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Blessed Are Those Who Seek Justice
Psalm 112
Andy Nagahara
Today’s text, Psalm 112 is the same as the previous one, with each line arranged in the order of the Hebrew alphabet.
Following the 111, which sings in praise of God’s justice and closes with the importance of fearing the Lord, the 112, which begins with the fear of the Lord and sings of the blessings of those who do God’s justice, is a continuation of the same theme, but it is sung with a focus on human beings who follow God rather than God himself and is considered to be by the same psalmist.
First, let’s read up to verse 4.
A. Blessings for the upright (1-4)
1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Since last week, we have been experiencing a situation in our world where we cannot help but think about what justice means. Even those who suddenly invade their neighbors claim that they are righteous.
Last time, I told you that any human justice will cause someone to suffer and grieve, so we should fear God and seek His justice. This applies from relationships within families to wars between countries. And the conclusion was that by such a way of life, we will always be blessed that we cannot help but praise God. That was specifically mentioned in the part we have just read. To put it in the context in which we live, it is the promise that not only we but also our children and grandchildren will be respected leaders in their society, that we will be given wealth, and that no matter how bleak our situation may be, God, who is rich in grace and mercy, will be with us.
It is not the kind of thing that one can build material possessions on from generation to generation. However, the necessary for what is right will always be given. Because the important thing is not to be recognized as the right person.
As I told you last time, we are already recognized as righteous without being righteous, and what is being questioned is our future steps. In other words, the grace given to the righteous is a resource for living as the righteous. It means that having been recognized as righteous, we can use that grace to live as righteous people.
There are specific guidelines for this in the sections that follow, so let’s read them little by little.
B. The ways of the upright (5-10)
1. Fairness (5,6)
The first guideline is fairness; read verses 5 and 6.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
It is very painful when teachers treat the students and parents treat the children with favoritism. Some people experience this pain in the workplace. Treat people fairly. Judge things fairly. Everyone wants to be treated that way, but the reality is that it is not done, and there are constant news that people are suffering.
We are required to make fair decisions ourselves and to treat others fairly. We are also expected to demand fairness and justice from society. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves, “Is this attitude and judgment of mine fair?
2. Trust (7,8)
The second is trust in God: verses 7 and 8.
7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
Our nature to be very concerned about the reputation of others sometimes leads us to worry about the reputation of others instead of putting our trust in God. It is well exemplified with the 2017 events involving the Prime Minister at the time that we have a tendency to make unnecessary considerations for those in authority and those with power.
If we have firm trust in the Lord, we will not fear anyone and we will do what we think is right. Do you know Joseph, one of Jacob’s 12 sons in Genesis?
He is the one who was hated by his other brothers and sold to Egypt because of his father Jacob’s favoritism, as I mentioned earlier in section B-1. However, while he had his own tough experiences, he was a man who continued to trust God and ultimately saved his people from a great famine. I encourage you to read the story of Joseph if you haven’t already. When you read from the encounter between his father Jacob and his mother Rachel in Genesis 29, you will understand why he was favored. After chapter 37, we see how he became respected as the man who saved Israel from a great famine because he did not care about the reputation of others, but simply continued to trust in God.
3. Mercy (9)
The third guideline for the life of the righteous in God is “mercy. Read verse 9.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
I also mentioned last time that God Himself is merciful, and there is a story in the Old Testament about a woman in whom God’s mercy is strikingly expressed. It is the book of Ruth. This is also a story and a short one, so it should be easy to read. Please read it if you haven’t already.
When people see God’s mercy, they actually see it as the actions of those who have been made righteous by God. We hope that the activities of the “Peas,” that will resume in April, will provide such a venue.
But that is only the first step. I believe that Jesus is trying to express his compassion through us in more ways than one.
4. Hope (10)
I’m going to end by talking about keeping hope alive, and I’m going to read verse 10.
10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
In fact, the situation the psalmist was in was not one where the crisis had not yet passed, the enemy had not yet disappeared, and the ambitions of the wicked had not yet been crushed.
As I am sure is true for any of us, there are many things in our immediate reality that we do not want to remain as they are.
And yet, we are able to keep walking forward because of the faith the Lord has given us.
From the time Jesus disappeared from the disciples’ sight until now, the Holy Spirit, who is the invisible Helper, lives in us and sustains us in our walk.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit brings healing, wonders, or miracles, but most of the time He works quietly but powerfully, without bringing a rush of emotion or claiming Himself in an exaggerated way.
The New Testament calls for this.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. （ヘブル 11:1）
Even though the problems we see now are serious, lets go forward with support for each other, one day at a time, step by step, hoping for the promise of the completion of the Kingdom of God.
（Prayer） O God, We receive your grace and your expectation that we may live “righteous” in you, with awe, with responsibility, but also with the joy of being made your children.
Help us to walk in a way that is worthy of the “righteous” as we listen to you in our daily walk.May Your mercy be shown to this community through our walk.
We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in hope and thanksgiving to you.
Summary
Those who fear the LORD–those who are upright and seek God’s justice–will be blessed. The blessing continues because the righteous embody fairness, trust in God, mercy toward others, and hope.
For Discussion
1) What is happiness for you?
2) What is fairness?