Psalm 127
Ill:
• A man went to a psychiatrist with a worry problem.
• “Every time I get into bed,” he said, “I’m convinced there is somebody under it”.
• “I can help”, said the psychiatrist,
• “But it will mean a session a week for a year, costing £30 per visit”.
• The man never returned,
• So when the psychiatrist met him in the street he asked why he hadn’t come back.
• “Oh, a friend cured me for nothing,” he explained.
• “How did he do that?” asked the psychiatrist.
• “He simply told me to cut the legs off the bed!”
• Replied the man.
• Psalm 127;
• Also gives simple practical advice for some key areas of our lives.
Psalm 127:
• Is an ancient song with a modern message;
• It deals with the practical themes of:
• Home-making (verse 1).
• Security (verse 1).
• Work (verse 2).
• Having a family (verse 3-5).
Ill:
• If you are Scottish, you might recognise the words from verse 1,
• It is the motto of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland,
• It appears on the crest,
• And is affixed to the city’s official documents.
• In Latin it says; ‘Nisi Dominus frustra’,
• Which means; “Without the Lord it is in vain”.
That motto or that expression is the main point of this Psalm.
• The Psalm divides up into three parts;
• Three activities are mentioned; building, protection, and raising a family.
And this Psalm clearly teaches that:
• Unless God blesses these activities with his presence and help,
• Then no matter how we view success and failure.
• The simple fact is this;
• According to Psalm 127 all our efforts will have been in vain.
(1). Building without the Lord (verses 1-2).
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.
• To the people who first received this Psalm:
• The things mentioned carried immediate meaning.
• Building a house,
• Keeping watch over a city,
• Toiling for food.
• Were all essential tasks.
• The idea that these things could have been done in vain,
• Would have come as quite a shock to the readers of this psalm.
• So to its original readers Solomon’s words have a cutting edge:
• That would have arrested the attention of the reader.
• But Solomon’s words are not old hat, out of date,
• They still have important principles that apply to all our lives.
The first activity mentioned is:
(a). Constructing a house.
Building a house was a common activity:
• Which required a considerable effort &cost,
• So imagine investing time and energy only to find out that it was all is pointless.
• How depressing and disappointing to have invested time & money, to have done your best,
• Only to find out there was a much better way of doing it!
Ill:
• It is visited each year by thousands of people,
• It is one of the great tourist attractions in the world,
• It stands 179 feet tall and is a work of beauty,
• The problem is the architect built it on 10 feet of foundations.
• The leaning tower of Pisa,
• Is externally impressive but was a disaster waiting to happen!
• And it has only survived to this day,
• Thanks to the knowledge and skill of many different experts.
Alistair & Rachel (and of course everyone else):
• This Psalm reminds us;
• That no matter how impressive your home may or may not look,
• In the end only one thing matters,
• How good are your foundations?
• Jesus himself taught us in the parable of the wise & foolish builders,
• Build your life, marriage, future by building on him!
• Otherwise all your efforts will be in vain!
(b).Guarding a city.
• In Old Testament times watchmen were stationed on city walls and hill tops,
• Their job was to be look outs and to warn the people of the enemies attack.
• They played a vital role in defending a city,
• Key people in protecting the people from danger.
• But there ability to defend a city was limited.
• Even if they played their part well, the city could still be conquered.
Ill:
• The Great Wall of China is the only man made structure that can be seen on the moon,
• It is 3,460 kilometres long and was built over a period of 2,000 years.
• It was built so high that nobody could climb over it,
• And so thick that nobody could break it down.
• Yet during the first 100 years of the walls existence,
• China was invaded three times.
• Not once did the enemy break down the wall or climb over it,
• Each time their enemies bribed the gatekeeper and they just marched on through.
These verses:
• Point out the folly of guarding, or trying to protect a city in our own strength,
• The folly of just relying on our own abilities & resources to get the job done.
This Psalm says there is a better way to protect a city, to protect a family, to protect a marriage:
• Not self-confidence and not self-reliance,
• It is folly to merley depend on our own gifts and talents.
• But instead the psalmist tells us to trust and depend on the Lord.
• He (The Lord) must be the ultimate source of our security.
If he is not than everything that’s done will be “In vain”:
• In fact the words “in vain” appear first in the Hebrew text;
• Emphasising the emptiness of it all.
• “In vain they labour who build”.
• “In vain the watchmen keeps awake”.
(c). Working for a reward (Verse 2):
• The third illustration in this first section;
• Is somebody working for income and food.
Ill:
A television interviewer once asked the Pope:
• “How many people worked at the Vatican?”
• He replied; “About half of them!”
Verse 2 it is a picture of not just a worker, but a hard worker:
• He gets up early and goes to bed late,
• But after all that effort, surprisingly he only knows sorrow, not joy.
• All his hard work has been in vain,
• He may have pleased the boss, but he has not pleased the Lord!
Note:
• Hard work is commended in the Bible and laziness condemned,
• But hard work should never be at the expense of our key relationships.
Quote:
“Nobodies dying words where, I wished I had spent longer at the office”.
Ill:
Christians (and Alastair & Rachael) have priorities:
• (1st). To the Lord – work each day on this relationship.
• (2nd). Their family – to each other and then to your children.
• (3rd). To the Lord’s calling on our lives;
• Involves our local church fellowship, our workplace (job is a calling) & our home.
This Psalm is teaching us:
• Working long hours and being busy at work,
• Can never replace your allegiance to the Lord and his presence in your home.
• And the rewards of hard work; i.e. money and things cannot replace Christ in a life.
• And money & things are no substitute for a parent or a partner.
Notice: the contrast in verse 2:
“In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves”.
• When the Lord intervenes there is blessing:
• And a good nights sleep is a gift from God,
• God rewards us, even in our sleep,
• We wake up refreshed, after having had health-restoring, therapeutic sleep.
• And when we work God’s way,
• We can actually sleep peaceably, because we are leaving the results in God’s hands.
Ill:
• My mother who would go to bed at night,
• But didn’t really sleep until she knew that their offspring were in safely.
• Then she could relax.
• Because the worries no longer preyed on her minds.
In the same way:
• As Christians we can sleep peaceably,
• Because God is in charge, we are safe in his care.
(2). Building a Family (verses 3-5)
• This is the second section of this Psalm
• Some commentators have suggested:
• That these verses do not fit with the first part of the Psalm.
• That this Psalm is in fact two short Psalms that have been squeezed together.
I think that shows a misunderstanding of Jewish thinking.
• Jewish thinking revolves around the family.
• In fact the family unit is more important than even the Synagogue!
• As European twenty first centaury people;
• We might separate work and family into different compartments but not the Jew.
Ill: He would ask the question:
• Why is this house being built if it is not for the family?
• Why are watchmen protecting the city, if not for the families that live in it?
• Then and now the family is the basic unit and most important element of society.
• And this Psalm is good advice for each and every family.
Ill:
• A young minister, with very small children,
• Preached to his congregation on the theme,
• “10 ways to raise good and godly children”,
• Some years later, with his children entering their teens,
• He returned to his theme, but the same sermon was entitled:
• “10 suggestions for raising good and godly children”.
• Several years later, with his children now in their late teens,
• The sermon got another airing, this time presented as,
• “Feeble hints for fellow strugglers”.
This Psalm offers good advice to each and every family.
Verse 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”.
Verse 3: starts off with by grabbing your attention:
• The NASB & the Amplified Bible starts verse 3 with the word “Behold”.
• Other translations use the expression “Lo”.
• The Hebrew text grabs your attention, it is saying:
• ‘Take notice! Listen up! Pay attention!”
The psalmist then gives three titles to his children:
• (1). “Heritage” or “Gift” (verse 3).
• (2). “Reward” (verse 3).
• (3). “Arrows” (verse 4).
(1). Heritage or Gift.
• The Hebrew word used here means;
• “Property, possession…..that which is shared or assigned”.
• Children are the Lord’s possessions and his property,
• Which he graciously assigns to us, he shares them with us the parents.
Now this verse does not say;
• “Jewish children” or “Christian children” or “Some children” or “Most children”.
• But simply “Children”, implying ALL children, including yours and mine!
Ill:
• We talk about a surprise pregnancy or an accidental birth,
• But from God’s viewpoint there is no such thing.
• And wise are the parents,
• Who acknowledge the fact that their child or children are a personal gift from God.
Ill: Stork & Baby joke.
• “Where did I come from?”
• “Where did mummy come from?”
• “Where did granny come from?”
• “Where did my great granny come from?”
• School boy wrote in his essay:
• “There has not been a natural birth in our family for 4 generations!
This Psalm teaches:
• Children are a personal gift from the Lord:
• Wise are the parents who acknowledge the fact.
(2). Reward.
• The word reward conveys the idea of pleasure,
• Something given as tangible proof of appreciation.
• Children should never be seen as a punishment from God,
• In fact the opposite is true.
Ill:
• Little girl sat on the bed,
• She had been pestering her mum with questions.
• While mum, was in a hurry to get changed and go out.
• Watching her mother looking in the mirror and plucking out the grey hairs on her head,
• She asked; “Mummy, why do you have some grey hairs”
• Her mother replied; “Because you’re such a naughty girl and cause me so much worry”.
• “Blimey!” said the little girl looking at all mummy’s grey hairs;
• “You must have been a devil towards grandma!”
Verse 3: Clearly says that; “Sons”, not daughters are a reward.
• Now the Bible is not being sexist or saying males are superior to females.
• It is simply drawing from the time period and culture that this verse was composed in:
• In ancient times sons were more important than daughters.
• In today’s western world neither male or female is a greater blessing (equal).
• But in the ancient world;
• And still today in many poor third world countries sons are valued higher than daughters.
Question: Why were sons valued more than daughters?
Answer:
• Son’s meant more hands on the farm, on the land.
• Son’s meant more muscle when it came to fighting and defending the property.
• Son’s meant more provision for his parents in their old age.
• Son’s meant more children to bear the family name.
• Verse 5 tells us Son’s meant;
• More voices to speak in defence of the father at the city gate, the community court.
The point verse 3 is making is this:
• As we invest time, effort and money in our children (male or female),
• They will in a variety of ways recompense us.
• Ill: Farming: Because we shave sowed into our children’s lives,
• We will one day reap a harvest, a reward.
(3). Arrow.
This time the word picture is that of a warrior with arrows in his hand.
• No ancient warrior would go out to battle with just one or two arrows,
• And only a foolish warrior in the middle of a battle would stop to make arrows,
• An ancient warrior would take a full quiver into battle,
• And he would use them by firing, directing them towards a target.
The Bible makes it very clear:
• That parents are responsible for the direction of their children.
• A child is like an arrow, incapable of directing themselves.
• It is the basic responsibility of parents to instruct and guide;
• To direct the early lives of their children.
• Not to raise them in vain,
• But to raise them in the ways of the Lord.
No parents will ever raise perfect children:
• No parent will get it right every time,
• There will be lots of mistakes made as we seek to shape our children.
• But we seek to raise them in the things of the Lord,
• And even if our children rebel, and go off the tracks,
• We have a word of comfort!
• Quote: Proverbs chapter 22 verse 6:
“Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it”.
• This verse is not a magic spell,
• But a general guideline.
• It tells us that if we bring up our children in the ways of the Lord,
• Should they reject our advice and go their own way,
• Not every,
• But many will return back to the Lord at a later stage!
Alastair and Rachel;
• If the Lord blesses your marriage with children,
• Welcome them.
• Value them, as some of the best gifts God can give to you.
• And direct them, encourage them daily in the things of the Lord.
Verse 5:
• May cause you to panic:
• “Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them”.
• Remember in biblical days;
• Half the children born would not survive infancy and childhood.
• To have many children was a kind of insurance
• That a sufficient number would live long enough to perpetuate the family name.
Now I am glad to say:
• Not everyone has the same sized quiver.
• In our day of contraception and medical skills.
• Most of us have the choice as to how many children we would like.
• And in our culture and society we go for smaller families as a rule.
• But regardless of numerical size
• The principles of building a family remain the same.
By concluding the Psalm in verse 5 the songwriter has gone full circle:
• Like the builder and the watchman,
• The children work for the family’s welfare.
• And with God central to that family,
• It will be fruitful, meaningful and peaceful.
(3). Application: God and our lives:
The lesson of this clever little Psalm is this:
“Within God’s will there is no failure,
outside God’s will there is no success”.
• When we walk with the Lord, notice what he does;
• 3 things:
(1). God builds (verse 1).
• When God builds,
• Positive and constructive things happen.
Ill: John chapter 21 verse 6.
• You might remember that the disciples had been fishing in vain,
• They had been up all night, toiling hard and yet caught nothing!
• Then Jesus said to them; “Throw your nets on the right side of the boat”
• With ease the nets were filled, “153 fish in all!”
• Question: What made the difference?
• Answer: Doing things the Lord’s way!
• For a happy, stable and contented home,
• We must put God first.
(2). God watches (verse 1).
• It is a wonderful thing to know that God is looking after you.
• The Christian believes that their lives are in God’s hands.
• And there is no safer place to be than in the will of God!
Ill:
Ezra chapter 8 verse 22-23:
• Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for protection,
• Because he had already told the king that God’s hand was with Israel.
• “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer”.
• Ezra discovered if God says yes, then we do not have to worry.
(3). God provides (verse 2).
• Laziness in condemned and work is commended in the Bible,
• But we do not live just to work, rather we work to help our living.
• God will supply all your needs, trouble is we want him to meet our greed’s!
• God promises our daily bread, not our daily jam and bread!
Ill:
Words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 verse 25:
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
• The way to know God’s provision is easy,
• Follow God’s advice (verse 33)
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
(4). God grants sleep (verse 2).
Quote: Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
Contentment:
• A clear conscience.
• A full stomach.
• A peaceful surrounding.
• And a protective shepherd.
• No wonder the sheep can sleep,
• Contentment is a gift from God.
Quote 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 6:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain”.
The great lesson of this clever little Psalm is this:
“Within God’s will there is no failure,
outside God’s will there is no success”.
