Psalm 112 – The Principle to Receive Blessings in the End Times
Saturday, 18th February 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1 To Praise & To Fear
In the beginning of the year, we faced the pandemic, the storm, the cyclone, the earthquake… so how can we believe that God has His blessings for us and for our church? In our lives, our family, our workplace, our church… we can all receive God’s blessings. Do we believe? At the end of Psalm 111, it tells us to fear the Lord, because the fear of the Lord is te beginning of wisdom, then in Psalm 112, it continues to tell us to fear the Lord.
V1 ‘Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.’ How to have the fear of the Lord? First we must praise God. A lot of times we would think that praise and worship are for those who are in the worship team. But we must know that when we praise God, then we will receive the strength. We are too worry about how others see us, we say we don’t want to disturb others, but the truth is we don’t want people to judge us. Do we know that when we praise loudly, then we can win the battle in the God? When we praise God loudly, then we will be blessed. It’s not about how much we do but how much we praise, in order to receive the blessings from God.
Section Two V2-9 To Believe & To Proclaim
V2-3 ‘His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.’ We do not just have this knowledge to praise God and to fear God, but we must believe in our heart. Even though this is the end times, even thought there are a lot of problems in our lives, this Psalm taught us that when we believe, we will receive blessings. In Exodus we learn that those who followed the commandments of God are the righteousness.
V4-5 ‘Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion.’ When we walk in the guidance of God, then God will make us upright and He will bless our generations to come. In Isaiah 60, God already promised our church, even though there are darkness and deep darkness, but His Light will shine upon us. We will arise and shine, because God has called us and gathered us.
Deuteronomy 33:29 says, ‘Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread down their high places.’ Do we believe that we are the blessed? When we follow God’s guidance and God’s Word then we will be blessed. Do we believe this? If we do, then we must continue to proclaim. Because even though we believe we might feel weak, so when we proclaim then we can continue to believe.
V6-7 ‘Surely, he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.’ We must believe in God’s guidance, God’s power, and God’s Word. He is not here to judge us but to bring light to us. He will protect us to the end, and we don’t have to be afraid.
V8-9 ‘His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. He has dispersed abroad; He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honour.’ God remembers our offering, it’s not about how much we give, but how much we are willing to submit. All we need to do is to walk in His way, to believe in His guidance, and to proclaim His promises.
Section Three V10 To Shine & To Receive Victory
V10 ‘The wicked will see it and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.’ The wicked are those who do not believe in God and who do not follow God. We must arise and shine, God has already shine upon us and when we reflect this light, the foreigners will come to our light. Let us not look at the environment, if we look at the environment, we will only see the storm, the earthquake, the poverty, the depression, the sickness, and the darkness. But when we focus on God then we will see light.
Furthermore, when we turn to God, then we will see the light and others will also see the light. In the morning when we worship God, we light up the menorah, which uses oil and the wick. The wick must be dipped in the oil in order to hold the light, we also must be soaked in the presence of God, then we can continue to shine for God. It is easy to be blessed in the end time, to praise, to fear, to believe, to proclaim, to shine, and to receive victory.
诗篇 112 – 在末世蒙福的法则
2023年2月18日 星期六
潘锡安牧师
今天的诗篇与前一章诗篇111是相连的。当我们从诗篇111篇中看到神的大作为时，才能真正领受本章的教导，在2023年初经过一系列天灾人祸的时候，仍然相信神给我们教会所命定的福，知道何为在末世中蒙福的法则。
一、v.1 要赞美 要敬畏
我们知道“敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端”（诗111:10），而在敬畏神之前，我们要“赞美”他。在聚会中有敬拜赞美的时候，我们是否无动于衷？我们若不在赞美中看见神的大作为，就不会真正来敬畏他。赞美不是自己心里想的，而是要开口大声说出来。我们若要有祝福，不是靠自己的努力和谋算，在末世中蒙福的法则就是要赞美和敬畏。真正的敬畏是将自己完全放低，让耶和华上升。
二、v.2-9 要相信 要宣告
V2 我们要相信，虽然末世的环境十分恶劣，但神应许我们的“后裔在世必强盛，正直人的后代必要蒙福”，这是必然发生的。“正直人”指的是活出耶和华神眼中看为正的事的人（出埃及记15:21）。当我们走在神的道路时，我们就要相信和宣告我们的后代必要蒙福。申命记 33:29 说：“以色列啊，你是有福的！谁像你这蒙耶和华所拯救的百姓呢？”我们是否相信，自己蒙神拯救是有福的？我们虽然相信，但也会软弱，所以要不断相信和宣告。
V4 当光向我们发现的时候，我们就有从神而来的恩典和怜悯。我们虽然处在黑暗、幽暗中，但耶和华所召聚的人必是有福的，我们只要相信和宣告。
V7-8 我们跟随神，就“必不怕凶恶的信息”。很多时候我们遇到坏消息，心就慌张，思虑该怎样解决问题。然而，当我们“心坚定，倚靠耶和华”，我们就不惧怕，因此，要相信神的大能并宣告神的话语！
V9 我们不要怀有贫穷的心态，因为神记念那在圣殿中奉献两个小钱的寡妇。我们要相信和宣告，神所预备的是是丰丰盛盛的！
三、v.10 要发光 要得胜
正如以赛亚书60章所说，当我们发光时，外邦人也要来就我们的光。我们不要看环境的黑暗，只要相信神。当我们让耶和华上升时，我们就能发光、得胜。“恶人”就是那些不相信不跟从神的人，他们本来只想要自己想得到的东西，但当他们看到我们的光，他们的心也会归向我们。金灯台中的灯芯要浸泡在油中才能持续被点亮，同理，我们跟从神的人若要发光，不是靠自己的力量，而是完全浸泡在神的圣洁同在中，靠主发光，最后才能看见得胜。