For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 112

1 Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
    who find great delight in his commands.

2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures for ever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered for ever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
    their righteousness endures for ever;
    their horn will be lifted high in honour.

10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

A. Find Out:

1. How is the man who fears the Lord blessed? v.1
2. How will his family be blessed? v.2,3
3. What happens for this man and how is he described? v.4
4. Good will come to who? v.5,9
5. How is he secure in the future? v.6-8
6. How are the wicked contrasted? v.10

B. Think:

1. How is this man a blessing to those around him?
2. How is he blessed himself?
3. What is the cause of this blessing?

C. Comment:

  This psalm is about the man who ‘fears the Lord’ (v.1), who is described as righteous (v.3,4,6,9) and gracious and compassionate (v.4). His heart is clearly turned toward the Lord because a) he delights in the Lord’s commands (v.1) and as a result he has this healthy awesome respect for the Lord (v.1). That is his starting place. He trusts the Lord (v.7) and so he is secure (v.8).

  Now because he is like this, his actions are also righteous. Acts follow heart attitudes. He is generous to those in need and lends freely (v.5) and has given to the poor (v.9). But these outward activities are not only an expression of his heart, they are also possible because the Lord has blessed him. His family is well established (v.2) and they are affluent and prosperous (v.3). Yet it is bigger than this; everything about him is blessed. Thus even in dark times the light shines for him (v.4) as God blesses his activities. As he blesses others and looks out for their welfare the Lord adds goodness (v.5) and thus he is well established so that his name will be remembered when he is gone (v.6). Whatever happens (v.7), he knows he is secure in the Lord’s love, and so fear has no place in him (v.8) and his name will be lifted high (v.9). Indeed his enemies, the unrighteous, will see all this and will gnash their teeth in anger and in frustration (v.10). He is a much blessed man.

D. Application:

1. Blessing comes to the person who relates to the Lord.
2. Blessing involves giving as well as receiving.