A Blessed Family

Psalms 128:1 - 4
1 Blessed is everyone that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.

1 Mapalad ang bawa't isa na natatakot sa Panginoon, na lumalakad sa kaniyang mga daan.
2 Sapagka't iyong kakanin ang gawa ng iyong mga kamay: magiging maginhawa ka, at ikabubuti mo.
3 Ang asawa mo'y magiging parang mabungang puno ng ubas, sa mga pinakaloob ng iyong bahay: ang mga anak
mo'y parang mga puno ng olibo, sa palibot ng iyong dulang.
4 Narito, na ganito nawa pagpalain ang tao, na natatakot sa Panginoon.

Let us pray_____________________________

Gusto natin masaya, gusto natin ang buhay natin maayos, masagana, walang mga krisis, at lahat na ito kung
susumahin natin ang pinaka punto ay gusto natin na maging masaya ang ating pamilya. Wala pong masama sa
paghanap o paghahangad ng mga ganoong kaisipan. Sa katunayan iyon po ay mga magagandang mga hangarin. Ito
rin ay nakapaloob sa salita ng Diyos ay nais din po ito ng Diyos sa atin.

Pasnsisnin natin na inumpisahan ng psalmist itong chapter na ito ng, “Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD” (v.
1). These opening words, blessed means happy – as we read verses 1- 4 it pertains to the members of the family-
tatay, si nanay at mga anak.

1. A blessed family has Reverent to the LORD.

Ang pagkatakot sa Diyos ay ung hindi ka nangangamba—but rather it is the attitude that speaks of being deeply
moved by who God is. The fear of God describe as “respect, admiration, amazement all mixed together to create a
sense of awe…. A profound sense of awe before God.”

A happy person/family has a Right Perspective of God - view of self and of God. Psalms 128:1 (walketh in his
ways)

A happy person/family has a Right and ProfoundUnderstanding of God As Solomon wrote, “17 Let not thine
heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”. (Proverbs 23:17).

Being Blessed/ happiness is made to anyone and everyone who has ears to hear: “Blessed is everyone who…” If you
are not happy, if you are not blessed, stop blaming others. Stop blaming the Lord. Rather, stop fearing (being
controlled by) others and other things and begin to fear the Lord. “Psalms 128:1

2. A blessed family is Faithful (Righteous) to the LORD.

The psalmist further pronounces blessing on everyone “who walks in His ways” (v. 1). This highlights human
responsibility. All blessings are attributable to God alone.

Psalm 112 highlights this by pronouncing blessing on those who delight greatly in His commandments (v. 1). The
writer of Psalm 119 also highlights this truth:

1
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways
9
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
63
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts
(Psalm 119:1–3, 9–10; cf. v. 63)
Regardless of circumstances kailangan natin sundin ang kanyang mga utos upang magkaroon tayo ng blessed/ happy
family.

Everyone wants to be happy, to be blessed. Too many people are wilfully refusing to pay attention to the one who
wills our happiness and ignorantly supposing that the Christian way is a harder way to get what they want than
doing it on their own. But they are wrong. God’s ways and God’s presence are where we experience the happiness.

If you are not walking with and after and for God, then you are not worshipping Him. If you are not faithfully
following His ways, then you do not fear Him.The fear of the Lord produces Reward in the Lord.

3. A blessed family is Fruitful (Rewarded) by the LORD.

In v. 2, “When you eat the labour of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. we see that the
blessed is the fruitful life:

Our relationship with the Lord is related to all of life. So, if you want to be happy in all of life, then pursue being
happy in the source of your life.

A. 1 Fulfilment in the Workplace

Verse 2 speaks to fulfilment in the workplace. “The labour of your hands,” of course, speaks of our employment, of
our efforts for produce that we can “eat.” The psalmist is saying that the person who fears the Lord will take
pleasure in the outcome of his labours; he or she will find satisfaction at the end of the day knowing that the Lord
provides his or her daily bread (Matthew 6:11).

Whatever the challenges, he will find satisfaction. Fearing the Lord can find great fulfilment even in the midst of
great difficulty. God is in control. God will provide. God will take care of us. God will use us in our every situation
for His purposes and for His glory.

The fundamental thought here is that of contentment. The New Testament likewise speaks to the issue of
contentment:

Philippians 4:11–13, 19—And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We should speak of happiness with the workplace. Those who fear the Lord serve the Lord in every sphere of life,
and this gives every sphere of life significance and opportunity to experience and to express our satisfaction with the
Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31).

A. 2 Fulfilment in the Home

In vv. 3–4, the psalmist speaks of fulfilment in the home: “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of
your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the
Lord.”

The words “fruitful vine” and “olive plants” are used in the Bible to depict prosperity from God, to depict God’s
favour. “As a rule the person who is God-fearing and tries to obey God will be blessed with a God-fearing and
obedient family. The psalmist uses two colourful images to describe this fruitful family.”

The psalmist is not saying that those who fear the Lord will necessarily be married and be given children. Rather, he
is saying that those who are married, and those who are married and who have children, will be blessed in these
spheres. The happiness of the happy man will flow to others. This is a helpful observation. Whether you are married
or not, whether you have children or not, if you fear the Lord and therefore are happy in the Lord, you can be a
means of making others happy as well.

A. 3 Fruitful Marriage
“Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house” (v. 3). The picture of a “fruitful vine” is not
necessarily of her being fertile. It is rather probably a picture of her being “fearful,” that is, reverent. Proverbs 31
speaks of a woman who fears the Lord as being fruitful: “Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who
fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the
gates” (Proverbs 31:30–31).

A reverent man and a reverent wife are inextricably bound. The reverent man will pursue a reverent wife. Reverence
will be a quality he looks for in a woman.

The reverent man will “produce” a reverent wife. If your wife is not godly, if she is not holy, if she is not walking in
the fear of the Lord, then perhaps you should examine yourself.

Husbands, are you so living in the home that your wife can blossom like a vine in the heart of the home? Do you
treat her with respect? Do you lead her spiritually? Do you give her security? Do you lead her wisely? Wives do you
honor you husbands? Do you treat her with respect?

A. 4 Faithful Children
The psalmist next moves to the children in the marriage: “your children like olive plants all around your table” (v.
3). Again, this is not necessarily a promise that the person who fears the Lord will be fertile. Rather it serves as a
wonderful encouragement that those who fear the Lord, and who have been given children (Psalm 127:3), will find
great delight in them. And I believe the implication is that they will be a source of delight as they too fear the Lord.

Olive trees are known for a couple of things. For one thing, they are known to produce many new shoots at their
base. This is perhaps the picture here. The children that arise from a godly, fearful man will have the same destiny as
the root. Parenting is not a coin toss. There are great promises in Scripture for those who deliberately raise their
children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1–4).

Second, olive trees can have a lifespan of hundreds of years and in many cases an olive tree will not reproduce until
some forty years later. Boice notes, “Olive trees take a long time to mature and become profitable. Patiently
cultivated, they become quite valuable and continue to produce a profitable crop for centuries.”

Be encouraged: The fruit of your adorning the gospel will probably take some time. But keep at it. Olive trees can
take a long time to bud, but it is worth it in the end.

Those who fear the Lord, who pursue true happiness, are to be encouraged that they can raise children who will
bless them. Scripture is clear about this:

Psalm 103:17—But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His
righteousness to children’s children.
Proverbs 20:7—The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.
Proverbs 17:6—Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.
Proverbs 14:26—In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence and his children will have a place of refuge.

Raise your children to fear the Lord and they and you will be joyful. John had no greater joy than to see his
(spiritual) children walking in the truth (3 John 1:4 – I have no greater joy than to hear that may children walk in
truth).

Conclusion
It is sad to think that in our families we miss the blessings because of our failure to fear (reverence) God and to
Faithfully follow Him.
The psalmist brings it to an encouraging conclusion in v. 4: “Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the
LORD.” “It is as if the psalmist wants to say, ‘You most certainly will be blessed,’ so as to leave not the slightest
doubt that the fear of the Lord has its appropriate rewards.”
Can you think of a more practical and powerful motivation for the fear of the Lord than these blessings? Take God
at His Word! You can have a happy home and we can be a happy church!