Out of the corner of my eye I could see a family siting on a similar seat to ours perhaps about 15-20 metres away. Mum and dad were glued to their mobile phones while their son and daughter tried to busy themselves around them. Slowly I became focused on the unfolding drama. The little boy was doing everything to get his dad’s attention. He ran around in front of him repeatedly asking “Dad, what are we doing next?” When that attempt failed he climbed onto the back of the seat, balancing there and saying ‘Dad, look at me’. No reaction whatsoever from Dad. He then moved round the back of mum and dad, took his dad’s hand and ruffled his mum’s hair. Zero response from either parents. But the one that floored me was when he was playing in the grass and he suddenly shot up in excitement saying, “Dad, look I’ve found a yellow spider.” Not the slightest acknowledgement from dad. For that entire episode he was transfixed with whatever was on his mobile phone screen. It confirmed one of the biggest misnomers of our age. This thing we call ‘social media’ is actually an incredibly individualist pursuit that shuts out real life interaction with others. The wee boy eventually resigned himself to playing with stones in the immediate vicinity.
I went over to Liz after a wee while and said, “I’m just watching a tragedy unfold.” You see, I imagine in a few years time that young lad’s questions will have dried up and dad’s opportunity for engagement may have gone. Admittedly I don’t now the backstory to that family and every parent has had days when their energy for family life is low. However, the signs that day were less than promising.
That story brings me to the next “Song of Ascents" on “the journey,” Psalm 128. In my mind I’ve set the incident at Dumfries House beside Psalm 128. It’s brought me to appreciate that…
We get one shot at this thing called life.
In light of that Psalm 128 encourages us to see:
✦ The gift of life as a blessing (verse 1)
“Blessed - happy and fortunate - is everyone who fears, reveres and worships the Lord, who walks in his ways, and lives according to his commandments” (TAB).
What a beautiful picture of life as God intended.
We have this grand pronouncement of happiness on all who fear God and walk in his ways. The fear of the Lord doesn’t mean that we cower in a corner at the sound of his approach. The fear of God means that we’re in awe of God’s majesty so that we approach him with great reverence and respect. It means that we take God seriously.
Consider how the psalmist develops his thought - those who fear the Lord are those who walk in God’s ways. In other words a right attitude towards God leads to right actions in your life. Jesus said something similar in John 14:21: “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.
Psalm 128 encourages us to see:
✦ The provision of employment as a blessing (verse 2)
“You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” (verse 2)
I don’t believe that this necessarily means that you’ll become wealthy or rich, but rather that you’ll find fulfilment in your work and that your work will provide for your needs.
Hard work is taken for granted, but this Psalm makes it clear, as Psalm 127 does, that enjoyment of its fruits is a gift from God.
Psalm 128 encourages us to see:
✦ The legacy of family as a blessing (verse 3-4)
The psalmist paints a picture of marriage that is both fruitful and faithful.
And it portrays family life in the rather quaint terms of verse 3. "Your wife will be a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots round your table."
The image of olive shoots around the table is the picture of a mature, established olive tree with young shoots springing up out of the soil all around it. It’s a common sight in that region. The olive shoots represent youth and energy and, above all, promise. Psalm 144:12 offers a similar image when it says: “Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.”
It’s an ideal image because the olive is a slow growing tree. It can take ten to fifteen years before it bears any fruit, but once established the olive tree it will produce fruit for decades to come. That’s the picture this Psalm gives of our children. It will take some time before they grow to independence and maturity. As parents we need to be patient with our children as we raise them in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Psalm 128 encourages us to see:
✦ The context of the community of God’s people as a blessing (verses 5-6)
If godliness can be too individualistic, and a family too self-contained, then the final two verses take care of that. Zion, where the faithful gather, is where you can expect to find blessing; and your family’s future is bound up in Zion’s welfare.
This is the village that helps raise the child.
Employment, family and the community of God's people are to be viewed as God's gracious gifts to his people. The person who reveres the Lord will view them as such and cherish all that God has blessed them with in life.
(picture - Ben Eich, near Luss on Loch Lomondside)
'the journey' playlist...
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1r5rMcrNlmUMQqHyIBfCmg?si=YtwsF-OuT9-160jOeH26gQ&pi=iHT32HMRSleMD
