A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Are you still looking for Jesus? Sometimes it is easy to get distracted and to lose our goal or perspective. The Bible is full of advice and wisdom and good principles. But Solomon is trying to make you wise. If you get off track and see the detail or the product of God’s principles as the goal and miss God Himself, you will be like a kid playing with a box at Christmas.
Even Jesus understands this wisdom:
“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
So Jesus gives us the same wisdom as Solomon and tells us that what is true for Him is also true for us.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Why do we find it so hard to learn this simple concept? The Israelites failed to grasp this when after Jericho they suffered great losses at Ai.
Say it with me: I need God to breathe, I need God to live, I need God to think, I need God to exist, I need God to love, I need God to have joy, I need God to work, I need God to see the truth, I need God to do anything.
I was reading Psalm 127 just before bed last night and I started to get fixated on Jesus’ Peter rock statement and started looking at translations and history and. . .
“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
Jesus said, I will build my church. Oh friend, don't be like me. Don’t get hung up on the methods, the materials. JESUS will build HIS church.
And to be honest Psalm 127 reminds us that Jesus/God will provide or build or do whatever it is that needs doing. It is His work.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
We must depend on God. Solomon, even though he was such a super wise guy, forgot this and wrote a book about it. It is probably one of the hardest things to remember. We are dependent on God. And that is not weakness or laziness or foolishness. That is a fact. And it is beautiful. You can’t save yourself. You can’t pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. You need God to build your city and to provide you with safety and to give you a family. But with Him you will not only have those things but you will have joy and rest. Oh the rat race of life is the foolishness of men trying to be God. Let God be God. Rely on Him and you then can be the best person God intended you to be.
God is so generous and He holds back nothing we need. You will have seen my photos of flowers. They are the reminder that it is God who provides. Solomon wrote Psalm 127, and it sounds just like his other writings. But Jesus tells us something about this rich, wise king of Israel:
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”
Please don’t waste as much time in your life as I have wasted. And don’t be as pig headed as good old Solomon. Rely on God. Let go of your striving and worrying, and trust God. Jesus invites you to bring your weary soul to Him Matthew 11. All your efforts are wasted if God wasn’t asking you to do it anyway. So ask yourself, What is God building? What is God doing? What is the plan of God?
“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Psalm 127 points to another passage in Hebrews where we see a city builder. Have a look and see if you can find it.
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| Handwritten Psalm 127 |
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