The Book of Psalms

Word Study

"blessed," Hebrew ashrei (אַשְׁרֵי), O the happinesses of. The psalm opens not with a command but with an exclamation over the happy state of a certain man. Everything that follows unpacks what that happiness consists of.

"feareth the LORD," yare et-YHWH (יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה). This psalm is deliberately twinned with Psalm 111, which ended on the fear of the LORD. Reverence is not a cringing before a distant power; it is a transforming nearness that stamps God's own character on the worshipper.

"delighteth greatly," chafetz me'od (חָפֵץ מְאֹד). Notice how the fear of God is described. It is not dread of His law but delight in it; the God-fearer loves what God commands. Where a man truly fears God, he does not chafe under God's word but treasures it.

"his seed shall be mighty," gibbor ba'aretz (גִּבּוֹר בָּאָרֶץ). The blessing runs on past the man himself: "the generation of the upright shall be blessed." A reverent, delighting life leaves a mark on those who come after.

"his righteousness endureth for ever," tzidqato omedet la'ad (צִדְקָתוֹ עֹמֶדֶת לָעַד). Psalm 111 said this very thing of God (111:3); here it is said of the man who fears Him. The man who fears God comes to resemble the God he fears, and his righteousness outlasts everything else in the house.

Explanation

To feel the wonder of this psalm you must read it beside Psalm 111, for the two are deliberately twinned. Psalm 111 described the character of God; Psalm 112 describes the man who fears God, and it does so in the very same words. Of God, Psalm 111 said, "his righteousness endureth for ever" (111:3); here, of the God-fearer, "his righteousness endureth for ever" (112:3). Of God, "he is gracious and full of compassion" (111:4); of the God-fearer, "he is gracious, and full of compassion" (112:4). Do you see what this means? The man who fears God comes to resemble the God he fears. Reverence is not a cringing before a distant power; it is a transforming nearness that stamps God's own character on the worshipper. Fear God, and you begin to become like Him, gracious, compassionate, righteous. That is the deepest fruit of the fear of the Lord, with which Psalm 111 ended. And notice how this fear is described: "that delighteth greatly in his commandments." The fear of God is not dread of His law but delight in it; the God-fearer loves what God commands. Reverence and delight go together. Where a man truly fears God, he does not chafe under God's word but treasures it, and out of that reverent delight flows a blessed life, a mighty seed, a blessed generation, and a righteousness that outlasts everything.

Gospel Focus

"Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD", that the God-fearer grows to resemble God is the very heart of the gospel's transforming work, for those who behold the Lord "are changed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18), and God has predestined His people "to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). To fear God in Christ is to be remade in His likeness, gracious, compassionate, righteous, as He is. And the delight in God's commandments is the mark of the new heart, for Paul says, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Romans 7:22), and John adds that to the born-again soul "his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). The perfectly blessed, perfectly God-fearing Man is the Lord Jesus Himself, who delighted to do the Father's will; and all who are joined to Him by faith are being made like Him. So fear the Lord and delight in His word, and you will find yourself, by grace, growing into the image of the God you revere.

Word Study

"ariseth light in the darkness," Hebrew zarach bachoshekh or (זָרַח בַּחֹשֶׁךְ אוֹר). The promise is not that the upright will have no darkness. Seasons of trouble, grief, and confusion come to him as to everyone, but into that darkness a light rises. God does not always take away the night; He gives a lamp to see by within it.

"gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous," channun verachum vetzaddiq (חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם וְצַדִּיק). These are the very words Psalm 111 used of God (111:4), now said of the man who fears Him. Fear God, and you begin to become like Him.

"sheweth favour, and lendeth," chonen umalveh (חוֹנֵן וּמַלְוֶה). His godliness is not sentimental; it is worked out in practical generosity, and it is prudent as well as open-handed, for "he will guide his affairs with discretion."

"not be moved," bal-yimmot (בַּל־יִמּוֹט). The result of such a life is stability: "Surely he shall not be moved for ever." The generous, God-fearing life is not swept away with the rest; it stands.

"everlasting remembrance," lezekher olam (לְזֵכֶר עוֹלָם). Where the wicked are forgotten, their names blotted out, the righteous are held in lasting memory. Such a life stands, and it is remembered.

Explanation

Look carefully at the promise of verse 4, because it says something different from what we might wish. It does not say the upright will have no darkness; it says, "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." The God-fearer is not spared the dark, seasons of trouble, grief, and confusion come to him as to everyone, but into that darkness a light rises. God does not always take away the night; He gives a lamp to see by within it. That is a truer and more precious promise than a life without shadow: not the abolition of darkness, but light in the midst of it, so the believer is never left groping. And notice the character of this upright man, marked again by the very traits of God, "gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous", worked out in practical generosity: "A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth; he will guide his affairs with discretion." His godliness is not sentimental; it is openhanded and also prudent, generous yet wise, lending and giving while managing his affairs with good judgment. And the result is stability: "Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." Where the wicked are forgotten, their names blotted out, the righteous are held in lasting memory. The generous, God-fearing life is not swept away with the rest; it stands, and it is remembered.

Gospel Focus

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness", this light is the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it was written, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light" (Matthew 4:16). He is the light that rises upon His people in their darkest night, never leaving them without a lamp. And the generosity of the God-fearer reflects the supreme generosity of Christ, who, "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9); His people, made like Him, "shew favour, and lend," giving freely because they have freely received. The promise of "everlasting remembrance" is fulfilled for all who are His, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life and can never be blotted out. So walk uprightly in Christ: when darkness comes, look for the light that rises within it, live openhanded as He was, and rest in the assurance that the righteous, remembered by God, shall not be moved for ever.

Word Study

"evil tidings," Hebrew shemu'ah ra'ah (שְׁמוּעָה רָעָה). Notice what is not promised: it is not that the God-fearer receives no bad news. Evil tidings come to him too, the frightening report, the dreaded message, the threatening turn of events.

"his heart is fixed," nakhon libbo (נָכוֹן לִבּוֹ). What is promised is that when the bad news comes, it does not shake him, because his heart is already settled, steadied, anchored before the tidings arrive. A heart that is fixed on God is proof against panic; it has its stability from somewhere the news cannot reach.

"trusting in the LORD," batuach ba-YHWH (בָּטֻחַ בַּיהוָה). The fixedness is not self-confidence but reliance. His courage is not that he expects no trouble, but that he trusts the God who is greater than the trouble.

"established," samukh (סָמוּךְ), upheld, supported. The unbelieving heart is tossed by every alarming rumour, rising and falling with the day's reports; but the trusting heart is held up from beneath, and so "he shall not be afraid."

"he hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor," pizzar natan la'evyonim (פִּזַּר נָתַן לָאֶבְיוֹנִים). Out of that settled, fearless heart flows the same generosity as before. The man who is not gripped by fear is free to be openhanded; he scatters to the poor and only grows richer in what lasts, for "his righteousness endureth for ever."

Explanation

Here is the secret of a fearless life, and it is worth taking to heart in an age of alarming headlines. "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD." Notice what is not promised: it is not that the God-fearer receives no bad news. Evil tidings come to him too, the frightening report, the dreaded phone call, the threatening turn of events. What is promised is that when the bad news comes, it does not shake him, because his heart is already "fixed", settled, steadied, anchored in the LORD before the tidings arrive. A heart that is fixed on God is proof against panic; it has its stability from somewhere the news cannot reach. The unbelieving heart is tossed by every alarming rumour, rising and falling with the day's reports; but the trusting heart is "established," held up from beneath, and so "he shall not be afraid." His courage is not that he expects no trouble, but that he trusts the God who is greater than the trouble. And out of that settled, fearless heart flows the same generosity as before: "He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever." The man who is not gripped by fear is free to be openhanded; he scatters to the poor and only grows richer in what lasts. Meanwhile the wicked, who trusted in other things, "shall see it, and be grieved... and melt away." The fixed heart stands; the desire of the wicked perishes.

Gospel Focus

"His heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD", this is the very steadiness the Lord Jesus gives His people. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1), and, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The believer is not promised a world without evil tidings, but a heart fixed on the Christ who has overcome, so that the worst news cannot finally shake him. And the generosity of verse 9, "He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever," is quoted by Paul to describe the cheerful Christian giver: "He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever" (2 Corinthians 9:9). The heart at rest in Christ is a heart set free to give. So fix your heart on the Lord Jesus, and you will not be afraid of evil tidings; you will stand steady while the world melts, and give freely from a heart that fear can no longer master.