Expository - Songs of Degrees

Psalm 128

Psalm 127 teaches us to lean on, to trust in the Lord and to realise the folly of working without the Lord. We must work for the Lord and with the Lord. Trying to worship without Him is vain. We need to move in the Holy Spirit.

God's Providence

Now we also get this idea with the ninth of the Songs of Ascents. In the eighth (Psalm 127) it declares, "Happy is the man...." 'Happy' is exactly the same word in Hebrew as the word 'Blessed' in verse 1 of Psalm 128. But in verse 5 of this Psalm, it declares, "the Lord shall bless thee....thou shalt see the good....thou shalt see thy children's children." Suddenly the blessing comes near and is personal. Perhaps we are not always sure whether God's promises to 'them' include us. Here, there is no doubt. God's promises of blessing are for you...Yes, you!

In I Corinthians 12 there are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit arranged in order. There is a fulness of provision. In Galatians 5, we read of the nine-fold fruit of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be completely fruitful. That is what is revealed also in this Psalm. How do we enter into this fruitfulness? The answer is here. They are blessed that fear the Lord and walk in His way. This is the reverence and honour that comes from hearts.

This is a song of blessing and of the fulness of God's provision; it is for those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. In Proverbs it declares that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the way of real happiness. The end of all other ways is death. The world does not see it that way; the world boast is, "When I fear no one and when I can do exactly what I want to do, then I will be happy." Do not believe it, for the happiness of the world is very short-lived. Happiness is found only in surrendering your will to the Lord and in walking in His ways.

Possibly we may not like what the word of God says, and certainly the flesh rebels against the will of God. Many claim to love the Lord but do not obey His word. Jesus said to people of His day, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?" People want to be part of the bouncy, happy throng that seem to be enjoying themselves, but when God reveals what His will is, that certain things must be cleared out of believers' lives, that there are things that people should be doing, ideas that do not fit in with their fleshly plans, then rebellion manifests itself. There will never be happiness until we are doing what the Lord says. There must be submission to His will and to each other.

The book of Psalms begins in this way of happiness and blessing; it begins in the way of submission to the Word and will of God. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." (Psalm 1 vv 1,2) "Lord, what would you have me to do?" is the constant prayer of a saint of God.

The Fear of the Lord

According to Romans chapter 8, those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. If we are the sons of God, we will fear Him and walk in His ways, for it is not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. Read Romans 8 thoroughly. It is the way of blessing, the way of no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

In this Psalm we find the grace of God revealed in blessing. To fear the Lord and walk in His ways, is not to earn salvation, but it is to receive the reward of God's grace who enables us to do those things. What the Lord provides, we do not deserve, but as we walk in His ways, we find there the provisions of His grace. The whole thing is marked by the number of grace - five. There is a fivefold blessing brought before us; here is how the Lord will bless those that walk in His ways. Verse 4 even draws attention to it. "Behold!" Take note! "You shall eat of the labour of your hands." The Lord provides nourishment. "Happy shalt thou be." In other words, there will be the true blessing which satisfies. "It shall be well with thee." There is no disappointment in the Lord. He cares for us and watches over us. "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table." There is that which is edifying, satisfying, secure and fruitful, in fearing the Lord and walking in His ways.

In John 4 vv 32-34, the disciples had left Jesus tired and hungry but on their return, they found Him looking refreshed. Jesus said to them, "I have food to eat that you know not of." Therefore the disciples replied, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat." Jesus said to them, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish it." What was food to Jesus will be food also to us. When we do God's will, we are satisfied and blessed, well fed and healthy spiritually. In the Old Testament there were three things that were evidence of the blessing of God: plenty of corn, plenty of wine, and plenty of oil. Jesus and His Word are the corn on which we feed. The wine reminds us of the love of God and the gladness of the heart of the blessed man. The oil directs us to the soothing and powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit. All three are in this Psalm.

The Family

If the Psalm speaks of a wife's being like a fruitful vine, then, in the area of New Testament teaching, we need to know that Jesus declared Himself to be the True Vine. We are the branches. We must abide in Him and He in us if we are to become fruit producers. If we abide in Him, then we shall bring forth much fruit, fruit that will remain. Galatians 5 tells us about the Fruit of the Spirit. As you examine that ninefold fruit of the Spirit, you will discover that there is a threefold division - three groups of three. The love, joy and peace reveals what I enjoy of the fruit; longsuffering, kindness and goodness are the fruit of my Christlike behaviour towards others; finally, meekness, faithfulness and self under control is the fruit of my attitude and behaviour towards God.

This fruitfulness is precious and the result of a close relationship with the Lord. The branches are part of the True Vine. The branches are also the vine. In the Psalm, the vine growing by the sides or the flanks of the house is in the secret, private place, protected from wind and storm, kept in warmth and nourishment. The fruit that is expected and manifested is for the Lord to delight in. In the Song of songs 4 vv 9-16, there is a picture of the Lord enjoying the fruits of His people. He says, "How much better is thy love than wine and the smell of thine ointments than all spices... a garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, camphire and spikenard... a fountain of gardens... Let my beloved come into His garden and eat His pleasant fruits." The fruitfulness is for the Lord to delight in and for the people of God to be blessed by. Let us stay close to Him and seek to be pleasing to Him in all things.

Next in this Psalm our attention is directed to the children who are around the table. They are like olive plants. The olive plants were important for they produced oil which itself is a type of the Holy Spirit. The children themselves are fruit which is the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. As we are God's family, and as we are fruitful, producing the fruit of the Spirit, seeing the kingdom of God increase as others are brought to the Lord, we become witnesses of a manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit. What is produced must be by the Spirit. It cannot be an imitation; it must be real. We delight to see others coming to know the Lord and believers growing in Christ, manifesting that work of the Spirit of God in their hearts and lives.

Moreover, there is a unity to be seen here, for the table is the place where the family unite, maybe after a day's work, to relax and share together. One of the evidences, in modern times, of the breakdown in family life is the demise of the meal table. There seems to be no time for the family to gather round the table. T.V. dinners from plates balanced on laps abound; micro-waved dinners at different times of the day have all played their part to show how fragmented families are nowadays. God wants us to know the reality of the unity, the "oneness", which we have as the family of God. On Sunday mornings it should be a joy to gather round the table as we share communion.

Conclusion