Read Psalm 128
A song of ascents.
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.
Go Deeper
Psalm 128 gives us courage and promises what the Lord has in store for us if we walk in obedience. If you grew up in the faith, you have heard how obedience leads to blessing in this life. This psalm discusses in detail the blessing obedient, Christian servants will experience on earth before the ultimate blessing of eternity with Him.
The beginning of this psalm states those who fear the Lord and obey Him are blessed. Blessed means to be “endowed with divine favor and protection” (Oxford English Dictionary). As Christians, we know Jesus died for our sins and blessed us with the gift of eternal life. However, verse 1 explicitly says if we fear the Lord and walk obediently, we will see divine favor in our lives before we join Him in eternity. This favor can come in the form of successfully navigating daily challenges.
In these and other challenging situations, the Lord has high hopes we will respond in a way that is honoring and pleasing to the Lord. Fearing the Lord and being obedient can look like being a light to a coworker or asking for God’s wisdom when handling finances. By seeking His wisdom and obeying what He commands us to do, despite the difficulty, our efforts are rewarded in various ways. Verses 2-6 state what our main blessings would look like if we are obedient. The psalmist here knows that a growing, lively family is an example of a blessing the Lord provides a faithful servant. Throughout the rest of the psalm, we see emphasis on the Lord’s blessings as a promise to those who are obedient.
As Christians, we are not perfect. In fact, we never will be (at least on this side of eternity). Only God is perfect. That is why we need Him, seek His wisdom and obey Him throughout our lives. We will mess up. But, by heeding the Lord and being obedient to Him, we will see our reward. As we head into today, ask the Lord how you can obey and fear Him best. Seek His wisdom in prayer and push yourself to obey Him always, even when it’s difficult. The path to all of the blessings God promises His children is obedience.
Questions
- Why do you think the Lord calls us to be obedient?
- What do you think is one area where you struggle in obedience with the Lord?
- What is one step you can take to achieving obedience alongside the Lord?
Pray This
Dear God,
Thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for us. Your love is so powerful and vast, and I thank you for that. As I head into today, I ask for wisdom in my actions to obey you best. I pray for a convicting spirit when I disobey, so I may change next time and obey you better than before. I pray daily you will continuously use me and teach me how to obey you and fear you. I love you, Lord.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
3 responses to “Psalm 128”
BUT GOD has given us the potential for greater possibilities. Happy and God-fearing, God Loving, God Serving, neighbor serving people or families, loving each other in a loving home is the picture of this Psalm. It shows that God has given us the plan, if you will, that to love God first, then each other is how we build up the “church” and edify God and His Kingdom right here right now.
How does life work? Read the instructions.
Fear the Lord means to be in awe of God’s majesty so that you approach him with great reverence and respect. Then we obey.
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21).
So I do not have a most ideal family, BUT GOD knows and stills loves all the broken, disheveled, crazy pieces. As we look at what God’s Word says in holding up the ideal family, the psalm points beyond our broken, sinful families here on earth to the beauty and perfection of God’s family in heaven. None of us have a perfect family here on earth, but we will all experience the blessing of an ideal family in heaven. BUT GOD says Blessed are all who fear the Lord. God has promised to bless all those who fear Him and walk in His ways. When you long for the same things God longs for, you will see you desires fulfilled. There is a ripple effect in each of our lives that flows outward. Your attitude and actions have an impact not only on your personal life, but also on your family, on your community and on future generations.
God thank You for today and these minutes of this day. God I am blessed beyond comprehension with my amazing family. I love them with all my heart and give each one over to You. God protect them, guide them, and help me to love them unconditionally in all the struggles. God in all my ways help me to be obedient to Your Word so that my ripple is a positive one. God help me to be joyful as I listen to You. As I follow Your commandments let my actions be consistently reflect of You. God thank You for learning and loving and training my heart and mind into Christ likeness. Thank You my hands are doing Your will. God thank You for keeping in my remembrance Your great love for me. Help me be true to You, kind to all those whom I come in contact with, and to love others with Your love to the best of my ability, today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him” (v1).
This psalm was like taking a cool drink of water in the desert. The crux of the matter is given in its opening verse—obedience and fear of the Lord. When our lives center around God’s purposes blessings follow. I’ve lived to see my children’s children (all 19 of them) and know this is by the favor of God.
6 May you live to see your children’s children
It is such a blessing to see our children’s children. We have ten grandchildren so far!
While not such a big deal these days, for earlier generations with much shorter lifespans, being able to see your grandchildren was a blessing!