Psalm 128
Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!
Introduction:
Psalm 127 and 128 has a focus on God’s work in and through a holy family. A family tree is a list of all the people in your family: grandparents, parents, husband and wife, children and grandchildren. Five points of blessedness are enumerated (Psalm 128:2, 3, 5, 6).
The psalm mentions blessing four times. The word ’BLESS’ is used four times here. But it is the translation of two different Hebrew words “Asher” translated as ’happy’ (Genesis 30:12-13), and “Barak” as ’blessed of the Lord’ (Psalms 128:4-5). It is a celebration of God’s blessings on a person, his family, and the nation.
Dr. Constable quotes: "From bride and groom to grandparents in just six verses! How time flies! Three generations are represented in the psalm, and all of them walking with the Lord."
Husband
The Psalm commences with the word blessed is every one. This blessing is available to all who will honour and respect God. The perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the community.
It isn’t dependent on race, class, education, or even intelligence. Happiness belonged not to the rich, the powerful, but in every state and condition, blessed is the man that ‘feared Jehovah (Enduring Word).
The word “LORD” is a covenantal name of God. A covenant is when people agree to do something. “Only those who are truly holy, are truly happy” (Matthew Henry). The sentiment of it is that true religion never loses its reward; or, in other words, that whoever fears God shall be blessed. By the blessing of God, the godly shall get an honest livelihood.
This blessed man has the blessings of: Eating the labor of his hands, he shall be happy, and all shall be well with him. His wife shall be like a fruitful vine. His children will be Olive plants. He shall the great grandchildren.
Wife
WIFE IS A VINE. The vine is a symbol of fruitfulness and of sexual charm (Song of Solomon 7:8ff), and of festivity (Judges 9:13). The wife's place is the husband's house. She lives there and does her duties and that is her castle. Good wives are also fruitful in kindness, thrift, helpfulness, and affection. Wife shall be in the inner chamber of your house. The vine is a weak and tender plant, and needs to be supported and cherished, but it is a very valuable plant, and some think it was the tree of knowledge itself. It is properly used to express the weakness and tenderness of the female sex, their fruitfulness in bearing children, and their care of domestic affairs, being keepers at home ( 1 Peter 3:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Titus 2:5).
The image of a vine was commonly used to symbolize abundance, fertility, and prosperity. A wife is likened to a vine, which grows and bears fruit, providing sustenance and nourishment to the entire household. A wife who fears the Lord and walks in His ways will be a source of strength, support, and productivity for her family.
Children
Children like OLIVE PLANTS. It’s an evergreen tree. In the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. The olive trees do not admit of a graft from other trees.
In Rome, they had a vibe, a fig tree annan olive tree for livelihood and sustenance. Among the Israelites, olive trees were highly valued for their fruit, which was used to produce oil for cooking, lighting, and anointing. It is a symbol of peace, purity, and blessing. The olive tree and plant carry the symbolic connotations of resilience, health, ancestral ties and community.
the olive tree and plant carry the symbolic connotations of resilience, health, ancestral ties and community.Many children always accounted as a very great blessing. Just as olive plants are nurtured and cultivated to bear fruit, children are to be raised and trained to grow into productive and honorable members of the family and society.
It must be very pleasant to a parent to see his children round about his table, placed in their proper order according to their age. This may be applied to the spiritual seed and offspring of Christ. David said: “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.”(Psalms 52:8). The two anointed ones are Olive Trees (Zechariah 4:11, 4:14), the two witnesses in (Revelation 11:4).
Children’s Children
The blessing to the one who fears the LORD goes beyond the holy city and impacts the holy family. The psalmist sees the blessing as enjoying grandchildren. “After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations” (Job 42:16). Genesis 5 tables the Patriarchs who had seen the children’s children. Then we have the list of the grandparents like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and so on. Seeing one’s grandchildren also expresses God’s continued blessing for many years to come.
Blessings out of Zion
The blessings out of the Zion are the best-blessings. Psalm 128 is one of fifteen psalms extending from Psalms 120-134, each of which is labelled “A Song of Ascents.” These pilgrimage songs sung by Israelites as they ascended up to Jerusalem.
The terms “Jerusalem,” “Zion,” and “house of Yahweh” occur with great density and frequency in these fifteen psalms. Jerusalem is a place of refuge, safety, and sanctuary. Jerusalem was a beautiful city, holy city and royal city. The psalmist marvels over the architecture of the place, specifying for us the walls, citadels, and closely compacted structure of the city (Psalm 122). The prosperity of the city would extend to every family in the nation ultimately.
The Psalmists calls its inhabitants to pray for the welfare of it. He told them to seek the public welfare. “I was glad …!”(Psalm 122:1) because burdens might be lifted, restitutions made, and justice finally done He is a prayerful Person (Psalm 122:6).
The peace and prosperity are the blessings of a person who worships the Lord, who does Justice, who prays for the wellbeing of the City and who seeks the wellbeing of Brothers sisters, and friends, and the one who seeks the wellbeing of God’s house (Psalm 122). One of the main ingredients of success in the church is internal peace. But strife, suspicion, party spirit, division, are the deadly things for restlessness. We have our home, our work place, Rotary and Lions Clubs, Fitness centres, Entertainment parks, and then there is also the church.
Conclusion:
The family tree is described as vine plant, olive trees and palm trees. This house looks like a green house.
