God Pause: Lutheran Seminary - Moved by the Promise for Wednesday, 5 February 2014 - Tehillim 112

God Pause: Lutheran Seminary - Moved by the Promise for Wednesday, 5 February 2014 - Tehillim 112:1 Praise Hashem. Ashrei is the ish that feareth Hashem, that delighteth greatly in His mitzvot.
2 His zera shall be gibbor ba’aretz; the dor (generation) of the Yesharim (upright ones) shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and osher (riches) shall be in his bais; and his tzedakah endureth forever.
4 Unto the Yesharim (upright ones) there ariseth ohr in the choshech; he is channun, and rachum, and tzaddik.
5 A tov ish is generous, and lendeth; he will guide his affairs with mishpat.
6 Surely he shall never falter; the tzaddik shall be in remembrance olam (forever).
7 He shall not be afraid of mishmu’ah ra’ah (news of misfortune, evil tidings); his lev is nachon (steadfast), trusting in Hashem.
8 His lev is samuch (sustained), he shall not be afraid, until he look in triumph upon his foes.
9 He hath contributed freely, he hath given to the evyonim (needy); his tzedakah endureth forever; his keren shall be lifted up in kavod.--Orthodox Jewish Bible
My youngest grandson is in second grade. He loves his teacher. He enjoys his classmates, and already reads the morning paper, especially the sports section. It was natural for me to ask him, therefore, "How is school going? Is it time for school conferences again, and receiving your grades?"
"No," he quietly replied. "We already had that some time ago." He was about to move on to other subjects when his mother interjected, "Why don't you tell Grandpa about the award you received last week?"
His voice was confident but hardly audible, "I received the 'student of the month' award." "Wow," I replied, "That is great! What did you do to earn that honor? Was it because you are such a good reader?" "No." "Well was it because you are so good in math?" "No." "Well how did you win the honor?" "My teacher said that it was because I listened to all the teachers, that I was nice to my classmates, that I was a model student. It was about my character."
My grandson isn't like his grandpa, and feels uncomfortable talking about his awards. But, I probed further, "What was the prize or award for being the 'student of the month?'" "I was sent to the principal's office." I decided to drop the subject, because being sent to the principal's office was not my idea of a prize that I ever looked forward to in second grade.
My grandson's award reminds me of the award that the Psalmist is giving to those who are gathered for worship. "Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord. They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous." The Psalmist sends the worshipers to the Principal's office. And the Principal embraces them for reflecting so well on His office.
"Father in Heaven, I want to be sent to your office to be embraced. But, send Jesus to come with me, as I really don’t deserve any award on my own. Amen.
Hubert Nelson
Eden Prairie, Minn. 
Master of Divinity , 1962
Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.---New Revised Standard Version
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This God Pause daily devotion is brought to you by the alumni of Luther Seminary.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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