My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 128
PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 128:3-6
Message of
the verses: In Today’s Spiritual Diary we will continue
to look at Psalm 128, a psalm of ascent, and also a psalm about the family.
Happy Parents (vv. 3-4)
“3 Your wife shall be like
a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your
table. 4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.”
There are different
pictures here for us to see about how a happy household should work. The vine and the Olive tree are two special things
that help us understand this passage as they were both very important in the
economy of the children of Israel. The
vine provided wine and the Olive tree provided oil and olives for the families
of Israel. The water was not the best to
drink and so they would dilute it with wine.
They would use the olive oil for lights to see at night and olives were
used for food. “14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the
earth, 15 And wine which makes man’s
heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which
sustains man’s heart (Psalm 104:14-15).”
In the early times of Israel
when families lived in tents the wife had a room at the back of the tent as far
away from the tent door as possible showing that there was no way that she
would want to leave from the security provided by her husband. When we look at a olive tree we will see
small shoots at the bottom which will need tender care and will eventually take
over as the main tree. This pictures a
husband and wife caring for their children so that they will grow up strong.
Useful Citizens (v.5)
5 The LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see
the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
The children of Israel
loved their country and prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. The family is the first part of a strong
country and the Jewish people were very proud of their heritage and wanted to
make a strong country. Dr. Wiersbe
states “True patriotism begins in the home, where love of God, family, and
country are bound together.”
Contented Grandparents (v.6)
6 Indeed, may you see your
children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
There are many wonderful
things about being a grandparent, being able to see the young again and see how
your children are doing in raising their children, and have the privilege of
aiding in the growth of your grandchildren, especially in spiritual ways. It is said that the best thing about being a
grandparent is that you can send the grandchildren back home at the end of the
day.
This psalm has moved rather
fast for it went from bride and groom to children to grandchildren in just six verses,
and when you get older you can
understand that life goes by very fast.
We see three generations in this one psalm, and we also see that they
are all walking with the Lord, the most important thing to do. Dr. Wiersbe writes “We are so prone to remember
that God judges the succeeding generations if they imitate the sins of their
ancestors, but we must remember that He also passes along the blessings when
the ancestors have been godly (Ex. 34:67; Num. 14:18-19; Deut 5:9-10). It is often the third generation that
abandons the faith (Judges 2), so we must pray much for our children and
grandchildren, that the Lord will keep His good hand of blessing on their lives
for His glory.
‘Blessed is the nation whose
God is the Lord’ (Psalm 33:12).’”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Knowing that I
can make a difference in my family by working with my grandchildren to show
them how to walk with the Lord makes me a happy grandparent.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to strive to learn contentment.
Memory verses for the
week: 1Cor. 13:8-11
8 Love never fails; but if
there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they
will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophecy in
part; 10 but when the perfect comes the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child I use to speak like a
child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man I did away
with childish things.
10/20/2012 7:11:18 AM
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