Translated using Gemini.
Title of the Psalm
The Title of the 112th Psalm: Alleluia of the return of Haggai and Zechariah.
This is explained as follows: "Praise God, all you who act through virtues and good works regarding this return"—namely, the return of Haggai and Zechariah to Jerusalem. That is to say: "Praise God through a good life, by which you may return from the exile of this life to the heavenly Jerusalem," following the imitation of Haggai and Zechariah (that is, of the perfect ones returning to the heavenly fatherland by living well).
Haggai means "solemn" or "festive," and Zechariah is interpreted as "one who is zealous." These were two Prophets in the Babylonian captivity who foresaw the return of Israel to Jerusalem and the restoration; they were also present for the return and the repair of the Temple. Through these two are understood all "perfect ones" who are zealous (meaning they love the Lord Jesus and imitate Him as much as possible) and festive (meaning they intend upon the festive solemnities of the Angels while placed in contemplation). Even now, they foresee with certain hope the perfect restoration of the heavenly Jerusalem in the future—which was partially destroyed through Adam in regard to men, though not in regard to Angels. To this heavenly Jerusalem, the perfect now return from the exile of this life through virtues and good deeds. The Prophet demonstrates their blessed return in this Psalm through their will for the Lord's mandates, their innocence, wisdom, justice, faith, firm hope, and the "distribution of money" (that is, of their words). He does this to exhort all listeners to such a return—both those who do not yet know the faith and those who hold it idly—for this return is the highest praise of God.
Ps 112:1: "Blessed is the man..."
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord—even here he is blessed while returning to the fatherland by living well, and in the future after he has returned.
And the man shall delight exceedingly in His commandments. That is, he will have an exceeding will of love for those mandates, and his doctrine will not be useless.
Ps 112:2: "His seed shall be mighty..."
He shall be mighty on the earth. This means he will be effective among those subject to him, who will be ready to receive that doctrine just as well-cultivated earth is ready to receive seed. He will be "mighty" in his doctrine, such that through the seed of doctrine, the generation of the upright (the faithful subjects) will be blessed—meaning they will be exalted in virtues or multiplied so that many who were not upright are added to their number.
Alternatively: the seed is the "good will" which is the seed of works; it is mighty on the earth because it brings forth good works in his "earthliness" (his sensuality). This means the will does not yield to sensuality but forces sensuality to work well.
Ps 112:3: "Glory and riches..."
And in his house (his interior house, the heart where he dwells in thought) there is glory (innocence, in which he glories according to the Apostle: "Our glory is the testimony of our conscience") and the riches of interior wisdom. And the justice of his works remains forever. He works well without ceasing; since he is innocent, wise, and just, his doctrine is powerful enough to bless the generation of the upright.
Ps 112:4: "Light rises in the darkness..."
The fact that his seed is mighty and his house full of riches is not from himself, but from the True Light. For light has risen in the darkness according to faith—that is, in the hearts of the blessed who were previously darkness due to sin and ignorance. This light rose for the upright (for the work of the upright) to make those who were darkness upright. This light is Christ, who is merciful by nature, compassionate in bestowing benefits, and just. By justifying the just even more, He implies that the same light will rise for the unfaithful if they approach it, rendering them inexcusable.
Ps 112:5: "A good man deals graciously..."
Because He is merciful and compassionate, every man is "pleasant" (acceptable) to Him who pities by forgiving those sinning against him, just as God forgave him. He lends to those suffering necessity. If he has no money to lend, he distributes his words by preaching or exhorting others to live well. He does this in judgment, using discretion to know how to speak to the learned and the unlearned, the noble and the ignoble. By saying "he lends," it implies that what the faithful give for Christ’s sake, they give so as to receive it back later.
Ps 112:6-8: "He shall not be moved..."
The pleasant man will be proven so because he shall not be moved forever from his purpose of holiness. He would be moved quickly if he were not "pleasant" to God. He will be in eternal memory before the Lord, helped by grace so he does not fail.
He shall not fear the evil hearing. He will not fear the threats of persecutors or the threat of death, for his heart is ready to hope in the Lord.
In the future, he will not fear the "evil hearing" of the harsh sentence: "Depart from me, ye cursed" (Matthew 25:41). He will persevere until he looks down upon his enemies—the persecutors who currently have power over his flesh but will then be seen as defeated and powerless.
Ps 112:9: "He hath dispersed..."
Since the heart is ready to hope, he does not hope in vain, for he has dispersed his own goods—not to mimes or scoundrels, but to the poor. Therefore, the justice of his virtues is preserved by God and remains forever.
His horn (the loftiness of his justice) shall be exalted in glory. He himself shall be exalted in eternal beatitude.
Ps 112:10: "The sinner shall see..."
The sinner shall see this exaltation and be angry because he did not do the same. He will gnash his teeth with great rage and pine away (faint) from excessive anger or fail under torments.
The desire of the wicked shall perish. The riches they desired here will vanish, or their desire to have done what the righteous man did (so that they too might be exalted) will be useless and "perish" at that time.
CONTINUE
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