The Blessedness of the One Who Fears the Lord – (Psalm 128:1-6)

Psalm 128:1-6

1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. 5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children—peace be on Israel. (Psalm 128:1-6)

This psalm sounds to me like a New Year’s blessing, like one of those good wishes an old-country well-wisher recites over you as the year turns. “A happy new year to you! … May your wife be like a fruitful vine within your house, and your children like olive shoots around your table … May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and may you live to see your children’s children! … and again next year!” May God bless us through this new year! May He give us plenty – fruitfulness and blessing in every area of our lives.

This psalm speaks of a blessedness, of a blessing, and of a benediction (a closing word of good wishes).

The blessedness is in verses 1-2.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. (Psalm 128:1-2)

The blessing is in verses 3-4.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. (Psalm 128:3-4)

The benediction is in verses 5-6.

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children—peace be on Israel. (Psalm 128:5-6)

THE JOURNEY OF THE PILGRIMS

This psalm is called “a song of ascents.” It belongs to the group of psalms from 120 to 134, which are called “songs of ascents.” These are psalms that were sung by pilgrims. Do you know what the word “pilgrim” means? Do you know what it means to be someone who goes on pilgrimage? Those who traveled to worship at the holy places have long been given a special name. In our own tradition it comes most likely from a word meaning “the journey.” For a devout Muslim, such a journey is one of the five basic duties – if he has the means, at least once in his life he must go and visit the tomb of Muhammad at Mecca. Bulgarian pilgrims, being not Muslims but Christians, do not go to Mecca but to Jerusalem. And in case you did not know, I will tell you that the difference between the tomb of Muhammad and the tomb of Christ is this: Muhammad is still in his grave, but the grave of Christ is empty! For Jesus Christ rose from the dead! Glory to God! But my main point is that the word “pilgrim” really means “worshiper” – someone who goes to bow down in the holiest city according to his religion or faith. Before Christ, in the days when the psalms were written, the Jews went up to worship the living God in Jerusalem. Three times a year – at Passover, at Pentecost, and at the Feast of Tabernacles – every man in Israel had to go up on pilgrimage to the holy city. And when these pilgrims traveled toward Jerusalem, they sang these “songs of ascents.” In fact, to be a “pilgrim” means to be a “traveler.” There is a book by John Bunyan that bears exactly that name. It is an allegory that pictures the Christian’s journey to heaven, to eternity.

So the fact that this psalm is called “a song of ascents” reminds us of those worshipers who went up on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And that, in turn, makes us stop and think about the fact that we ourselves are travelers, pilgrims journeying toward heaven. We have found “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), we have passed through the “narrow gate,” and we have set out on the “narrow road” that leads to the glory of God (Matthew 7:14). We pass through mountains, through valleys, through seas, and even through swamps – through all sorts of circumstances and problems in life; we meet every kind of person, we wrestle with sins and with demons. But we have a destination – we are walking toward the Glory, toward the presence of God! And whatever we pass through, we “ascend,” we go from glory to glory, from strength to strength, from holiness to holiness! God constantly leads us in triumphal procession in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14)!

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

OUR NEED OF GOD’S BLESSING

This psalm speaks of a threefold blessing upon the pilgrims. The first blessing concerns our work – “You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” Then it speaks of a blessing in the family – “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” And the last blessing is a blessing concerning our health – “May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you live to see your children’s children!” This threefold blessing actually shows us what we can do and what the Lord can do. We are mortal men, and the Lord is immortal. As mortal men we can work, we can marry, and we can live, but it takes the immortal Lord to decide, to speak, and to intervene, so that we may have blessing – that our labor may be crowned with success and that we may finish the work, that our family may be happy, and that we may have health and long life. For:

we can begin a piece of work, yet have no success and never manage to finish it;
we can marry, yet have a hard and mediocre marriage and remain childless – for the fruit of the womb is a gift from the Lord;
we can live, yet have a life that is short and full of sickness, since long life is a blessing from God.

So blessing is something that proceeds and comes to us from God.

Of course, here I want to strike a balance and to stress that poverty, childlessness in the family, and an early death are not always the mark of a curse. For there are good people who meet with incredible hardships. That is why there are psalms – such as Psalm 37 and Psalm 73 – that teach us not to fret over the outward success of wicked and ungodly people. That is why the book of Job is in the Bible – to show us that we cannot give a categorical answer to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” We simply do not know. In the Bible there are blessed kings who sought God, yet their children were idolaters. So each person answers for himself, and every single case is individual. We have no right to judge others and to label them, saying something is wrong with them just because they meet with hardships and misfortunes befall them. We cannot lump every case under one common denominator, but the principle, the rule, is what is given to us in this psalm: mortal men can work, can marry, and can live, but it is the Lord who gives them “the fruit of the labor of their hands,” the “olive shoots around their table,” and a long life so that they may see their “children’s children.” We must grasp that without God’s blessing all our efforts are empty and vain. In the previous psalm, Psalm 127:1-2, it says:

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. (Psalm 127:1-2)

So blessing is something that comes from heaven, something that comes from the Lord. For verse 5 says, “May the Lord bless you from Zion.”

Zion is the place where David brought the ark of the covenant.
Zion is the place where God chose to set His name.
Zion is the place where God’s temple was built.
Zion is the place of God’s presence.

For the Israelites, every blessing came from Zion. For us Christians, every blessing comes from Christ. For in Christ God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). So I want to encourage us to pray and to ask for God’s blessing on every undertaking and in every area of our lives. For without God’s blessing, we can work, yet our labor may not be blessed; we can marry, yet our family may not be blessed; we can live, yet our life may not be blessed. Therefore, let us pray and ask God to bless the labor of our hands, our homes, our children, and to give us health in our bodies. Let us not rely on luck or on human good wishes. But let us seek God’s blessing and never forget that every good thing we have in life comes from Him. In Deuteronomy 8:11-18, Moses says to the people:

11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:11-18)

Do you see? The blessing in our life does not come from us. From us comes the work, but the blessing on our labor is from the Lord! And without a blessing from God, all our efforts are in vain! Therefore we must seek and treasure God’s blessing!

BLESSEDNESS IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD (vv.1-2)

And here we come to yet another truth that this psalm underscores – the connection between our deeds and God’s blessing. For this is how the psalm begins:

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. (Psalm 128:1)

This means not only to say that we believe in God, but to keep His commandments. To “walk in the ways of the Lord” means to live according to His Word and to do what He desires. Blessed and favored will be the one who “fears the Lord and walks in his ways.” He will be blessed both in his work and in his family, for verse 4 says:

4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. (Psalm 128:4)

At the start it says, “Blessed are all who fear the Lord,” and then, “Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.” This man will be both blessed and favored. This means that the measure of the fear of the Lord in our life determines the measure of our blessedness and blessing.

Look, this psalm is a psalm that reveals God’s wisdom. Hidden in it is the secret of how to be truly blessed and favored. Do you want to be blessed and favored? Fear God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit! Do you want to have success in your work? Fear the Lord and walk in His ways! Do you want to have happiness in your family? Fear the Lord and walk in His ways! Do you want your children to bring you joy and to be obedient? Fear the Lord and walk in His ways! Do you want to have health and long life? Fear the Lord and walk in His ways. This is the wisdom of this psalm. The closer you are to God, the more you please Him and serve Him, the greater your blessedness will be!

What will this blessedness be? The blessedness will be to “eat the fruit of your hands,” to have success in your work and to enjoy the results of your labor. Not merely to toil while someone else eats the fruit of your hands, for sometimes it happens that one man works and another eats. For example, Proverbs 13:22 says:

22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22)

But in our psalm it says that you will eat the fruit of your hands – that is, you will not only labor, but you will finish what you started and enjoy what you have produced.

2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. (Psalm 128:2)

This means having good earnings. For to “prosper” means to thrive, to be successful in everything you do. And may God grant that this year we too may have good success.

But here I want to draw your attention to one more thing. It says, “You will eat the fruit of your labor,” the fruit of the labor of your hands. This means that God expects us to use our hands not only to stretch them out for charity or to fold them in prayer, but also to work with them. God wants us to work out our blessing, to be industrious. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 the apostle says:

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)

BLESSING IN THE FAMILY (vv.3-4)

Look, in this psalm we actually see the blessing of a family. The husband is godly, God-fearing, upright, and hardworking. He works and “earns a good living.” He provides for the needs of his family. But he is not alone. Beside him is his wife.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. (Psalm 128:3-4)

“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.” So, first, this tells us what his wife will be like. She will be “fruitful” – that is, she will bear you children. For the vine bears grapes, and the wife bears children. May God grant us blessed families. But I am sure there is something more here than the wife bearing children. The “fruitful vine” also provides other good things – shade on scorching days, coolness, and sweetness with its fruit. A good wife creates warmth and comfort in her home.

Second, besides telling us what the wife of the man who fears God will be like, it also tells us where she will be. She will be “within his house.” This means that she will not be roaming here and there looking for amusements outside the home, but she will keep her house. This is a great blessing – to have a wife who keeps her house. For this is exactly what the New Testament says. In the letter to Titus, the apostle Paul lays out “sound doctrine.” The older women are not to drink and gossip, but “to teach what is good” – and this means not only with their words, but with their character.

4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children. (Titus 2:4)

This is what women are to do. So this is a blessing – to have a wife who loves you, and who loves her children and cares for you and for them. But something more is said as well (Titus 2:5):

to be self-controlled and sensible – not the kind of woman where you say one word and she says a hundred back … and then what does she become … problems in the family … discord. That is why it says here that women are “to be self-controlled”;
pure – this means not to think about other men, not to think about “romance” and all sorts of other things, but…;
to be busy at home – this means to be industrious. When their husband comes back from work, may the house be tidy, the meal cooked, the children in order, their homework done … and … waiting for daddy to come home;
to be kind – to be gentle. And finally it says:
to be subject to their husbands, so that the word of God will not be maligned. That is what it says.

5 To be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (Titus 2:5)

THE MODEL WIFE

While I was preparing for this sermon, in one of the commentaries I was looking through I found the following description of the “model wife.”

“The godly and loving wife, the showcase, the ornament, and the crown of her God-fearing husband, who is her support and strength,

so sets the table that, however bare it may be, it is a feast;

so pours the water that it turns into wine;

so smiles that the whole room lights up with peace and contentment;

so speaks that the house is filled with enchanting music;

so lives that her husband is happy everywhere, because he is happiest of all at home.”

So may God help us in all of this. May He give us blessing both in our work and in our home. And may He make it so that our children too are blessed. For it says not only that your wife will be like a vine within your house, but also that your children will be like olive shoots around your table. That they will be “shoots” means that they will succeed you. For a “shoot” is an offshoot that springs up from the root and takes its place. So when the root withers, the “shoot” takes its place.

But the children are compared not only to “shoots” but to olive shoots. The olive branch is a symbol of peace. Olive oil is a symbol of anointing. May our children be just so – peaceable and anointed!

The previous psalm paints our children as an exceedingly precious treasure and as arrows that will defend us from our enemies (Psalm 127:3-5).

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. (Psalm 127:3-5)

Besides this, it says that our children will be “around our table.” This means that there will be “something on the table.” There will be gathering and celebrating. May God bless our families and our homes! May we be able to say, as the English do, “My home is my castle!” – may our homes be for us a place of peace, security, and rest. When we come home, may we feel understood. And even when we come under attack from outside, may we be able to repel it and, with God’s help, press on.

A BENEDICTION FOR LONG LIFE (vv.5-6)

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children—peace be on Israel. (Psalm 128:5-6)

These words sound like a closing benediction. A benediction directed to the man who fears the Lord. In the Bible we come across a number of benedictions. The most famous Old Testament benediction is the one from Numbers 6:22-26:

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

27 So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

The most famous New Testament benediction is the one from 2 Corinthians 13:14:

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

The benediction upon the one who fears the Lord in Psalm 128 concerns two things. First, “may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.” This means that your whole life may be blessed. And second, “may you live to see your children’s children.” This means long life. In the Bible, long life is regarded as the supreme blessing. In Job 42:16-17 it says that after God restored Job’s health, his family, and his property – after everything – as the crown of His blessings God gave him long life.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years. (Job 42:16-17)

Of course, as I said before, long life is not a guarantee of righteousness. For there are also good people who depart young. But on the whole, long life is an exceptional blessing from God. This is also seen in Psalm 91:15-16, where God lists out His promises to the one who has “set his love upon Him.”

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. (Psalm 91:15-16)

So may God give us “many years.” When we greet one another for the new year, we often say, “Many years to you!” What does “Many years!” mean? “Many years!” is really a shortened form of “a wish for many years.” Or, in other words, it is a wish for long life – “May the Lord give you many years of life!” So long life is a blessing from God. The wish for long life is really a wish for health. For in order to have long life, a person must be healthy. If he is weak and sickly, or if he falls ill with an incurable disease, he will hardly live long.

And this is in fact the third blessing that we see in this psalm. The first is the blessing upon the labor of your hands – that is, success in your work; the second is the blessing upon your family – that your wife may be like a fruitful vine within your house and your children like olive shoots around your table; and the third blessing is the blessing of long life: “may you live to see your children’s children!” Amen.

In the last part of the psalm we see that the blessing this psalm speaks of is not merely a personal or individual blessing, but a blessing upon the one who fears the Lord as part of the people of God. For the psalm ends with the words “peace be on Israel,” and because the benediction is that he may see “the good of Jerusalem.” Why? Because “the good of Jerusalem,” the common good of the whole people, is also the personal good of the individual person. For us this means that we must view our own blessing as part of the blessing of the church of Christ. May God bless His church, for if she is blessed, then we too will be blessed as parts of her!

So may God bless us in this way through this year! May we fear God and walk in His ways! May God bless our work, may God bless our families, and may God bless our health!