We all want to be blessed, but there are many who are not as blessed as they should be. What seems to be their problem? In his Psalm, King David revealed two keys to blessedness. He said, “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways” (Psalm 128:1). The first key to blessedness is the fear of the Lord. Without the fear of the Lord, there shall be death of blessings, for we know that blessings come from him. But what is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is not merely the reverential fear that many are made to understand. Rather, it is the dread of the Lord – we fear him for possible punishment. This is the fear that Jesus was referring to when he said, “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). This fear is fully understood and appreciated when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The fear of the Lord is a key to blessedness because it is “the beginning of wisdom” as King Solomon had said in Proverbs 9:10. God is the source of all wisdom. Wisdom is not something that we learn in school. It should be noted that wisdom is not knowledge, but it is the ability to practically apply knowledge in a given situation. While gaining knowledge is important, it will be useless in the end if such is not applied in a practical manner so as to benefit us. Many knowledgeable people turned out to be fools because “the fool says in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
The other key to blessedness is walking in the ways of the Lord. In the Book of Proverbs, we are told to “trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6). We are repeatedly reminded in Scriptures that the ways of the Lord are different from ours because his ways are beyond comprehension. We often miss the blessings because we insist on doing things our way. We need to heed the word of the Lord when he declared, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).
The danger of pursuing things our way cannot be overemphasized. The Book of Proverbs again says, “There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is death” (Prov. 14:12). Indeed, we do not know what is ahead of us. Everything seems right in the beginning but where things are in the end is completely beyond us to know. All we can do is to speculate and hope for the best but only the Lord knows what is ahead. It is best for us then to follow the ways of the Lord and be shielded from all the dangers ahead. We are indeed limited in many ways and we do not know what the future holds for us.
Needless to say, a man that is blessed “will eat the fruit of his labor; blessings and prosperity will be his” (Psalm 128:2). There were those who had spent all their lives accumulating wealth for themselves and yet were not able to enjoy them – their labor was in vain. On the other hand, a man of wisdom will fully enjoy the fruit of his work as magnified in the Book of Proverbs, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous” (Prov. 13:22). In fact, we are further told that “his wife will be like a fruitful vine within his house; his children will be like olive shoots around his table” (Psalm 128:3).
While the wife of a righteous man will be fruitful within his house, the wife of the wicked is completely the opposite. Unlike the wife of the wicked who is “unruly and defiant” and whose “feet never stay at home” (Prov. 7:11), the wife of a righteous man brings joy and honor to him. Not only will his wife be a blessing but his children as well. They will be strong and vigorous. They are likened to the olive shoots that make even an old olive tree fruitful. These sons will be a help to him even when he grows old. He can always count on them for their prayers and support.
Again, the man who fears the Lord is blessed. No fear shall befall him for he is full of wisdom. He is not only the provider but, foremost, the protector of the family. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in him, he shall vigorously defend his wife and children against the attacAks of the wicked one. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the LORD. Hallelujah!
