Text: Psalms 128:1-6 (All verses from NASV unless otherwise noted)

Introduction:   We all want our father to bless us.  In fact, Gary Smalley & John Trent wrote a best selling book called The Blessing, which talks about a father giving his children his blessing.  What if we could find a way to get our heavenly Father’s blessing?  What a great discovery that would be.  Well, we can, and one way is found in this passage.  We will look at the Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord!

1.      Psalm 128 is called a Song of Degrees or Song of Ascent.  Actually, Psalms 120-134 are all Songs of Ascent.  It would be well worth your time to read all of these Psalms later. 

A.     These were special songs they would sing every time they went to Jerusalem to attend the feasts, (which was three times a year).  They sang these songs to praise God.  As they climbed up the mountain and sang, their spirits were rising to a higher place just like their bodies were.

B.     Look at the titles to each of these Psalms: Prayer of Deliverance from the Treacherous, The Lord as their Keeper, Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, Prayers for the Lord’s Help, Praise for Rescue from Enemies, The Lord Surrounding His People, Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity, Prosperity from the Lord, The Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord, Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies, Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love, Childlike Trust in the Lord, Prayer for the Lord’s Blessing upon the Sanctuary, Excellency of Brotherly Unity, and Greetings of Night Watchers.

C.     Right in the middle of all this praise and prayer is Psalms 128, “The Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord!”  Do you think it strange that the Fear of the Lord fits in the middle of praise and prayers?  It shouldn’t be, and I hope by the time that we are finished you will see why.

2.      Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord

A.     Literally means, “O the Blessedness!”  This is an exclamation—you can shout it--O the Blessedness!!    Vs. 1 “How Blessed” (Strongs & NASV)

B.     More than just being happy.  It is the result of the Lord giving us His favor.

C.     The root word “Asher” has the meaning of being right, honest, prospering.

3.      Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord

A.     Fear is not dread or terror, but reverence and awe.  We recognize the power and position of our Lord and give Him the proper honor and respect He deserves.

--“awes YahVeh”  (Aramaic)

B.     God blesses those who fear (reverence & awe) Him

1)      Abraham:  In Gen. 22:12 when God saw the obedience of Abraham He said,  “. . . do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God . . .”  Abraham was not acting out of dread or terror, because he knew his God would provide, even raising Isaac from the dead if necessary.  God pronounced a great blessing (his seed would be multiplied as the stars of heaven & the sands of the sea) upon Abraham because he feared (reverenced) the Lord.  Gen. 22:17 “indeed I will greatly bless you . . .”  Then He said “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” Gen. 22:18

--Now that’s the kind of blessing I want my Father to say to me!

2)      Moses:  His fear (reverence & awe) of the Lord can be seen continually as they went though the wilderness.  So much so that God treated Moses as a friend and revealed His glory to him like no other man.

3)      Job: In the beginning God tells Satan there is none like Job “. . . a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”  Job 1:8; 2:3  God declares this not once, but twice! 

a.       Wow!  To have God speak about me like that—what a blessing!  Job was not born again and I am the righteousness of God in Christ.

b.      Later, when God shows Job His majesty & power, Job responds in reverence or awe by saying, “. . .  I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”  Job 42:3   He repents for his foolish words to the Lord and then the Lord tells his friends (?) who were “comforting” him to come to him and he will pray for them.  When he prays for them, the Lord accepts them and they are spared from His wrath.  Of course, at the end of the story, Job is doubly blessed!!

4)      Look at the blessings described to the man who fears (reverences & awes) the Lord

      (vs. 2-3)

a.       Enjoying the fruit of his labor, feasting rather than it being wasted away—prosperous.  Not eating it just now, but again & again.

b.      All is well, “tov”—pleasant, beautiful, excellent, joyful, fruitful, well favoured—the absolute best it can be!!  Like the old song, “It is Well with My Soul.”

c.       His whole family (wife, children, even grandchildren!), are fruitful-growing, blossoming-like healthy vines and olive plants.

d.      His house has a peace and tranquility that the world cannot know.  However, it is promised to the man who fears (reverences & awes) God!!         

5)      Psalms and Proverbs are full of verses describing the blessings associated with fearing the Lord.  I highly recommend The Fear of God by John Bevere for more on this vital subject.

4.      Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord

A.     This blessedness does not come from dreading or fearing the world or Satan.  It comes from a fear (reverence or awe) of the Lord.

1)      The Lord--YHWH--Yahweh, Jahweh, Jehovah, Yehovah.  Tetragrammaton, a name so sacred the Jews refuse to pronounce it, so we don’t know exactly how to say His name. 

2)      It means the self-sufficient,, eternal one, the life-giver, creator, I AM, the one who is, the absolute and unchangeable one.  

3)      He is the one who is worthy to be feared, reverenced, honored, worshipped!!

--Blessed is everyone who “awes YahVeh”  (Aramaic)

B.     How do we show our fear of the Lord?

1)      By how we walk—act, our behavior, conversation, lifestyle, following His commandments.  We must have a continuing relationship with the Lord.  He must be so much a part of our life that everywhere we go His presence goes with us.

2)      If we are to walk continually in His ways, we must know His ways.  Although His ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8), they are the only way to be blessed by the Lord!

a.       Ways—“derek”—manner, course, actions, behavior, and conduct. 

b.      God has revealed His ways to us in His Word (Psalm 119:105).  Thank God, He has given us His Word to show us His ways so we know how to follow them!!

            3)   A man who fears (reverences & awes) the Lord is a man of integrity—his word is true.  He can be trusted, and is respected by others.

5.   God Himself pronounces a blessing upon the man who fears the Lord.  (vs. 4-6)

A.     The word used here for man is not the usual word “ish” or “adam,” but “gever”—a strong man, valiant, warrior, noble, one who succeeds, mighty, not a common man.

      --“thus are the mighty: blessed who awe Yah Veh” (Aramaic)

1)      A man who fears (awes, reverences) the Lord is seen as more than just a normal man—he has a strength that comes only from God—he is a conqueror or as in Romans 8:37 “more than a conqueror!”

a.       In vs. 5 God Himself blesses this man!!.  Bless here is “barak”—to kneel down, praise, adore, salute. 

b.      Wow!  God pronounces a blessing upon this man that lifts him up and brings him honor.  God is restoring this man to the blessed state that man was created in when He originally blessed him (See Gen. 1:22; 5:2; 9:1).

            2)   One who awes Yahweh walks into the throne of Grace--humbly, but boldly--and receives the blessing of the Lord—mercy & grace to help in time of need.  (Heb 4:16)

a.       “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

      (Prov 10:22)

B.     The Lord will bless you from Zion.  (vs. 5)

1)      Zion means desert, barren, dry place, wilderness. 

a.       God will bless our desert places, our barrenness, and our wilderness so we can see the prosperity of Jerusalem.  Our deserts will bloom when we have the blessing of the Lord upon our lives!

b.      We will see—examine, perceive, experience, get acquainted with, have revealed to us, understand, and know—the absolute goodness of God, which He pours out upon our lives!

2)      We will not only be blessed temporarily or momentarily, but all the days of our life.

a.       Yom—day, moment, year, period of time.

b.      Our blessing will last throughout the years and months of our life.  Every moment we live we will blessed with the presence of God and His goodness!

c.       We will live long lives so we can enjoy our grandchildren.

3)      Life will be meaningful and peaceful

a.       Life—“chay”—health, prosperity, safety, soundness, wholeness

b.      Our lives will be full and whole, not empty and shattered.

c.       We will walk in the “shalom”—completeness, tranquility, friendship that comes from having a covenant relationship with God. 

1.      “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”  (Is 26:3 KJV)

2.      “Great peace have they which love thy law: and, nothing shall offend them.”  (Ps 119:165 KJV)

d.      We will know that everything is all right, even if the circumstances around us seem to say differently.

Conclusion: 

      Imagine climbing up to Jerusalem, singing “O the Blessedness that belongs to the one who Fears  the Lord!!”  Your feet will feel lighter, you won’t stumble or feel burdened, but your spirit will be lifted and you will want to shout it:  “O the Blessedness that belongs to the one who Fears (Reverences, Awes) the Lord!!”. 

      No matter how high the mountain you may be climbing, if you fear (reverence, awe) the Lord, you can have the Creator of the universe, the Almighty, Jehovah, God kneel down and pronounce a blessing upon your live that will far surpass anything you could imagine.  All you have to do is Fear (Awe, Reverence) the Lord!