Psalm 128

Read: Psalm 127; Psalm 128; 1 Corinthians 3:1 – 3

Psalm 127 emphasizes the blessing that comes from God purely as a gift of grace– “except the Lord build the house.” Grace comes in contrast to the work of man apart from God. Psalm 128 emphasizes that blessing that comes as a reward for fearing the Lord and walking rightly. This is the blessing of obedience.    

Think About It: Is it possible to have experienced the blessing of God’s grace in salvation, and yet not to enjoy the blessing that comes from obedience? Why weren’t the Corinthians enjoying the “blessings of obedience”(1 Corinthians 3:1 – 3)?  

Prayer: That I might offer to God a grateful, obedient spirit.

 

Read: Psalm 128:1; Isaiah 6:1 – 5; Matthew 10:28

The blessing of obedience is for those who fear the Lord. Fear of the Lord is awe and holy respect for God because of who He is in relation to what we are (Isaiah 6:1 – 5; Matthew 10:28). God is glorious, and when He reveals His glory to us, the appropriate response is fear and awe.  

Think About It: Why should I fear the Lord? What did Isaiah realize about himself when the glory of the Lord was revealed to him? How does Isaiah’s experience relate to Romans 3:23? Where do I fall short?

Prayer: That I might stand in fear and awe of the Lord’s glory.

 

Read: Psalm 128:1; see references below

We fear the Lord when we behold His glory. We see God’s glory:

  1. In Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).  
  2. In the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14).
  3. In God’s Word when we are illumined by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:14 – 18).  
  4. In God’s Creation – (Psalm 19:1 – 6).
  5. In the church (Ephesians 1:23; 4:10- 12; Colossians 3:15).

Think About It: Where else is God’s glory revealed (Exodus 33:18 – 19)? Where have I experienced a revelation of God’s glory?

Prayer: Lord, show me Your glory.

 

Read: Psalm 128:1; Matthew 7:21; Luke 6:46; James 1:22; 2:16; Micah 6:8

The fear of the Lord is expressed through walking in His ways.  Fear of God is more than a feeling, it is expressed in action and worked out in obedience.

Think About It: Do I demonstrate my fear of God and my faith in Him in the things that I do? Am I a doer of the Word as well as a hearer of the Word?

Prayer: That I might be both a hearer and doer of God’s Word.

 

Read: Psalm 128:2; Ecclesiastes 2:24; 1 Timothy 6:6; Proverbs 15:16

The blessings of obedience for those that fear the Lord and walk in His ways are spelled out in Psalm 128:2 – 6.  Verse 2 reveals the blessing of eating the labor of your hands with joy and contentment.

Think About It: What do the Scripture references for today say about the blessing of fulfillment and contentment? Am I content? Do I enjoy that for which I work?

Prayer: For contentment with and enjoyment of the fruit of my labor.

 

Read: Psalm 128:3; 1 Corinthians 7:25 – 35; Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:30

Psalm 128:3 reveals the blessing of obedience experienced through family, in particular a fruitful spouse and productive children.

Think About It: What about those who have no spouse or children – are they deprived of the blessing of family according to the Scripture references for today?  According to Jesus, who was His family (Luke 8:19 – 21)? Who do I think of as being included in my family? How have they been a blessing to me?

Prayer: Praise God for my spiritual family.

 

Read: Psalm 128:4; Hebrews 12:22;  Romans 8:24 – 25;  Ephesians 1:17 – 20; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 3:2 – 3

Psalm 128:4 reveals the blessing of obedience that comes out of Zion. Zion is symbolic of the whole church of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:22).  The person who fears the Lord and walks in His ways will see “the good of Jerusalem. . .and peace upon Israel.” They will see their grandchildren, if not in a physical, then in a spiritual sense.

Think About It: How does this blessing fit with the harsh realities of suffering and persecution?  Do I have the spiritual eyesight to see beyond present circumstances to the hope of glory?

Prayer: For my spiritual eyes to be illumined.