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The Blessedness of Fearing the Lord 

Did you know that fearing the Lord brings blessings into your life?

Psalm 128

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • October 8, In the year of our Lord, 2017

Persuasion: 

  1. Psalm 128.0 | God-Fearers Ascend Jerusalem

    0 A Song of Ascents.

    1. Israel failed to fear the Lord.
      1. Therefore, they did not walk in His ways.
      2. Rather than walking in His ways,
        1. they walked in the ways of the nations,
        2. becoming an abomination in the sight of God.
          1. For that the Lord sent the Assyrians against Israel and
          2. He sent Babylon against Judah, and
            1. both kingdoms went into captivities.
    2. However, they repented and
      1. the Lord brought them back to their homeland and
      2. to their blessed city Jerusalem.
    3. Finally knowing the importance of fearing the Lord,
      1. when they went to Jerusalem,
      2. ascending the mountains surrounding the city,
        1. they sang Psalm 128,
        2. which reminded them of the blessedness of fearing the Lord.
          1. Let us tonight also read it to remember the same thing.
          2. Like all the Psalms, someone has set music to it.
  2. Psalm 128.1 | Showing Your Fear of the Lord

    1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
    Who walks in His ways.

    1. What does it mean to fear the Lord?
      1. Does it mean merely to respect Him?
      2. Does it mean to tremble before Him?
    2. I know this for sure,
      1. that the psalmist so worded his opening sentence
      2. that he told us what fearing the Lord means, or
        1. or how put it into practice:
        2. Walk in the ways of the Lord.
    3. Whatever you think fearing the Lord means or does not mean,
      1. surely you can see that walking in the ways of the Lord
      2. shows that you fear Him.
        1. Some people think that fearing the Lord
        2. is only an Old Testament command.
          1. No, the New Testament shows us that we also must fear the Lord,

            Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Co 7.1).

            [Submit] to one another in the fear of God (Eph 5.21).

            Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (Heb 12.28).

            Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king (1Pe 2.17).

            6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev 14.6–7).

            Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” (Rev 19.5).

          2. In Romans 3, Paul said that Jews and Greeks are all under sin.
            1. Then he quoted several Old Testament passages.
            2. Notice how he ended his list,

              10 As it is written:
              “There is none righteous, no, not one;
              11 There is none who understands;
              There is none who seeks after God.
              12 They have all turned aside;
              They have together become unprofitable;
              There is none who does good, no, not one.”
              13 “Their throat is an open tomb;
              With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
              “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
              14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
              15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
              16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
              17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
              18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
              (Rom 3.10–18).
    4. Solomon declared his conclusion on the prominence of fearing God,

      13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
      Fear God and keep His commandments,
      For this is man’s all.
      (Ecc 12.14)

      1. Solomon tied together fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments.
      2. So then, if you fulfill your purpose,
        1. to fear God and to keep His commandments,
        2. the Lord will bless you,
          1. which is the point of Psalm 128.
          2. Remember what Jesus said,

            46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6.46).

            1. You want to honor Jesus by calling Him Lord,
            2. declaring that you fear Him?
              1. The psalmist,
              2. Solomon, and
              3. Jesus would say,
                1. Do what the Lord says.
    5. You are blessed for fearing the Lord,
      1. walking in His ways, because
        1. He created this world and
        2. He created us.
      2. He knows how life works.
        1. He knows what brings a blessed state into our lives.
        2. Follow His lead and watch the blessings pour into your life.
          1. It is inexplicable to me
            1. when Christians quit doing that or
            2. when unbelievers refuse to do it.
          2. Those who neglect to fear God and to walk in His ways,
            1. have no idea how badly they hurt themselves.
  3. Psalm 128.2–3 | Your Blessings for Fearing the Lord

    2 When you eat the labor of your hands,
    You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
    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.

    1. The first blessing for fearing the Lord:
      1. You shall eat the labor of your hands.
      2. Doing such
        1. shall make you happy and
        2. it shall be well with you.
    2. The second blessing for fearing the Lord:
      1. Your children shall be a blessing.
      2. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house.
      3. Your children will be like olive plants all around your table.
    3. Both the vine and the olive tree blessed the land of Israel.
      1. So the Lord would bless them in the heart of their economy and work.
      2. Try it and see what happens.
        1. Put the Lord first by fearing Him and keeping His commandments and
        2. watch what happens to your life, especially
          1. in your work and
          2. in your family.
  4. Psalm 128.4 | Behold, The Blessed

    4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
    Who fears the LORD.

    1. As if to stop for a moment to reiterate his topic,
      1. the psalmist wants us to know
        1. that such blessings from our work and
        2. that such blessings in our family
          1. come from fearing the Lord,
          2. come from walking in His ways.
    2. So I have to ask you: Do you fear the Lord?
      1. What do you see for your very reason for existing?
      2. What drives you in your work and in your family affairs?
  5. Psalm 128.5–6a | More Blessings

    5 The LORD bless you out of Zion,
    And may you see the good of Jerusalem
    All the days of your life.
    6a Yes, may you see your children’s children.

    1. Here is the third blessing:
      1. That the Lord will bless you out of Zion,
        1. Zion shall be the source of the blessing and
        2. you shall see the good of Jerusalem.
      2. Zion was the mount upon which the city of Jerusalem was built.
    2. The blessing from Zion would not be momentary or a temporary blessing, but
      1. the writer spoke of it as existing all the days of your life,
      2. assuming that you kept fearing the Lord and kept walking in His ways.
    3. Hebrews 12 shows that the church is the true Zion.
      1. Therefore, if you fear the Lord and walk in His ways,
      2. you will find the church a blessing.
        1. I know that some people do not want anything to do with the church.
        2. That would like a Jew says,
          1. I do not want anything to do with Jerusalem.
          2. Can you imagine a godly Jew thinking that way?
    4. I believe the Psalm 128-poet, expressed a fourth blessing:
      1. That you would see your children’s children.
      2. Seeing my grandchildren comes as a blessing I never expected.
        1. I knew that I would probably have grandchildren some day, but
        2. I did not know just how blessed of an experience it is.
    5. I am having my cake and eating too, because
      1. I am a member of the body of Christ, the church, and
      2. I get to see my children’s children.
        1. Why has God so blessed me?
        2. May everyone have such blessings.
  6. Psalm 128.6b | Israel’s Blessing

    6b Peace be upon Israel!

    1. Israel is composed of those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.
    2. The psalmist declared peace upon them.
      1. This on top of all the blessings he already mentioned.
      2. The land of Israel had seen much conflict and bloodshed.
        1. Therefore, such words meant everyone to an Israelite.
        2. Do they not mean something to you?

Exhortation: 

  1. Peace with the Lord should top our list. 
    1. We fear Him and walk in His ways, because
    2. we want peace.