Psalm 128

My first reaction to this Psalm is that it is really pretty. It is very simple and is almost like a "recipe" for happiness. I found the first line interesting right away, that those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways are happy. The idea that fearing God is necessary is interesting. Obviously obeying him is considered necessary for gaining God's favor but to think about it as giving happiness is a slightly different angle. And being fearful of God causing happiness is not something I had thought of before. Enjoying the fruits of your labor, having a family and a home, all of these are, according to the writer of the psalm, things that will make you happy. It reminded me of the part of Geertz's definition that refers to the order of existence. Not only does having a religion (following God, in this case) give an explanation for the world, it makes you happy. If you do what God wants, you will live a happy and peaceful life. If you don't, presumably, bad things will happen to you. This psalm seems to be one of the more instructive of the psalms, a "do this and God will love you and give you blessings" sort of poem. Even the second half, which is the speaker praying for blessings to be given to someone else, seems dependent on the first part.