PSALM 128 COMME TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number ofauthors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I willgive credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to beincluded in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have itremoved. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com

I TRODUCTIO

1. Barnes wrote, “The author of this psalm is unknown, as is also the occasion onwhich it was composed. It is not known, either, why this psalm was placed amongthose which are called “Songs of Degrees.” The scope and design of it, however,cannot be misunderstood. It is intended to show the advantage of religion on theaffairs of this life, and especially on the domestic relations; in a numerous family, inthe character of children, and in being permitted to see numerous descendants. Inconnection with this, the possessor of true religion would be permitted to see theprosperity of Zion - the good of Jerusalem, and peace upon Israel. Of course this isto be regarded as a general statement, or as indicating what will commonly be trueas the result of religion. See Psa_37:9, note; Psa_37:33, note; Psa_112:2-3, note.Thus industry, temperance, prudence, tend to promote health and long life, so thathealth and a long life are the general result; but it would be unfair to regard onewho should assert this as meaning to say that it is universally true, or that peoplewho are industrious, temperate, and prudent, are never sick, and never die.”

2. Spurgeon wrote, “There is an evident ascent from the last Psalm: that did buthint at the way in which a house may be built up, but this draws a picture of thathouse built, and adorned with domestic bliss through the Lord's own benediction.There is clearly an advance in age, for here we go beyond children to children'schildren; and also a progress in happiness, for children which in the last Psalm werearrows, are here Olive plants, and instead of speaking "with the enemies in thegate" we deal with "peace upon Israel." Thus we rise step by step, and sing as weascend. It is a family hymn, -- a song for a marriage, or a birth, or for any day inwhich a happy household has met to praise the Lord. Like all the songs of degrees, ithas an eye to Zion and Jerusalem, which are both expressly mentioned, and it closeslike Psalms 125, 130, and 131, with an allusion to Israel. It is a short Psalm, butexceedingly full and suggestive. Its poetry is of the highest order. Perhaps in no

country can it be better understood than in our own, for we above all nations delightto sing of "Home, sweet home."

3. Steven Cole, “Psalm 128 is showing us an ideal, but we don’t live in an idealworld. Some homes have already been split apart by divorce and a single mom istrying to hold everything together. Others are in mixed marriages, where thehusband is hostile or indifferent to the gospel and the wife is trying to providespiritual training for her children. If your family is far from the ideal, don’t despair.It doesn’t mean that God won’t bless you. Whatever your situation, God wants youto fear Him and walk in His ways. But just because we can’t totally follow the ideal,let’s not scrap the plan. Like throwing a pebble in a placid lake, Psalm 128 beginswith a godly man as the head of the home, ripples out to his wife, then to thechildren, and finally shows the effect of this godly home on the nation.”

1. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.

1. Happiness and fear do not strike you as good partners, but in God’s book theyare the best of partners. In fact you cannot ever be really happy and blessed withoutthe fear of the Lord. It sounds strange to us, but fearing God is a good thing, for itmeans that we have an honest relationship with God, and we understand who ourheavenly Father really is. To fear him is to have the highest respect for who he is,and, therefore, we will strive to live in obedience to his will. We will be literallyafraid to deliberately go against his revealed will, for we know that in love he willnot let us get by with rebellion without a penalty. We do not have the emotion ofbeing fearful when we walk in his ways, and that means very seldom is there anyliteral fear. It is because we fear to disappoint him, and cause him grief, that weneed not experience literal fear. The fear we have is not the emotion of being afraid,but the emotion of being at such peace with God that we have a strong feeling ofrejection of all that could hinder our relationship. We fear to do evil, and we fear tofollow the ways of the world. We fear to do anything that robs us of our peace withGod. This is the kind of healthy fear that maintains our walking in righteousness,and because it does, we have nothing to fear. It is a paradox, for fearing the Lord isthe key to overcoming fear, for there is nothing to fear when you are right with God.Fearing him swallows up all other fears.

2. The second line, “who walk in his ways,” is just another way of saying, “who fearthe Lord.” Walking in his ways is a confirmation that one is fearing the Lord. Onecannot fear the Lord and not walk in his ways, and one would not bother to walk inhis ways if he did not fear the Lord. The reason we keep the commandments of Godis because we love and adore him, and we know his will is for our good. We know itis folly to reject his will, for it would be to our loss. We respect his wisdom and

honor his love by doing what he says, for by walking in his ways we please him, andreap the reward of following the greatest voice in the world for guiding us to findlife’s best. Many write books on how to find happiness, but there is no need for abook, for this one verse is all you need for the ultimate in happiness. Fear the Lordand walk in his ways, and you have achieved the very meaning of life, for the chiefend of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and that end has its beginningright here in this verse.

3. Spurgeon wrote, “The fear of God is the corner stone of all blessedness. We mustreverence the ever blessed God before we can be blessed ourselves. Some think thatthis life is an evil, an infliction, a thing upon which rests a curse; but it is not so; theGod fearing man has a present blessing resting upon him. It is not true that it wouldbe to him" something better not to be." He is happy now, for he is the child of thehappy God, the ever living Jehovah; and he is even here a joint heir with JesusChrist, whose heritage is not misery, but joy. This is true of every one of the Godfearing, of all conditions, in all ages: each one and every one is blessed. Theirblessedness may not always be; seen by carnal reason, but it is always a fact, forGod himself declares that it is so; and we know that those whom he blesses areblessed indeed. Let us cultivate that holy filial fear of Jehovah, which is the essenceof all true religion; -- the fear of reverence, of dread to offend, of anxiety to please,and of entire submission and obedience. This fear of the Lord is the fit fountain ofholy living: we look in vain for holiness apart from it: none but those who fear theLord will ever walk in his ways.”

4. Robert isbet covered the fear of the Lord quite well with these words, “Theirfear is that which the believed revelations given of him in his Word produce. It is thefear which a child feels towards an honored parent, -- a fear to offend: it is thatwhich they who have been rescued from destruction feel to the benefactor whonobly and at the vastest sacrifice interposed for their safety, -- a fear to actunworthily of his kindness: it is that which fills the breast of a pardoned andgrateful rebel in tile presence of a venerated sovereign at whose throne he ispermitted to stand in honor, -- a fear lest he should ever forget his goodness, andgive him cause to regret it. Such is the fear of the Christian now: a fear whichreverence for majesty, gratitude for mercies, dread of displeasure, desire ofapproval, and longing for the fellowship of heaven, inspire; the fear of angels andthe blessed Son; the fear not of sorrow but of love, which shrinks with instinctiverecoil from doing aught that would tend to grieve, or from denying aught that wouldtend to honor. Religion is the grand and the only wisdom; and since the beginning,the middle, and the end of it, is the fear of the Lord, blessed is every man that isswayed by it.”

5. J. M. eale stressed the word all as he wrote, “There is a stress on all ("everyone"), teaching that no disparity of sex or condition, of rank or wealth, affects thedegree of happiness granted by God to every one of his true servants in their severalstations.”

6. Barnes wrote, “This blessedness is seen(1) in their success in life, Psa_128:2;

(2) in a numerous and happy family, Psa_128:3;

(3) in being permitted to see children’s children, Psa_128:6;

(4) in being permitted to see the prosperity of religion - the “good of Jerusalem,”and “peace upon Israel,” Psa_128:5-6.

7. Dr. Joe Temple, “Did you notice that there is a second step? It is necessary for therealization of blessing. I cannot say to you that this second step is necessary for youto be saved. If I did, I would be injecting human element into your salvation. I say toyou that your salvation is due solely to the work of God through His Son in yourbehalf. But for the realization of blessing, this step is absolutely necessary. oticethe last phrase in the verse again, "that walketh in his ways."

The phrase can be translated, "that walketh in God's ways." I would remind youthat this word "ways" is a translation of a Hebrew word which speaks of aprescribed course of action. God has already laid out the course. God has said," ow, you walk along this course. Don't get out of the way! If you get out of theway, I'm going to withhold my blessing." If you get out of the way God cannot blessas He wants to bless. Beloved, if you are going to realize the blessings that are in thispsalm, then you are going to have to trust and obey. There is no other way.”

8. What is the evidence that shows that one does fear the Lord? The following aresome suggested things that will be evident.

a. A marked dread of sin.

b. A preference for fellowship with the godly.

c. A love for God’s Word.

d. Delight in prayer.

e. Attachment to the house of worship.

f. Zeal for God’s honor and glory.

9. Wayne Shih of Riverside Baptist Church in California has these comments andverses: “Jerry Bridges wrote a book called The Joy of Fearing God The Joy ofFearing GodThe Joy of Fearing God The Joy of Fearing GodThe Joy of FearingGod The Joy of Fearing GodThe Joy of Fearing God The Joy of Fearing GodTheJoy of Fearing God . One commentator describes Psalm 128 as “the bliss of fearingGod” (VanGemeren, EBC 5:796). They sound like contradictions in terms, don’tthey? How can you enjoy a relationship with someone you fear?

Some people try to get past this conundrum by defining fear as awe or reverence. Ithink reverential awe is a good definition of the fear of God. If we have experiencedthe forgiveness of God through faith in Christ, we don’t have to cower in terror of

God anymore. As believers we know that God’s judgment has been turned awayfrom us by the death of Jesus. But that doesn’t mean we can be flippant with God.To fear God means we approach his power and majesty and authority with respectand admiration. Having said that, there is still an element of fear involved. Justbecause we substitute the word “awe” for “fear” doesn’t really change the issue,because even the dictionary uses words like “dread” and “fear” to define “awe.”

Some people question if we should talk about our relationship with God in terms offear at all. They say that “perfect love drives out fear,” and so Christians, at least,don’t need to fear God. But listen to what the Bible says about the fear of the Lord:•In Exodus 18:21, when Moses’ father-in-law was advising him to delegate some ofhis responsibility, he said to Moses, “Select capable men from all the people - menwho fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them asofficials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”•In Deuteronomy 6:2, Moses told the people of Israel that he had taught them thecommands of God “so that you, your children and their children after them mayfear the Lord your God as long as you live….”•In Joshua 24:14, after the people had declared they would serve God, Joshua saidto them, “ ow fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.”•In Psalm 34:9, David says, “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear himlack nothing.” Then a couple of verses later, he writes, “Come, my children, listen tome; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (34:11).•Psalm 85:9 says of God, “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that hisglory may dwell in our land.”•Proverbs 9:10 declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, andknowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”•Ecclesiastes 12:13 winds up Solomon’s reflection on the meaninglessness of life inthis way: “ ow all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear Godand keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”•Isaiah 33:6 says that God “will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store ofsalvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to thistreasure.”

9B. Pastor Shih concludes with these verses that make it clear that fear of the Lordmeans obedience to his revealed will. It is far more than a mere feeling of awe andreverence. •In Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Moses said to Israel, “And now, O Israel, what does theLord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, tolove him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, andto observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for yourown good?”•In Deuteronomy 31:12, Moses again said to Israel, “Assemble the people - men,women and children, and the aliens living in your towns - so they can listen andlearn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.”•In 1 Samuel 12:14, the prophet Samuel said to Israel, “If you fear the Lord andserve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and theking who reigns over you follow the Lord your God - good!”

Jerry Bridges shares what he discovered about the fear of God and obedience:When I began studying the fear of God several years ago, the first thing I did wasuse my computer Bible program to print out all the Scripture texts on the subject.Scanning over those several pages of verses I was struck by the frequency withwhich the fear of God is linked to obeying him. More than one-fourth of all theverses on my printout made such a connection.” (The Joy of Fearing God )

10. Steven Cole, “Steven Cole, "If we’re growing in the knowledge of God, we’ll begrowing in the fear of God. To grow in the fear of God means to grow in holinessand to flee from evil. When we’re tempted to sin, even if no one else is watching, wewill remember that God is always watching. Joseph’s brothers had sold him intoslavery in Egypt. He was far from his family, in a pagan land. He was alone in thehouse with a wealthy woman who tried to seduce him. He easily could haverationalized, “I’ll never get a wife here as a slave in Egypt. I have needs. Besides,who will know if I go to bed with her?” But instead, because he feared God who seesinto every bedroom, Joseph replied to her, “How could I do this great evil, and sinagainst God?” (Gen. 39:9). Fearing God will cause us to walk in His ways asrevealed in His Word. II Cor. 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let uscleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in thefear of God.”

11. Warren Wiersbe, “God blesses us in three areas of our life when we truly fearHim. First, He will bless us in our walk. "Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,who walks in His ways" (v. 1). This means that our conduct and our characterbecome holy.

Second, God blesses us in our work. "When you eat the labor of your hands, youshall be happy, and it shall be well with you" (v. 2) Some people are unhappy intheir work. But if we are obedient to God, we are doing His work no matter whatour occupation is and therefore can rejoice in it. When we fear the Lord, we can goto work and be happy.

Third, God blesses us in our homes. "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in thevery heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table" (v.3). This does not mean that everybody is going to have a family, let alone a bigfamily. It does mean that you'll be a blessing to your family. "Behold, thus shall theman be blessed who fears the Lord" (v. 4).”

2. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

1. Each of these lines is saying the same thing, and is an example of how so muchHebrew poetry is parallelism, with one line repeating the first with different wordsto say the same thing. They both are saying that you will be successful in life if youfear the Lord and walk in his ways. Your labor will be fruitful and you will eat well,and you will be prosperous having the good life with all your needs met, and evenmore than you need.

2. Clarke points out that this does not exempt the righteous from labor. They stillhave to work, but God will bless their work and make it fruitful. He has this poeticcomment: “Happy shall you be, and it shall be well with thee, and you will haveprosperity.”

3. Spurgeon is even stronger in stressing that labor is still necessary to qualify forthis blessing. He wrote, “We are not promised a blessing upon romantic idleness orunreasonable dreaming, but upon hard work and honest industry. Though we are inGod's hands we are to be supported by our own hands. He will give us daily bread,but it must be made our own by labor. All kinds of labor are here included; for ifone toils by the sweat of his brow, and another does so by the sweat of his brain,there is no difference in the blessing; save that it is generally more healthy to workwith the body than with the mind only. Without God it would be vain to labor; butwhen we are laborers together with God a promise is set before us. The promise isthat labor shall be fruitful, and that he who performs it shall himself enjoy therecompense of it. It is a grievous ill for a man to slave his life away and receive nofair remuneration for his toil: as a rule, God's servants rise out of such bondage andclaim their own, and receive it: at any rate, this verse may encourage them to do so."The laborer is worthy of his hire." Under the Theocracy the chosen people couldsee this promise literally fulfilled; but when evil rulers oppressed them theirearnings were withheld by churls, and their harvests were snatched away from themby marauders. Had they walked in the fear of the Lord they would never haveknown such great evils.”

4. Martin Luther also stresses the need for labor on our part. He wrote, “This mustthey learn also which are married, that they must labour. For the law of naturerequireth that the husband should sustain and nourish his wife and his children. Forafter that man and wife do know that they ought to fear God their Creator, who notonly made them, but gave his blessing also unto his creature; this secondly mustthey know, that something they must do that they consume not their days in easeand idleness.”

5. Hugh Macmillan, in "The Ministry of ature" has these words dealing with thisverse: “Men have dreamed fascinating dreams of removing the disabilities andlimitations of the world and the evils of life, without sorrow. Poets have picturedearthly paradises, where life would be one long festival, -- "Summer isles of Edenlying in dark purple spheres of sea." But vain are all such dreams and longings.They are of human, not of Divine origin, and spring from a root of selfishness and

not of holiness. They cannot be realized in a fallen world, full of sorrow because fullof sin. All blessings in man's economy are got from pains. Happiness is the flowerthat grows from a thorn of sorrow transformed by man's cultivation. The beautifulmyth which placed the golden apples of the Hesperides in a garden guarded bydragons, is an allegory illustrative of the great human fact that not till we have slainthe dragons of selfishness and sloth can we obtain any of the golden successes of life.Supposing it were possible that we could obtain the objects of our desire withoutany toil or trouble, we should not enjoy them. To benefit us really, they must be thegrowths of our own self-denial and labor. And this is the great lesson,which themiracles of our Lord, wrought in the manner in which they were, unfolded. Theyteach us that, in both temporal and spiritual things, we should not so throwourselves upon the providence or grace of God as to neglect the part we haveourselves to act

Labor, the symbol of man's punishment;Labor, the secret of man's happiness.

6. Dr. Joe Temple commenting on a translation that uses the word happy in thisverse wrote, “Let me define that word "happy" for you. It is a translation of aHebrew word which is translated by our English word "straight," and by ourEnglish word "level." I want to emphasize that because usually we think abouthappiness being related to joy and to silliness, but this word is a deeper word thanthat. When you are in right relationship to God, then you are walking on a levelground Everything is right. What am I saying to you? I am simply saying, Beloved,like the psalmists says, "When a man's ways please the Lord, he causes even hisenemies to be at peace with him." You may say that you don't believe that, becauseit isn't true in your life. Before I would disannul the Word of God, I would find outwhat was wrong in my life. The Bible says that when a man's ways please the Lord,He takes care of everything else. This is what I am speaking of. When you are inright relationship to the Lord, your very personality is affected by your relationship.If you are not in right relationship, it affects your personality.” “The word "well"is a translation of a word which speaks of beauty, of gladness. It is amazing, isn't it?I have been out of fellowship with the Lord, and I know what I'm talking about. It isamazing how different things look when you get back into fellowship with the Lord.It is amazing how happy you can be when you are in fellowship and how unhappyyou can be when you are out of fellowship.”

3. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots

around your table.

1. It is assumed that all men are married, for there is no mention anywhere in theOld Testament that there is such a thing as a bachelor. Jewish boys married earlyaround eighteen years of age. Those who feared the Lord and walked in his wayswere promised to have the ideal family, with a wife that could bear children as easilyas a vine could produce grapes, and with children springing up like olive shoots allaround him. This is the Old Testament picture of happy ever after. To have afruitful wife with the results of her fruitfulness in a large family was the nearestthing to heaven on earth. It was every man’s dream.

2. Henry, “That they shall have abundance of comfort in their family-relations. As awife and children are very much a man's care, so, if by the grace of God they aresuch as they should be, they are very much a man's delight, as much as anycreature-comfort. (1.) The wife shall be as a vine by the sides of the house, not only asa spreading vine which serves for an ornament, but as a fruitful vine which is forprofit, and with the fruit whereof both God and man are honored, Jdg_9:13. Thevine is a weak and tender plant, and needs to be supported and cherished, but it is avery valuable plant, and some think (because all the products of it were prohibitedto the azarites) it was the tree of knowledge itself. The wife's place is the husband'shouse; there her business lies, and that is her castle. Where is Sarah thy wife?Behold, in the tent; where should she be else? Her place is by the sides of the house,not under-foot to be trampled on, nor yet upon the house-top to domineer (if she beso, she is but as the grass upon the house-top, in the next psalm), but on the side ofthe house, being a rib out of the side of the man. She shall be a loving wife, as thevine, which cleaves to the house-side, an obedient wife, as the vine, which is pliable,and grows as it is directed. She shall be fruitful as the vine, not only in children, butin the fruits of wisdom, and righteousness, and good management, the branches ofwhich run over the wall (Gen_49:22; Psa_80:11), like a fruitful vine, not cumberingthe ground, nor bringing forth sour grapes, or grapes of Sodom, but good fruit. (2.)The children shall be as olive plants, likely in time to be olive-trees, and, though wildby nature, yet grafted into the good olive, and partaking of its root and fatness,Rom_11:17. It is pleasant to parents who have a table spread, though but withordinary fare, to see their children round about it, to have many children, enough tosurround it, and those with them, and not scattered, or the parents forced fromthem. Job makes it one of the first instances of his former prosperity that hischildren were about him, Job_29:5. Parents love to have their children at table, tokeep up the pleasantness of the table-talk, to have them in health, craving food andnot physic, to have them like olive-plants, straight and green, sucking in the sap oftheir good education, and likely in due time to be serviceable.

3. That they shall have those things which God has promised and which theypray for: The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, where the ark of the covenant was,and where the pious Israelites attended with their devotions. Blessings out of Zion

are the best-blessings, which flow, not from common providence, but from specialgrace, Psa_20:2.

4. That they shall live long, to enjoy the comforts of the rising generations: “Thoushalt see thy children's children, as Joseph, Gen_50:23. Thy family shall be built upand continued, and thou shalt have the pleasure of seeing it.” Children's children, ifthey be good children, are the crown of old men (Pro_17:6), who are apt to be fond oftheir grandchildren.

5. That they shall see the welfare of God's church, and the land of their nativity,which every man who fears God is no less concerned for than for the prosperity ofhis own family. “Thou shalt be blessed in Zion's blessing, and wilt think thyself so.Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem as long as thou shalt live, though thoushouldest live long, and shalt not have thy private comforts allayed and embitteredby public troubles.” A good man can have little comfort in seeing his children'schildren, unless withal he see peace upon Israel, and have hopes of transmitting theentail of religion pure and entire to those that shall come after him, for that is thebest inheritance.”

3. Calvin, “Here again it is promised, as in the preceding Psalm, that God will makethose who honor him fruitful in a numerous offspring. The majority of mankindindeed desire to have issue, and this desire may be said to be implanted in them bynature; but many, when they have obtained children, soon become cloyed therewith.Again it is often more grateful to want children than to leave a number of them hicircumstances of destitution. But although the world is carried away by irregulardesires after various objects, between which it is perpetually fluctuating in itschoice, God gives this his own blessing, the preference to all riches, and therefore weought to hold it in high estimation. If a man has a wife of amiable manners as thecompanion of his life, let him set no less value upon this blessing than Solomon did,who, in Proverbs 19:14, affirms that it is God alone who gives a good wife. In likemanner, if a man be a father of a numerous offspring, let him receive that goodlyboon with a thankful heart. If it is objected that the Prophet in speaking thus,detains the faithful on the earth by the allurements of the flesh, and hinders themfrom aspiring towards heaven with free and unencumbered minds, I answer, that itis not surprising to find him offering to the Jews under the law a taste of God'sgrace and paternal favor, when we consider that they were like children. He has,however, so tempered, or mixed it, as that by it; they might rise in theircontemplations to the heavenly life. Even at the present day God, though in a moresparing manner, testifies his favor by temporal benefits, agreeably to that passage inPaul's first Epistle to Timothy just now quoted, (1 Timothy 4:8,) "Godliness isprofitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which isto come."

But by this he does not cast any hindrance or impediment in our way to keep usfrom elevating our minds to heaven, but ladders are by this means rather erected toenable us to mount up thither step by step. The Prophet, therefore, very properlyreminds the faithful that they already receive some fruit of their integrity, whenGod gives them their food, makes them happy in their wives and children, and

condescends to take care of their life. But his design in commending the presentgoodness of God is to animate them to hasten forward with alacrity on the pathwhich leads to their eternal inheritance. If the earthly felicity described in thisPsalm may not always be the lot of the godly, but should it sometimes happen thattheir wife is a termagant, or proud, or of depraved morals, or that their children aredissolute and vagabonds, and even bring disgrace upon their father's house, letthem know that their being deprived of God's blessing is owing to their havingrepulsed it by their own fault. And surely if each duly considers his own vices he willacknowledge that God's earthly benefits have been justly withheld from him.”

4. "The tables of the Jews, as we may hence (and from 1 Samuel 16:11) infer, wereround: they had sobs (Ezekiel 23:41) placed about them, on which (Genesis 27:19;Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 2:5, 24, 25; 1 Kings 13:20) they sat, excepting at the Paschalfeast." -- Cresswell. In the Illustrated Commentary upon the Bible, the writer onthis passage objects to the common reading -- Fruitful vine by the sides of thinehouse. olive-plants round about thy table. "We do not remember," says he, "to havemet with a single instance in the East of vines trained against the walls of a house, orof olives near or about a house. either have we read of such instances. The passagedoubtless derives its figures from the fertility of the vine, and from the appearanceof the olive, or the order in which olive-trees are planted." He accordingly proposesthe following construction -- "Thy wife, on the sides (interior apartments) of thyhouse, shall be as the fruitful vine; and thy children, round about thy table, likeolive-plants."

5. Barnes, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house - It is notuncommon in the East, as elsewhere, to train a vine along the sides of a house -partly to save ground; partly because it is a good exposure for fruit; partly as anornament; and partly to protect it from thieves. Such a vine, in its beauty, and in theabundant clusters upon it, becomes a beautiful emblem of the mother of a numeroushousehold. One of the blessings most desired and most valued in the East was anumerous posterity, and this, in the case of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was amongthe chief blessings which God promised to them - a posterity that should resemble innumber the sands of the sea or the stars of heaven. Compare Gen_15:5; Gen_22:17;Gen_32:12. These two things - the right to the avails of one’s labor Psa_128:2, and anumerous family - are the blessings which are first specified as constituting thehappiness of a pious household.

Thy children like olive plants round about thy table - Compare the notes atPsa_52:8. Beautiful; producing abundance; sending up young plants to take theplace of the old when they decay and die. The following extract and preceding cutfrom “The land and Book,” vol. i., pp. 76, 77, will furnish a good illustration of thispassage: “To what particular circumstance does David refer in the 128th Psalm,where he says, Thy children shall be like oliveplants round about thy table? Followme into the grove, and I will show you what may have suggested the comparison.Here we have lilt upon a beautiful illustration. This aged and decayed tree issurrounded, as you see, by several young and thrifty shoots, which spring from theroot of the venerable parent. They seem to uphold, protect, and embrace it. We may

even fancy that they now bear that lead of fruit which would otherwise bedemanded of the feeble parent. Thus do good and affectionate children gatherround the table of the righteous. Each contributes something to the common wealthand welfare of the whole - a beautiful sight, with which may God refresh the eyes ofevery friend of mine.”

6. Clarke, “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine - Thy children, in every corner andapartment of thy house, shall be the evidences of the fruitfulness of thy wife, asbunches of grapes on every bough of the vine are the proofs of its being in a healthythriving state. Being about the house sides, or apartments, is spoken of the wife, notthe vine; being around the table is spoken of the children, not of the olive-plants. Itdoes not appear that there were any vines planted against the walls of the houses inJerusalem, nor any olive-trees in pots or tubs in the inside of their houses; as may befound in different parts of Europe.”

7. Gill, “The vine being a weak and tender tree, which needs propping andsupporting; and often is fastened to the sides of a house, to which the allusion hereis; whereunto it cleaves, and on which it runs up, and bears very agreeable fruit; itis properly used to express the weakness and tenderness of the female sex, theirfruitfulness in bearing children, and their care of domestic affairs, being keepers athome; see 1Pe_3:7. Kimchi observes, that the vine is the only tree men plant withindoors; which, when it is grown up, they bring out at a hole or window of the housewithout, to have the sun and air; and so its root is within the house, and thebranches without: and he observes, that a modest woman is within the house, anddoes not go without, and is only seen by her husband; but her children, like thebranches of the vine, go out to work. This may be applied to Christ and his church;to him the other characters agree: he, as man, is one that feared the Lord; the graceof fear was in him; the spirit of fear rested on him; and he was in the exercise of it,and walked in all the ways of the Lord, Isa_11:1; he now sees and enjoys the travailor labour of his soul to satisfaction, and is made most blessed for evermore,Isa_53:11. The church is the bride, the Lamb's wife, the spouse of Christ; and maybe compared to a vine for her weakness in herself, her fruitfulness in grace and goodworks, and in bringing forth souls to Christ, through the ministry of the word; allwhich is pleasant and grateful to him; see Psa_80:14;

thy children like olive plants round about thy table; a numerous offspring wasalways accounted a very great blessing; and it must be very pleasant to a parent tosee his children round about his table, placed in their proper order according totheir age, partaking of what it is furnished with: Job, in his time of prosperity, hadmany children; and, next to the presence of the Almighty with him, he mentions thisof his children being about him; see Job_1:2. This may be applied to the spiritualseed and offspring of Christ, which are like to olive trees or olive plants; to whichDavid is compared, Psa_52:8; the two anointed ones in Zec_4:11; the two witnessesin Rev_11:4; and all true believers in Christ may; because of their excellency, thesebeing choice plants; because of their fruitfulness and beauty; because of theirfatness, and having oil in them; and because of their perpetuity, being ever green;

see Jer_11:16. ow Christ has a table, which he has well furnished, at which hehimself sits, and places these his children all around; and whom he welcomes to theentertainment he makes, and takes delight and pleasure in them, Son_1:12. Kimchiobserves, the olive trees do not admit of a graft from other trees; see Rom_11:24;and so this denotes the legitimacy of those children, being free from all suspicion ofbeing spurious, being born of such a wife as before described; and being green andmoist all the year long, denotes their continuance in good works.”

8. Spurgeon, “Thy wife. To reach the full of earthly felicity a man must not be alone.A helpmeet was needed in Paradise, and assuredly she is not less necessary out of it.He that findeth a wife findeth a good thing. It is not every man that feareth the Loadwho has a wife; but if he has, she shall share in his blessedness and increase it.

Shall be as a fruitful vine. To complete domestic bliss children are sent. They comeas the lawful fruit of marriage, even as clusters appear upon the vine. For the grapesthe vine was planted; for children was the wife provided. It is generally well withany creature when it fulfils its purpose, and it is so far well with married peoplewhen the great design of their union is brought about. They must not look uponfruitfulness as a burden, but as a blessing. Good wives are also fruitful in kindness,thrift, helpfulness, and affection: if they bear no children, they are by no meansbarren if they yield us the wine of consolation and the clusters of comfort. Trulyblessed is the man whose wife is fruitful in those good works which are suitable toher near and dear position.

By the sides of thine house. She keeps to the house: she is a home bird. Someimagine that she is like a vine which is nailed up to the house wall; but they have nosuch custom in Palestine, neither is it pleasant to think of a wife as growing up by awall, and as bound to the very bricks and mortar of her husband's dwelling. o, sheis a fruitful vine, and a faithful housekeeper; if you wish to find her, she is within thehouse: she is to be found both inside and outside the home, but her chief usefulnessis in the inner side of the dwelling, which she adorns. Eastern houses usually have anopen square in the centre, and the various rooms are ranged around the sides, --there shall the wife be found, busy in one room or another, as the hour of the daydemands. She keeps at home, and so keeps the home. It is her husband's house, andshe is her husband's; us the text puts it -- "thy wife", and "thy house"; but by herloving care her husband is made so happy that he is glad to own her as an equalproprietor with himself, for he is hers, and the house is hers too.

Thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Hundreds of times have I seenthe young olive plants springing up around the parent stem, and it has always mademc think of this verse. The Psalmist never intended to suggest the idea of oliveplants round a table, but of young people springing up around their parents, even asolive plants surround the fine, well rooted tree. The figure is very striking, andwould be sure to present itself to the mind of every observer in the olive country.How beautiful to see the gnarled olive, still bearing abundant fruit, surrounded witha little band of sturdy successors, any one of which would be able to take its place

should the central olive be blown down, or removed in any other way. The notion ofa table in a bower may suit a cockney in a tea garden, but would never occur to anoriental poet; it is not the olive plants, but the children, that are round about thetable. Moreover, note that it is not olive branches, but plants, -- a very differentthing. Our children gather around our table to be fed, and this involves expenses:how much better is this than to see them pining upon beds of sickness, unable tocome for their meals! What a blessing to have sufficient to put upon the table! Letus for this benefit praise the bounty of the Lord. The wife is busy all over the house,but the youngsters are busiest at meal times; and if the blessing of the Lord restupon the family, no sight can be more delightful. Here we have the vine and theolive blended -- joy from the fruitful wife, and solid comfort from the growingfamily; these are the choicest products earth can yield: our families are gardens ofthe Lord. It may help us to value the privileges of our home if we consider where weshould be if they were withdrawn. What if the dear partner of our life were removedfrom the sides of our house to the recesses of the sepulchre? What is the trouble ofchildren compared with the sorrow of their loss? Think, dear father, what would beyour grief if you had to cry with Job, "Oh that I were as in months past, as in thedays when God preserved me; when my children were about me."

9. “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, etc. The comparison would perhaps bebrought out more clearly by arranging the verse as follows: --

"Thy wife shall be in the inner part of thy houseLike a fruitful vine;Thy children round about thy tableLike the shoots of the olive."

In the inner part, literally, "the sides of thy house", as in Amos 6:10, i.e., thewomen's apartments, as marking the proper sphere of the wife engaged in herdomestic duties, and also to some extent her seclusion, though this was far lessamongst the Jews than amongst other Orientals. The "vine" is an emblem chiefly offruitfulness, but perhaps also of dependence, as needing support; the "olive", ofvigorous, healthy, joyous life. The same figure is employed by Euripides, Herc. Fur.,839. Med. 109S. -- J. J. Stewart Perowne.

10. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house. The wife is likenednot to thorns or briers, nor even to oaks or to other fruits and trees, but to the vine;and also to a vine neither in a vineyard nor in a garden, but set by the walls of thehouse; also not barren, but fertile and fruit bearing. This admonishes husbands aswell as wives of their duties. For as the walls support the vine, and defend it againstthe force of winds and tempests, so ought husbands, as far as is in their power, todefend their wives by their godly conversation and wholesome teachings andinstitutions against the pestilential wind of the old serpent; also against the injuriesof evil disposed men. "He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yethated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the

Church": Ephesians 5:28-29.

Further, the vine is exceedingly fragile wood, and not meet for any work, Ezekiel15:4. Husbands, therefore, should remember that they ought to behave towardstheir wives patiently and prudently, as with the weaker vessel; not keeping in mindthe fragility of the wood, but the abundance and sweetness of the fruit. If husbandsobserve this, that will happen to them which Scripture says concerning the peacefultime of Solomon, "And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine andunder his fig tree": 1 Kings 4:25 . Such was the married life of Abraham with Sarah,Isaac with Rebecca, Jacob with, Leah and Rachel. --Solomon Gesner.

11. “As it is visible that the good man's sons being "like olive plants round about his

table", means not that they should be like the olive plants which grew round histable, it being, I presume, a thought in Bishop Patrick that will not be defended, thatthe Psalmist refers to a table spread in an arbour composed of young olive trees, forwe find no such arbours in the Levant, nor is the tree very proper for such apurpose; so in like manner the first clause must signify, thy wife shall be in the sides,or private apartments, of thy house, fruitful as a thriving vine: the place herementioned (the sides of the house) referring to the wife, not to the vine; as the other(the table) refers to the children, not to the olives. or is this a new thought, it is aremark that Musculus and other interpreters have made. The Hebrew word,translated sides, is very well known to signify the more private apartments of ahouse, as they have also remarked; and he that reads Dr. Shaw's description of anEastern house, must immediately see the propriety of calling the private apartmentsits sides. Such a house consists of a square court, which the doctor observes, is calledthe midst of the house: and private apartments round it, which may as properly becalled its sides in consequence: into this middle of the house, or this quadrangle,company, he tells us, are sometimes received, in which other authors tell us theirwives remain concealed at such times. --Thomas Harmer, 1719-1788.

12. “Thy children like olive plants, etc. Follow me into the grove, and I will show youwhat may have suggested the comparison. Here we have hit upon a beautifulillustration. This aged and decayed tree is surrounded, as you see, by several youngand thrifty shoots, which spring from the root of the venerable parent. They seem touphold, protect, and embrace it, we may even fancy that they now bear that load offruit which would otherwise be demanded of the feeble parent. Thus do good andaffectionate children gather round the table of the righteous. Each contributessomething to the common wealth and welfare of the whole -- a beautiful sight, withwhich may God refresh the eyes of every friend of mine. --W. M. Thomson.

13. Pastor Tae Shin “-think about this: of all the images that God could haveused….-God could have used hundreds of other imageries to describe the woman, but Hechose the vine

-of all the images God could have used to say that the man is happy because of her…God uses the vine-it must have been a very special image for God to use it -to us, it may not mean much -but to the original readers, it meant a lot-and so, we need to put our selves into THAT situation and try to understand thebeauty and significance of the image of a vine

-the vine was a symbol of luxury -of living the good life-it was not a symbol of basic living….that would be wheat or corn -food that keep us alive -Grapes were not that kind of food -they did not eat grapes to stay alive -they ate grapes to enjoy life

-it would be like caviar today -if God said: your wife is like caviar -when life is good, people back then had grapevines-when God wanted to make the promised land look good, he called it a land filledwith vines-God said in Deut. 8:7-87 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land-- a land with streamsand pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills;8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil andhoney;

-and in that promised land…during the golden years of King Solomon -when life was good -the writer of 1 Kings looks back to that time saying… -1 Kings 4:2525 During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived insafety, each man under his own vine…-and even during the rotten time of the divided kingdom, the vine was still a luxuryitem-When the king of Assyria tried to entice Israel to submit to his reign, he promisedthat each one of them would have his own vineIsa.36:16"Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace withme and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and figtree and drink water from his own cistern, -in other words, life is going to be good…you got a vine-and finally….. (though there are many more examples…)-When God wanted to express His special relationship to Israel, He called her His

vine -cf. Jer. 2:21 I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliablestock….

-and so, to say that the wife is a vine….that was something special -it was a very high compliment -it was a powerful statement that God is being good to you -hey, you got yourself a vine!”

4. Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.

1. Calvin, “The preceding doctrine, that even in the outward condition of God'sservants while in this transitory state there is afforded such evidence of the divinefavor and goodness as demonstrates that we do not lose our labor in serving him, ishere confirmed by the Prophet. Yet as the reward of godliness does not appeareminently conspicuous, he, in the first place, uses the demonstrative particle, Lo!1and then adds surely; for so I interpret the particle yk, ki. We must, however,always remember, as I have previously noticed, that the divine blessing is promisedto us upon earth in such a way as that it may not engross our thoughts and keepthem grovelling in the dust; for it is not meet that our hope of the life to come shouldbe stifled. This is the reason why we do not at all times equally enjoy the benefits ofGod.”

2. Barnes, “Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed ... - As if he had said, “Lookupon this picture. See the farmer cultivating his fields; see him gathering in thegrain; see him at his own table calmly, quietly, and gratefully enjoying the fruit ofhis toil. Look upon that picture of a happy family - numerous, cheerful, beloved -giving promise of upholding the name of the family in future years - and see all thisas coming from the Lord - and you have an illustration of the blessedness whichfollows a religious life.”

3. Clarke, “Thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord - A great price for asmall consideration. Fear God, and thou shalt have as much domestic good as maybe useful to thee.”

4. Gill, “In the manner before described, and in the instances already given, as wellas in the following; this is said to raise attention, and fix a sense of the blessedness ofsuch persons; and who are further addressed, and pronounced happy, in the nextverses.

5. Keil, “Pointing back to this charming picture of family life, the poet goes on tosay: behold, for thus = behold, thus is the man actually blessed who fears Jahve. ּכיconfirms the reality of the matter of fact to which the הּנה points. The promissoryfuture in Psa_128:5 is followed by imperatives which call upon the God-fearing manat once to do that which, in accordance with the promises, stands before him ascertain. מצּיון as in Psa_134:3; Psa_20:3. ּבנים לבניך instead of ּבני בניך gives a designedindefiniteness to the first member of the combination. Every blessing the individualenjoys comes from the God of salvation, who has taken up His abode in Zion, and isperfected in participation in the prosperity of the holy city and of the whole church,of which it is the centre. A ew Testament song would here open up the prospect ofthe heavenly Jerusalem. But the character of limitation to this present world that isstamped upon the Old Testament does not admit of this. The promise refers only toa present participation in the well-being of Jerusalem (Zec_8:15) and to long lifeprolonged in one's children's children; and in this sense calls down intercessorilypeace upon Israel in all its members, and in all places and all ages.”

6. Spurgeon, “Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.Mark this. Put a ota Bene against it, for it is worthy of observation. It is not to beinferred that all blessed men are married, and are fathers; but that this is the way inwhich the Lord favors godly people who are placed in domestic life. He makes theirrelationships happy and profitable. In this fashion does Jehovah bless God fearinghouseholds, for he is the God of all the families of Israel. We have seen this blessingscores of times, and we have never ceased to admire in domestic peace the sweetestof human felicity. Family blessedness comes from the Lord, and is a part of his planfor the preservation of a godly race, and for the maintenance of his worship in theland. To the Lord alone we must look for it. The possession of riches will not ensureit; the choice of a healthy and beautiful bride will not ensure it; the birth ofnumerous comely children will not ensure it: there must be the blessing of God, theinfluence of piety, the result of holy living.”

7. As Haman caused it to be proclaimed (Esther 6:9), "Thus shall it be done to theman whom the king delighteth to honor"; so here, Behold, that thus shall the manbe blessed that feareth the Lord. He shall be blessed in his wife, and blessed in hischildren; so blessed in both that the Psalmist calls all to behold it, as a rare,beautiful, yea, wonderful sight: "Behold, thus shall the man be blessed." And yet theman fearing God shall be blessed more than thus: his blessing shall come in the bestway (Psalms 128:5): "The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion"; his temporal merciesshall come in a spiritual way, yea, he shall have spiritual blessings: "He shall blessthee out of Zion"; and he shall have blessings beyond his own walls: "Thou shalt seethe good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children'schildren, and peace upon Israel." Sometimes a good man can take no content in hisfamily mercies because of the church's afflictions; he "prefers Jerusalem above hischief joy" (Psalms 137:6), and while that is mourning he cannot but be sorrowing,though his own house be full of joy. Sometimes a man's own family is so afflicted,

and his house so full of sorrow, that he cannot but mourn, even when Jerusalemrejoiceth and Zion is glad. But when a good man looks home to his own house andsees good there; when also he looks abroad to Jerusalem and sees good there too,how full is his joy! how complete is his blessedness! and, "Behold, thus the man isblessed that feareth the Lord." --Joseph Caryl.

5. May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

1. Calvin, “Jehovah shall bless thee from Zion. Some, would have this sentence to bea prayer, and therefore they resolve the future tense into the optative mood. But itseems rather to be a continued statement of the same doctrine previously dwelt on,the Prophet now expressing more plainly that the benefits which he has recountedare to be ascribed to God as their author. Although the gifts of God often presentthemselves before our eyes, yet through the obscurity which false imaginationsthrow around them our perception of them is dim and imperfect. Hence thisrepetition of the sentiment, That whenever true believers meet with any prosperousevents in the course of their life, it is the effect of the divine blessing, is not to bedeemed superfluous. The persons described are said to be blessed from Zion, to leadthem to call to remembrance the covenant into which God had entered with them,for he had graciously promised to be favorable to the observers of his law; and theseprinciples of godliness they had imbibed from their infancy. The Prophet, therefore,declares that it is no novel doctrine or something before unheard of which headduces, the law having long ago taught them that it is made manifest even by thetemporary benefits conferred on those who serve God, that the pains taken inserving him are not thrown away; and he affirms that of this they shall actuallyhave the experience. What is added concerning the good of Jerusalem is to beregarded as en-joining upon the godly the duty not only of seeking their ownindividual welfare, or of being devoted to their own peculiar interests, but rather ofhaving it as chief desire to see the Church of God in a flourishing condition. It wouldbe a very unreasonable thing for each member to desire what may be profitable foritself, while in the meantime the body was neglected. From our extreme proneness toerr in that respect, the Prophet, with good reason, recommends solicitude about thepublic welfare; and he mingles together domestic blessings and the common benefitsof the Church in such a way as to show us that they are things joined together, andwhich it is unlawful to put asunder.”

2. Barnes, “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion - Will not merely bless thee in the

field and in the house, but will add blessings that seem to come more directly out ofZion, or that seem to be more directly connected with religion: shall bless thee withreligious influences in thine own family; shall bless thee by permitting thee to see thegrowth of the church and the conversion of souls.

And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem - The prosperity, the happiness ofJerusalem: that is, the good of the church; the advancement of pure religion. TheHebrew might be rendered, “And look thou upon the good of Jerusalem” - in theimperative; and, thus rendered, it would be a command to regard, in thesecircumstances, the welfare of Jerusalem, or the prosperity of the church; but thelanguage will also admit of the other construction, and the connection seems torequire it. Thus understood, it is a promise that he who is referred to would bepermitted to enjoy a view of the continual prosperity of religion in the world.

All the days of thy life - To the very close of life. o higher blessing could bepromised to a pious man than that he should see religion always prospering; thatthe last view which he would have of the world should be the rapid advances ofreligion; that he should die in a revival of religion.”

3. Clarke, “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion - In all thy approaches to him inhis house by prayer, by sacrifice, and by offering, thou shalt have his especialblessing. Thou shalt thrive every where, and in all things.

And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem - Thou shalt see the cause of God flourishin thy lifetime, and his Church in great prosperity.”

4. Gill, “The church of God, where he dwells, out of which he shines, even the Wordof the Lord, as the Targum in the king's Bible; and where he commands hisblessings of grace to descend on his people, even life for evermore, Psa_133:3. Herehe blesses them with his word and ordinances, which are the goodness and fatness ofhis house, and with his presence in them; so that the man that fears God is blessed,not only in his person, and in his family, but in the house of God; see Psa_118:26;

and thou shall see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life; the goodness of Godin Jerusalem, which is another name for the church of God; the beauty of the Lordin his house and ordinances; his power and his glory in the sanctuary: or should seethe church of God in prosperous circumstances all his days; true religion flourish,the power of godliness in the professors of it; the word and ordinances blessed to theedification of saints, and many sinners converted and gathered in. This may beapplied to Christ, Isa_53:11.”

5. Spurgeon, “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion. A spiritual blessing shall bereceived by the gracious man, and this shall crown all his temporal mercies. He isone among the many who make up God's inheritance; his tent is part and parcel ofthe encampment around the tabernacle; and therefore, when the benediction ispronounced at the centre it shall radiate to him ill his place. The blessing of thehouse of God shall be upon his house. The priestly benediction which is recorded in

umbers 6:24-26, runs thus: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord makehis face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenanceupon thee, and give thee peace." This is it which shall come upon the head of theGod fearing man. Zion was the centre of blessing, and to it the people looked whenthey sought for mercy: from the altar of sacrifice, from the mercy seat, from theShekinah light, yea, from Jehovah himself, the blessing shall come to each one of hisholy people. And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Heshall have a patriot's joy as well as a patriarch's peace. God shall give him to see hiscountry prosper, and its metropolitan city flourish. When tent mercies are followedby temple mercies, and these are attended by national mercies, -- the man, theworshiper, the patriot is trebly favored of the Lord. This favour is to be permanentthroughout the good man's life, and that life is to be a long one, for he is to see hissons' sons. Many a time does true religion bring such blessings to men; and whenthese good things are denied them, they have a greater reward as a compensation.”

6. Mike Hamby, “Oscar Stohler is an 83-year-old man and lifelong resident of orthDakota. He is a man that many Americans would envy today. He had ranched inwestern orth Dakota for seven decades and made a modest living. But thatchanged last year when he agreed for his property to be drilled for oil. Mr. Stohlerand his wife became millionaires over night! There are now three oilrigs on theirproperty and this is a story that is being repeated in orth Dakota by dozens offamilies.

Don’t you like that story? Don’t you wish it were you? Does it make you want toexplore your backyard? I can imagine that most Americans are green with envy ofthe Stohlers and others like them. But Psalm 128 promises a treasure far greaterthan striking it rich with oil. Psalm 128 promises far greater happiness for theperson who discovers the riches of God.

Verse 5 says, The Lord bless you! Jehovah is the One Who exists and He is afountain of blessing. An oil reservoir in your back would provide material richesperhaps enough to set you up for life, but would that make you truly happy? Howmany have become rich with money and miserable of soul? Psalm 128 teaches thatJehovah is a reservoir of blessings that far outweigh money. The Lord God is asource of happiness that never runs dry. The Lord promises not to make your liferich with money, but to make your soul rich with joy and happiness in Him.”

6. and may you live to see your children'schildren. Peace be upon Israel.

1. Barnes, “Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children - This is a continuation of theidea of blessedness as connected with a numerous posterity - an object of so muchinterest to the Hebrews (see the notes at Psa_128:3), and having its foundation inour nature.

And peace upon Israel - See Psa_125:5. As the crowning blessing; a blessing abovethat of success in worldly affairs; above that of seeing a numerous and happyposterity. The love of God is the supreme affection in the mind of a pious man; thedesire that his cause may prosper and triumph is to him a supreme desire. Man istruly and completely blessed only in religion.”

2. Clarke, “Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children - Thou shall not die till thouhave seen thy family all settled in the world, and those of them who may be marriedblessed with children.

And peace upon Israel - This is the same conclusion as in Psa_125:1-5; and shouldbe translated, Peace be upon Israel! May God favor his own cause, and bless all hispeople!

3. Gill, “A numerous race of descendants from him, which are the crown and gloryof old men, Pro_17:6; this is also true of Christ's spiritual children by his church insuccessive ages, Isa_59:21;

and peace upon Israel: all kind of prosperity, temporal and spiritual; peace, andabundance of it; as will be in the latter day, in the spiritual reign of Christ,Psa_72:8. It may be considered as a wish or prayer, with which the psalm isconcluded; let "peace be upon Israel" (a), as in Psa_125:5; see Gal_6:16.

4. Spurgeon, “Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children. This is a great pleasure.Men live their young lives over again in their grandchildren. Does not Solomon saythat "children's children are the crown of old men?" So they are. The good man isglad that a pious stock is likely to be continued; he rejoices in the belief that otherhomes as happy as his own will be built up wherein altars to the glory of God shallsmoke with the morning and evening sacrifice. This promise implies long life, andthat life rendered happy by its being continued in our offspring. It is one token ofthe immortality of man that he derives joy from extending his life in the lives of hisdescendants.

And peace upon Israel. With this sweet word Psalm 126 was closed. It is a favouriteformula. Let God's own heritage be at peace, and we are all glad of it. We count itour own prosperity for the chosen of the Lord to find rest and quiet. Jacob wassorely tossed about; his life knew little of peace; but yet the Lord delivered him outof all his tribulations, and brought him to a place of rest in Goshen for a while, andafterwards to sleep with his fathers in the cave of Machpelah. His glorious Seed wasgrievously afflicted and at last crucified; but he has risen to eternal peace, and in his

peace we dwell. Israel's spiritual descendants still share his chequered conditions,but there remains a rest for them also, and they shall have peace from the God ofpeace. Israel was a praying petitioner in the days of his wrestling, but he became aprevailing prince, and therein his soul found peace. Yes, all around it is true --"Peace upon Israel! Peace upon Israel."

5. “Lord, let thy blessing so accompany my endeavours in their offspring, that all mysons may be Benaiahs, the Lord's building, and then they will all be Abners, theirfather's light; and that all my daughters may be Bethins, the Lord's daughters, andthen they will all be Abigails, their father's joy.” --George Swinnock.

6. Religion is as favourable for long life as for happiness. She promotes long life bydestroying those evils, the tendency of which is to limit the duration of humanexistence. War sweeps millions into a premature grace. Men live longer in Christianthan in heathen countries. They live longer in Protestant than in Roman Catholiccountries. The direct effect of true religion is to increase the period of human life."Length of days is in her right hand." -- . M' Michael.

7. Connecting this with the next Psalm we find the following in a famous Scotch

divine: -- "Peace upon Israel." The great blessing of peace, which the Lord bathpromised to his people even in this life, (for where the Lord gives mercy to any, hegives them peace also, peace and grace are inseparably joined together), this peace, Isay, does not consist in this, that the people of God shall have no enemies; no, forthere is an immortal and endless enmity against them. either does their peaceconsist in this, that their enemies shall not assault them; neither does it consist inthis, that their enemies shall not molest or afflict them. We do but deceive ourselvesif so be that we imagine, so long as we are in this our pilgrimage, and in our warfarehere, if we promise to ourselves a peace of this kind; for while we live in this world,we shall still have enemies, and these enemies shall assault us, and persecute andafflict us." --Alexander Henderson.

8. Frank L. Hoffman, "These verses are telling us that part of the reward for livinga life of peace with a pure heart is that our families will reflect that type of life. Inessence, we reap the benefits of a Godly and peaceful home life, because that is theexample we set for the rest of the family. And husbands and wives have veryinteresting little ways of encouraging each other to do what is right, if that is also thedesire of their own hearts. And when parents set the example for their children,most often their children will follow that example. And in turn, the whole family willbe peaceful. The same conditions also apply to the greater families: the churchfamily and the community that surrounds the church. The nation of Israel was likeone of these large families. They were the descendants of Jacob (Israel)."

9. Steven Cole wrote something that is relevant to each generation. “J. Allen Blair(in “Discovery Digest”, July, 1979) wrote, During the past 10 years an army of over30 million people have come to the United States. Because they have arrived one byone, appearing innocent and harmless, we have not suspected their potential power.Someday soon, however, we shall awaken to the fact that this army has taken overour nation. They will publish our papers, operate our radio and television stations,

control our churches, and teach in our schools. They will capture Washington anddominate the federal government, as well as the administration of each state. Theywill take over business and industry, including the control of atomic energy.Complete authority will be in their hands. All that will remain for the rest of us willbe to submit and die. This army, of course, is an army of children. We have thepower to decide whether these future conquerors of our country are to be pagan orChristian.” The outcome depends upon our following God’s blueprint, given inPsalms 127 and 128: A satisfying home is based on God’s blessing. God’s blessing isbased on the fear of the Lord. Is your home being built on the fear of the Lord?”

10. Isaac Watts hymn:

O happy man whose soul is filled with zeal and rev'rend awe!

His lips to God their honors yield, his life adorns the Law.

A careful providence shall stand and ever guard thy head,

Shall on the labors of thy hand its kindly blessings shed.

Thy wife shall be a fruitful vine, thy children round thy board;

Each like a plant to honor shine, and learn to fear the Lord.

The Lord shall thy best hopes fulfill, for months and years to come;

The Lord, who dwells on Zion's hill, shall send thee blessings home.

This is the man whose happy eyes shall see his house increase;

Shall see the blessed saints arise, and leave the world in peace.