Psalm 128

A Song of Ascents.

1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

This psalm bears some similarities with the previous one, starting with the first word, “blessed”. Psalm 127 describes the blessings of work and family when they are aligned with God’s purposes. Psalm 128 offers a summary statement of this blessing. When we fear (respect, obey) the LORD and we walk in his ways (are Torah observant), we will be blessed in two ways. First, we will enjoy the fruits of our labor. We will have what we need because we have worked for it. We will experience the satisfaction that comes from good work, from accomplishment, from providing for ourselves and our families. This is how good social systems work. Everyone is motivated to work because they get to keep it. It will not be taken by others or the government for redistribution. Second, there is the more general promise that it will be well with us. This is because our lives will be ordered with reality, based on the ways that the designer has crafted for us. The Torah is not mentioned by name here, but “walking in his ways” clearly refers to living in obedience to God’s “instructions”. This phrase takes us back to the very first verse of the first psalm, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in counsel of the wicked…but his delight is in the law of the LORD.” “Blessed” is not a categorical guarantee that no harm or difficulties will ever come to us. Rather, it is a promise that whatever comes to us in this life we can live through it in a state of blessing. In that sense the blessing is absolute. This is why Jesus can say “blessed are the poor, those who mourn, and those who are persecuted.” It is not about one’s circumstance but one’s relationship with God. Living in obedience to his ways, worshiping him in word, deed, and heart -- this is the path to the good life. It is not an easy life, but it is the best life possible in this fallen world. 

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

These verses describe the home life of a blessed person. First, the wife is to be like a fruitful vine touching every aspect of the home. The word “within” is translated elsewhere as “innermost”, “recessed”, “deepest”, and “the heart of”. A wife and mother is the heart of the home. The fruitfulness here is primarily referencing the number of children as having many children was considered the prime source of blessing. The previous psalm affirms this using a metaphor that applies to fathers, “blessed is the man who has a quiverful”. Here the image of fruitfulness is more domestic, “your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” Having many children can be seen as a hardship -- more mouths to feed, more potential for heartache, more work in general. However, there is an upside. Children increase the possibility for both extremes, both joy and sorrow. These days technology has given us greater control over the number of children we might have, and most people take advantage of it. Generally speaking, family size declines as the prosperity of a society increases. People who choose to have a lot of children are outliers, but I don’t know any of them personally who would have it any other way. Perhaps they have discovered the secret to a blessed life -- lots of children in the home, laughter, play, and learning. It’s significant that modern Israel is the only exception to the trend of shrinking family size, indicating that family size does not have to be linked to the wealth of a society. Maybe there are other types of wealth that we in the modern world are overlooking that the ancients understood. The image of olive shoots around the table takes me back to my childhood. My mom had five children in seven years, and she would say that those years with everyone in the home were the best of her life. I was blessed with a wonderful family and childhood because my parents were committed to walking in the ways of God and training us to do so as well. Not everyone has a family and children, but every one of us can be involved in the lives of children. We can complain about the state of the family and the often tragic circumstances in which children grow up or we can do something about it. 

5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel

For the fourth time the word “blessing” is used in this psalm. Here it is used as a prayer of blessing on the one who is walking in the ways of the LORD (verse 1). The blessing is from Zion and is a prayer for the future. It is from Zion because this is where YHWH dwells in his temple, and the request is for the city and for the family. This connects it with the opening verse of Psalm 127 (unless the LORD builds the house/family and unless the LORD watches over the city, our efforts are in vain), forming an envelope linking the two. Psalm 127 focuses on the father while Psalm 128 focuses on the mother, with both referencing children. In psalm 127 the children are like arrows, doing typical men’s work, whether hunting or warfare. In psalm 128 the children are like olive shoots around the dinner table, mealtime representing the center of home life and traditionally the domain of women. The prayer to close this psalm is one for long life measured in two ways -- live long enough to see the prosperity of the city and long enough to see one’s grandchildren. One of the ways to see both of these is to have peace in the land, so the conclusion of the psalm is a prayer for the peace of Israel. Human beings are built to last for 70-80 years, but war can reduce life expectancy in lots of ways. This circles back to the need to walk in God’s ways. When society focuses on living out biblical morality, it will also find security in the process. A strong, prosperous society is less likely to be invaded by foreign enemies because they will be able to protect themselves. These two prayers, Psalms 127 and 128 are a blueprint for a happy, healthy society. O that we would embrace their wisdom.