Psalm 112 – Part v

He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor
His righteousness endures forever
His horn is exalted in honour
The wicked sees it and is angry
He gnashes his teeth and melts away
The desire of the wicked comes to naught

I trooped out of church, aged six or seven, to a Sunday School which resembled the exam halls I was to later endure at school and University. Desks were arranged in three long columns, and a man with a white pointy stick and some maps at the front.

This was too much. I refused to go the following Sunday. It was, of course, one of those early experiences of defiance that intrigued me. The power of No. A short word, used unwisely on many occasions – but not then!

Had I stuck at it, I may have discovered the standard Sunday School joke that has lasted for generations – the answer to every question is Jesus.

And that is where I shall start this final post on Psalm 112.

Line 1

It was Judas Iscariot that Jesus put in charge of the money bag. He was the one disciple who had a close-up view of how Jesus handled gifts and money; how, day to day, he divided up the funds to buy bread and how he decided to give to the poor. He would have fulfilled ‘distributing freely and giving to the poor’.

Lines 2 & 3

‘Authentic’ might be the word of choice today. His authority stemmed from his integrity. He was as righteous with money as the rest of life; he ‘handled his affairs with discretion’ v5. Later, his disciples and Paul the apostle would say, ‘he was tempted in every way yet without sin’

Line 4 & 5

One of the deep mysteries of life on earth is that we tend to alienate, ostracise, and exile those who lead foul lives and those who lead exemplary lives. Both drive us mad. Perhaps both hold up a mirror to our own souls, our potential for ‘sin’ and our inability to be very good.

Jesus, despite his innate goodness, miracles of healing, mercy and kindness, parables, treatment of the outcasts, and spiritual teaching, had his very vocal opponents. In the end, the politico-religious authorities nailed him to a cross. There was a lot of anger and gnashing of teeth.

Less than a generation after Jesus voiced his pronouncements e.g. ‘you are the blind leading the blind, both will fall in the ditch’ the Temple had been destroyed and the nation of Israel dismantled by the Romans whereas the church had successfully spread all the way to Rome and beyond, carrying the message that Jesus the Messiah (Christ) had been crucified under Pontios Pilate and rose again on the third day, as the Anglican liturgy states.

Line 5

I like the poetry of this line as translated in the RSV. Try reading it slowly, emphasising the final word ‘naught’ as you slam your bible on the desk. It’s unavoidably final. In the final analysis, whatever your eschatology, Jesus, the Lamb of God, is on the throne, has all authority in heaven and earth, and is Lord. His adversaries, including Satan, are no more. They have melted away and brought to…naught. (I prefer the American spelling…but replace with nought if you must!)

What is true for Jesus will also be true for us in whom Christ lives.

If you have received Christ and confessed that He is risen from the dead and is Lord, then this life, His life, has become your life. You are indissolubly joined to Him, and so His life is lived out through you, changing you en route.

He will prompt you to distribute freely and give to the poor. At His prompting. Not your good ideas or your political preferences, these are all put to one – you are now becoming attuned to the voice of His Spirit communing with your spirit. Once, I was talking to a lady whose clothes, posh accent, and whole persona exuded wealth, education, and success, but the Spirit whispered to me, ‘Money problems’. It turned out to be true.

As He lives out His life through you, you will stir up a mixed response. In some nations, persecution is rife, far worse than is usually the case in Western Europe. Confiscation of property, unemployment, violence and murder are commonplace. If a Jew or a Muslim abandons Judaism or Islam for Christ, they can expect to be shunned and exiled from their community and family and, in some cases, killed. The opposition to you may take other, more subtle forms: silence, unspoken irritation, fear, exclusion socially, or vocal derision and sarcasm.

But it will come to…naught.

Yes, of course, sometimes we, I, will fail to hear the Lord speak to us, or mistake His urging for our own, or we undermine your own integrity through foolishness or disobedience, and sometimes we will bring undue suffering upon our own heads, not because of our righteousness but by being insufferable.

But the answer to all Sunday School questions - and the answer for us in our experience - is Jesus. We are His disciples. We are learning to live as He lived, through His life, hidden in us as we are hidden in Him, oozing out into the world.