9343.jpg)
- Pastors reminded to honor calling at annual conference
- Conference breakout sessions focus on pastors family, Christian life, leadership & transition
- Love: What the world needs now
- Florida Baptists celebrate evangelism, church planting & church strengthening priorities
- Hughes urges pastors: Go for the ‘big ask’ of members, themselves
- State Board of Missions hears report from past presidents on GCR
- FBSC messengers applaud pastors who have served 60-plus years
- Messengers in Pensacola approve nominees for Florida’s SBOM & agencies
- Florida Focus
- Obituaries
- Latest Stories...
RSS News Feed
By MARK RATHEL
All people worship, even unbelievers. Through worship, we ascribe worth to a person or object. The object of human worship shapes and molds our life. We become like that which we worship. The twin Psalms of 111 and 112 illustrate this truth from a biblical perspective. Psalm 111 celebrates God. Psalm 112 celebrates the one who follows God. God’s righteousness endures forever (Ps. 111:3,9); likewise, the righteousness of a believer endures forever (Ps. 112:3, 9). God is gracious and compassionate (Ps. 111:4; likewise a believer exhibits gracious and compassionate qualities (Ps. 112:4).
What does it mean to live righteously? What does a righteous life look like?
First, a righteous life devotes priority to God (Ps. 112:1). Psalm 111 concluded with an emphasis on the fear of the Lord (v. 10). Now the Psalmist unpacks the meaning of the fear of the Lord (Ps. 112:1). The Psalmist ascribed three activities to a life prioritized by God. First, a God-priority entails worship as the individual shouts, “Hallelujah!” Worship is not an activity limited to corporate worship on Sunday; for one who lives righteously, worship characterizes life. Second, a God-priority necessitates the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord inculcates awe, submission, and obedience. Third, a God-priority produces delight in God’s commandments. In Psalm 111:2, the worshiper delights in the works of God. In Psalm 112:1, the worshiper delights in the Word of God. The blessed individual submits to the commandments of God as the ruling passion of life.
Second, a righteous life possesses a heart for others (Ps. 112:2-5). The heart of a righteous individual goes out in concentric circles of concern. First, the righteous person possesses a heart for family. He desires his children to experience blessings from God. As the children follow the spiritual legacy of a faithful individual, the children become heroes in the land. Second, the righteous individual possesses a heart for the less fortunate. As surely as the light dawns, the righteous individual demonstrates grace, righteousness, and mercy toward individuals less fortunate. Third, the righteous individual possesses a heart of liberality towards the needy. Fourth, the righteous individual possesses a heart of integrity regarding business dealings.
Third, a righteous life demonstrates an inner strength (Ps. 112:6-8a). Since the Word of God molds and shapes the righteous life, the righteous individual cannot be shaken though various storms rage. Trust in God produces stability. The Psalmist suggested several types of storms that rage around a believer. First, the storm rages when death comes (v. 6). Every Hebrew desired a life worth remembering by subsequent generations. God causes His works to be remembered (Ps. 111:4). Since the building of a righteous life is a work of God, people will remember a righteous individual. Second, the storm rages when an individual receives bad news (v. 7). A righteous individual exhibits confident trust in the storm, realizing that the sovereign God is in charge.
Fourth, a righteous life experiences final victory (Ps. 112:8-10). The Psalmist concluded with a contrast between the final destinies of the righteous individual and the wicked individual. God enables the righteous individual to see the end (the outcome) of the wicked individual (v. 8). The wicked individual, in turn, sees the honor bestowed upon the righteous (v. 9). God will exalt the “horn,” a symbol of strength, of the righteous.
The Old Testament provides a mere glimpse of the afterlife. Clearly, the Old Testament affirms a state of honor for the righteous and an ignoble end for the wicked. Since the righteousness of the righteous person endures forever, one may correctly assume the wickedness of the wicked person endures forever as well. The Psalmist characterizes the end of the wicked as jealous, despair (gnash teeth) and emptiness.