August 21 — Psalm 112

“Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments. Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD. Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor. The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.”

“Happy are those who fear the LORD”

These two psalms (Psalm 111 and 112) are a pair and should be considered together. And this is not the first time we have had Psalms that are paired. These are similar in form: each begins with “Praise the Lord” (“Hallelujah” in Hebrew); each consists of twenty-two lines, divided into ten verses; both are alphabetical acrostics, meaning each line begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, running from alef to tav, that is, from A to Z.

Psalm 111 ends with the statement, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord,” and Psalm 112 begins with a responding, “Happy are those who fear the Lord.”

Indeed, far from already blessed, the person of psalm 112 suffers — he suffers false reports and the “desire of the wicked”. The psalm explains that the wise must persevere through present troubles and hold on to righteousness and hold on to the faith that G-d will, in his life or in the lives of his descendants, recognize and reward his steadfast devotion and faith.

The psalm does not so much teach as it preaches. It does not so much celebrate the present life of goodness, but encourages future faithfulness. It is not a description of a well ordered world where righteousness is equal to blessedness — instead it is an exhortation to faithfulness in a tumultuous and chaotic world. Our world is one where we have seen the good and the bad — we have lived through the good and the bad — but our Lord is still worthy of our praise.

Let us pray:

Eternal God, in the order of your creation you have given righteousness, justice, peace, and love for the enlightenment of all people. Keep us always in that light, so that throughout our lives we may show forth the glory of the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

August 20 — Psalm 111

“Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”

“…the LORD is gracious and merciful.”

“…rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” Joel 2:13

That the Lord is gracious and merciful is important, is salvific, because “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” as Paul says so eloquently. (Romans 3:23)

This phrase about the Lord being gracious and merciful is repeated throughout the Old Testament — and the New Testament is the fulfillment of that phrase, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the ultimate expression of our Lord’s graciousness and mercy.

What is to be learned from this Psalm is that the work of the Lord is honor and majesty — G-d is creator — our G-d is sovereign. But G-d is more — the Lord is gracious and merciful. The Lord remembers his covenant of promise forever. His name is holy and awesome. Our job, as followers, is to study the works of the Lord, which then leads to our fear of the Lord — which is awesome respect and trust, not fear and loathing. We will talk more about this “fear” in the next Psalm.

Let us pray:

Gracious and holy God, feed us at the table of holy wisdom, that we may honor, love, and obey you as your children. May we remember your wonders and ponder your works, so that we delight to do what you ask of us, by the power given to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.