Psalm 128 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 128 Short Summary:

Psalm 128 is a blessing spoken over the righteous men of Israel. The man who loves the Lord will be like a man with a rich field, a prosperous vine, and a healthy orchard; In other words, a very happy man, especially when you understand this is in the context of an agricultural society.

Psalm 128 Summary

AUTHOR:

• No author is named for Psalm 128.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• The blessed life of a family who loves God. 

DEFINITIONS:

• Fear of God (128:1) - In modern vernacular, we use the word “fear” to talk about things that terrify us, often things that we perceive want to do us harm. However, when the Scriptures talk about the “fear of God” it carries a richer meaning. Yes, we should be terrified of what will happen to us if we live in rebellion to God, but the “fear of God” is also to affect those who love Him. In the Bible, fearing the Lord means showing God the respect due to Him for how great He is. It is holding Him in appropriate reverence as a God of love and as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).

• Mount Zion (128:5) - Zion refers to the hill/mountain where David’s palace was built in Jerusalem. This area was on the southeast side of the city. Zion is sometimes used to refer to the city of Jerusalem as a whole.

OUTLINE:

• A BLESSING OVER THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD (128:1-6):

  • The author speaks a blessing over all those who “fear the Lord.”

  • The man who walks in the ways of God will be blessed with a harvest from his hard work.

  • His wife will bear children like a healthy vine bears fruit.

  • His children will spring up around his table like olive shoots (NASB: “olive plants”).

  • The man who loves the Lord will be like a man with a rich field, a prosperous vine, and a healthy orchard; In other words, a very happy man, especially when you understand this is in the context of an agricultural society.

  • The psalmist asked the Lord to bless such a man from Mount Zion and to make all his days a blessing.

APPLICATION:

• In verse 6, the author blessed the righteous man by saying, “May you see your children’s children.”

• Living to see your grandchildren is not rare in modern times, it’s expected, but that has not always been the case.

• Up until about 1900, life expectancy averages were below 50 years old. In Roman times (Jesus’ time) male life expectancy was somewhere around 35-40 (keep in mind this was an average).

• Today, average life expectancy is around 70 years old. On average, we are living 20 years longer than the people we read about in the Bible times.

• I don’t think a lot of us really appreciate how much longer we get to live than almost anyone before us.

• What are we doing with that time? That’s 20 more years for us to learn about God and serve Him?

• Are we making the most of that time? What are you doing with those extra years and all that extra time? That is a question worth thinking about.