A Blessed Life
Psalm 128:1-6
1Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.
Context: The ninth song of ascent or degrees, this psalm celebrates the blessings of home and family life. The ancient feasts of the Hebrews were family affairs. The family shared in rejoicing in God’s goodness to them as they traveled toward Jerusalem for the feasts. As they encountered other families they made new friends and renewed old friendships. Children played together. Adults conversed as they walked. In the evening camps all would gather around cooking fires and share stories and sing. This is one of the songs they would sing. Today this psalm is sung at Jewish weddings and is called “The Marriage Psalm”.
Introduction: What does it mean to be blessed? Who are the blessed? How can we be blessed? Psalm 128 declares a blessed life is when God is at the center of life and when that happens, the work, family and personal lives become all blessed by the Lord. Are you living a blessed life?
Rodelio Mallari
Marvin Minton
Our culture and our country is filled with very unhappy people. Millions spend their lives in a sort of hopeless futility. They spend their days searching for something or someone to “make them happy.” They know or at least sense that something is missing and they search for some kind of formula, for anything that will fill this void. My old friend Bro Roy Thomas used to say that “there is a room in every man’s heart that only God can fill.” Yet our text declares that “everyone” can have this blessed life. It’s available and accessible. Our text states that there three important truths associated with this blessed life.
First…
I. There Is the Character He lives
a. He fears the Lord
The blessed life is conditioned upon the God-centered life! He is not afraid of God, he respects and reveres God. God is the focus of his life. He is God centered instead of self-centered.
b. He obeys the Lord
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”
How can a man lead his spouse and family to a place of obedience and Godly fear if he is not walking that way himself? The answer is he can’t! There are literally hundreds of admonitions in the Scriptures to obey His Word and walk in His statutes, precepts and commandments.
c. He is blessed
Psalms 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Second…
II. There Is the Companion He Loves
a. The anchor of the home
The home is the first institution that God ordained.
Genesis 2:21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Proverbs 128:3a Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house…
I notice several things about the metaphor of the vine. First, it is not a tree but a vine. It is planted by the wall of the home for support. There is a relationship between the home and the vine. The home provides the support that the vine needs to grow. Let me tell you something, any man with any sense at all will make sure that his “vine” receives all the support she needs. Listen to what Paul says…
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
What does it mean for a husband to nourish and cherish his wife? One good translation that I like says that a man who loves his wife “provides for her and protects” her. He cultivates and cares for his “vine!” Remember this admonition guys…
Happy wife, happy life!
Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
28 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”
Second, if he wants his “vine” to be fruitful he better do what I just said! I want my wife to be fruitful in every way but especially spiritually. I want her spiritual life to be as important as mine is to me!
And third…
III. There Are the Children He Leads
Proverbs 128:3b …thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
It wasn’t long in Genesis before Adam and Eve procreate and bring children into the world. We know the names of the first two; Cain and Able. Again we have another metaphor. Part of the blessed life that he enjoys is “Children like olive plants around thy table.”
a. The Blessing of Children around his table 3b
How many of you love to see your family all gathered around the table during the holidays? Old Job was blessed to see his children all gathered around his table.
Psalms 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
b. The Blessings of seeing his children’s children.
I can tell you from actual experience that having grandkids is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Have you heard the old expression, “If I had known how wonderful having grandkids would be I would have had them first! Amen!
Psalms 17:6 “Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.”
What is the blessed man’s responsibility to his children? The Bible says to:
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Solomon’s advice to parents is to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Raising and training a child within the context of this proverb means that it begins with the Bible, as “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Teaching children the truths of Scripture will make them wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); thoroughly equip them to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everyone who asks them the reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of cultures bent on indoctrinating young people with secular values.
GotQuestions.org
Conclusion: Let’s review our three points:
I. There Is the Character He lives
II. There Is the Companion He Loves
III. There Are the Children He Leads
How do have this blessed life that Psalm 128 is talking about? The blessed life all begins when a person realizes that he is a sinner under God’s judgment and sees his need for Jesus as Lord and Saviour. If you are not saved and born-again, all your earthly labors and efforts will all be in vain. Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
