Psalms 112:6 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, we see the peace of God’s people and the unrest of the wicked.

A good man has deep stability. It is the happiness of the righteous that he “will not be moved forever” (Psalm 112:6). Satan and his helpers try to shake him, but his foundation is firm. He may be shaken for a time, but he settles again quickly, and his final state is secure.

A good man also has a settled reputation, and that brings real comfort. He has a good name with God and with good people, and “the righteous will be remembered forever” (Psalm 112:6). Some try hard to stain his name and heap shame on him, but his integrity will be cleared, and the honor of it will outlast him. Many righteous people are still remembered on earth wherever Scripture is read, and in heaven their remembrance will be truly everlasting, along with their reward.

Even when the world forgets or despises them, God remembers and honors them. Their righteousness will be found to result in praise, honor, and glory (1 Peter 1:7). In the end, the “horn” of a good man, meaning his strength and honor, will be lifted up. Wicked people may now raise their horns in pride, but they will be cut off (Psalm 75:5, Psalm 75:10), while the godly, who have often been humbled, will be honored by God.

What especially adds to the honor of good people is their generosity to the poor. “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor” (Psalm 112:9). He does not pour all his charity into one place or give only to a few people he likes. He spreads it out, giving to many in need, and by scattering he increases. This is called his righteousness, and it lasts forever.

Alms, or gifts to the poor, are called righteousness here, not because they pay for sin, but because they are good deeds God requires. So if we are not generous, we are not acting justly, since we are withholding good from those to whom it is due. The honor of such giving will last, because God will notice it on the last day. Christ himself says, “I was hungry, and you gave me food.” This is given as both an encouragement and a reason to be charitable (2 Corinthians 9:9).

A good man also has a settled spirit, and this is an even greater comfort than a settled name. He can rejoice in himself before God, even if others do not understand him. He will not be moved from his duty or his peace, because he will not be afraid. “His heart is steady” (Psalm 112:7, Psalm 112:8). This is part of both the character and comfort of God’s people.

It is their duty and their benefit not to fear bad news, not to be thrown into panic by hearing hard things. Even when trouble comes, they should be able to say with Paul, “None of these things move me” (Acts 20:24), and to trust God even if the earth should be removed (Psalm 46:2). A steady heart is the best cure for fear. If we keep our thoughts calm, our will surrendered to God, and our spirit even, we are well protected against anxious minds.

Trusting in the Lord is the surest way to make the heart firm. By faith we anchor ourselves in God’s promise and return to him for rest. The human heart cannot settle anywhere fully except in the truth of God. There it finds solid ground. Those whose hearts are established by faith can wait patiently until they see the outcome God has promised.

“He shall not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his enemies” (Psalm 112:8). That will be complete when he reaches heaven and sees Satan and all spiritual enemies crushed under his feet. It will also be like Israel looking at the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Or, as Dr. Hammond explains it, he will look safely and boldly at those who once oppressed him, because they will no longer have power over him. This will complete the joy of the saints, when they can look back on all their troubles and say, with Paul, “Out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2 Timothy 3:11).

The wicked, however, will be troubled by two things. First, they will be grieved by the prosperity and honor of the righteous (Psalm 112:10). It will anger them to see the innocent cleared and the humble lifted up, and to see the people they hated and wanted destroyed become God’s favorites and rule over them. This often happens even in this world. The happiness of the saints is the envy of the wicked, and that envy eats away at them like decay in the bones.

This will be seen most fully in the next world, where lost sinners will gnash their teeth to see Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom, or to see the prophets in God’s kingdom while they themselves are shut out. Second, their own hopes will fail. “The desire of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 112:10). Their desires were set on the world and the flesh, and those things ruled them. When those things perish, their joy disappears and their hopes are cut off forever. Their hope is like a spider’s web.