THE BLESSED FAMILY

“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style” – Psalm 144:12

When as a believer in Christ, you fear the LORD and walk in His Word; you’ll enjoy a BLESSED FAMILY and all that pertains to it, including blessed children : “your children like olive plants all around your table” (Psa.128:3b). First, the wife is like a fruitful vine in the very heart of the blessed man’s home; and then the children are like olive plants all around their table (Psa.128:3a). The olive tree is a basic aspect of agriculture in Israel. Biblically, it is also a picture of productivity and enduring blessing, as shown in Isaiah 52:8: “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.” The blessed family however, does not emerge automatically without human input. That’s why God uses the metaphor of olive plants to teach us.

The image of olive shoots surrounding the table is the picture of a mature, established olive tree with young shoots springing up out of the soil all around it. Though a common sight in Israel, what goes into the maturing of the olive tree is not slight. In order to be fruitful, the olive tree requires the touch of both the harsh, dry, hot, east wind from the desert, and the west wind, which brings rain, life and nourishment from the Mediterranean. In like manner, God’s ‘olives’ learn to accept the winds of tough challenges along with winds of relief and refreshing to become fully and firmly grown! Moreover, 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 needs little maintenance or supervision, and it will produce fruit for decades to come. It’s the same way with 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; but all of the time and effort expended will pay off: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro.22:6). The olive shoots therefore represent youth and energy and, above all, promise. God assures the blessed man: when you sit down to eat with your family, your children are the hope and promise of the future sitting around your table. Psalm 144:12 offers a similar illustration: “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style” – grown plants and sculptured pillars!

Of further interest is the use of the image of the table for the family in Psalm 128. The mealtime table is especially important for closely-knitted families, hence the term ‘family table.’ This is where the family gathers together and reflects about their day; where stories are shared, and experiences and values are passed on. It appears to be getting increasingly harder for families to get together even for a few meals a week these days. But what a difference it would make in our societies if, irrespective of the ages of our children or the makeup of our homes, we learn to carve out the time in our schedules and make family mealtime a priority.

What a beautiful picture of the blessed family is painted in Psalm 128: a godly husband, a faithful wife and eager children full of promise! Interestingly, the three constituents of the great sign of God’s blessing on human lives – our work, our marriage, and our family – were God’s original provision for us in creation. All three of these were also touched by Man’s fall into sin and the subsequent curse (Genesis 3). Psalm 128 however shows that God reverses the curse and brings blessings in all three areas when we fear the Lord and walk in His ways. Truly, truly, “Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the LORD!