“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments…He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.” — Psalm 112:1, 7-8
The subject of this psalm is, as one has expressed it, “the blessedness of the righteous man.” It is to such a man that our text applies. But, it behooves us to ask, ‘How does one qualify as a righteous man?’ For after all, the prevailing position of the New Testament is that “There is none righteous, not not one [Rom. 3:11].” By nature, then, there are none who qualify for the blessings here and elsewhere assigned to “the righteous man.”
There is a clue, however, in the first verse of the psalm: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord…” Elsewhere is that familiar text, “”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding [Prov. 9:10].” When a man recognizes himself as lacking the righteousness demanded by God, and turns to the Lord in reverence and repentance, he discovers another kind of righteousness available to him:
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [Rom. 3:21-24].”
This is not inherent righteousness, but imputed righteousness; the righteousness of Christ, credited to our account by faith in His Name and in His atoning work in our behalf on the cross. The man who,in the New Testament context, trusts in Christ as his personal Savior from sin, qualifies by God’s grace as the “man that fears the Lord” in the Old Testament,” and will be motivated to practical righteousness in his daily walk, “delight[ing] greatly in [God’s] commandments.”
All of that by way of introduction to our “nugget” for today, which affords the blessed man freedom from “fear of evil tidings.” While this has broad significance, and more so for many in other parts of the world who do not enjoy many of the temporal blessings and social freedoms that we do here in our country, let me try to make this practical. We live in an age of “information overload,” and much of the information (or misinformation) is alarming and depressing. As a result, many are living in a state of anxiety and continual distress. That is not God’s will for those who numbered among “the blessed” of the Lord.
The prescription for deliverance from fear is suggested here, and is remarkable simple. The first and obvious thing, reflecting on our introductory remarks, is the establishment of faith in Christ. Apart from Him, we are left to our own resources, here and hereafter. But let it be noted that there is a great difference between faith and ‘a profession of faith.’ Many have made a profession of faith in Christ who have never entered into a practical, day-to-day walk of faith in the assurance that there are no problems, real or imagined, that He cannot handle. It is oxymoronic to say we trust Him for our eternal destiny, and not to trust Him unreservedly for our present concerns.
Two significant things distinguish the beneficiary of this freedom from anxiety and fear. First, what he feeds on: he “delights greatly in [God’s] commandments.” The word of God is his first source of information and motivation. Second is his focus. “His heart is fixed trusting in the Lord.” I have a good friend who is a very talented photographer. When she she fixes her camera’s focus on a raindrop, for example, everything else within range of the lens is thrust into a soft focused background, and the glory of the raindrop captures the attention. So when the heart is “fixed” on the Lord (v.7) and “established,” (v.8) fear fades into insignificance, and His glory is radiant in our hearts and lives.
Too many believers are “fixed” on circumstances, real or imagined, present or possible, rather than on God. If we were as focused on God and His word as we are on the “media,” so called, anxiety could give way to assurance and the journey could be made a lot lighter. Try it; you might like it!
“Jesus is the only perfect resting place; He giveth perfect peace.”
(Cf. John 14:27)
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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