The book of Psalms, like every sapiential book, emphasizes the importance of the righteous life; the beautiful, sensible, and happy life. The righteous life has a very deep meaning and is to live according to the ethical laws that govern the universe; and those who live according to it also please their creator. The science of ethics is at the very heart of the sapiential books of the Bible, and reading books like Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom, or Ben Sira delves us into ethical thought.
And the Psalm 112 is dedicated to remind us in a very creative and metaphorical way of the blessings associated with this spiritual life, the life in the grace of God. The righteous life is associated with the faculties of empathy, intuition, inspiration, creativity, faculties that allow flexibility of thought and obtaining better decisions and results in all areas of life.
This is how Psalm 112 begins, blessing the upright man who lives according to the fear of God:
"Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
who find great delight in his commands.
Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice" Psalm 112:1-5.
In the sapiential thinking, foolishness and wisdom are attitudes toward life, and these attitudes are translated into paths, paths that have been opposed since the beginning of time, such as the path of Abel, which pleased God, and the path of Cain who murdered his brother Abel out of envy. We are like the wise Abel or we are like the foolish Cain.
This is why Psalm 112 ends in an enlightening way, the wicked will not prosper, and not only because of God's judgment on men but also because the ethical laws of the universe punish error ("For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" Hosea 8:7):
"The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing" Psalm 112:10.
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