Blessings Abound in the Fear of the Lord - Pt 2
(Ps 128)

(all quoted Scriptures are from NASB, but most are paraphrased)

Ps 128 Happiness

2b You will be happy and it will be well with you.

The Blessings Promised

 
Having declared to us how to attain to happiness, God is also so good as to show us just what that happiness consists in. Although the simple fact that He is God ought to suffice to cause us to revere and obey Him, He gives us plenty of other reasons, not only in this Psalm, but throughout Scripture. Even in those places where He has explained that fear and obedience He deserves, He has also promised good and wonderful things to His people, if they will obey. Throughout the rest of this psalm, a number of these benefits are declared to us, and as it progresses, the blessings progress: beginning with those most personal, proceeding to our families, and outward into our society and into the church. (Notice how this follows what we saw regarding work in Ps 127.)
2 When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.

To the Believer

 

As we saw in Ps 127, there is happiness that comes as the result of godly labor, of work done unto the LORD, whether in direct service, or in our daily work done as unto Him. It is a blessing of God upon us that our labors are not in vain, but we enjoy the produce of those efforts.

 Is 3:10It will go well with the righteous. They will have the benefit of their actions.
 Eph 6:3 This is the promise given to those who keep the commandment to honor their parents, that they will live long in the land. (Ex 20:12)
 We are able to enjoy them because we acknowledge the God who gives the increase. We are able to enjoy them because we know we can do nothing without Him. But even beyond the blessings that come of our co-laboring with God, there are the many blessings that come solely by grace, in answer to no particular effort on our part:
 Ps 85:9Salvation is near to them.
 Ps 34:7They are guarded by His angels.
 Ps 34:9They suffer no want.
  
Do we believe this promise of Scripture? Do we act upon it as truth? Or do we complain about the things we wish He'd get around to doing for us? We would do well to remember that want is far more than desire. We tend to stop at that idea, and see here that God has promised to provide every whim and desire. But that's not the issue. Want is stronger. It has to do with necessity. The promise is that we will never lack any necessity. This may not agree with our ideas of what we'd like, but we'll always be provided what we truly need.
 
Ps 103:11,17
He loves them forever, and their children and grandchildren as well.
 
Ps 111:5
He provides for them. (Remember Ps 121?)
 Pr 9:10They have the beginning of wisdom, and have understanding of the knowledge of God.
  This is a stunning promise. Clearly, those who fear the Lord have the beginning of wisdom, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But look how much more is given! To us, it is given to understand the very knowledge of God! This is why the Holy Spirit was sent to us; to lead us into all truth, and what is truth but the knowledge of God, who is truth.
 Mal 4:2They pay their vows.
 Ps 25:12-14The sun of righteousness brings healing upon them. They rejoice like young calves.
  
Can we do that? Can we rejoice like young calves? We are saved, guarded, and free of all lack. We know Him who provides for us, that He loves us and trains us. He is ever near to us. Rejoice!

3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine,
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants Around your table.

To the Believer's Family

 
Two images from agriculture are given to us as descriptions of what our family life ought to be like. Both of these images are rich with symbolism for Israel, and for us.
 

The Vine - Grape Vines

  • The vine is symbolic of Israel, taken from Egypt (where wine was the drink of royalty) and planted in Canaan. (Ps 80:8)
  • The vineyard is a common symbol of Israel, wherein one might see the Law as the fence protecting the vineyard, the Temple as the tower in its midst, and the Altar as the winepress.
  • Israel's emblem (for coinage)
  • It is worthless as wood, and is only of worth as it bears fruit.
  • The fruitful vine is a symbol of peace and prosperity, along with the fig tree.
  • Delilah came from the town of Sorek "the choicest vine" (interesting, as Samson was a Nazarite, and prohibited from all fruits of the vine.)
  • In fact, Nazarite shares its root with nazir, a term for an undressed vine, sharing symbolism with the hair left uncut.

Olive plants

  • "The old olive sends out young suckers which spring up round the parent tree, and which in after ages, when the parent's strength fails, shelter it on every side from the blast" (Fausset's)
  • Symbol of peace (Ge 8:11 - The dove brought back an olive leaf, showing that the waters were receding.)
  • Symbol of godliness (Ps 52:8 - I am like an olive tree in the house of God.)
  • The shakings of the olive tree, the gleanings, are symbolic of the faithful remnant. (Is 24:13)
  • However, these shoots being of the original wild plant, they require grafting before they can be fruitful. (ISBE)
  • Symbol of adoption by grace. (Jer 11:16 - The LORD called your name a green olive, beautiful both in fruit and form. Ro 11:17 - You were grafted in as a wild olive branch to the rich root of the tree.)
  • Symbol of the two witnesses of the last day (Rev 11:3-4 - They will prophecy for 1260 days, these two olive trees that stand before the LORD. Zech 4:11-12 - They, who pour their oil into the lampstands are the two anointed ones who stand next to the LORD.)
  • The oil of the crushed fruit of the olive is for light and anointing.
 

As symbols of the family, the connection is relatively clear - the wife is like a fruitful vine, as she brings children into the family. The children are likened to the olive tree, because like the shoots of the olive tree, they provide protection for their parents in later years. This is very reminiscent of the ending of Ps 127.

However, there is a significance here for the life of the believer, for the believer is the bride of Christ, and is also a child of God. What strikes me in this regard is that we have no worth if we don't bear fruit. If the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in us, we are as worthless wood fit only to be burned. At the same time, we are told that we cannot be fruitful until something be grafted into us. This image Paul inverts when thinking of the Gentiles coming into the inheritance of Israel. But in the original image we see what was necessary for us, we see the grace of God in adopting us into His family. It took the grafting of the Holy Spirit into our being for us to be fruitful. We were but wild and unruly plants before His coming, but after, we are made beautiful as we bear fruits of sanctity, of repentance, of holiness.

Here indeed is happiness, that He has made us fruitful, that He is continually pruning away the dead branches of our flesh, so that we may be even more fruitful for Him!

  

©2001 - Jeffrey A. Wilcox