Blessed are those who Fear the Lord

It doesn’t surprise me that teaching about blessing is very popular in Christian circles.  Let’s face it those like Joel Osteen have made very successful ministries out of it.  At first glance, Psalm 128 looks like prime material for Joel Osteen and his outrageous use of Scripture!  But is that really the case, as the question we should ask is what’s real blessing and how’s it achieved?

The context of the psalm is found in verse 1.  What we see here is not unconditional blessing but blessing for everyone: ‘who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways.’  Some years ago, at my first church, I was approached by a church that wanted to use our building for a series of events.  I was given a book called ‘You cannot Fail!’ by the representative of that church.  After reading the book I realise there was no way we could let them use our buildings as, among other things, the book suggested that if you made a vow to the Lord, he must fulfil anything you asked!  Basically, it was saying you could twist God’s arm, which is as outrageous as it is blasphemous!  But that’s not what this psalm is saying.  This is about honouring the LORD, Yahweh the Covenant God by following his Law.  The Covenant was based on God’s love for Israel as he had delivered them from Egypt before he asked anything of them (Deuteronomy 5:6).  So rather than forcing his hand by mechanical obedience the blessings of the Covenant came about through the mutual love of God for his people and their love for him based on his deliverance!

A generation of Sunday school teachers have watered down the phrase: ‘The fear of the Lord’ by telling children that to fear God means to respect him.  But that’s never the context we find in scripture as it means to be in awe of him.  Hence this would encourage his people to keep themselves from sin as they realised he was holy, so there would be consequences if they sinned as their relationship with him would be damaged (Exodus 20:20).  And it’s this that gives the psalm its context!

However, there are benefits which are noted in the middle section of the psalm.  The picture is of a content and happy family as: ‘You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots round your table’ (vs2-3)  Vines and olives were essential to Israel’s economy.  So the picture is of a godly an industrious family who are materially blessed.  I don’t advocate the ‘Wealth, Health and Prosperity Gospel’, but think about it, if you live to please the Lord you won’t waste your time and money on ungodly pursuits.  You will enjoy God’s gifts rather than over indulge in them and you will be prudent with your money rather than gamble it away!  This is also a picture of a happy marriage as the wife is happy and content in the home, in stark contrast to the wife of Proverbs 7:11 who: ‘is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home.’  The metaphor of the vine has sensuous connotations which are very apparent in the Song of Solomon 7:7-8!  The picture we are left with is a home that is happy in every area, even the most intimate ones!

Psalm 128 with its theme of blessing and the family may have been sung together with Psalm 127 at the end of one of the festivals in Jerusalem.  It’s circular in nature as it comes back to the theme of blessing in the last two verses.  However, we must note that the word: ‘may’ is used in both verses 5 and 6 noting that God’s blessing can never be assumed, but it can be asked for.

So what expectation of God’s blessing can the Christian look forward to today?  In Mark 10:17-30 Jesus meets a young man who wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life.  When Jesus points to the keeping of the Law, the young man in a rather blasé way insists he’s kept it.  But Jesus pinpoints his weakness; he won’t put God before his riches.  Jesus then points out how worldly wealth can be a momentous distraction as people get attached to that, as the most important thing in the life, rather than concentrate on preparation to be part of God’s kingdom. This leaves the disciples perturbed, but Jesus points out nothing is impossible for God.  Peter then points out that they have left everything to follow him.  Jesus responds with words that show us the kind of blessing can expect today.  ‘Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life”’ (Mark 10:29-30).

Would you like to hear a sermon on this Psalm? Blessed are those who Fear the Lord.