How fortunate is the person who reveres Yhwh
Who takes great delight in his commands
If Psalm 111 was contemplation from a more heavenly perspective,
focusing on Yhwh’s acts, then this psalm turns to the earth and focuses on the
one who, as said in Psalm 111, “revels” in Yhwh.
There, the psalmist reveled in
Yhwh’s “deeds”. Here, he “delights in his commands.” As we will see the
explosive nature of Yhwh’s deeds is now understood to be the explosive power of
Yhwh’s commands. They come forth and are enacted in abundant power. If Psalm
111 observed Heaven pouring down to earth, then Psalm 112 contemplates the
faithful earth taking in this Heavenly water, adding to it its own adherence and
faithfulness, and thereby bearing fruit. It displays the wonderful dynamic of “grace”
coming down, strengthening the psalmist, and then the psalmist himself
participating within that movement and producing “works” or “merit” or, to put
it more biblically, “fruit”. The Vine, the Branches and the Fruit.
One thing that is crucial to note before moving on—the “fruit”
of this psalm is the display of “wealth and riches”. Psalm 111 promised the
sojourners that after the “time of Bread” they would receive the “wealth of the
nations”. In Revelation, this “wealth of nations” is truly awe-inspiring and
overwhelming. But, we have to also see that the “fruit” of this psalm is not
simply the wealth. Perhaps even more importantly, the fruit is the “lending
dutifully” and the psalmist's “giving generously to the poor”. This act of giving away the
wealth is not simply obedience as if it itself was not part of the “fruit of
grace”. No. The display of generosity that the psalmist displays is itself a participation
in, and reflection of, Yhwh’s own generosity that he displays. In other words,
the entire dynamic of wealth-and-provision is a mirror and participation in the
heavenly dynamic of wealth-and-provision. The Giving is Glory. Earth is, here, mimicking, displaying,
and enacting Heaven. And that is the Earth’s Fruit.
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