Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. His soul will abide in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. My eyes are continually toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. Psalm 27:12-15
“To fear God is to recognize that one is not the centre of the universe. The fear of God engenders proper humility in a person that makes them teachable. This fear is not an emotion that makes one run away, but rather to persist in God’s awesome presence and to listen to his instructions. He instructs them because they are willing to learn. For that reason God confides in them and makes His covenant known to them, and hte result is that they will be rewarded. Interestingly, the psalmist specifies the reward as the inheritance of the land…Only by listening to God and obeying him will he avoid the pitfalls of life.”
Tremper Longman III in Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove: IVP, 2014) 145.
Our only son, Samuel David Hoag, marries Emily Susanna Law today. It will be grand celebration of Christian love. At the rehearsal dinner last night, he gave me a gift of a utility knife. These words were etched on it:”Thanks for raising me to be the man I am today, Samuel.”
The gift also had a card with it. “Dad, Thanks for officiating my wedding and for supporting me and Emily’s relationship. Who’s the man? Sammy” What a great gift coupled with a kind and thoughtful expression of thankfulness and commitment.
“Who’s the man?” That short question stemming from today’s Scripture is the code question my son and I have asked each other for personal accountability to remain humble, teachable, and obedient to God for more than a decade. When he asks me the question, I reply, “We are!” and vice versa.
His words on that paper really touched me. They shouted gratitude for sacrifice and support. They also shouted commitment to God. He will persist in listening to God’s instructions now that he builds a household of his own. The knife is great, but his words were a priceless gift!
The promise I hold onto from Psalm 25 is that Sammy and Emily will experience the blessing of God for the course they have charted together. So even as Sammy’s words were a gift to me, God’s promise is an even greater gift to them.
This is a secret of divine generosity. When we give, blessing returns to us. We don’t end up empty, but rather, enriched. May their marriage continue to reflect the love and generosity of God. I pray this is true of everyone reading this for God’s glory.