Defeated and Vexed
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word is from Psalm 112. The message to us is simple--we will be blessed when we choose to love the Lord, live a righteous life, and pursue justice. God loves justice and righteousness, and we can't please the Lord without having an active faith in Him.
Psalm 112 tells us that when we live an upright life, generous to all in need and honest in our dealings with people, we can expect an unforgettable legacy, honor and provision, security, and courage.
"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man....Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord....He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn (of authority) will be lifted high in honor."
"The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing." Psalm 112:4-10
Those are quite special promises for the upright person.
However, as we know, there are many people who prefer to live life promoting themselves, pursuing in their own way a means to worldly wealth, honor and fame. These are the "wicked" in Psalm 112. I love how the verse says that,
"The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing."
It's so Hollywood to see the bad guy gnashing his teeth when they've been defeated by the good guy. It's a great visual, but in reality, it's not a good feeling to be that angry and frustrated. I especially can't imagine being that upset and hate-filled seeing a "righteous" person succeed either. Wow--that's a lot of wickedness. All their striving and fighting, and dishonest tactics, shortcuts, lies, taking advantage of others to get ahead simply came to nothing--a total dead end.
Kind of reminds me of the story about when Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to re-build its walls. All of the enemies of Israel tried every deceitful trick to stop the process: lies, fear, intimidation, threats of violence, but ultimately, God gave the Israelites success and their enemies gnashed their teeth in defeat. I love that story. God gives success to the upright; He blesses and prospers those who love justice and are good to all people--whether its convenient or not....and the Lord will bring the longings of the wicked to nothing at all.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word is from Psalm 112. The message to us is simple--we will be blessed when we choose to love the Lord, live a righteous life, and pursue justice. God loves justice and righteousness, and we can't please the Lord without having an active faith in Him.
Psalm 112 tells us that when we live an upright life, generous to all in need and honest in our dealings with people, we can expect an unforgettable legacy, honor and provision, security, and courage.
"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man....Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord....He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn (of authority) will be lifted high in honor."
"The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing." Psalm 112:4-10
Those are quite special promises for the upright person.
However, as we know, there are many people who prefer to live life promoting themselves, pursuing in their own way a means to worldly wealth, honor and fame. These are the "wicked" in Psalm 112. I love how the verse says that,
"The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing."
It's so Hollywood to see the bad guy gnashing his teeth when they've been defeated by the good guy. It's a great visual, but in reality, it's not a good feeling to be that angry and frustrated. I especially can't imagine being that upset and hate-filled seeing a "righteous" person succeed either. Wow--that's a lot of wickedness. All their striving and fighting, and dishonest tactics, shortcuts, lies, taking advantage of others to get ahead simply came to nothing--a total dead end.
Kind of reminds me of the story about when Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to re-build its walls. All of the enemies of Israel tried every deceitful trick to stop the process: lies, fear, intimidation, threats of violence, but ultimately, God gave the Israelites success and their enemies gnashed their teeth in defeat. I love that story. God gives success to the upright; He blesses and prospers those who love justice and are good to all people--whether its convenient or not....and the Lord will bring the longings of the wicked to nothing at all.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Comments