Psalm 127
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat–
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever set out to do something,
And then realised that it is going to take so long,
That there are many other things that you could be doing instead.
Perhaps it is a neighbour who needs a hand with their garden,
You offer to help,
And then when the day arrives, you have a long list of other things that you could be spending your time on instead.
Or at work you agree to go to a conference or a training day,
You book it into your diary,
And then realise as the day approaches that there are so many other things to be dealt with,
That you wish you had never agreed to go.
I think by the time the Israelites have got round to singing Psalm 127, they are in a similar position.
They have set off on the journey to Jerusalem.
They have left their homes behind,
And as they see a few more days ahead of them,
They start to think about all the things they have left behind at home.
You can almost imagine them complaining along the way.
“This is such a long way to go!”
“I have so many things to do back at home.”
“What is the point in going to Jerusalem? It will just be the same as last year.”
And this Psalm is basically saying to the Pilgrims.
Stop the complaining,
Do you realise what a privileged position you are in.
You are going to Jerusalem to meet with God.
You are getting a break from the daily grind.
You are leaving your work behind for a few days.
What a privilege.
Remember you could spend your time doing something else,
But then God wouldn’t be in it.
And if God is not in it, what is the point.
This Psalm was sung to help the Pilgrims see things the way that God sees them,
See Work As God Does
The first thing that the Psalm deals with, is work.
We are to see Work as God does.
When we get discouraged we see work as a vain activity,
We get up we go to work,
We work hard,
But no one seems to appreciate us.
We don’t seem to achieve very much
And the Psalmist warns us that unless we see work the way that God does we will see it as being worthless.
Work here is not just what we are paid for.
It is any activity that we are involved in, when we are trying to achieve something.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat–
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Psalm 127:1,2
Unless the Lord is the one doing the work, then it is pointless.
And this goes against the way that we usually consider work.
We assume, if we can do more and meet our targets,
Then there is value to our work.
But that is not how God views it.
Work only has value when God is involved.
Anything that we achieve on our own is in vain,
It is pointless.
You may have come across the TV quiz show Pointless.
The object of the quiz is to think of answers that no one else has thought of.
These answers are pointless answers and hence the name of the programme.
Like many programmes today, they have a Celebrity version of the quiz,
And they call it Pointless Celebrities which is such a lovely name on so many levels.
Well in this Psalm we have pointless work.
Work that is done in vain.
Anything done without God is pointless.
But when we include God,
Or more correctly, when we allow God to take over,
Then there is value in our activity.
John Piper has a little phrase that I find very challenging,
He says,
“God can do more in five seconds than we can do in five hours.”
John Piper
Unless God builds, why bother.
God is able to do much, much more than we can do.
We get up early and stay up late, working hard to get food,
But God is the one who grants sleep to those he loves,
So what is the point?
ILLUSTRATION
There is a story told of a preacher and his wife visiting the Caribbean.
It was a beautiful place, beautiful beaches, beautiful sea, beautiful weather.
They were asked to dine with one of the wealthiest men in the world, who had a massive mansion there.
The man was about 75 years old,
Throughout the meal he was at the point of weeping,
And he explained to this visiting preacher,
“I am the most miserable man in the world,
Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want.
I have a private plane and helicopter.
I have everything I want to make my life happy, but I am miserable.”
The preacher and his wife attempted to share Christ with Him.
Later that same day, the same preacher and his wife went to visit the Pastor of a local church.
He too was about 75 years old.
He was a widower who spent most of his time,
Looking after his two sisters.
The pastor said to the visiting preacher,
I don’t have 2 dollars to my name,
But I am the happiest man on the island.
The visiting preacher was Billy Graham and his wife Ruth.
As they thought back on the visits,
They pondered,
Who was the richest of the two men?
It is a question that answers itself
And yet people try to build buildings
And watch over cities without taking God into account,
And yet they will all turn into ashes,
Unless the Lord builds it.
See Family As God Does
The second thing that the Psalm gives us a different perspective on is Family.
we see that in v3-5
Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5
A family, Children are seen in positive terms here.
They are a blessing.
And even if we have not been blessed with physical children,
We may have the blessing of spiritual children.
Children who we have a influence over, at church or in the wider family circle.
Children who we can help grow up in faith.
Here the Psalm is reminding us, how positive children are.
We may get discouraged at times.
Children may be hard work.
But the Psalm reminds us that Children are a Heritage
Children either spiritual or physical are an inheritance from the Lord.
Normally children inherit from their parents,
But God looks at family as an inheritance that he gives to his children.
Children are also a reward
They may cost hundreds of pounds to educate and bring up,
But they are a reward from God.
But Children are also Weapons
This is an odd comparison.
But I suppose the picture here is, that if you have a quiver full of arrows, you are protected,
You can pull out an arrow when needed and feel safe.
Children are a blessing who can help in a time of need.
God is giving us a change of perspective where children are concerned.
Children do not inherit, Parents inherit.
Children do not get rewarded, Parents get rewarded.
Children do not make us weak, old and exhausted, they make us ready for battle.
And the same is true of spiritual children.
Think of Paul in the New Testament, who was a spiritual father to Timothy.
Seeing Life As God Does
So this Psalms helps us See Work as God does,
And it helps us see Children as God does,
and finally in conclusion we will are to see Life as God does.
We are to see beyond the mundane.
There is a daily grind that we can get into,
But we are to see beyond that with God.
If we can view Work differently & Family differently,
Then perhaps we can view all of life differently.
The language we use to talk about things can change our perspective.
I have to go to work today,
Or I get to go to work today, I have this opportunity to do this work for the glory of God.
I have to go to school today,
Or I have an opportunity to go to school and get an education so that God can use me in his service.
I can’t be bothered to deal with this family crisis.
Or I have a family, thank God I can help out and bring grace into this situation.
Conclusion
So what ever we are doing this week,
Whoever we are dealing with.
What ever plans we are making
Lets remember that …
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
Psalm 127:1
As Jesus explains in the New Testament,
We are to look for God’s kingdom first and everything else then fits into place
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat–
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever set out to do something,
And then realised that it is going to take so long,
That there are many other things that you could be doing instead.
Perhaps it is a neighbour who needs a hand with their garden,
You offer to help,
And then when the day arrives, you have a long list of other things that you could be spending your time on instead.
Or at work you agree to go to a conference or a training day,
You book it into your diary,
And then realise as the day approaches that there are so many other things to be dealt with,
That you wish you had never agreed to go.
I think by the time the Israelites have got round to singing Psalm 127, they are in a similar position.
They have set off on the journey to Jerusalem.
They have left their homes behind,
And as they see a few more days ahead of them,
They start to think about all the things they have left behind at home.
You can almost imagine them complaining along the way.
“This is such a long way to go!”
“I have so many things to do back at home.”
“What is the point in going to Jerusalem? It will just be the same as last year.”
And this Psalm is basically saying to the Pilgrims.
Stop the complaining,
Do you realise what a privileged position you are in.
You are going to Jerusalem to meet with God.
You are getting a break from the daily grind.
You are leaving your work behind for a few days.
What a privilege.
Remember you could spend your time doing something else,
But then God wouldn’t be in it.
And if God is not in it, what is the point.
This Psalm was sung to help the Pilgrims see things the way that God sees them,
See Work As God Does
The first thing that the Psalm deals with, is work.
We are to see Work as God does.
When we get discouraged we see work as a vain activity,
We get up we go to work,
We work hard,
But no one seems to appreciate us.
We don’t seem to achieve very much
And the Psalmist warns us that unless we see work the way that God does we will see it as being worthless.
Work here is not just what we are paid for.
It is any activity that we are involved in, when we are trying to achieve something.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat–
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Psalm 127:1,2
Unless the Lord is the one doing the work, then it is pointless.
And this goes against the way that we usually consider work.
We assume, if we can do more and meet our targets,
Then there is value to our work.
But that is not how God views it.
Work only has value when God is involved.
Anything that we achieve on our own is in vain,
It is pointless.
You may have come across the TV quiz show Pointless.
The object of the quiz is to think of answers that no one else has thought of.
These answers are pointless answers and hence the name of the programme.
Like many programmes today, they have a Celebrity version of the quiz,
And they call it Pointless Celebrities which is such a lovely name on so many levels.
Well in this Psalm we have pointless work.
Work that is done in vain.
Anything done without God is pointless.
But when we include God,
Or more correctly, when we allow God to take over,
Then there is value in our activity.
John Piper has a little phrase that I find very challenging,
He says,
“God can do more in five seconds than we can do in five hours.”
John Piper
Unless God builds, why bother.
God is able to do much, much more than we can do.
We get up early and stay up late, working hard to get food,
But God is the one who grants sleep to those he loves,
So what is the point?
ILLUSTRATION
There is a story told of a preacher and his wife visiting the Caribbean.
It was a beautiful place, beautiful beaches, beautiful sea, beautiful weather.
They were asked to dine with one of the wealthiest men in the world, who had a massive mansion there.
The man was about 75 years old,
Throughout the meal he was at the point of weeping,
And he explained to this visiting preacher,
“I am the most miserable man in the world,
Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want.
I have a private plane and helicopter.
I have everything I want to make my life happy, but I am miserable.”
The preacher and his wife attempted to share Christ with Him.
Later that same day, the same preacher and his wife went to visit the Pastor of a local church.
He too was about 75 years old.
He was a widower who spent most of his time,
Looking after his two sisters.
The pastor said to the visiting preacher,
I don’t have 2 dollars to my name,
But I am the happiest man on the island.
The visiting preacher was Billy Graham and his wife Ruth.
As they thought back on the visits,
They pondered,
Who was the richest of the two men?
It is a question that answers itself
And yet people try to build buildings
And watch over cities without taking God into account,
And yet they will all turn into ashes,
Unless the Lord builds it.
See Family As God Does
The second thing that the Psalm gives us a different perspective on is Family.
we see that in v3-5
Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5
A family, Children are seen in positive terms here.
They are a blessing.
And even if we have not been blessed with physical children,
We may have the blessing of spiritual children.
Children who we have a influence over, at church or in the wider family circle.
Children who we can help grow up in faith.
Here the Psalm is reminding us, how positive children are.
We may get discouraged at times.
Children may be hard work.
But the Psalm reminds us that Children are a Heritage
Children either spiritual or physical are an inheritance from the Lord.
Normally children inherit from their parents,
But God looks at family as an inheritance that he gives to his children.
Children are also a reward
They may cost hundreds of pounds to educate and bring up,
But they are a reward from God.
But Children are also Weapons
This is an odd comparison.
But I suppose the picture here is, that if you have a quiver full of arrows, you are protected,
You can pull out an arrow when needed and feel safe.
Children are a blessing who can help in a time of need.
God is giving us a change of perspective where children are concerned.
Children do not inherit, Parents inherit.
Children do not get rewarded, Parents get rewarded.
Children do not make us weak, old and exhausted, they make us ready for battle.
And the same is true of spiritual children.
Think of Paul in the New Testament, who was a spiritual father to Timothy.
Seeing Life As God Does
So this Psalms helps us See Work as God does,
And it helps us see Children as God does,
and finally in conclusion we will are to see Life as God does.
We are to see beyond the mundane.
There is a daily grind that we can get into,
But we are to see beyond that with God.
If we can view Work differently & Family differently,
Then perhaps we can view all of life differently.
The language we use to talk about things can change our perspective.
I have to go to work today,
Or I get to go to work today, I have this opportunity to do this work for the glory of God.
I have to go to school today,
Or I have an opportunity to go to school and get an education so that God can use me in his service.
I can’t be bothered to deal with this family crisis.
Or I have a family, thank God I can help out and bring grace into this situation.
Conclusion
So what ever we are doing this week,
Whoever we are dealing with.
What ever plans we are making
Lets remember that …
Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
Psalm 127:1
As Jesus explains in the New Testament,
We are to look for God’s kingdom first and everything else then fits into place
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
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