Tuesday, July 4, 2017

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO REVERE AND OBEY THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:
“Blessed are all who fear The Lord, who walk in obedience to Him.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessing and prosperity will be yours.”  Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:
The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The human author of this psalm of ascent is probably the same as the author of the previous psalm, Psalm 127, given the similar focus on the family.  Blessed is the family in which all members fear The Lord God and follow His ways.  The husband will prosper and provide, the wife will be fruitful when she is supported, and the children will honor and follow the lead of their parents. (Psalm 128:1-4)  This is similar to the blessing on the family offered in Psalm 112:1-3.  The psalmist ends this psalm by offering a prayer for the blessings of prosperity and a long life, long enough for one to see their grand-children and to enjoy the delight they give.

Application:
Repeatedly we are told that blessed is the man who walks uprightly and follows The Lord God. (Psalm 1:1, Psalm 15:2, Psalm 101:6, Psalm 128:1, Proverbs 10:9, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 14:2, Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 28:6, and Isaiah 33:15)  It has been said, “Before the fall, paradise was man’s home.  After the fall, the home is man’s paradise.” (Author unknown)  However, the home can be either be a paradise or the exact opposite if The Lord God is not in it. (Proverbs 21:9 and 25:24)  If the reverential fear of The Lord God is not in the home and His Holy Word is not followed there, that home will not be happy or peaceful.  The family is blessed when all members of the family revere and obey The Word of God.  They are blessed with provisions, prosperity, productive partners, and flourishing progeny in addition to a long life.

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