Blessed by fear for the Lord? Really? Yes, and it’s a mystery. Delighting in his commands? Seriously? Yes! This, too, is a glorious mystery.
Fear of the Lord and delight in his commands bring blessing.
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” Psalm 112:1
Surrender has such a negative connotation. Submission carries undesirable baggage. And fear just sounds depressing. But the psalmist gets our attention, and these claims impact our belief system, our worldview. Fear, respect, and awe are entirely appropriate when in the shadow of a trustworthy and majestic God.
When your Creator loves you, he can be trusted. You are blessed when you fearfully delight in his ways. As Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are, “…higher than your ways and [his] thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).
It takes faith to fear the Lord and delight in his ways.
“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.” Psalm 112:2-3
The man who walks in reverence and delights in the instruction of God is blessed. Especially in difficult times. And those he influences, his own offspring, will be upright and powerfully influential. Goodness comes to those who walk in his ways. The blessing of God—like the shadow of a wing—covers those who walk close to him and his path. God’s righteous ways are unending and thus our righteousness is unending. “In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:16). We are as righteous as he is righteous.
“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.” Psalm 112:4-5
His righteousness permeates us so that even darkness becomes light to us. His grace and mercy flow through us. These are gifts freely bestowed upon us. His righteousness is our righteousness. Proverbs 11:24 reminds us, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” We are inspired to deal generously with others and act justly. Amos 5:15 states, “Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate…” Standing in fear and awe of God’s ways provides a firm and trust-filled foundation.
“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.” Psalm 112:6-9
Fear God and delight in his ways. Darkness becomes light. Our foundation is secure. Even when bad news rocks our world, our trusting hearts stand firm. Shaken but resilient. Our righteousness is immovable because he is immovable. Fearing God and delighting in his ways steadies your heart. Fear of others is diminished by fear of the Lord. Victory is ours. We are free to be generous.
Eternity will prove our present confidence. Humble submission to his ways will prove wise. Reverent fear will be revealed as appropriate. The wicked of the world will observe the favor of God upon us. They will respond by grinding their teeth in anger. They will perish. In pain now, we will be healed.
“The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!” Psalm 112: 10
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