Psalm 111 was an acrostic in praise of God’s character. This one, its exact structural twin, describes the person who actually reflects that character back — verse for verse, the two psalms mirror each other so closely that reading them side by side feels almost like watching a reflection form.
A study in Psalm 112 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 10 min read
Blessed Is The Man That Feareth The LORD
“Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”
Psalm 112:1-2
This psalm opens by picking up the exact final phrase of Psalm 111 (Holy And Reverend Is His Name), “the fear of the LORD,” and immediately applies it — not God’s character described in the abstract, but a specific person actually shaped by it.
“Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.”
Psalm 112:3
“His righteousness endureth for ever” is the exact same phrase used of God’s own righteousness in Psalm 111:3 — the mirroring is deliberate and precise, the righteous man’s character described in the identical language already used for God’s.
Unto The Upright There Ariseth Light
“Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.”
Psalm 112:4-5
“Ariseth” describes light with its own motion, not merely switched on from outside — something that comes up naturally, like a sunrise, wherever genuine uprightness is actually present.
“Had the leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might have shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus. But now they are passed by. God declares, ‘I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.’… ‘Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.’ To those who are seeking for light, and who accept it with gladness, the bright rays from the throne of God will shine.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 47
White applies this exact verse to the very first Christmas — the religious leaders who should have welcomed the Messiah’s birth passed over entirely, while genuine light arose instead for humble shepherds and seeking foreigners who actually wanted it.
His Heart Is Fixed, Trusting In The LORD
“Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”
Psalm 112:6-7
“His heart is fixed” echoes the same phrase David used twice of himself, in My Heart Is Fixed, O God and again in O God, My Heart Is Fixed — not the absence of bad news, but a settled resolve that does not actually depend on the news being good.
The Desire Of The Wicked Shall Perish
“He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.”
Psalm 112:9
Generosity here is not treated as a drain on wealth but its actual expression — the same person “wealth and riches” were promised to in verse 3 is now described giving it away, the two facts sitting comfortably together.
“The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.”
Psalm 112:10
The psalm’s final verse turns briefly to the wicked, not to curse them directly but simply to note their reaction — watching a stability they cannot manufacture for themselves, grieved by the very evidence of a life actually built the way this whole psalm has just described.
