The law tells us what to do or not do, while poetry fills in the why and how. What motivates a person to obey the law of God? What kind of inner life does a person need to have in order to please Him?
Psalm 112 shows not only what the blessed person does, but also why and how. We’re going to try to answer the question, what does it take to adequately and effectively follow the biblical pro-life ethic?
1st, WHAT does the pro-lifer do?
Psalm 112 is one of many passages that reflect on what it’s like to be blessed. An acrostic of only 23 lines, the psalmist expends two lines on how the blessed person has carried out the pro-life ethic. He (or she) is “is gracious and lends” (v5). He has “given freely to the poor” (v9).
These statements allude directly to law-giving passages such as Exodus 22:21-27 and Deuteronomy 15:7-11. In a previous blog post, God hears the cries of marginalized people, we noted how these laws broaden our understanding of the pro-life principle. Believers of every era are consistently exhorted to not turn their backs on fellow believers, unsaved neighbors, or enemies but to provide for their physical needs.
Pro-life laws such as these are needed because creation is fallen and because of the cruelty of sinners. People in dire circumstances are often in peril of death and therefore the Mosaic law made it a crime to mistreat or ignore anyone. These laws restrain the impulses of violent people who, like Cain, dislike being a keeper of brothers. Just let me interject here that the pro-life ethic extends to the problem of abortion, but is not limited to it.
2nd, WHY does the pro-life person take action?
Psalm 112:1 gives two reasons for taking pro-life action: fear and delight, one negative and the other positive.
The fear (or reverence) is of God Himself. His word frighteningly reveals our condition as sinners who are incapable of meeting God’s standard. Fear acts on the conscience so a person will avoid bad actions. Fear of death and hell drives people to seek salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, but that’s only the beginning of the journey (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10).
Because God’s law spells out the blessings of obedience, it can also be called delightful. We can delight in His commandments because they tell of His great love, His grace and mercy in providing salvation through Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit’s ever-present help in trouble.
We may take pro-life action out of fear of what will happen to us or the other person if we don’t. But joy is the more sustainable motivator.
The blessings that God attaches to pro-life action are a powerful motive for helping vulnerable people. Psalm 112:2-9 describes an individual who knows he’s safe with God in both this life and the next. Generally speaking, obedience contributes to a stable, contented, and secure life shielded from the consequences of bad decisions. We also rejoice to see the needy rescued and secure.
“The wicked are not so!” as Psalm 1:4 says. One surmises that this group is the source of trouble for vulnerable people. They take advantage of them, give them cold comfort, or frustrate them through every form of oppression.
Psalm 112:8-10 vividly shows how the wicked themselves wind up “vexed” while the blessed achieve satisfaction. The wicked are said to “melt away” while the blessed leave a lasting legacy. Both the desires of the wicked and the things they desire are brought to an end.
3rd, HOW is pro-life action possible?
Pro-life action flows from character. Specifically, in Psalm 112:4, we see that the blessed person’s character is “gracious, compassionate, and righteous.” Interestingly, one psalm earlier God is shown to have these same characteristics (Ps. 111:4). Then one psalm later, God is said to raise the poor from the dust and lift the needy from the ash heap (Ps. 113:7).
Generous actions overflow from the heart of God to sinners, and from the heart of the redeemed to others in need. A person who has received grace from God can offer it to others. A person who has been an object of God’s compassion, can be compassionate to others. God does not expect His people to do anything He is not already doing.
Just as we are blessed by an endless supply of God’s love toward us, so we have enough to give to others. We place our complete trust in God and therefore have plenty to sustain us as we “seek first His kingdom and righteousness” (Ps. 112:7, Matthew 6:33).
As we’ve seen previously, God is pro-life. He is the source of life, and what He does is for life… eternal life, physical life, life more abundant. He expends power to preserve life.
The godly person cares about the health and well-being of others because God cares. God rewards with blessing those who help others.
Pro-life action is possible because God renews the believer to become more and more like Him (Colossians 3:10). Pro-life action is possible because of God—His person, His power, and His character. He is the ultimate why and how of pro-life action.
Thus the blessed person brings praise to God. Men "see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16).
Next: The pro-life ethic & child sacrifice
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Image credit: Modern School. Beggar Pleading To Heaven, 1958, Painting; https://paintingvalley.com/beggar-painting#beggar-painting-14.jpg.
Thank you Michele! This meditation is incredibly beautiful and humbling. Truly we need to be `beggars' longing to be more and more like God: `a person who has received grace from God, can offer it to others.' From the inner disposition of knowing that we need Christ's mercy, we grow in delighting to show that mercy to others and our eyes are opened to the needy around us. But when our inner disposition leans toward what we think we deserve, we observe the world with selfish instead of generous eyes and [our] eye is never satisfied (Ecclesiastes chapter 4 ;-). Psalm 112:10: the wicked will [see goodness and generosity and kindness to those oppressed] and be vexed [instead of praising and giving thanks to God].
ReplyDeleteWhich is exactly what you said: Thus the blessed person brings praise to God. Men "see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). Thank you!!
Thank YOU! You always fill in something that needed to be said. It's so true what the Bible says about our eyes... they can be evil or dark, only looking to self and not looking kindly on others (which I'll be posting about when I get farther along in Deuteronomy; I hope I have Ecclesiastes 4 on my radar). And, as James says, we can briefly look at ourselves in the Mirror of the Word and then walk away without making the necessary adjustments.
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