{"id":5533,"date":"2014-07-26T08:17:50","date_gmt":"2014-07-26T12:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christcommunitychurch.com\/blog\/?p=5533"},"modified":"2014-07-26T05:42:34","modified_gmt":"2014-07-26T09:42:34","slug":"psalm-128","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/christcommunitychurch.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/26\/psalm-128\/","title":{"rendered":"Psalm 128"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Psalm 128<\/strong><\/span>
\nBlessed is everyone who fears the\u00a0Lord<\/span>,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>who\u00a0walks in his ways!<\/span><\/span>
\n2\u00a0<\/span>You\u00a0shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3\u00a0<\/span>Your wife will be like\u00a0a fruitful vine<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>within your house;<\/span><\/span>
\nyour children will be like\u00a0olive shoots<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>around your table.<\/span><\/span>
\n4\u00a0<\/span>Behold, thus shall the man be blessed<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>who fears the\u00a0Lord<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0bless you\u00a0from Zion!<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>May you see\u00a0the prosperity of Jerusalem<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>all the days of your life!<\/span><\/span>
\n6\u00a0<\/span>May you see your\u00a0children’s children!<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Peace be upon Israel!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 128 is a portion of a group known as the “Psalms of Ascent.” These mark the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem in observance of the covenantally prescribed feasts and provide an excellent occasion to reflect on God\u2019s gracious provision in every area of life<\/span>.<\/p>\n

A superficial glance might\u00a0suggest\u00a0that this Psalm sets us up for a kind of mechanistic “paint by numbers” sort of faith. I do this and God gives me that. But this is not the way to read any portion of Holy Scripture. We read it as part of the big story of God’s revelation to us about who he is, who we are, and what this world is like. \u00a0This Psalm is trying to get across that God’s ways are good and that following him and trusting him are the path to life. Sometimes that path is smooth and sometimes that path is rocky. He gives, and he takes away. As Scotty Smith has said:<\/p>\n

As a Psalm of Ascent, this is a song of hope\u2014a song sung as God\u2019s people approached the Temple, which for them was a taste of the future. We all long for the Shalom of life in the new heaven and new earth, when as Tolkien said, \u201ceverything sad will come untrue\u201d. This isn\u2019t a\u00a0<\/span>Psalm\u00a0<\/span>of hype, but hope. We know there are plenty of other\u00a0<\/span>Psalms<\/span>\u00a0that are laments, cries for mercy, songs of confusion, etc. that clearly show us (along with the rest of the Bible) that the Christian life isn\u2019t pain or suffering free. Jesus is the only one who has completely fulfilled\u00a0<\/span>Psalm<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>128<\/span>\u00a0for us. Only Jesus has \u201cfeared the Lord enough\u201d to secure for us a life of perfection in the new heaven and new earth, when as Tom Wright has said, \u201ceverything will be put right.\u201d In Philippians\u00a0<\/span>1:29<\/a>, Paul describes believing in Christ and suffering for Christ, both as gifts of grace, and in chapter 3 he prayed to enter the fellowship of Christ\u2019s sufferings. As with everything else, we must let our Father define \u201cblessing\u201d however he wants. Hebrews 11:32-38 shows us that a life of fearing the Lord includes everything from receiving our children back from the dead to being sawn in half!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n