The Blessed Family - Psalm 128
In case you haven’t noticed, the traditional family is under attack. By traditional family, I mean the biblical design: one man united in marriage to one woman. Hopefully that was obvious, but these days even something so basic requires clarification. What is clear, however, is the growing stigma and negativity surrounding God’s design for marriage and family.
Our culture often dismisses the Bible’s vision for marriage as little more than oppressive patriarchy, caricaturing Christian men as domineering or abusive. You may even recall that one of the stated goals of the Black Lives Matter movement was “the disruption of [the] Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.” And of course, many argue that the only ingredient necessary for a healthy family is “love.” This vague and subjective standard is frequently used to elevate so-called “non-traditional” families—single-parent homes, same-sex couples, or other arrangements—as not only valid but even morally superior to the biblical pattern.
All that to say, God’s design for the family is under relentless attack. And sadly, the world’s hostility has seeped into the church. I’ve met professing Christians who are married yet openly reject the idea of children, seeing them not as blessings but as burdens to their lifestyle. Strikingly, that mindset mirrors one of the central arguments for abortion: that children hinder freedom, autonomy, and personal fulfillment.
Now, I don’t raise these issues to shock or provoke. My goal is not controversy for controversy’s sake. But we must recognize that so much of the cultural conflict around us today revolves around marriage and family. And the constant refrain we hear is that biblical marriage and family will hold you back, restricting your true potential.
Yet when we turn to Scripture, we find the exact opposite. Psalm 128 gives us a radically different perspective. It teaches us that the family is not a hindrance but a blessing. God’s design for marriage and children is not merely good for society—though it certainly is—it is first and foremost good for you. Psalm 128 paints a picture of the flourishing life under God’s blessing, and at the heart of that picture is the family.
So while our culture increasingly devalues or distorts the family, Psalm 128 calls us to celebrate it. God’s design is not a chain holding us back, but a gift that leads to joy, fruitfulness, and peace. Here we see the stark chasm between the world’s message and the truth of God’s Word.
Now of course, we need to be clear—Psalm 128 is not a naïve picture of life in a broken world. We live in a fallen creation, and simply submitting yourself to God’s design for marriage and family does not guarantee that everything will turn out perfectly. The psalm is not promising a flawless career, a conflict-free home, or immunity from the painful realities of divorce, estrangement, family strife, or wayward children. Many faithful Christians walk through those very trials.
Rather, what Psalm 128 gives us is a principle that is generally true: blessing follows submission to God’s design. This is not a health-and-wealth promise, but it is a reminder that God’s way is always the better way. His design brings life, stability, and joy—even when trials remain. It should go without saying, but perhaps we need to hear it anyway: it is better to trust in Jesus Christ and walk in His ways than to live in rebellion against Him. That truth ought not surprise any of us this morning, but it is worth anchoring our hearts in again—God’s blessing rests upon those who fear Him and follow His Word.
And so, if you’re taking notes this morning, our passage breaks down into three parts: first, we’ll look at the foundation of blessing (vv. 1-2), second we’ll see the sphere of blessing (vv. 3-4), and lastly, we’ll look at the extent of blessing (vv. 5-6)
The Foundation of Blessing (vv. 1-2)
Notice where Psalm 128 begins: “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!”
The word “fear” isn’t a reference to the sort of fear we tend to think of. The Psalmist isn’t suggesting that we should be afraid of the Lord. Rather, “fear,” in this case is “reverence and awe.” The idea is that everyone who respects, reveres, and honors the Lord will be blessed.
The Psalmist is echoing exactly what we learn in Proverbs 9: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Psalm 128 is a Psalm that is focused on the family, but it begins with an incredibly helpful reminder, and that is, “the fear of the Lord is the foundation of a wonderful Christian home.” A healthy home begins with reverence, honor, and love for Jesus Christ.
The Psalmist makes it crystal clear that you’re walk with God is absolutely central to the well-being of your family. How you raise your children, how to treat your spouse, how you speak to your father and mother – all of it flows out of your relationship with God.
And it’s not enough to give a vague nod to God’s existence. It’s not enough to generally refer to yourself as a Christian. Because if you really love the Lord, then you’ll desire to submit to his commands.
Jesus famously said, “if you love me you’ll obey my commands!” Which is the point that the Psalmist makes here. A geninune “fear of the Lord” is followed by a desire to “walk in his ways.”
These pieces are absolutely foundational to building a wonderful family – certainly not a perfect family! But a God-glorifying family. Verse 1 frames everything we read in Psalm 128.
Fearing the Lord will lead to experiencing blessing in the ordinary day-to-day aspects of life like your work.
This is what the Psalmist is talking about in verse 2: “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”
It’s easy to think of work as the thing you have to get through so you can do whatever it is that you want to do. We tend to think of work as a burden.
But verse 2 presents a positive view of work. Sometimes we forget that there was work in the garden prior to the fall. Adam and Eve worked the garden before they fell into sin. It was only after the fall that God said that work was going to be harder. Work would be more laborious.
Work isn’t in and of itself bad. It’s the curse of sin that makes work difficult.
But even in the midst of the difficulty that comes as a result of work, there’s something incredibly satisfying about earning an honest living. And this is exactly the sort of thing that the Psalmist is getting at when he said,
“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”
There’s something gratifying and fulfilling about hard work. There’s a lot of contentment knowing that your home, your car, your fill in the blank, was earn through honest work. That’s what the Psalmist means by “eating the fruti of the labor of your hands…”
And of course, hard work doesn’t just benefit you – it also benefits those around you. It also earns the respect of others and is attractive.
I’m not a woman, but I’ll go ahead and speak on behalf of all women: everyone is nervous and on the edge of their seats…
Women are attracted to men that work hard. One day, children will admire parents who take their work seriously. Men should do whatever they can to earn an honest living and provide for their family. This pleases God.
The Sphere of Blessing (vv. 3-4)
The heading of Psalm 128 in your Bible probably says, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,” but the truth is, this Psalm is primarily directed at men, specifically husbands.
In case you’re wondering where I’m getting that from, verse 3 mentions “your wife,” and then verse 4 actually says, “thus shall the man be blessed.”
Blessing tends to follow men who embrace their God-given roles, but that blessing doesn’t begin and end with them individually. Look at what we’re told in verses 3-4:
“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” When men embrace their roles as husbands, fathers, and providers, God’s favor and blessing extends to their family.
Men carry a lot of responsibility. When they walk in the fear of the Lord, it creates a ripple effect of blessing that flows outward into the home. The imagery here is rich: the wife, compared to a fruitful vine, speaks of vitality, beauty, and abundance; the children, like olive shoots, signify growth, strength, and continuity.
In other words, the husband’s godliness doesn’t just shape his own life—it shapes the entire atmosphere of his household. His obedience to God becomes the fertile soil in which his wife and children flourish. This is no accident, it’s God’s design for family blessing.
But here’s the tragedy: many men today are not embracing this calling. We often think of fatherlessness as the absence of a man in the home. But perhaps the greater issue within the church is not men who are physically absent, but men who are indifferent—fathers who have checked out. They are present in body, but distant in soul. They provide a paycheck for the roof over everyone’s head, but not attention, thoughtful care, or spiritual leadership.
And what makes this so devastating is the great lie behind it: the idea that life will be better if we escape the weight of responsibility. The world dangles this temptation before us constantly—career ambitions, financial freedom, personal independence, sexual indulgence, endless entertainment. The message is always the same: ‘If you cast off responsibility, then you’ll finally be happy.’ But that is a lie straight from the pit of hell.
Psalm 128 reminds us that joy, blessing, and flourishing are not found in running from responsibility but by embracing the call that God has placed on your life. The happiest homes are not the ones where the father has indulged himself, but where he has taken up the cross of self-denial, loved his wife sacrificially, and nurtured his children in the Lord. Fathers, when you check out, you rob your family of blessing. But when you lean in to your God-given calling, you become an instrument of God’s grace in your home.
The world tells us to chase happiness elsewhere, but Psalm 128 reminds us that true blessing is found around the dinner table in our home.
The Extent of Blessing (vv. 5-6)
But the blessing of your family doesn’t start and stop at your table. It extends to the people of God. Your family is a blessing to the church as well. Blessings flow from God, through the family, to the church.
That’s why the Psalmist goes from speaking about the family in verses 3 and 4 to speaking about the worshiping community in verses 5 and 6. “The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!”
You’ve probably heard someone say that the family is the building block of society. That’s true, but the family is also the building block of the church.
One commentator put verses 5 and 6 this way, “[Psalm 128]... encourages the individual to contribute to the building up of the kingdom of God by living a righteous life in the presence of God. Through him his family will be established and through him God will extend his blessing to all the people of God.”
This shows us that God’s blessing is never meant to terminate on us alone. It flows outward, reaching future generations as fathers and mothers pass on the fear of the Lord to their children. The picture is one of continuity—grandparents rejoicing in grandchildren, faith handed down like a precious inheritance. And ultimately, the Psalm ends with the greatest blessing of all: shalom—peace upon God’s people. This is not just the absence of conflict, but wholeness, flourishing, and life lived under God’s smile. That is the hope and destiny of every covenant family walking in the fear of the Lord.
Leading your family before the Lord ultimately blesses the body of believers. It builds up the church. Because when you teach your children the truth of God’s Word, you’re not only blessing your family, you’re protecting the future of the church.
What happens in the walls of your home has a direct impact on what happens here.
Perhaps you’re sitting here and thinking, thanks Jake, this entire sermon has no impact on my life because I’m single or widowed, or an empty nester or whatever.
That’s not true. The church needs you. You play a vital role.
Empty nesters and widowers, particularly those of you who have raised children to maturity, please share your wisdom with those of us who haven’t.
Parents of young families have the courage and humility to seek wisdom from those right here. I think most parents can relate to this on some level: we don’t know what we're doing. There’s a lot of trial and error going on.
We all experience the temptation to rush to Google for answers, but as someone recently told me, “you might find information, but you won’t gain wisdom.” Odds are, there’s someone here who has raised children who have walked through whatever you’re going through. Don’t be too prideful to ask for help.
Single people or those of you who are married without children, you have a role too.
For whatever reason, kids of all ages look up to people that aren’t their parents. And you can have a Godly influence on our children. Parents need individuals and young couples to reinforce the truth of God’s word to their kids, and God has uniquely positioned single and young married couples to be that voice.
Whenever a baby is baptized the congregation is supposed to take vows to assist the family in raising that child. We ask:
“Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?”
Don’t just thoughtlessly say yes. Think about how you can honor those vows.
After all, isn’t this the sort of church community that we all long for? Don’t we want a community where we can pick up the phone and call someone to ask for help? And don’t we all want to be a part of a church where people genuinely care for one another?
Psalm 128 falls into a special category of Psalm. It’s a Psalm of Ascent. The Psalms of Ascent are Psalms 120-134. The Psalms of Ascent were the Psalms that the people of Israel would sing as the went to Jerusalem for the great feasts.
Hopefully it makes sense why they would sing Psalm 128 on their way to Jerusalem. The whole family would head to Jerusalem to worship, and as they made their way to Jersusalem, they would sing of the beauty of God’s design for the family. Worship was and still is a family affair.
And that’s what makes Psalm 128 so special. It looks at the family as something beautiful that God has created for our blessing, which again, is the exact opposite of the disdain with which the world looks at the family.
As I said earlier, so much of the controversy in our world is over the Biblical definition of marriage and family. The LGBTQ agenda, abortion, personal autonomy, all of those things stand in opposition to the Bible defintions of marriage and family.
Because the world believes prescribing to God’s design is tantamount to signing over your personal happiness. The world teaches that the more autonomy you have the happier you’ll be.
They don’t think that trusting in Christ can make you happy, when in reality, it’s the only thing that will bring you lasting happiness.
Psalm 128 stands in complete contrast by teaching you that your family is a source of great happiness. Maybe a better way of putting it is: submitting to God’s will for your life is what will make you happy.
Parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, aunts, and uncles we all have an incredible opportunity before us: we change the world by sharing the gospel to the next generation. Taking your kids and grandkids to church, reading the Bible with them, teaching them about Christ, praying with and for them is how we expand His Kingdom!
Perhaps you’re sitting there thinking that you’ve failed. Maybe you weren’t the father, mother, son or daughter, that you should have been. Maybe you look at your family and see nothing but sin, brokenness and failure. Is there anything that you need to repent of? Perhaps it’s time for you to repent before the Lord and to your family as well.
But the truth is, Psalm 128 holds out a vision of the blessed life that none of us can live up to. None of us live up to this picture. We fail as husbands, mothers, family and friends. Yet the good news is that there is One who never failed. Jesus Christ is the truly blessed Man who perfectly walked in God’s ways. And through His life, death, and resurrection, the blessings of God now flow to us. In Him, husbands lead, wives flourish, children are brought near, and the household of God grows to the ends of the earth.
Brothers and sisters, the lasting happiness you long for is not found in walking away from your responsibilities, nor in earthly success, but in Christ, who gives eternal blessing to all who fear the Lord in Him.
But you don’t say that your family is a blessing because you’re a Christian. That’s backwards. Your faith in Christ frames how you view your family. How you view your family flows out of your faith inChrist, because raising a family is a spiritual endeavor!
Embracing Christ and the God-given role He has called you to is where you will experience true happiness. Commenting on this Psalm, Matthew Henry famously said, “those who are truly holy are truly happy.”
May you find true happiness in Christ and what he has called you to. Amen. Let’s pray together.
