November 2, 2009
it's all about your heart
Psalm 112
Martha Ryan
Central Truth
True obedience starts with the heart. It isn't just our behavior that God wishes to impact, but He desires our hearts to seek Him fully. As our hearts seek Him, our behavior will show it.
Key Verse | Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the one who obeys the Lord,
who takes great delight in keeping his commands.
(Psalm 112:1)
Psalm 112
The Righteous Will Never Be Moved
1
1
112:1
This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
2
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
8
His heart is steady;
2
112:8
Or established (compare 111:8)
he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
10
The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!
Dive Deeper | Psalm 112
When I read about taking "great delight" in God's commands, it caught my attention. I was taught to obey His commands, but had not thought much about taking great delight in His commands. It seems to be a heart issue, not just about our actions. God is after our heart, and when we have a heart seeking after Christ, then we will desire to follow His commands. Living our life following His commands will lead to a life in which we see His blessings.
We have been trying to teach our puppy what a command is and how to obey one. As we teach Maggie our commands, it has been fun to watch her take great delight in obeying them. A treat works well to teach Maggie to come, and she definitely takes great delight in the treats. Teaching her to stop as she chases a jogger down the street has been more difficult. Maggie gets so focused on catching the jogger that she doesn't notice the danger from cars.
I think in some ways we are the same. It is possible to get too focused on me, myself, and I--what is on my agenda and my idea of what is good. This prevents us from being able to see the dangers. We get distracted by looking horizontally where we think we will find great delight in bigger and better homes, cars, money, or technology. Then we lose the vertical perspective of what Christ desires. When we remind ourselves that we aren't taking anything with us to Heaven, we get a fresh perspective of what we should be chasing and investing in. Are we investing in the lives of others and helping others grow to know Christ, or we investing in ourselves and our current desires?
In Psalm 51:10 David asks, "Create for me a pure heart, O God!" Obedience is a heart issue, one we need to examine to see in what we are taking delight. Is it in keeping His commands or keeping my plans?
Discussion Questions
1. What are you taking great delight in? Is it your ways, your plans, your agenda, or is it in following God's commands?
2. In what area of your life is God calling you to obey Him, but you are struggling to choose between your way or His?
3. How has God blessed you that you need to thank Him and praise Him?