Psalm 127 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

²It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep.

³Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

⁵Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.”

This Psalm makes it clear that anything that we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do apart from Him will only be vain. Whether we endeavor to build a literal house, or a church, or more broadly some kind of ministry. The principal remains, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it, for it will not accomplish anything that the Lord Himself is doing. It is important then that you grasp this, for you can put much time, energy, and resources into your own self-willed works only to see very minimal lasting fruit at the end. Seek then and understand the Lord’s Will for you and do it, then you will have much fruit that remains.

The principal now moves to security. What is the basis of your security? Is it your faith in and obedience towards the Lord Jesus Christ, or is it something less. For walls and fortresses will not save you in the day of your trouble, only the Lord can. And having one’s faith in and obedience towards Him is the ultimate security in this life, and for all of eternity, for nobody escapes the Judgment of God. Same with militaries, police forces, security forces and all their agents and agencies. None of these in of themselves can ever guard a nation or you from the depravity and wickedness of the human heart. Yes, you could stay awake and guard your home and belongings armed to the teeth, having all your survival gear ready at hand, but that is no guarantee that you will not be overcome in the day of trouble, for unless the Lord guards your home, you will be doing so in vain. The principal moves down the line to self defense, (which like the previous things in of themselves is not wrong), but if one is relying on them, or here their own armament, fighting abilities or survival skills, they truly have a false hope. For the Lord alone makes peace and the Lord makes calamity, He raises up one and brings down another. And old age, weakness, and frailty never fails to find any of us who live to attain to it.

Vs. 2 “It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so He gives His beloved sleep.”

In the first verse the emphasis was on security, here in the second the emphasis is on our labors. The idea being that if one’s labors are only self willed and directed, they are essentially labors in vain, for though a person spends their entire life rising early and working late into the night, if their labors are only self-willed and directed what do they gain in the end, nothing but the privilege of eating the bread of sorrows and regret in the end (consider Mark 8:36-9:1). Conversely the person whose life and faith are in the Lord Jesus Christ can work in the most menial position, or be exalted to the most prominent place, and in either case their sleep is sweet and life is filled with joy and blessings  and laughter, whether they have little or much, because what they have comes to them by the hand of the Lord. Again, you can seek your satisfaction in all your own pursuits, labors, and hopes of attaining… and in the end, end up with? Or you can freely have it all in the Lord Jesus Christ and live a life of bountiful grace, joy, and peace that comes to you now, and lasts for all eternity. In considering these things Casting Crowns song, “American Dream” comes to mind. 

Vs. 3-5 ³Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

⁵Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

The Psalm now moves to the importance of family, of children being a heritage from the Lord, even calling them a reward from the Lord; for they can be a very great blessing in one’s life bringing very much joy, laughter, and love to one’s life. This is the children of one’s youth which makes ones sacrifices and hard labors in one’s youth all the more meaningful and enjoyable. For ultimately ones children give one strength. Happy then is the man whose house is filled with them; with the sounds and laughter of his children. For having reared them correctly, he shall have much delight and peace as he watches them grow up into godly people who live honest and righteous lives, and even while he himself grows old and his labors diminish, his enemies then shall never put him to shame, for they themselves shall be a witness of what the Lord has done through him. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.