On Father’s Day, my music pastor read Psalm 112 from the pulpit and pointed it out as a complement to Proverbs 31. Ps. 112 is a description of the man who fears the Lord. Verse 4 describes the God-fearing man as “gracious and compassionate and righteous.” As I read Ps. 116 a few days later, the description of the Lord jumped out at me: verse 5 says “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.” The exact same three words describe both the Lord and the man who fears Him. Fearing the Lord results in being like Him – reflecting His image. What do those three words mean? “Gracious” refers to the way God shows favor to us – undeserved and unexpectedly, a real gift from the heart. “Righteous” means meeting all your obligations – “doing right” by everyone with whom you interact. “Compassionate” is a really powerful word – the Hebrew word here is related to the word for “womb” and it paints the picture of all the tenderness and gentleness and love that a mother has for her newborn baby. These all describe God’s character and His actions toward His people, but they also characterize the man who fears God. Fearing Him results in being like Him.