Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
--Psalm 128:4 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 2, 2013 of Psalm 128; Luke 9:1-27; 2 Chronicles 32:24-34:13.
The 128th Psalm is one of the Songs of Ascents, the hymns sung when on pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem for the annual feasts (please see "Glad to Go to Church). It also touches on how our home lives, our personal lives, affect the life of our community. If everyone lived as described in the first four verses, our greater community would be a better place, as in the last two verses. Of course, a neighborhood, for instance, can earn a bad reputation just because of the misdeeds and bad behavior of a few (all of whom may not even live there). That is sad, and perhaps unfair. But if everyone within the affected area were to walk in the Lord's ways, the problems would soon vanish, either by making it uncomfortable for the wicked to continue doing business or by divine intervention if God so sees fit, and peace would be upon that neighborhood.
One definition of the word "blessed" is happy, and our psalmist assures us that those who fear the Lord, who respect Him by showing Him reverence and obedience, and who follow His commandments will indeed be happy. Their home life will be productive yet peaceful, their spouse faithful and loving, their children helpful and obedient. The psalmist uses the phrase, "like a fruitful vine in the very heart of [the] house" to describe the wife, but it could just as well be applied to the whole family as it works together as one unit to serve God and each other. The very heart of the family, giving itself in service to God and to others. Just as the root, the trunk, and the vine must all be as one to bear fruit, the father, the mother, and the children should all be of one mind, one heart, one spirit of doing right in the eyes of our Lord to bring forth the finest fruits of God.
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, our psalmist says. Proverbs 3:13 tells us that, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom." And both Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 provide the starting point: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." It all comes back to being reverent and obedient to the Lord. Jesus teaches us that those who come to Him and follow His words will be founding their lives upon the solid rock, unshakable and immovable in the storm, and in doing so will be blessed and happy. If we all strive to follow our Lord Jesus, to obey His voice and the Holy Spirit within us, not only will God bless us, but that blessing will overflow and spill out and spread over our entire community, and all can be happy. Love the Lord, love each other, and be blessed. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in You and from You we find all blessings. You so richly reward our reverence and obedience with great and wonderful gifts. Happiness is ours from You. Thank You, loving Father, for every good and dear thing in our life, and especially for the salvation offered by Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. In the holiest name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
One definition of the word "blessed" is happy, and our psalmist assures us that those who fear the Lord, who respect Him by showing Him reverence and obedience, and who follow His commandments will indeed be happy. Their home life will be productive yet peaceful, their spouse faithful and loving, their children helpful and obedient. The psalmist uses the phrase, "like a fruitful vine in the very heart of [the] house" to describe the wife, but it could just as well be applied to the whole family as it works together as one unit to serve God and each other. The very heart of the family, giving itself in service to God and to others. Just as the root, the trunk, and the vine must all be as one to bear fruit, the father, the mother, and the children should all be of one mind, one heart, one spirit of doing right in the eyes of our Lord to bring forth the finest fruits of God.
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, our psalmist says. Proverbs 3:13 tells us that, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom." And both Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 provide the starting point: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." It all comes back to being reverent and obedient to the Lord. Jesus teaches us that those who come to Him and follow His words will be founding their lives upon the solid rock, unshakable and immovable in the storm, and in doing so will be blessed and happy. If we all strive to follow our Lord Jesus, to obey His voice and the Holy Spirit within us, not only will God bless us, but that blessing will overflow and spill out and spread over our entire community, and all can be happy. Love the Lord, love each other, and be blessed. Amen.
Heavenly Father, in You and from You we find all blessings. You so richly reward our reverence and obedience with great and wonderful gifts. Happiness is ours from You. Thank You, loving Father, for every good and dear thing in our life, and especially for the salvation offered by Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. In the holiest name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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