Ps.112:1-3 – Praise the LORD!
Blessed is a person who fears the LORD,
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.
If you pay attention you will see that this is definitely true, those who fear the Lord will be blessed. I think of Abraham who left everything and became wealthy, there was Jacob who also walked away from everything and was extremely blessed, and of course Joseph who went from slavery to imprisonment, to being prime minister over the Egyptian Empire. Then of course there was Job who received double, Paul who had all he needed and more even in prison, and the widow who ministered to Elijah that had food for months when the rest of the nation was starving. According to David, blessing of all sorts was definite to those that fear the Lord. Here is how Spurgeon describes this blessing.
“Jehovah is so great that he is to be feared and had in reverence of all them that are round about him, and he is at the same time so infinitely good that the fear is sweetened into filial love, and becomes a delightful emotion, by no means engendering bondage. There is a slavish fear which is accursed; but that godly fear which leads to delight in the service of God is infinitely blessed. Jehovah is to be praised both for inspiring men with godly fear and for the blessedness which they enjoy in consequence thereof. We ought to bless God for blessing any man, and especially for setting the seal of his approbation upon the godly. His favor towards the God fearing displays his character and encourages gracious feelings in others, therefore let him be praised.”
Spurgeon described the difference between the fear that the world has and the fear of God. The worldly fear anticipates evil and bad things happening in our lives. For the Christian, “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind”. The fear of God is an awareness of God’s majesty, holiness, and power. When you taste the magnificent power of His presence you know this this is totally different from anything you have ever known on this side of eternity. So go ahead and praise the Lord! Enter into His presence with thanksgiving, soon you will be counted among those that are blessed.