Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents.

 ¹Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.

²When you eat the labor of your hands,

You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

³Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

In the very heart of your house,

Your children like olive plants

All around your table.

⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

Who fears the Lord.

⁵The Lord bless you out of Zion,

And may you see the good of Jerusalem

All the days of your life.

⁶Yes, may you see your children’s children.

Peace be upon Israel!

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.”

God’s blessing comes to everyone who fears Him, to everyone who walks in His ways. This is the most important lesson in the Book of Proverbs, walking in the fear of the Lord, for this is the beginning of  wisdom (Prov. 9:10), of all wisdom that leads to a rich and abundant and long and fruitful life in every area of life (see Proverbs 1:1-7; 2:1-22; 3:1-24; 4:1-13, 20-27; 5:1-23; 8:1-36; 9:1-12 etc., also consider Prov. 8:13; 9:10-12; 10:27; 13:14; 14:16, 26-27; 15:32-33; 16:6 19:23; 22:4; 23:17-18 etc.). Again, God's blessing is upon everyone who fears the Lord and walks in His ways. Now if you have not lived a life of Godly wisdom, you can still have His blessing and favor upon you the moment you repent and believe in the Gospel, for then you will have a fresh start, and then God changes everything in your life, beginning with transforming you!

Vs. 2 “When you eat the labor of your hands,

You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.”

The fruits of living in the fear of the Lord are now declared. For the Scripture promises that all who do so shall eat and be satisfied, yes you shall be happy in your life, and things shall go well with you. No longer shall you go from crises to crises, or from turmoil to turmoil, for shall have true inner peace and safety shall surround you.

Vs. 3 “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

In the very heart of your house,

Your children like olive plants

All around your table.”

Indeed, even your wife shall prosper, for she shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, bearing children yes, but also bearing much fruitfulness in all her endeavors for your household as well. As for your children they themselves shall spread out all around your table like olive plants, for they will be well nourished and healthy, and abound in joy and energy all around you.

Vs. 4 “Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

Who fears the Lord.”

Though this Psalm is seeing things from the physical realm, it is in the Spiritual realm that one really sees and experiences the many great blessings that comes from fearing the Lord and obeying Him, all which starts with believing in Him, for then every spiritual blessing and all the riches in Christ will become yours forever!

Vs. 5-6 ⁵The Lord bless you out of Zion,

And may you see the good of Jerusalem

All the days of your life.

⁶Yes, may you see your children’s children.

Peace be upon Israel!

The Psalm now closes with a blessing prayer, to be bestowed upon every faithful believer, just as God bestowed His own favor upon Job after all of His trials (see Job 42:12-17), so too will our Lord God bring His people Israel to see His blessings on their land and in their lives, (see Isiah 49:14-26). Peace be upon Israel!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.