It must be understood that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. No matter how much we work, if we lack wisdom, it will be a fruitless effort. The fear of the Lord is more than what we understand as reverence of God. It is relational and it boils down to our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the fear of the Lord that will allow us to enjoy life fully, for Jesus had said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
Because God said, “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), we need to conform to his ways to fully receive his blessings. God’s ways are beyond us to fully appreciate, but they are revealed in his words. King David said, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).
The Psalmist emphasized that a man is blessed if he fears the Lord and walks in his ways. The evidence of such blessedness is enumerated as follows:
He will eat the fruit of his labor. A man blessed by the Lord will be fully rewarded for his work. He might have to go through challenges in life but will succeed in the end as he trusts in the Lord, hence the admonition of the apostle Paul: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). They are unlike the wicked, to whom the Lord said, "You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:6).
Blessings and prosperity will be his. This prosperity goes beyond the material things. It is the kind of prosperity that the apostle John was referring to in his prayer: “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). Besides, a man blessed by the Lord is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:3). The Lord will not withhold anything that is good to a man who walks uprightly. He will be blessed in all that he will do, for the Lord will guide and lead him.
His wife will be like a fruitful vine. This fruitfulness is not only in terms of having children, but having the fruit of the Spirit being manifested in her life. She is likened to the virtuous woman mentioned in Proverbs 31. “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her” (Prov. 31:25-28). This kind of wife is a builder and her husband’s crown.
His children will be like olive shoots. Sons and daughters are blessings from the Lord. In fact, they are the good and perfect gift from the Lord. The Bible clearly tells us that “sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth” (Psalm 127:3-4). The children are vigorous – as vigorous as an olive shoot. It is amazing how the Lord liken a father to an olive tree. Even when the olive tree is old, it remains strong and fruitful because its shoots are vigorous, guaranteeing its survival. And King Solomon said, “The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him” (Prov. 23:24).
To honor our fathers, let us heed the admonition of King Solomon: “Listen to your father, who gave you life” (Prov. 23:22). Amen.
