ – the ‘obedience of faith’ (Rom. 1:5; 16:26 and Acts 6:7). It is this reverent obedience, called the fear of the Lord, that leads to wisdom. Such is the burden of both these psalms. The deeper message of these psalms, however, is Christological before it is moral, for our righteousness is ever a sharing in the righteousness of Christ. That is to say, the wise man, who fears the Lord and greatly delights in His commandments, is, in the first place, Jesus the Savior. (Reardon, p. 221-222)

Share today's Wake-Up Call!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *