“Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.”
This excerpt from Psalm 128 describes something that everyone desires. That is, to be happy and well. In Part 1, we looked at some of the blessings that God gives to those that fear Him and walk in His ways. Contentment is one of these blessings. Your wife is another blessing that God promises.
I shall seek God’s blessing!
God’s blessing is promised to those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. This is a theme that is repeated throughout the Bible. I have listed a few verses on this topic and I am sure that you can find many others.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)
But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Luke 12:5 (KJV)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22 (KJV)If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. John 12:26 (KJV)
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 (KJV)
Randy Alcorn, in his book The Purity Principle, gives this description of what it means to fear the Lord. “The fear of God is a profound respect for His holiness, which includes a fear of the consequences of disobeying Him.” Equally important is the need to follow God and walk in His ways. The blessings promised, especially for your family, are too important to be ignored. These blessings come because you follow and obey God.
Read Psalm 128 again and think about how it applies to you and your family. We left off last time with God comparing our wife to a fruitful vine. We looked at how diligent you must be in the care and nurture of your wife. This “nurturing” that you do is the natural out-pouring of the God-fearing life of a man who walks in God’s ways. You are changed from the inside and this has a profound effect on your wife and family.
1 Blessed 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.
Psalm 128 (KJV)
God gives another promise. This promise is about your children. He compares our children to olive plants. This is an interesting comparison if you consider the olive tree. An olive plant is slow-growing. Much patience and discipline is needed to grow an olive plant into a tree. It takes about 15 years before an olive tree will produce fruit. Once an olive tree is properly rooted, it will grow to a great age and bear much fruit. In fact, once it is established, it needs little supervision and it can live for hundreds of years. The olive tree will continue to produce, even in the driest of conditions.
The olive is a very important crop. Failure of this crop can lead to ruin. However, the olive branch is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and wealth. Can you see the application to your children in the illustration of the olive plant? Children are delicate when young. This is where everything is established for their lives. How you nurture and grow them now will have so much impact on the fruitfulness of their lives. Are they properly rooted in the things of God so that they will bear fruit until old age, in all sorts of diverse situations? Is their faith firmly established in Christ Jesus?
Psalm 128 concludes with more blessings from the Lord. We can see God’s faithfulness through the generations. Oh, to see our children’s children when there is peace for our nation! To know that faith in Jesus Christ is carried forward in future blessings in our grandchildren. These blessings actually overtake our grandchildren with a wave of faith. They can’t help but trust God! All this, because we followed God out of a deep respect for Him.
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD;
that walketh in his ways.
Psalm 128:1 (KJV)
God bless, Mike