Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on the earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. —Psalm 112:1-3

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). God didn’t burden us with commandments. He blessed us with commandments, and those blessings are illustrated throughout the verses of this psalm. The person who fears the Lord, delighting to do God’s will and obeying His commands will realize blessings in their lives and in the lives of their children as well. “ . . . No good thing will He uphold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You” (Ps 84:11).

And it’s not about money. When Jesus walked on earth, there were many Jews who believed that wealth was a sign of personal righteousness. The disciples were shocked when they heard Jesus say, “‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. . . . [It] is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’” (Matthew
19:23-25).

What can we learn from this? Those who fear the Lord and “delight greatly” in obeying Him will have descendants who are strong and brave, and whose homes will be filled with good things that make one’s life rich. Does this mean only material wealth? Listen to Timothy: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and . . . we can carry nothing out. . . . Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and… harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness . . . [piercing] themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:6-10).

So we see that the actions of those who fear the Lord will have an impact further down the road in that their righteousness will pass down to their descendants who fear the Lord. The legacy of living a godly lifestyle penetrates far deeper than we often see on the surface.

Are Christians held in high esteem? Not in most cases. But, here’s the truth as we await the coming of the Lord: Time will tell that the plan and people of God will always prevail. “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Mark 13:13). Jesus said this, so we know it’s true. Sadly, many today have adopted political correctness and seeker-sensitivity in an effort to make people love us at the expense of truth. We need to live for the future now. We don’t have the “upper hand” now, but as believers we will have it forever one day! Socialism and Marxism will never prevail, although many believe they will. There will a one-world ruler, and I don’t mean the Antichrist. It will be the true Christ, and those who delighted in doing His commandments in this life will rule and reign with Him in glory in the next. How do we know that the Antichrist won’t win and end up ruling the world forever? Because his power is limited to that of Satan. God is Almighty and nothing and no one can ever be greater than He is! We live in times when God is still allowing the enemy to advance. Countries will have to reap what they’ve sown, as will those who have claimed to follow the Lord but have not. But in the end, the plan and the people of God will always prevail.

Saints, do you want your homes to be blessed and your children valiant? Then teach them the fear of the Lord through your own great desire to obey God’s commandments. We may not see instant results, but time will tell that the plan and people of God will always prevail.

Excerpt from “Beside Still Waters” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER