Ps. 112 (The Rising Light)

Light rises in the dark for the upright

The righteous person is dutiful and affectionate

It is good for a man to lend dutifully

To order his affairs justly

Never will he be shaken

The righteous person will ever be remembered

Heavenly power supports the righteous man. And his descendants. Wealth and riches flow into his home, to flow back out. And here, in times of darkness that same heavenly aide will provide him light. It will “rise in the darkness”, bringing clarity and vision and security. 

Interestingly, this portion of the psalm begins with this light-and-darkness, but then it immediately moves into a discussion about how the righteous man orders his life. It then concludes with him not being ‘shaken’, presumably because of the ‘light’ that has arisen. What are we to make of this? Why begin with heavenly aid, only to shift to how he orders his life? Why is there no mention of him defeating his enemies/darkness? 

The psalmist is making a rather profound point—heavenly light rises for the upright because he, himself, is a light to others. He will “lend dutifully”. His wealth and riches will themselves become a “light” to those who need a loan. Later, he will be a “light” to the poor.  He “orders his affairs justly”, thereby establishing wisdom and justice in his daily living with others. The righteous person, in other words, participates in, and mimics, the creation-salvation power of Yhwh.

We know that Psalm 112 is the reflection of man’s participating in Psalm 111. In Psalm 111, Yhwh is described as being “dutiful and affectionate”. Here, the righteous man is “dutiful and affectionate”. In Psalm 111, Yhwh is seen as providing a “loan” to the Israelites in the form of their way-bread for their journey. It is a temporary, sustaining, heavenly force. Here, the righteous man extends loans to others. In Psalm 111, Yhwh acts justly towards his people. Here, the righteous man does the same.

When we come to see this we realize that this righteous man is standing in Yhwh’s own divine light, participating within it, and sharing it out to others. He is Yhwh’s image on earth.

That is why the “light” rises and why, importantly, he will “never be shaken”. He does not stand on his own, but in Yhwh’s own sphere of authority, power and in his dutiful and affectionate gaze.

And, if Yhwh is the undying one, so too, will this man “ever be remembered.”