Word of Salvation – April 2018

 

Blessed is a God-fearing Family

By Rev. John Westendorp

Text: Psalm 128

Scripture Readings: Ephesians 5:21 – 6:4 and Psalm 128

 

Theme: Blessing for the family is found in the fear of the Lord… and that blesses God’s Church and Kingdom.

 

Introd:  You may be tempted this morning to dismiss this Psalm as irrelevant.  For several reasons.

For starters… it’s a song about families… and you’re sitting here as a single person..
The unmarried, the widowed and the divorced seem to be bypassed in this Psalm.
But that’s not true.  Take another look at the opening verses.  It says: Blessed are ALL…!
So even though this Psalm later focuses on the family it is relevant for all of us.

You may also be tempted to dismiss this song as somewhat sexist.
The man is addressed; his wife is merely a fruitful vine.  Sons are mentioned but not daughters.
That comes across as rather chauvinistic in our age of sexual equality.
This song reflects the patriarchal society of the ancient world.
Nevertheless… the principles spelled out are as up to date as computers and space travel.

You may also want to dismiss this song out of concern for the so-called population explosion.
And while that isn’t a problem in the land of Oz it is elsewhere.
We have all heard the doomsday predictions of worldwide food shortages.
And at the very least we know that our world’s resources are finite.
So today we prefer not to have too many of those little olive shoots around the table.

You may even want to dismiss this psalm because it’s too idealistic.  Real family life isn’t like this.
Here we have a lovely idyllic situation.  A picture of peace and harmony around the table.
But in real families, meals are spoilt by arguments and disagreements, quarrels and fights.
In too many families very little of that peace and harmony is seen.

So we need to work at understanding this psalm properly.
Do that – and then despite these problems there’s some wonderful encouragement in this song.

A]        THE WAY TO BLESSING IN THE FAMILY.

1. This psalm begins by pronouncing a blessing. We could call it a beatitude.

Blessed are all who fear the LORD.
We would say:  Happy are they…!  They are to be congratulated who fear God.

And that applies to every individual who fears the Lord… they are blessed.
However that is said in the context of this being a song about the family.
The central thrust of this psalm is a formula for happy family living.
            So while this blessing is true for everyone it’s especially true in our homes.
            This is the way you can enjoy God’s blessing in your family.

And the secret of that happiness lies in fearing the LORD.
Do you want to be blessed in your family…?  Then fear the Lord.
That idea is repeated in vs.4: Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.

The idea that happy people are God-fearing people is something we find throughout the O.T.

In fact the O.T. puts a very strong emphasis on fearing God.  Let me give you some examples.
Prov.9:10        The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Prov.8:13        The fear of the Lord is the way to an upright life.
Psalm 147:11  The Lord favours those who fear Him.
In all these verses and many others the fear of God is seen as a wonderful blessing.

At first glance that seems a little strange to our modern ears.
How can you be happy when you fear?  Isn’t that contradictory?

Fearing God… and being happy…?
Fearing God brings up images of a trembling Adam and Eve hiding from God in the garden.
It makes us think of God thundering down from Mt. Sinai and Israel crying out in fear.
Or the prophet Isaiah who sees God on the throne and cries out: Woe is me, I am ruined.

Blessed are all those who fear…!  That hardly sounds like a recipe for happiness.
That sounds a lot like: Blessed are all who live in terror of the Almighty.
Because God is, after all, an awesome God.

Some folk have even said: “All this stuff about the fear of God in the O.T. really puts me off.
                                 Give me the N.T. any time.”
As Christians we are taught God wants to be our Father through Jesus.
We become His beloved children through faith in what Jesus has done.
And fear and terror don’t fit really into that sort of loving relationship do they?

Okay.  Let me explain.  The N.T. certainly helps us put things into perspective.
This fear is not the terror of us creatures before some unapproachable deity.
It’s not the horror of appearing before a God who doesn’t want anything to do with us.
Our relationship with God is certainly that of a child with it’s loving Father.

But Israel already had that kind of relationship with God.  Israel is called God’s first-born son.
And the O.T. too, often refers to God as the Father of His people.

So what we are really talking about is awe… and reverence… and respect.
The respect any child ought to have towards a parent.
In a sense this is simply the O.T. way of talking about a faith relationship with God.

And then the song writer says:  This fear of God is the way to happiness and blessing.
Relate to God as the One who has your deepest respect and reverence.
That’s the secret for a happy family life.

2. We can also understand what the psalmist means when we consider the nature of Hebrew poetry.

For the Hebrews poetry wasn’t making words rhyme.
Poetry was a skilful playing around with words.
            One way they would do that would be by making parallel statements.
            They would make a brief statement.
            Then they would say the same thing in a somewhat different way.
                        You find that right throughout the psalms.

So in many instances it’s easy to work out clearly just what the song writer meant.
You compare the two lines that are written parallel to one another.
The second line will give you a new way of looking at the first line.

So here the psalmist says: Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD.
And then he explains what he means by adding: Who walks in His ways.
So how do you know whether you are someone who fears the Lord?
You know it by whether or not you walk in the Lord’s ways.

Fearing God is not first of all trembling at the thought of His presence.
Fearing God is first of all a matter of obedience.
It is showing reverence and respect for God by doing things God’s way not our own way.

IOW: The fear of the Lord does show itself in action… but not the action of quivering in our boots.
Rather in the action of an obedient life-style.
That’s why the OT frequently links the fear of the Lord with walking in God’s ways.

So if you want a formula for happiness in family living, here it is: Make sure you fear God.
And that fear of God is demonstrated in living by the Bible… the way God wants us to.

This is why countless families today are in crisis.
There is no fear of the Lord in thousands of Aussie homes today.
We’re surrounded by families that live by the principles of the World…
            and not by the principles of the Word… and we wonder why families are in trouble today.

That’s why it’s so important that we keep reading the Scriptures in our homes.
We need to know God’s ways by knowing His Word.
            And then not just knowing that Word but living out of it.
            And as we do that our text tells us we will indeed be blessed.

B]        THE MEANING OF THESE BLESSINGS FOR THE FAMILY.

1. As we move on we see that the blessings that are promised are very specific.

This happiness comes in ways that are practical and down to earth.
When God blesses His people it is not just in terms of forgiveness and eternal life.
Nor is happiness limited just to spiritual matters.
God’s blessing makes things different right here and now in day-by-day living.

The first specific way in which God-fearing people are blessed is in that there will be prosperity:
Verse 2:           You will eat the fruit of your labour. Blessing and prosperity will be yours.
The psalmist is saying:  God-fearing people will enjoy what they work for.
Fear the Lord, walk in His ways and your daily work will be blessed.

Of course today some Christians are not so very careful with these words.
The health, wealth and prosperity preachers love this verse… but they misuse it.
This song does not tell us that we will all be wealthy… prosperity is a very relative thing.
Nor does it say that no one in your family will ever get a heart attack or cancer.

It is simply assuring us that God does bless… and that we will be provided for.
And that is a very reassuring thing.
We live in a world after Eden…  a world wounded and broken by sin.
The thorns and thistles… and the labour pains of Genesis 3 are all too real.

            We live in a society where it is tough living together in families.
            There are times when it is a struggle to meet the mortgage payments.
            Health-wise there are times when we seem to fly from one disaster to another.

In that context of living in a world where life is tough this is so reassuring.
It’s saying the same as what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.
That is the same as saying: Walk in God’s ways and you will be blessed.

And we need that kind of encouragement and reassurance when we are doing it tough.
The Lord is going to honour those who honour Him.
Despite times of hardship and trial God will bless us and we will prosper.

Some years ago there was a man with a very large family… twelve children.
A friend said to him:  You’re real old fashioned… like Jacob.  How on earth do you manage?
His reply was: I’ve also got Jacob’s God… and so we’ve never gone without a meal yet.

2. A second way God blesses is in the various relationships within the family.

First of all in the relationship between husband and wife.

Okay, we need to look beyond the way the Psalmist expresses himself here.
He expresses himself in a way that was meaningful in their society.
He is not suggesting that the wife’s place is in the kitchen – barefoot and pregnant.
The imagery of the fruitful vine certainly pronounces a blessing on motherhood.
And in a day when children have become unbearable we do need to be reminded of that.

But the imagery is much richer than that.
In their culture a fruitful vine was a source of joy and delight.
So behind the imagery is a picture of a harmonious and stable marriage relationship.
A relationship that is sound… and that brings satisfaction and gladness.

But… remember that this blessing in marriage has a condition.
It is a blessing for the God-fearing… for those who walk in God’s ways.
It’s for those who know the teaching of God’s Word and who live by it.

Today we see too often the reverse of what is in this psalm.
            We see lots of unhappiness in marriages… and many marriages fail.
            But it is not accidental that this happens in society in which there is no fear of God.
            And where countless thousands walk in their own ways instead of God’s ways.

I’m always impressed with how practical the Word of God is – also for us today.
It tells husbands how to love their wives… in total self-giving love as Christ loves the Church.
It tells wives how to love their husbands… with the commitment that the Church has for Christ.
            And as we fear God and walk in those ways
                        then there will be harmony and loving unity between husband and wife.

The other relationship that will be blessed is that between parents and children.
And again the picture in this Psalm is one of loving harmony.
And it is full of promise for the future.
            Olive shoots around the table… that eventually become strong young trees.

At this point too… we so often experience the brokenness of creation.
Today it’s lovely to administer the sacrament of baptism to three of those olive-shoots.
But so many baptised children have a falling out with their parents.
And so many parents who made promises at baptism don’t follow through with their kids.

John Smith of God squad once said:
If you bungle the job of bringing up your children it doesn’t really matter what else you do well.
That’s sad… but it’s so true.
            Today thousands are trying to succeed in business and in their profession.
            But their home is a disaster.  Especially the relationship with the kids.
            Because there is no fear of God in that home… and no walking in God’s ways.

Okay – again our text doesn’t guarantee that this is always going to be easy.
And we as parents will make our mistakes and children do at times go astray.
But yet the general truth promised here is that God does bless.
            However again… please note that it is conditional.
            The condition is that we fear the Lord and that we walk in His ways.

And God’s ways are also very specific when it comes to parents and children.
            His will is that children ought to obey their parents.
            And that parents ought not to provoke their children.
                        And where those things happen God does indeed bless and prosper.

C]        THE COVENANT CONTEXT FOR THESE BLESSINGS.

1. I should point out that the blessings in this song are not just for the private enjoyment of the individual.

We could easily take all this in a very selfish way.  This about me… and success in my family.

There’s two ways in which this song fits into the bigger picture of the whole community.

First this psalm is one of a number of songs called: “A song of ascents”.
It’s thought that the Israelites sang these songs as they travelled up to the temple.
And so as they go up for worship on their feast days they also sing this song about family life.
Because blessed and happy families make for a blessed and happy community.

But there is another way in which this song shows us the big picture.
This is a COVENANT psalm for covenant families.
It is for those who belong to that special community that is in partnership with God.

That’s what the covenant is all about – God’s partnership with His people.
For us today, God and His people working together to further the Kingdom of Christ Jesus.

So this Psalm has many covenant themes.  For example….
It doesn’t talk about God… it talks about Yahweh – in your Bible that’s LORD in block letters.
IOW the God we are to fear is our covenant keeping Lord… the one in Partnership with us.

In that covenant there are always two sides.

In any partnership both sides have privileges and obligations.
God says:        You honour your side of the partnership and I’ll honour mine.
                        You fear me and walk in my ways and I will bless you.

And the first reason for God calling us to do that in our families
is simply because God makes his covenant with families…
            with children’s children in God-fearing homes.
But the heart of it is not just a blessing for me and for my family.
At the core of it is that God wants to bless the whole community through this blessed family.

2. So in the big picture of the last few verses our vision opens right up to the Kingdom.

Zion… Jerusalem… the Kingdom of God.
These are God’s big-picture covenant concerns.

God is building something much, much bigger than harmonious and blessed homes and families.
God is building the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was doing that right through the O.T. – preparing for Jesus’ coming.

So too today the goal of this psalm is much bigger that me and mine.
The goal is the welfare of the whole people of God and the prosperity of God’s Kingdom.
All working towards that moment at the end of the ages when Jesus will renew all things.
And your family and my family are blessed so as to play a part in that.

So we notice a beautiful interaction in those last verses.
On the one hand God blesses the covenant family from Zion.
            IOW the church of God and the Kingdom of Jesus are a blessing to the family.
            God enriches our families as we are involved in the church and God’s Kingdom.
On the other hand the blessed home will enrich God’s church and Kingdom.
            Happy and stable homes make for a happy and harmonious church.
            And in this way the Kingdom of Jesus grows and increases.

Let’s then work at being God-fearing individuals and God-fearing families walking in His ways.
Let’s do that not only because that is the way God richly blesses us.
Let’s do it especially for the upbuilding of the church
            and for the coming of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.           Amen.