Blessed are all who fear the Lord
Psalms 128:1-6 - ‘Peace upon Israel’ is something all of God’s people should still be praying for.
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.”
Psalms 128:1-6 NIV
Another psalm, this time one of the 15 Songs of Ascent (שיר המעלות, or “šir ham-ma‘loṯ”) sung by travelers who were on their way to Jerusalem for one of the three yearly feasts — Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles. Rather than selecting just one verse from the psalm, I decided to take a look at the entire song, which made me smile as I read it this morning. It is full of blessings, and is upbeat and happy!
The psalm begins with a very simple truth — those who respect the Lord, gain wisdom through His Word, and live their lives by that wisdom will be blessed. The next verse reveals another truth; the person who follows the Lord and works diligently will benefit from that labor. Here the psalmist is probably thinking about a farmer who works hard to prepare the soil, does planting, weeding, watering, and pest control, brings in the harvest, and then enjoys the fruits of the harvest — either directly, or through the profits of sale or trade with others.
The imagery of a plentiful harvest continues in the next verse, with the wife of the traveler seen as “a fruitful vine” and his children as “olive shoots”. For the Jewish people of this time, marriage at a young age was expected, and having many children was another blessing. The wife could be fruitful in ways other than having children; Spurgeon said:
“Good wives are also fruitful in kindness, thrift, helpfulness, and affection: if they bear no children, they are by no means barren if they yield us the wine of consolation and the clusters of comfort.”1
However, having a wife and children were not a necessity, just like the grapes and wine from the vine and the oil from olives were not essential to survival. They just made life much better.
In the next verse, the psalmist repeats the fact that the man who fears the Lord will be blessed. David Guzik notes in Enduring Word that:
There is assurance of blessing for all who honor and respect God the way that they should. We recognize that some people have genuinely feared the LORD, yet have not enjoyed all of the specific blessings described in verses 2-3.
This is because the psalmist wrote this as his desired blessing for those who fear the LORD.
This is because these are general descriptions of the blessed life in ancient Israel, and not universal promises to the people of God.
This is because these are not the only blessings of life, and God may give other blessings in compensation to those who fear the LORD.
This is because none of us perfectly fears the LORD.
Not to repeat myself, but the Songs of Ascent are associated with Jerusalem (Zion), and the psalmist next establishes that the Lord’s blessings have their roots in Jerusalem. Again from Enduring Word:
As another of the Songs of Ascents, it is natural for the singers of this psalm to think about the connection of blessing with Jerusalem. God has good for His people that will come out of Zion.
When we consider that much of the teaching and ministry Jesus did was in Jerusalem, we see that we are blessed out of Zion.
When we consider that Jesus died as a sacrifice and a substitute for our sins in Jerusalem, we see that we are blessed out of Zion.
When we consider that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven from Jerusalem, we see that we are blessed out of Zion.
When we consider that the gospel was first preached out of Jerusalem and the church was birthed there, we see that we are blessed out of Zion.
The psalm continues with a blessing for a long and fruitful life, even to the point of enjoying grandchildren. The ending? A blessing for peace on Israel — שָׁלוֹם עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל or “šālôm (shalom) ʿal yiśrā'ēl”. From 19th century Baptist minister Alexander Maclaren:
“This ancient singer had a true conception of the obligations flowing from personal and domestic blessings. He teaches us that it is not enough to ‘see children’s children,’ unless we have eyes to took for the prosperity of Jerusalem, and tongues which pray not only for those in our homes, but for ‘peace upon Israel.’”2
‘Peace upon Israel’ is something all of God’s people should still be praying for.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, my God and Savior. I thank You for the gift of grace that I receive by faith. May I revere Your name forever, and walk in Your ways all of the days of my life. Every blessing I receive is found in my Lord Jesus, in whose holy name I pray. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The Treasury of David: Volume 3" (Psalms 111-150) (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1988)
Maclaren, Alexander "The Psalms" Volume 3 (Psalms 90-150) (New York: A.C. Armstrong and Son, 1903)