Psalms 128:5-6

3. Specific supplications for blessing 128:5-6

The psalmist offered a general prayer for his readers’ future, and then specified particular blessings following the form he used in Psalms 128:1-4. The petition concerning seeing Jerusalem prosper all of one’s days is appropriate in a psalm of ascent. The prosperity of the city would extend to every family in the nation ultimately. Seeing one’s grandchildren also expresses God’s continued blessing for many years to come.

"From bride and groom to grandparents in just six verses! How time flies! Three generations are represented in the psalm, and all of them walking with the Lord." [Note: Ibid., p. 349.]

This psalm beautifully tied family and nation together in the thinking of the pilgrim Israelite who traveled with his family to Jerusalem for a national feast. It is a reminder of the importance of God’s blessing on both home and nation that are mutually dependent. Families and nations can only succeed with God’s blessing.