Scripture: Psalm
112:1-9
This Psalm matches up with our Gospel lesson this week where
Jesus speaks of his disciples being the light of the world, encourages them to
do good works, and describes righteousness. The psalm itself speaks of the
person who lives the righteous life by keeping God’s Word in mind as he strives
to live according to them doing good works. This Psalm reinforces what Jesus
teaches in Matthew 5 and leads us to praise the Lord in our words and deeds.
Teaching
What makes a person “blessed”? This psalm tells us that such
a person has faith – he “fears the Lord” – and his faith is seen in relationship
with God’s Word as that person delights in God’s commandments and in his
actions as he lives humbly with his God and neighbor. Such a person listens to
God’s commandments – which include, in a wide sense, all of God’s Word. He
believes and acts upon them. That is, indeed, a blessed state, impossible
without the work of the Holy Spirit and something worth of praising the Lord.
Verse four is particularly significant for the Fifth Sunday
after Epiphany as it matches so closely with the themes of Jesus’ sermon. “Light
dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.”
Just as Jesus points out that his disciples reflect his attributes in Matthew 5,
so the psalmist reminds us that when God’s light shines on and in us our lives
reflect him to others and our behavior is shaped by his character and will.
Life
There is a lot in this psalm that might seem intimidating to
us. The righteous may never be moved, but we often feel tossed about. Likewise,
bad news may leave us shaky and fearful. How dare we claim such great things as
this psalm says for ourselves? It is only through the fear of the Lord – faith –
that we can come before him with such statements, for in faith we never pray
alone, but we pray in and with Jesus. Indeed, he himself intercedes for us.
Light has dawned in your life. Jesus shines his light on you.
As we live in his forgiveness, we cannot deny that living an outwardly
righteous or upright life has great benefits for our witness and our personal
blessing. How might this psalm encourage you to both live in God’s grace and
strive to live righteously according to his commandments?
Prayer
Use Psalm 112:1-9 to guide your prayer today. Let it
encourage you to praise the Lord for the blessings of faith, His Word, physical
and spiritual well-being, and eternal security that allows you to face each
day. At the same time, be bold to claim the gifts that Jesus gives you as you
come before our Father in heaven and call upon him as people who are upright
and righteous because of Jesus’ salvation.
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