Psalms 128

Today I am reading chapter 128 of Psalms and appropriately it is a verse about family. Here is the chapter in its entirety:

"All you who fear God, how blessed you are! how happily you walk on his smooth straight road! You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness! Your wife will bear children as a vine bears grapes, your household lush as a vineyard, The children around your table as fresh and promising as young olive shoots. Stand in awe of God's Yes. Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God! Enjoy the good life in Jerusalem every day of your life.  And enjoy your grandchildren. Peace to Israel!" (MSG)

I read this verse and immediately think of the power of a husband and father. The verse references "your wife" so we know this scripture is directed to men who are married and have children. It can also be taken to heart by men who are single, but desire a wife and children in their future. Notice how all the blessings in this scripture are proceeded by ONE thing...a man who fears God. This translates into how a man leads his household. I had a conversation last night with a very close male friend of mine and he made a statement I found interesting. In referencing divorce, he stated no matter how it may appear from the outside, he believes 99% of all divorces are the mans fault. His explanation of this is that most men do not know how to lead their families or they take the responsibility lightly. If a divorce occurs because of a woman's behavior outside the home, it can usually be traced back to a man who is not leading in the home. This is very powerful stuff! Remember....it was a male who made this statement, so it's not me trying to "male-bash" or anything like that. 

Relate this back to the scripture we see here in Psalms, and I do not think he is missing the mark at all in his conclusion. If the head of the house is operating in a healthy fear and respect for God, he will lead his household in the same way. His home will be lush, meaning fruitful! It will be well taken care of and producing healthy fruit in the form of his offspring. The man is blessed who fears God and leads his family on the same path. If there is no fear or respect for God by the leader of the home, then children with little respect for authority are the result. I have seen it many times in my personal experience. Even having a father in the home can be worse than an absent father if his presence is not representative of the love of our Heavenly Father. Children will talk disrespectfully to their mother because they are not show how to respect her by their father. It is hard for a mother to command respect in the home if the father is always disrespecting her or not leading her in the way God commands.

With all this said, I would like to address any women reading this who are single. If you begin dating a man and can see he is not a leader, then you may want to reconsider the relationship. Having been single myself for a long time, I know how difficult this can be and the loneliness you may feel. However, how much better to be single and in peace than in a relationship or possibly marriage in which the man is unable to lead in the way God instructs?