I am very thankful for every Psalm, but I'm thankful for Psalm 112 because it puts a twist on something that is important for us to understand. My title for Psalm 112 is "The Blessing of Fearing the LORD."
The first verse of the Psalm should get your attention: "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD." It tells us that there's a particular blessing that comes from fear of the LORD.
Now, we don't normally think that being afraid of something or someone is a blessing. We hate being afraid, and fear is not something that we think is a good thing. And so, we have to ask the question, "What is this fear that this Psalm is talking about when it says, 'You know, if you fear the LORD, you're living a blessed life?'"
Well, fear here is not terror that drives you from the LORD as if he's out to do you harm. That would be the fear you would have of being robbed or the fear you have of a wild animal--you know that that person or that animal is going to do you harm. That's not the kind of fear that Psalm 112 is talking about.
The fear here is rather a positive thing. It's about your heart being filled with awe and adoration and wonder as you consider the majesty, power, holiness, wisdom, and grace of the LORD.
God is to be feared, but that fear is a wholesome, positive, good thing. And this fear will always bear a harvest of good fruit in your life. The fear of the LORD has the power to defeat all other fears that could grip your heart.
Remember when David went into that valley to fight that giant warrior, Goliath, he said to himself of the LORD, "He delivered the lion, he delivered the bear, and he'll deliver this Philistine this day." It's David's fear of the LORD that defeated his fear of this great warrior.
Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
Look at what it says about the person who fears the Lord. The fruit of that fear is listed here: the God-fearing person is successful; the God-fearing person is gracious, merciful, and righteous; the God-fearing person is generous; the God-fearing person is just; the God-fearing person is not afraid when bad news comes because his heart is firm.
I mean, come on, who wouldn't want all these qualities in your life? I want to be successful. I want to be gracious, merciful, and righteous. I want to be generous. I want to have a just life. I don't want to be afraid of bad news because I have a firm heart. All these things are the qualities of fear of the LORD. May that fear, that wholesome wonder and awe be the thing that shapes our lives!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why is it important to understand the meaning of the word "fear" as Psalm 112 uses it here? Why would it be confusing and off-putting if we didn't understand the use of the word "fear" within its context here?
2. What are some of the common everyday fears that have a tendency to grip your heart? Why does a fear of the Lord defeat those everyday fears? How can a fear of the Lord practically do that?
3. As you read about the qualities of a God-fearing person (successful, gracious, merciful, righteous, generous, just, not afraid when bad news comes), where is there a gap between where you currently stand and where the God-fearing person is as described in this psalm? Recognizing that there is a gap and that you are needy is the first step toward seeing God create real change in you. Pray right now and ask God to make you into the kind of person Psalm 112 describes, and expect (by the power of His Spirit) for him to change you as you fear him more and more each day.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• What does it mean to fear something or someone? What kinds of things do you fear?
• When the Bible tells us to be God-fearing people (like in Psalm 112), what do you think that means? Why does "regular" fear not mean the same thing as fearing God? How are those two fears different? Why is one type of fear usually bad and the other fear always good?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think the Bible tells us to fear the Lord? Why might a fear of the Lord be a positive thing, not a negative one?
• If you and I were God-fearing people (as Psalm 112 describes) what kind of people would we be? Why aren't we the kind of people this psalm describes? Do you think the solution to becoming a God-fearing person is to try harder? Why or why not?
• What would it look like for us to go to God and confess our neediness to him, asking him to make us more like God-fearing people? Can we pray together right now to ask God for that in both of our lives?
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