Sermon: Blessing in Fear (July 26, 2026)

Sermon Text: Psalm 128

Jim Byrne

Quotes for Reflection

David Dickson (1583-1663)

The scope of this psalm is to show the blessedness of the one who fears God, which appears first in the temporal blessing of that person in their calling, second in their family, and third, in pouring spiritual blessings on them.

James Luther Mays

Because Zion is the place of the Presence, the pilgrims bring the needs and hopes of everyday life with them.

Willem VanGemeren

To sit under one’s vine and fig tree was an expression of a state of tranquility, peace and prosperity. Even when the country faces adversity, the man who fears the Lord is insulated against adversity by wife and children as blessings of the Lord are found under the roof of his house.

Cassiodorus (490-585)

Those who are apprehensive of the world’s dangers in loss of temporal possessions are not blessed. These dangers make people wretched, torturing them with empty fear, so that they do not experience growth but a diminution, no ascent but a headlong fall. By contrast, fear of the Lord is offspring of love, is born of charity.

Application Questions