Psalms

Psalms 112: A steadfast heart and generous hands

Begin in prayer

Before we consider a steadfast heart and an open hand, let us bring our fears and selfishness before God. Ask Him to bring us to Jesus and teach us to trust Him while caring for people in need.

He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that the Lord blesses those who fear Him and teaches His people steadfast trust and generous care. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

The man who fears the Lord and greatly delights in His commands is called blessed. His offspring are mighty, his house has riches and his righteousness endures. Light dawns in darkness for the gracious, merciful and righteous, and the gracious lender maintains his cause in judgment. The righteous man is remembered forever, with a heart established in trust instead of fear of evil news. He gives freely to the poor and receives enduring honour, while the wicked see it, grieve and melt away, and their desire perishes.

As you read Psalms 112, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD blesses those who fear Him, giving steadfast trust and generous righteousness while wicked desire perishes.

The blessing begins with fearing God and delighting in His commands, giving the man's outward life its inward root. His children, household and enduring righteousness show blessing reaching beyond one passing moment. Darkness and evil news still appear, yet the gracious and merciful person has light and a heart settled in trust. Lending with grace puts reverence into the use of possessions, where another person's need calls for a generous answer. His maintained cause in judgment and lasting remembrance give security that hostile news cannot finally take away. The open hand in verse 9 belongs to this righteous life, which Second Corinthians 9 verse 9 quotes while teaching generous giving. The exalted horn pictures strength raised in honour, as the wicked watch with grief and their desire comes to nothing. The Lord's blessing and the end of wicked desire give the call to fear Him its lasting weight.

How does Psalm 112 show us that the LORD blesses those who fear Him, giving steadfast trust and generous righteousness while wicked desire perishes?

God blesses the person who fears Him and delights in His commands.

Reverence and delight belong at the beginning of this blessed life. The household's good and the righteousness that lasts show the reach of God's favour. Darkness does not extinguish the light given to the gracious, merciful and upright.

Trust in the LORD steadies a generous heart through troubling news.

Evil news reaches the righteous man, whose heart is steadfast because he trusts God. He lends graciously and gives to the poor. His enduring righteousness and honoured strength give him a future beyond the adversaries he faces.

God preserves the righteous person's honour while wicked desire perishes.

The righteous man will be remembered forever. The wicked see his honour and respond with grief and anger. Their melting away exposes the end of a desire set against God's blessing.

Memorise

He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in Yahweh.

Psalm 112:7

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what fear is closing my hands to someone the Lord Jesus calls me to love?

The righteous man “has dispersed, he has given to the poor.” His open hand belongs with a heart established in trust. Fear of the Lord reaches both the news he hears and the possessions he holds.

Our anxious selfishness reveals how far we fall short of that righteousness. Jesus gave Himself for His people, bearing God's anger against their sins and dying in their place. He rose again. His sacrifice has paid their whole debt and secured the forgiveness and righteous standing they could never produce through generous gifts.

Turn from selfishness and trust the Lord Jesus. Mercy and forgiveness welcome everyone who comes to Him. Ask Him to steady your heart when troubling news arrives and to show you a neighbour's need. Christ steadies the hearts of believers with His enduring care, freeing them to give thankfully when trouble threatens their security.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the Lord blesses those who fear Him and teaches His people steadfast trust and generous care. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Ask God for reverent delight, a heart steadfast in troubling news and generous care for the poor. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

John 15:12

Merciful Lord, please forgive the selfish fear that makes us hold tightly to what You have given. Bring us to Jesus for the righteousness and pardon His completed sacrifice secures. Give our children new hearts that delight in Your commands. Establish Your people's trust when evil news comes, and make us generous toward those whose need we can meet. Amen.