Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Reflections on Psalms 128

 Psalms 128(Contemporary English Version)
  1. (A song for worship.) The LORD will bless you if you respect him and obey his laws.
  2. Your fields will produce, and you will be happy and all will go well.
  3. Your wife will be as fruitful as a grapevine, and just as an olive tree is rich with olives, your home will be rich with healthy children.
  4. That is how the LORD will bless everyone who respects him.
  5. I pray that the LORD will bless you from Zion and let Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.
  6. May you live long enough to see your grandchildren. Let's pray for peace in Israel!

This pilgrimage psalm addresses the family. It begins with a statement of the blessings received by those who revere the Lord and walk in His ways, and ends with a prayer for continued blessings.

The one who reveres the Lord and walks in His ways can expect two blessings in particular: to eat what his hands have worked for and to have many children. The prayer for continued blessing asks that the Lord will allow them to see "prosperity in Jerusalem" throughout their lives and for longevity of life to enjoy their grandchildren.

As we ponder these blessings for those who revere the Lord and walk in His ways, we wonder about the exceptions. Our observations of life tell us that these blessings do not always come to those who revere the Lord and walk in His ways. The knee jerk reaction is to assume that those for whom it does not hold true have sin in their lives that blocks these blessings. But Jesus taught otherwise. This cannot be assumed. The question is raised, then, of whether or not we can depend on God. And the response of scripture is that we can depend on God to be good - all the time. As Mark 10:18 says, "There is none good but one, that is, God." Scripture also teaches us that we can depend on God to love us - all the time. 1 John 4:8 says, "The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

What does this have to do with the question of God's dependability? If it cannot be said to always be true that those who revere the Lord and walk in His ways will have the blessings mentioned in this psalm, of what relevance is Mark 10:18 and 1 John 4:8? They assurance us that while our reverence and faithfulness to God may not result in these particular blessings, we can depend on receiving God's blessings, though they may be of another nature.

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