Israelite Family Gathers at Their Table Under the Vineby emmanuel_higgins

Psalms 128:2

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

The verse promises that those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways will eat the fruit of their own labor, be happy, and have it be well with them. Its happiness and well-being are God's promised blessing in ordinary life, conditioned on walking in His ways and living under His direction. That blessing of faithful, righteous living stands against success gained by submitting to Satan's plans and will, which is a deceptive bargain.

In business life, faithfulness and honesty rather than fraud or exploitation mark a life lived in God's ways. In business conduct the promise points to honest work and the blessing of serving God rather than sacrificing principle for worldly gain. Serving the Lord brings happiness and prosperity, and resisting dishonesty and sin is better than gaining wealth through fraud. For Christians serving in the Washington institutions this is a call to keep the Lord's way and to avoid covetousness and conduct that would discredit their Christian witness.

Its promise of temporal bread is joined to the need for spiritual nourishment, sustaining the body with temporal bread and the soul with God's word. God's word is the bread and water of life, which Jesus identifies as His flesh and blood.