Week 45: Psalms 127-129
Questions: Psalms 127-129
- Consider how Psalm 127’s teaching on divine security and blessing contrasts with our culture's views.
- From Psalm 128, what does it look like to fear the Lord or walk in His ways in your day-to-day life?
- Psalm 129 teaches that perseverance through suffering results in blessing. Ask God to enable you to know in your heart that your suffering is not in vain, but that it produces endurance, character, and great hope so that you can “rejoice in your suffering” like it says in Romans 5:3-5.
Devotion
Last week we looked at the journey the Hebrew pilgrims made to Jerusalem for the Passover. This week we continue that journey.
Psalm 127 turns our attention away from the dangers of our journey to our destination, Jerusalem. The focus moves from depending on God to protect us to making God the center of our lives, esp. our family. Our homes and communities are to be built for the glory of God. Our focus is not to be on tireless labor but resting in Him. The building blocks of the home and community are children. Raising them up in the Lord so both will be able to stand firm when the enemy approaches the gate. God commands us to be fruitful and multiply. He desires Heaven to be filled to overflowing.
Psalm 128 continues the theme of the blessings of family. These blessings start with the fear of the Lord. Wives will flourish like a fruitful vine, sons and daughters like olive shoots. Olive trees
and olive oil are associated with peace, prosperity, and divine favor. Families that fear the Lord will then be a blessing to the community, making it strong and prosperous for many generations. With the
fear of the Lord, our families must be our first priority in everything we do.
Psalm 129 turns our attention to God’s enemies. This is a song of cursing upon them. That they will never be blessed, that their hands will fail in all their endeavors. Our trust in God is paramount, for our prevailing against them, for justice to prevail. The Psalmist always points to God for justice. God will use the civil authorities or His own providence to bring justice, that is never for us to take into our own hands.
- Phil Van Sickel