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Friday, November 05, 2004
After looking at a perspective on work in Psalm 127, the next step is on how to view blessings that come into our lives.
Psalm 128 starts with the words, "How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways."
A few definitions might help us get the true meaning of that statement. There's a lot found "between the lines" of this psalm. "Blessed" means happy...implying being at peace in your relationship with God. You can almost hear echoes of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the peacemakers...etc."
"Fear" of the Lord is not so much a "trembling" but rather a "reverence." It's understanding that God is holy and we are not. God is God and we are not Him. It's revering Who God is.
So, initially, we get the idea that those who are at peace with God are those who realize their place in God's economy.
We also see that we're blessed if we "walk in His ways." The Hebrew word for "ways" means "smooth, straight paths." We're at peace with God if we understand God is God and we aren't Him as well as walking in the path He puts there for us. All the others are rocky, crooked paths...and will put us at war with God.
So, blessings flow from God. The Doxology is right.
Notice in verses 2-4 what happens: You eat fruit of your hands, you will have enough. You won't be hungry.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine...she'll be a blessing to you (notice this could possibly be a continuation of verses 3 & 4 of 127), giving you blessings.
Your children are like olive plants...they'll make your home more abundant.
Blessings are for those who revere the Lord...and, note the content of the blessings: Food, marriage & family. Those will be there abundantly supplied. If you have your Vertical Relationship right, your horizontal ones will be great. Note blessings aren't financial in nature, or material. Food is a necessity to live...and maybe family is, too. Either way, God blesses us with these things.
The closing in verse 5 & 6: "The Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be on Israel!"
Remember, they were traveling to Jerusalem for a festival. A time of abundance. A time to reflect on God's blessings and anticipate His faithfulness in the future. The psalmist wants the hearer to experience God's blessings like he'll see in Jerusalem every day of his life. That you won't need a festival to remind you...that your every day life will be it's very own festival!
And for those of you who have grandparents (or, like me, the memory of grandparents) who love you...well, you know how crazy they are about their grandkids...and how blessed they feel just by seeing you walk into a room.
That's the kind of blessing the psalmist wants you to experience.
So, moving from Head To Heart takes a proper perspective on blessings...so take a minute today to reflect on God's faithfulness to you through the blessings you have...because we understand the He is God, we are not, and the smooth straight path keeps us at peace with Him.
Brent 4:00 AM
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