What are the characteristics of a righteous person? Psalm 112 identifies not only the characteristics, but the blessings bestowed on a righteous person. Psalm 112 is a companion to Psalm 111.They are both acrostic Psalms as Psalm 111 reveals the glory of God and Psalm 112 reflects God’s glory through a righteous person. Psalm 112 is in the midst of a trio of Psalms that all begin with the word Hallelujah which means Praise the Lord! The Psalmist gives a two-fold description of the person who is blessed:

Blessed is a person who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. (Psalm 112:1)

The concept to fear the Lord is not one of craven cowardliness, but rather a reverential awe and respect. Psalm 112 naturally follows from the last verse of the Psalm 111 as it described a godly person:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who follow His commandments have a good understanding; his praise endures forever. (Psalm 111:10)

We see that obedience is not a burden, but a blessing to the godly person (Psalm 40:8). Charles Spurgeon chronicles this description of a godly person, “The man not only studies the divine precepts and endeavours to observe them, but rejoices to do so: holiness is his happiness, devotion is his delight, truth is his treasure.” The resultant blessings are enumerated in the following verses:

His descendants will be mighty on the earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light shines in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, compassionate, and righteous. (Psalm 112:2-4)

We see a word for word concordance with Psalm 111 as the latter part of verses three and four are repeated in Psalm 112. The righteous person reflects the character of God by being righteous, gracious, and compassionate. Do your actions reveal a righteous character as God’s Spirit at work in your life?

God’s favor creates a virtuous cycle in the life of a righteous person. As God bestows His favor, the righteous person responds by being gracious and compassionate toward others. The blessings from God continue:

It goes well for a person who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is firm, he will not fear, but will look with satisfaction on his enemies. (Psalm 112:5-8)

Again, we see that God’s blessing engenders a heart of generosity and continued blessings:

He has given freely to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted in honor. (Psalm 112:9)

The Psalmist concludes by presenting a stark contrast with the wicked:

The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 112:10)

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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