How do you define “righteousness?” Surely it deals with faithfulness and love for God as well as for each other. Interestingly, the writer of Ps 112 suggests that righteousness is directly related to material generosity. Perhaps no area of life reflects our faith more than wealth. How we view material possessions reflects how we view God. The Bible consistently calls the people of God to be distributors of wealth rather than consumers of it. We are stewards of wealth not owners of it. We must see that God is the sole source behind our ability to earn a living. No matter the amount of our income, we must learn to view material possessions as opportunities to reflect the giving heart of God. God is the great Giver and we, as people made in his image, should be givers as well. God designed us to be distributors.
The writer of Ps 112 understood the difference between being a consumer of wealth and a distributor of it. The entire psalm reflects a “righteous” individual (112:3, 4, 6, 9) who sees wealth through eyes of faith. For the psalmist, being “righteous” is synonymous with being generous. The righteous person shares wealth with those in need (vv. 5, 9). God knows this man’s heart and knows how he views his wealth. God knows that the righteous person sees his/her possessions as gifts of God that are not to be hoarded selfishly but rather distributed selflessly. It takes a great deal of spiritual discipline to develop such a mature view of wealth.
The righteous man probably did not come to practice generosity out of the natural state of his heart. Rather, he learned generosity through studying and obeying God’s word (v. 1). This may be an allusion to Deut 15 which is an entire section of the Law devoted to generosity. Again, the righteous person views his wealth through eyes of faith. The righteous man has learned to trust in the Lord for his own sustenance (v. 7). It is because he is blessed by God that he now blesses others. God blesses those who bless others.
This psalm does not suggest that you will become rich if you simply resolve to be generous. There is no health and wealth here. However, this psalm does suggest that you will be “blessed” (v. 1). Being blessed is better than being rich. Throughout Psalms, blessed is described as that which is favorable in God’s eyes. Being blessed means that God looks on you favorably.
The apostle Paul uses Ps 112 in 2 Cor 9:9. He appeals to its message of generosity in an effort to get the Corinthian Christians to send material support to the poor Christians in Jerusalem who were devastated by a severe famine. Paul’s main point is that since God is generous the church should be generous as well. God’s generosity is to be reflected in the material lives of his people. We are to be distributors of wealth since God himself is a distributor. The message of Ps 112 is that distributors are both righteous and blessed.
