Psalm 112:1-9 (10) (NRSV)
Read Psalm 112:1-9 (10) on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.
Verse 2Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Verse 3Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
Verse 4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Verse 5It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Verse 6For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
Verse 7They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Verse 8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
Verse 9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
Verse 10The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
Devotion
Scripture, even “cohesive” pericopes, sometimes mash together assertions that both resonate and repel. Psalm 112 does that for me. Those who fear God and delight in God’s instructions will “be blessed…(find)wealth and riches in their house?” “Will never be shaken?” I acknowledge the discomfort of a given passage and the reality of the faithfulness of every biblical author. Still I keep looking for the 2nd or 3rd definition or meaning of a word, the “more than literal” reading. If our heart (v. 8) is “established… and will not shrink,” I suspect this is more about emotions, intellect, the center of the self than a withering hub of one’s cardiovascular system. Avoiding “shrinkage” seems to connect to the capacity to hold our head high with honor when following God’s instruction or, as my classmate and Hebrew scholar Dr. Rolf Jacobson reminds us, fulfilling the “law” (particularly the 10 Commandments) means effecting “your neighbor’s best life.”
Prayer
Thank you, precious Lord, for turning on the light for us. Create in us clean hearts that reflect your faithfulness now and for the next generation. Amen.
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