12. The Blessing of Man's Work in Light of His Nature (Psalm 128)
- Daniel Fahringer
- Sep 25, 2023
- 9 min read
There is a great blessing to the one who has proper fear. A fear that is placed in the appropriate location will cause the right response in the human soul. We fear many things: snakes, sharks, heights, confined spaces, public speaking, situations, and many other things. Often our fears are born or grow because of situations or circumstances we have experienced in our lives. However, we often neglect and forget the fear we should have.
"How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in His ways." - Psalm 128:1 (LSB)
Psalm 128:1 tells of the proper fear. We are to fear Yahweh, and as we fear Him there are great blessings. The blessings that result from this fear are not material blessings but are blessings that are good and beneficial for our souls. Scripture illuminates some of the blessings that result from a fear of God, but there are many more that could be mentioned.
The Blessing of Fear
"The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline." - Proverbs 1:7 (LSB)
"The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." - Proverbs 9:10 (LSB)
The fear of Yahweh is the place where knowledge begins. We must know the God who created everything for His glory, so that we may rightly understand things in the world He created. True understanding is found in knowing Him who created.
“The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the mouth of perverted words, I hate." - Proverbs 8:13 (LSB)
The fear of Yahweh will lead to a hatred of evil. When we understand the holiness of God, by the grace of God we will begin to have a greater disdain for the sin that dwells in us, and the sin we see in this depraved world. A proper fear of Yahweh should cause one to hate the things God hates and loves the things He loves. Subsequently, when we fear God we will seek to put to death the deeds of our flesh (Colossians 3:5) by the grace of God.
"The fear of Yahweh prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." - Proverbs 10:27 (LSB)
When we fear God and understand the glory of God, His holiness, and that He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), it should cause an earthquake in our earthly life, an earthquake that causes us to pursue holiness, kill sin, and renounce ungodliness. It will lead us to walk in His commands, repent of sin, and by His grace, grow in sanctification. When we do those things it will protect us from sin and situations that could end our life sooner than expected. By God's grace may we all walk in the fear of the Lord, and continue to grow in the proper fear of the Lord. Its effects will last a lifetime and into eternity as we walk this life, worship God, and serve God.
The Call to Faithful Labor
One of the ways men are uniquely called and created is to fear and glorify God through faithful labor. Psalm 128 addresses the glorious fruit of faithful labor which we will address later, but for now, we will explore the call to work and why men are to work. Those who work a job should receive a wage (1 Timothy 5:18). That wage is good and necessary for sustaining our lives, and men are uniquely called to work and provide.
"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." - 1 Timothy 5:8 (LSB)
Men, notice the pronoun - he. Men are called to provide for their own family. Brothers, we are called to further confirm our faith in the Lord by loving our families and households by providing for them and sacrificing for them. Meet the needs of your family, whatever that may look like - a side business, multiple jobs, or a hobby that can make a stable profit - make it work by the grace of God for His glory and for the benefit of your family.
However, we also must recognize the reality of sin's effects on the human body. Many men are not able to work to provide for their family possibly due to physical and mental limitations either from birth, accidents, or health conditions. This does not make them less of a man, or cause them to lose God's image in them but allows them to love and care for their families and glorify God in different ways.
I think about the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 who had no control of himself due to the demons and was living away from society. We don't know how long the multitude of demons possessed this man but we know he wasn't working as he couldn't control himself due to the demons. After Jesus cast the many demons from him, he wanted to accompany Jesus but Jesus directed him to something else.
' And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to preach in the Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was marveling.' - Mark 5:19-20 (LSB)
Jesus told him to go and tell about the great things the Lord did. He followed Jesus' command and preached about the work of Christ. By the grace of God, go glorify God, love Him, and proclaim Him, and the mercy He has shown you regardless of your circumstance.
Avert the Dangers
Brothers, there are many dangers and pitfalls we must avoid in our calling to labor as men to the glory of God. I will not have time to address all the possible pitfalls that may arise but here are some we must guard against as we labor to the glory of God and for the benefit of our families.
Neglecting the Faith
As 1 Timothy 5:8 reminds us those who fail to provide for their family when possessing the ability to provide have neglected to love their families. Subsequently, by failing to provide when capable they have not loved their family and have neglected their profession of faith. Scripture repeatedly tells us to love one another and that love for others is evidence of being born of God.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. - 1 John 4:11 (LSB)
"and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." - Ephesians 5:2 (LSB)
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8 (LSB)
Men, our love for our families should be deep and ever-growing in depth. Testify to your faith by how you love, lead, and provide for your family by the grace of God to the glory of God.
Neglecting the Calling
In the age of feminism that we live in, the constant temptation persists to avoid faithful laboring and providing for the home, by having the woman do the work. Women today are only praised in our culture if they provide and lead. If they don't accomplish those things they are not praised by our culture. At the same time, we have been fed on the diet of being told that men, especially fathers, are dumb and lazy people and not much else. This steady diet has reduced the glory of men laboring, and the attractiveness of being a sluggard. The book of Proverbs has much to say about the sluggard but one example will suffice for now.
"The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway." - Proverbs 15:19 (LSB)
When one is a sluggard their path is a brutal bush of thorns, and the pain of those thorns will be felt in the home with excruciating pain. Men, let us labor out of love to provide for our families for the glory of God and the blessing of our families by forsaking laziness and its accompanying thorns.
Neglecting the Family
As we pursue loving our household by working to provide for them, there is a strong danger in neglecting to love them well. Overworking and being consumed with work may lead to providing an excessive abundance for our family at the expense of our family. Excessive work will likely lead to weak relationships with your family because of a lack of time at home. However, some may justify themselves by thinking they are providing for the household, but in actuality, it might just be a covering for a discontented heart.
By the grace of God, we must cultivate a heart of contentment. Contentment always starts with the recognition of what God has done, and if we don't cultivate contentment, we will labor to death.
"But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." - 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (LSB)
Men, guard against the pursuit of wealth and its enticements. I am reminded of verse 8 often in my daily life as it is so simple to remember. If God provides food and clothing we have abundantly more than enough to be content with and have no reason to complain ever. Consider what Christ has accomplished and our lives can be content forever in that. Then if the Lord blesses us with food and clothing we have even more to be thankful and content in. We have much to be content in, so be content and put away a heart of discontentment. Don't sacrifice your family on the altar of discontentment.
Neglecting Faithful Stewardship
Men were specifically designed bodily to labor and we are called to labor and provide for our homes. As a result, we must faithfully steward the calling and the purpose He gave men to work. We have a tremendous stewardship opportunity in our work whether we realize it or not. We can seek to glorify God, worship and fear God by faithful labor or we can spend it as many in the world would spend it by working looking at the clock, and doing half-hearted, partially completed work. May we rest well and take care of our bodies so that we can maximize the work He has assigned to us for the glory of God.
May we learn to work hard for the glory of God, and the blessing of our family. As we work and labor may we also faithfully steward the resources we have labored for and use them for the maximum benefit for the glory of God and the good of our families.
The Fruit of Faithful Labor
As men live in light of how God made them and labor well for the glory of God by avoiding the dangers of disobeying our calling there are many glorious rewards and fruit from our labor. We may never know all the fruits we will bear from our work but when we return to Psalm 128 we can find some of the tangible fruits that result for our families.
"When you shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands,
How blessed will you be and how well will it be for you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the innermost parts of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears Yahweh.
May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
That you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!" - Psalm 128:2-6 (LSB)
There is a great blessing when you eat the fruit of your labors. It is a true joy when you experience the blessing of your labors from a freshly picked vegetable from your backyard garden to a savory well- seasoned beef brisket smoked in your backyard. It is such a blessing and joy when we get to experience what we have worked hard for. Often the food we have labored hard for tastes better than we could have imagined because of the time spent and energy exerted to make it. Our families are greatly blessed when we provide for them and they get to experience the glorious fruit of our labors with us.
The wife will be a fruitful vine because of the man's labor. She will blossom and produce glorious fruit in her role of nurturing and caring for the household and her family. The children will be like olive plants that will thrive and fill the table and the house. Those children by God's grace will grow up and if the Lord is gracious, allow the man and the wife to see their grandchildren.
The man is blessed if he fears the Lord. Men, go learn to fear the Lord and walk in the fear of the Lord as you live and lead your family. Do not fear the time we live in or fall into the temptations that the culture tells men to be and do. Men, fear God and labor with the strength and the body He has given you with fervor and excellence to worship God, glorify Him, and love our families.
Works Cited
Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.
