June 11thPsalm 112
A Beautiful Life
Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.
[MESSAGE]
This psalm begins with words (vs.1-3) that we wish always came true. Those who 'fear/love' the Lord have beautiful homes, beautiful children, they 'brim with wealth.'
Well, we know from Scripture it just ain't so, at least not always. Jesus was the best among us—the living God in our skin—and he turned out homeless and abandoned and tortured to death on a cross. Job, both God and Satan agree, is about as good as mere mortals can get, and his skin and his family and his possessions and his soul suffer for it.
But the portrait Psalm 112 paints can still ring true. Sometimes those who are actually good do well in the world. The psalm makes clear we’re talking about material, this-worldly possessions—descendants, wealth, riches, triumph. Their obligation is, of course, to give back to others. God’s gifts are never for us, they’re through us for everybody else.
It's instructive to pair this psalm with Isaiah 58, the OT Lectionary reading. In this text, the prophet admonishes his hearers to examine their attitudes and actions toward God and others.
Why do we fast but You do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but You do not notice?
God replies:
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day
and oppress all your workers.
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
The text illuminates several key truths about those who have learned to live wisely in the fear of the Lord.
*The remarkable thing is that the same thing is said of both God and those who fear God: 'Their righteousness endures forever' (111.3; 112.3,9).
*Those who fear God 'adore' God's commandments (v.1). The Lord’s commands are not made for drudgery. They’re how to be happy for true happiness derives from doing what God wants done.
*The world is a dark place, as the psalmist makes clear in several places (verses 4, 7, 8 & 10). But the blessed light up the world, as Jesus preaches in Matthew 5:14-16.
*The wicked gnash at such generosity, but the just are remembered with gratitude. C. S. Lewis says that our entire economy is built over the 9th and 10th commandments. Where would capitalism be without lying and coveting? Scripture makes clear sainthood runs on divestment. Jesus didn’t say “give until it hurts,” Clarence Jordan says, he said “give until it’s gone.”
Recently we lost a good friend. She was 95 and had lived a good life but she is missed; her children and grandchildren rose up to praise her at the funeral service. I believe she exemplified the characteristics of a 'righteous, wise person.'
The woman with the soup-fridge who didn't really like soup.
The baker who passed on her love of baking to her son.
The provider - her meals out in the fields at harvest time were legendary.
The housekeeper - 'Saturday work was immense!' one of her daughters said.
A key verse she chose to be read at her funeral echoes Psalm 112.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. [Proverbs 3.5-6]
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
May it be true of all of us.