Psa. 128:0 A Song of degrees.
Three times each year the men of Israel were to come to the temple and present themselves before the Lord.
Deuteronomy 16:16 “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty….”
Many believe that these fifteen Psalms that are called the songs of degrees (elevation, journey to a higher place, go up) because they were to be sung as they ascended the temple mount.
JFB noted the connection between Zechariah 8 and this psalm as it talked about the blessings of Israel under the reign of Messiah.
Psa. 128:1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
The truth of this verse is repeated several times in the psalms. If only men would embrace this truth. Man can only be truly happy when he is walking in accordance with the will of God. Fear or reverence of the LORD is made evident by one’s desire to live in obedience to His will. Only those that truly reverence the LORD can hope to be disciplined to reject the temptations of this world and walk within the safe parameters of His will.
Psa. 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Psa. 128:3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Psa. 128:4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
I am reminded that the psalmist of Israel lived in a time when God’s blessing upon His people was manifest in bountiful harvests and large families. They were most blessed when they had plenty to eat and available hands to bring in the harvest and provide for the needs of the family in caring for livestock, making clothes, etc.
Guzik quoting Boice: “The interesting thing about these two images, vines and olive plants, is that they are biblical symbols of the abundant life. They are not food staples like wheat or corn. They symbolize rich blessing.”
Spurgeon: “Family blessedness comes from the Lord, and is a part of his plan for the preservation of a godly race, and for the maintenance of his worship in the land. To the Lord alone we must look for it. The possession of riches will not ensure it; the choice of a healthy and beautiful bride will not ensure it; the birth of numerous comely children will not ensure it: there must be the blessing of God, the influence of piety, the result of holy living.”
Psa. 128:5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
Psa. 128:6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.
The psalmist closes by pronouncing a blessing upon the people of Israel as represented by their capital of Jerusalem on Mt. Zion. He prays that they will experience God’s blessing throughout their lives and enjoy their children and grandchildren in peace—exactly what we see in Zechariah 8. This implies, of course, that they are walking in reverential fear and obedience before the LORD as stated in verse 1.
Psalms 129:0 ¶ A Song of degrees.
Three times each year the men of Israel were to come to the temple and present themselves before the Lord.
Deuteronomy 16:16 “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty….”
The fifteen Psalms that are called the songs of degrees (elevation, journey to a higher place, go up) were to be sung as they ascended the temple mount.
Psalms 129:1 ¶ Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
Psalms 129:2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.
Psalms 129:3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.
Though these words were penned from the perspective of the psalmist of long ago, they are as applicable to the people of Israel now as then. Except for a period of a few years under a few kings, the people of Israel have suffered attack and/or persecution from their enemies since their inception as a nation. Though they have endured terrible persecution and even seeming destruction as a nation, they endure as a nation today.
EBC NIV Commentary: “The psalmist likens the enemies to a farmer who plows the fields with long rows. The “plowmen” are the warriors, the long furrows are the wounds and adversities, and the field is “the back” of Israel.”
Guzik: “The Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Syrians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Roman Catholics, the kings of Europe, the Muslims, the Czars, and the Nazis all did their best to wipe out the Jews. Yet they remain.”
Psalms 129:4 The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
It is only due to the mercy and will of God that Israel endures as a nation. It is He that has intervened on their behalf to assure that they did not disappear from the world scene for good. And scripture foretells that they will experience an even more miraculous deliverance at the hand of God in the future—both from the invasion of Gog’s coalition as foretold by Ezekiel and from the armies of the Antichrist as recorded in Revelation.
Spurgeon: “Sooner or later a righteous God will interpose, and when he does so, his action will be most effectual; he does not unfasten, but cuts asunder, the harness which the ungodly use in their labour of hate. Never has God used a nation to chastise his Israel without destroying that nation when the chastisement has come to a close: he hates those who hurt his people even though lie permits their hate to triumph for a while for his own purpose.”
Psalms 129:5 ¶ Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
Psalms 129:6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:
Psalms 129:7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
Psalms 129:8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.
In these verses the psalmist is asking God to destroy the enemies of Israel. He prays that they will never experience the blessings of the LORD.
Since the coming of Jesus, we now know that we are to hate the sin that God hates, but we are not to hate the sinner. We are to look at each person through the eyes of God and pray that each one will come to saving faith in Jesus. We can rest assured that God will ensure that His justice is satisfied. I have to admit that though I can say that with confidence, it is much easier said than done when witnessing the cruel actions of the enemies of God against others.