The Psalm 112 Contract
Psalm 112 describes a righteous man and gives Gods earthly promise for a righteous man. Just like any contract, the things God promises come with some caveats. If you want to see these benefits, then you have to live up to your part of the contract. When people look at what the Bible says, they assume that if those benefits are not happening in their lives, then the Bible must be a lie and not mean what it says. But in reality, we need to LOOK AT OUR OWN ACTIONS and correct those, then we can expect God to fulfill his Word in our lives.
Notice that none of this is in the context of salvation. Only repentance and the blood of Christ can give you salvation. Salvation is the eternal reward for faith in Christ. But also, Proverbs 11:31 says the righteous are rewarded here on earth. Once you are saved, you are expected to crucify the flesh and become a new creature. So, what does the new Creature look like? And what is the reward for a righteous life?
The text of Psalm 112 is at the bottom, lets look at the things God promises one by one, and then what your part is you want to see these things operating in your life. Note that if you are not keeping your part of the deal, God is not obligated to provide these blessings in your life.
GOD PROMISES: In order of how they appear in the text
1. Happiness: twice the text promises happiness if we keep up our end of the bargain! Happiness cant be bought, you cant find it in a bottle or a pill, it only comes from a life truly submitted to God.
2. Children will be powerful in the land; his descendants will be blessed: God obligates himself to watch over our children and provide the same blessing we have. They take their own path, but how we live impacts Gods protection over them to some level
3. His family will be wealthy and rich, and he will be prosperous forever: Run it in the Hebrew, it says the same thing. God is talking about money here. Yup, it's a promise.
4. Light shines in the darkness for good people: TOUGH TIMES ARE PROMISED, darkness happens. But God will always provide a way out! Psalm 34:19 repeats this: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but The Lord delivereth him out of them all! How awesome is it to know that God has promised you a way out, if you stay on the path!
5. Will never fail; he will always be remembered: The KJV says "He shall not be moved forever", people will remember your contribution even after you pass on. What a legacy!
6. He is certain to see his enemies defeated: God doesnt say YOU have to do the defeating! He says you will SEE the defeating! So sit back and give your enemies over to God, because HE promises that they will be defeated, how cool is that??
7. He will be powerful and respected: nuff said! When you stand up and live a righteous life, people will notice and respect you. You will be put into positions of power. I see this in my business and personal life.
8. The wicked see this and are angry: God isnt talking about secret blessing here, He is talking about open blessing that even wicked people can see, so blessed that they HATE it! When they have positive results from their wicked ways, they can count on losing it, unhappiness, just the opposite of what God promises you!
SO WHATS MY END OF THE BARGAIN?
1. Praise the Lord! No matter the circumstance, no matter the trial, no matter the success, you have to remove a negative tongue and CHOOSE to praise God. I submit to you that somtimes, your trials and tribulations are just a test to see if you choose to praise God anyway. Just ask Job.
2. Honor The Lord: there is a lot to that. Talk to Him. Live worthy of the sacrifice of Christ. You dont just get to do whatever you want, you were bought with a price. If you choose to live in sin, the Bible says that is like crucifying Christ all over again. Honor God in your relationships, what you look at on the internet, in your money and giving. In every area of your life, acknowledge Him.
3. Takes pleasure in obeying his commands: If tithing is a big chore and you act like a baby about it, complaining about giving a back to God after all He has done for you, then dont expect a blessing. No matter how hard the task, take pleasure in it, and He will reward that.
4. Merciful: You dont just get to unload on every idiot. Mercy means treating people better than they deserve. That is a hard one. Its not taught in school, instead we are taught to be merciless and cruel, careless, thoughtless, never thinking of the needs of others. Imagine what a shift that is to be merciful. No wonder we dont see all the blessings of God, happiness, riches and wealth. How often do we make a point of being merciful?
5. Be Kind: that means friendly, tolerant, warm hearted, considerate. Again, this is important to God, but how often do we ACT this way?
6. Just: honorable and fair in ones dealings, consistent with what is morally right. In our marriage, in our business, in our personal relationships.
7. Generous with his loans: Marked by abundance in giving or sharing, knowing that God gave so much to us, that we are willing to open it all back up to him. Again, this is not what the world teaches.
8. Who runs his business honestly: Another thing God wants to see out of someone who He is going to bless. How are you treating others? Are you getting a sense of how important this is to God?
9. Not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord. He is not worried or afraid: Hebrews 11 says Without Faith, it is impossible to please God. If you truly believe that God has your back, why would you be worried about circumstances? If God has a contract to bless you, why not sit back and trust Him to take care of things rather than freaking out about them? Can the Emperor and Creator of the universe not fix anything He wishes?
10. He is certain to see his enemies defeated: Vengeance is mine says The Lord. If you are holding a grudge, harboring unforgiveness, choosing to try to rectify things yourself, then YOU are the one who is in charge. Why not sit back and let God handle it. Isnt He capable? I dont have to get revenge. I honestly feel sorry for people who do me wrong, because i know that God will repay them for their deeds so much harder than i can.
11. Gives generously to the needy: Do you make a habit of giving to the needy? If not, God notices that. It a key part of Him being able to trust you with wealth and riches. If he knows He can get money THROUGH you to others, He knows how to get money TO you. If you hold on to all of it like its yours, you will see it be harder to get. Read Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
12. THIS ONE IS MENTIONED TWICE: his kindness never fails. So when God mentions it twice, you really need to focus on being that kind of person.
Praise the Lord! Happy is the person who honors the Lord, who takes pleasure in obeying his commands. The good man's children will be powerful in the land; his descendants will be blessed. His family will be wealthy and rich, and he will be prosperous forever. Light shines in the darkness for good people, for those who are merciful, kind, and just. Happy is the person who is generous with his loans, who runs his business honestly. A good person will never fail; he will always be remembered. He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord. He is not worried or afraid; he is certain to see his enemies defeated. He gives generously to the needy, and his kindness never fails; he will be powerful and respected. The wicked see this and are angry; they glare in hate and disappear; their hopes are gone forever. (Psalm 112:1-10 GNT)
