Psalm 112 to 114


Psalm 112

This Psalm records the various blessings that follow a man who fears the Lord and greatly delight in His commandments. For this the Lord is worthy of our praise, vs 1.

According to this Psalm, when we fear the Lord, our seed will be blessed and mighty upon the earth, vs 2! So, this is an encouragement for all parents who walk in the fear of the Lord, and tremble at His Word, and who are, yet anxious about how their children would turn out.

Let us walk in the fear of the Lord and then thank God, in faith, for keeping His promise that He has given to us in this verse. Wealth and riches will be in his house, but it it be obtained through righteous means and not as a result of bowing our knee to the devil, vs 3, Mathew 4:9.

In times of darkness, when evil reigns, and the love of many grows cold, his path will be enlightened by the Word of God and, as a result, he will be able to be gracious, compassionate and righteous even in those days, vs 4!

In tough times, he will be the one that shows the needy favour while lending to them graciously, and he will also conduct his business in an honest manner, even if those around him are dishonest, vs 5. No circumstance or storm will throw him out of focus or shake him, and he will always be remembered by those who cross his path, vs 6. He will not fear bad news, for no matter what comes his way, the Lord will cause all things to work together for good, because he has chosen to walk in obedience to God’s commandments, vs 7, Romans 8:28.

Fear shall not rule over him, 1 John 4:18; because his trust in God will make him confident of seeing the downfall of all his enemies, (in case they don’t repent), vs 8, and as he generously gives to the needy, not returning evil for evil but good for evil, without any ulterior motivation, God will fight all his battles, Exodus 14:14, and vindicate and honour him, vs 9. When the wicked see this, they will be angered and grieved, and will ultimately be consumed by their own wickedness, but nothing that they do will ever be able to shake the God-fearing man or rob him of his joy, vs 10!

So, godly seed, provision of earthly needs, godly character, an absence of fear, an unshakable faith and eternal blessings will be the portion of the godly man/woman who chooses to fear God and tremble at His Word, even at a time when most people around him/her choose not to do so!

May each of us be in this number, by God’s grace!

Psalm 113

In this Psalm, the Psalmist gives God praise for specific reasons, which He finds so amazing and praiseworthy!

So, he exhorts the servants of the Lord to praise and bless the Name of the Lord too, from the rising to the setting of the sun, both now and forevermore, vs 1-3.

Then he gives 2 specific reasons for which we ought to praise God for. He says that though our LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens, vs 4,5; yet, He humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth, vs 6!

And when God sees a poor (poor in spirit), or a needy man (a man who has a sense of his own need or sin), then He takes him out of the dust and lifts him up from his low position in order to give him a place among the rulers, even with the rulers of His people, vs 7,8. He also takes notice of a barren woman (maybe physically or spiritually, and who like Hannah is seeking Him earnestly in faith) and makes her become a joyful mother of children, vs 9. For these two specific reasons, the Psalmist is touched by God’s sensitive, just and compassionate heart, and is led to praise God for the same and encourages us to do the same too.

Surely, it must have been that David, having experienced God personally, from his own life’s experience, and also from the story of prophet Samuel’s mother Hannah’s life, must have thought it worthy of mentioning the outcome that resulted when one, poor in spirit viz. David Himself, and a barren woman, Samuel’s mother, Hannah, dared to continue in humble perseverance to seek God in faith, which eventually led to the coming forth of a prophet and king, as a result! It is no wonder that Psalm 34:10 tells us that those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing!

So, let us take heart, that no matter where we are walking today, if we HUMBLY seek God in faith and with perseverance, for His highest will to be done in our lives, in accordance with His perfect and original plan for us, it will surely come to pass, as it did in the lives of David and Hannah. For this the Lord is worthy of our praise!

Psalm 114

This Psalm tells us about the remarkable difference that the presence of God can make in any given difficult, or even, impossible situation!

It tells us of God’s people Israel, whom God supernaturally delivered from Egypt, who oppressed and enslaved them, and whose customs and language was very different from their own, vs 1. He delivered them, because their ancestor Judah, made Him his sanctuary, by being honest about his sin, Genesis 38:26, and their ancestor Jacob too, was honest about his sin, in that he deceived his father, Genesis 27, and so, also willingly bore the brunt of the same, on being separated from his father’s household, as a result, for nearly 20 long years!

Yet, when he met with God in Genesis Chapter 32, he was honest about his name being Jacob, a grabber, and although his thigh was put out of joint, by the one who wrestled with him, yet, he did not let go of God, in frustration or disappointment, but instead insisted that he would let go of God only after God blessed him! As a result, God blessed him and gave him the name ‘Israel’.

Thus, he gave God the permission to have dominion over him and his subsequent generations as well, vs 2. And so, subsequently, as the Nation of Israel walked in obedience and departed from Egypt, at the Lord’s command, the presence of God who was with them made the Red Sea and the river of Jordan part as well, vs 3, 7!

Even the mountains and the hills were so shaken with excitement that it seemed like they skipped like rams and lambs respectively, vs 4-7!

Subsequently, when they cried out for water in the wilderness, the presence of the Lord made the rock into a water-spring, and the hard stone into a fountain, vs 8, so that their need was met!
“This meant that no matter how impossible it may have seemed for their needs to be met, the presence of the Living God, even the God of Israel, who was with them, was able to meet every need of theirs!

Even so, as we continually remain honest and repentant about our sin, and receive Christ as the perfect sacrifice for the same, we enable God to make His sanctuary in our hearts, just like Judah did, and as we give Him dominion of our lives like Israel (Jacob) did, by refusing to let go of Him until He blesses us, no matter how he may choose to break us, then surely, we too shall experience the mighty works of God being manifested in and through our lives as well, for He remains the same, yesterday, today and forever, Hebrews 13:8, and what he did for Israel under the Old covenant, He will do for us too, far more than what we could ever ask or imagine, since we are now under a New and better Covenant! Amen.

Rowena Thomas
Mumbai, India.