Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
I. Introduction
A. Structure
1. Contains 10 verses.
2. First 8 verses contain couplets.
3. Last 2 verses contain triplets.
4. Both have 22 lines the exact number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
5. Both are alphabetical Psalms, meaning that each line begins with a different letter of the alphabet in the order of the Hebrew alphabet.
B. Emphasis
1. Psalm 111
(a) Deals with the Lord who is to be feared.
(b) God’s mighty deeds, His glory and righteousness are celebrated.
(c) Set’s forth God’s character and work.
2. Psalm 112
(a) Deals with the man who fears the Lord.
(b) The righteousness and uprightness of the man of God are highlighted.
(c) Sets forth the man of God, the character and work for God.
II. The Prosperity of The Righteous (v. 1-3)
A. The prosperity of the righteous begins with the fear of the Lord.
1. This is a continuation of the final thought of Psalm 111.
(a) Psalm 111:10
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
2. The fear of the righteous in the Lord is expressed through obedience.
(a) Psalm 128:1
1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
(b) Colossians 3:16
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
B. The righteous man’s seed prospers on the earth
1. Psalm 102:28
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
2. The mightiness of the righteous man’s seed is seen in the blessing of the generations.
(a) “mighty” could mean “wealthy” or “prosperous”
(b) Ruth 2:1
And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
(c) 1 Samuel 9:1
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
C. The prosperity of the righteous man is seen in the wealth and riches in his house.
1. The righteous man will make God is top priority. In return, God will supply his needs.
(a) Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
2. The wealth and riches of the righteous man does not destroy his holiness.
III. The Provision of the Righteous (v. 4-6)
A. Light is provided for the Righteous
1. When the Word of God is the righteous man’s delight, he will always have the light of the truth to disperse the darkness.
(a) Psalm 119:105
105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
B. The Light leads the righteous man to walk in grace, compassion and righteousness.
1. God’s grace was given to us so that we might become gracious people
(a) John 1:16
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
2. If we want to receive compassion, we must give compassion
(a) Proverbs 21:13
13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
(b) Luke 6:27-36
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
IV. The Prevailing of The Righteous (v. 7-10)
A. When we fear the Lord, we do not need to fear anything or anyone
1. We are promised safety and peace
(a) Proverbs 1:33
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
(b) Proverbs 3:21-26
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
B. When we fear the Lord, our hearts are established
1. When our hearts are established, our walk is straight and sure.
(a) Proverbs 10:9
9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
C. When we fear the Lord, our strength is exalted with honor.
1. Honor comes as a result of our generosity and the way in which we relate to others.
2. The wicked do not like to hear other men praising the deeds of the righteous.
