“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. A Song of Ascents.”
(Psalm 127:1–128:title, ESV)
In our fast-moving world it seems that there are those of the opinion that you work hard and play hard, collecting all you can get out of life. There also seems to be a growing number of people who feel that they are entitled to the fruits of others’ labors simply because it is a human right to have what your neighbor has, so why work?
The Bible definitely speaks positively about the need for hard work in order to provide for your needs, and beyond yourself, the needs of those who are weak and helpless. This reflects the character of God who “labored” for six days in creation and also cares for the needs of all of creation.
But Psalm 127 addresses a real problem that we need help with in our modern age–work hard, but work in such a way that you are dependent upon the Lord God for your effort.
In these first two verses of this psalm, the work of building, securing what we have, and making sure we have good food to eat, are all measured to be vain activities if the Lord is not involved in the life of the one making the effort. This isn’t to say that such a person doesn’t meet their goals. The house is built; the city is secured; the toil does produce bread. That isn’t the issue.
The question is, when all is said and done, and when we stand in heaven before God, will what we have done in this busy life have been done in vain because we did not include the Lord in our work, but instead rushed headlong into our work by ourselves? This is a good question to ask before we have gone on too far in life. It is a tragedy when life is only examined on the death bed. At this point, what can be changed?
The second half of the psalm (vv. 3-5) are so different from the first half, that some have thought that they are two different songs somehow placed together. But they are connected, both poetically, and logically. The Hebrew word for “builders” (v. 1) is bonim, and the word for “children” (literally, “sons”) is banim. But there is a greater connection here.
Whereas the first part is a picture of the mad rat-race of life to get as much as you can by your own herculean efforts, the second half begins with the inheritance that is received as a good gift from the Lord. Like a plot of land (a common gift of inheritance in the biblical world), the land would need to be cleared of trees, stumps, weeds, etc., then plowed, seeded, and finally harvested.
Children are like this. They are gifts from the Lord, and they are for a time a liability rather than an asset. They need a lot of attention, pulling sinful weeds, watering with love, seeding with the gospel, removing rocks of rebellion and unbelief, but in the end, this fruit of the womb has a reward. Not a reward from God for our goodness or righteousness. No, children are a gift of grace. The reward is the fruit of the labor in seeking to raise children in Christ. When we do this, it is the Lord who builds the house–not a literal house, but a figurative one, in the family.
These children will become warriors for truth in the hands of the parents, beginning in the quiver of the parents, and eventually being launched out into the world to carry on the building of a household that pleases the Lord. How blessed is this father and mother!
It is a tragedy that the family has been attacked in our society and world. Abortion has destroyed innocent unborn children in the name of progress and opportunities. Not only is it wicked, it is foolish.
It is a tragedy when parents sacrifice their children in order to provide them with a “good home” all the while tearing down their family through neglect and the instilling of unbiblical values through abandonment of duties and disregard for the warnings of Scripture.
Who has built your “house?” If it isn’t the Lord’s doing, all your labor will be in vain.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
(Psalm 121:1–2, ESV)
Christian, where are you looking for help? Are you looking for it in the President? Honestly, are you? Are you looking for your help to come in the passing of “righteous laws?” Are you hoping in the Constitution? Have you placed your trust in political action and conservatism? Yes, I admit, the Lord can use these things, but are you placing your trust in them and not in the Lord? Have you become confused about where your loyalties lie?
Christian, where are you looking for help? Are you looking for it in a vaccine or medical cure that will keep you safe from the Coronavirus? Are you hoping in science and doctors? Are you panicked that you won’t have enough masks and gloves and hand sanitizer? Are you stockpiling supplies selfishly because you believe that you need to take care of yourself? Are you trusting in media reports, graphs and charts, medical “experts” and the word on the street from social media? Are your driven by fear for your life? Have you become so fearful that God has become small and you must help him along?
Christian, where are you looking for help? Have you become convinced of the thinking that overthrowing the world with angry rhetoric and supporting violent riots is somehow supposed to bring justice in a wicked and fallen world? Have you placed your hope in a Kingdom now, where human philosophy and effort can build a utopia that will somehow address the sin of man’s soul? Have you exchanged the gospel of the crucified Jesus for a gospel of equality and justice won through protest, political action, and evangelism of those who don’t think like you? Have you become so driven by the issue of injustice that you no longer look to Jesus as the one who loves and sent his Son to be the Savior of the world? Have you misplaced your zeal in a hope that things will change without Christ?
Christian, where are you looking for your help? Can you confidently say, “My help comes from the Lord”?
“But”, you say, “we need to exercise our rights as citizens…” Yes, but has your citizenship on earth overridden your trust that this world is not your home?
“But we must make sure that we protect those who are vulnerable. This sickness has killed people.” Yes, but aren’t we already vulnerable, like grass that is here today and gone tomorrow? Does not the Lord see your needs, and cares for you? Does he not already know the number of your days? Does not his love cast out fear? Aren’t we told not to be anxious, but by prayer and supplication make our needs known to the Lord? Will we not all die, even if we have placed our bodies in a vacuum-sealed clean room? But how will you have lived for Christ?
“But, there is racism and poverty in this world, and Jesus calls us to fight for the innocent and to call out sin.” Yes, and we must speak truth to those lies that would undercut the value of any human, whether because of the color of his skin or the money in his pocket. But, a poor man or a man who has hatred for his brother will still be cast into outer darkness when he has money and no longer hates those different than he is. This world is broken. It has been so since the beginning of mankind. Where does Christ fit in for you? Is he simply used to further your personal agenda? And how much are we seeking his help in overcoming the sin of this world, and how much of it is our drive to fix things in our own flesh?
Where does your help come from? It’s an honest question. The Sunday school answer is that “our help comes from the Lord.” But we need to assess our hearts and ask if that is really true. Look around you. Does your life, your actions, your words, reflect a person who trusts in the Lord, or have you placed your hopes elsewhere? He alone, the one who made heaven and earth, is able to overcome. Place your full trust in him alone.
“Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.”
(Psalm 119:137–144, ESV)
No Matter How People Respond, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 137-139)
The perfect name of the LORD, is rarely used in this psalm, and so it’s appearance stands out when it does. The LORD, Yahweh, is righteous. This is who he is. He does not exhibit righteousness, but is always in every way righteous.
Spurgeon says, “God is always right, and he is always actively right, that is, righteous. This quality is bound up in our very idea of God. We cannot imagine an unrighteous God.”[1]
And just as the divine Author is righteous, so too his word and works are all righteous as well.
In the next verse (v. 138), the psalmist states that as God, all his testimonies are commanded in righteousness. He does not suggest, but commands as the King. Such commands are all given in faithfulness because the King is both righteous and faithful.
Because of these traits which describe the Word of God, in v. 139, the psalmist says that he is passionate about the Scriptures, so that he describes himself as a man who is consumed with zeal for the Word of God.
But not everybody feels this way. God’s Word is righteous and his commands are faithful, but there are many of his creatures who couldn’t care less. They are described as “forget[ting] your Words.” How tragic that the creature would forget the Words of the Great King and Creator of the Universe and all Galaxies!
Isaiah 1:2-3 it says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”” (Isaiah 1:2–3, ESV)
Little children, and even less intelligent animals such as ox and donkeys know those who have raised and cared for them. If a donkey isn’t fed, or a child doesn’t get his afternoon snack, does he forget his owner or mother? No, in fact, he or she will cry out even more! But there are some who forget the God who has made them and gives them everything. And they do not care about his Word. It is not because his Words fail, nor are not true. They are righteous and faithful. But wicked men do not want God!
Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t matter how other people respond to the Word. His Words are righteous and true! His commands are not for us to consider whether we would like to obey or not. He is our Lord, and we will grow in zeal for his Word when we pursue him in it. So, no matter how other people respond to the Scriptures, we should set our hearts to follow our Lord to the very end.
No Matter How People Treat You, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 140-141)
Like gold that has been refined and had all the impurities removed, the Word of God is pure, refined, and trustworthy. It will not fail you once every 10,000 times. It is pure.
Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6, ESV)
The child of God loves the pure Word. He has put it to the test in life over and over again. He has walked in the light of the Word and it has never led him astray. He has grown over time to place his trust in this Book and he has grown to love it because it has revealed the heart of God to him.
But unlike what he said in v. 139, the foes of the psalmist do forget the Word. These enemies looked down upon him and they despised him. He is nothing to them. But his concern is not that he would become acceptable to them, seeking their approval.
The righteous man or woman of God desires to please the Lord first and foremost above all others. He does not want to join those that are the enemies of God. Instead he desires to stay humble and close to the Word.
Have you “tested” the Word of God and proven to yourself that it is very pure? It is one thing to read what the Bible claims for itself, but have you proven it by the way you have placed your trust in the Lord in challenging situations?
In 1Pet 1:6-7 it says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV)
How are you responding to trials? Is it by faith or by the flesh? Are you leaning on the everlasting arms or are you leaning on your own understanding? Don’t worry about what others think or say. God’s Word is trustworthy, even if people think you are foolish for taking God at his Word.
No Matter How You Feel, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 142-143)
Speaking directly to God, the psalmist declares in verse 142 that the righteousness of God and his Word are timeless and unchanging. The Word of God is not time-sensitive, and outdated. Some people say that the Bible is old and we need a fresh word from God. The Scriptures are a fresh Word from God. They are more relevant than the morning news.
And unlike the news, the Word of God is true, and this goes farther than just containing truth. The news may contain truth, but the Word of God is truth. Just as God is righteousness, so too his Word is truth (Jn 17:17). Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and the Spirit is truth (1Jn 5:6).
This attribute of God should be comforting to us. He cannot and will not lie. Not a shade. We have “grey areas” and “little white lies” but God has truth and that is all.
Verse 143 demonstrates where the comfort of God is needed. We are not told what the trouble and anguish are in the life of the psalmist, but it appears that they are internal and external troubles. He has trouble that may come from his foes, and internally he is in anguish. But the pain is not all there is. There is so much more. He does not allow his trials to consume him but instead he finds “delight” in God’s Word.
As Christians, we can still find joy from the Word of God in the midst of his pain. God has given us the capacity to feel pain. That is a God-given gift. Can you imagine if you couldn’t feel pain? Those who lose feelings in their bodies often unknowingly destroy their limbs because they can’t feel when they hurt themselves so they will stop it. And God has given us pain to drive us to him and his Word as well.
The foolish and the unbeliever act similarly in this way—they refuse to go to God. But in doing so, they remove from themselves the blessing of pain, which is to drive them to prayer and instead it drives them to a darker place where they will find neither answers nor joy.
No matter how you feel, the Word of God is trustworthy.
No Matter How Long You Might Live, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 144)
The testimonies of God are never ending in their righteousness. His words are eternal Words. When you and I speak, our words are like vapor. They come and go. We do not know most of the words spoken by most men of all ages. But God’s Words, every one of them, never cease in their power and effect.
The sun, moon, and stars will continue going as long as the Word of God spoken in the beginning is not rescinded with another command. God’s Word will not fail and it will never cease.
Because of this, the psalmist prays that his desire might be fulfilled, that he could cling to those eternal words of life and be given understanding of them. He wants wisdom and knowledge, and he wants to obey, but most he wants to know the righteous God who spoke them. This is where he will find life.
Of course, he is alive, but true life and true living can only occur through knowledge of the living God. To not know God as revealed in his Word is to be dead, even while you live.
The oldest person ever whose age has been verified is Jeanne Calment (1875–1997) of France, who died at the age of 122 years, 164 days.[2] For a human being, that is an amazing lifespan. Now, I don’t know if this person knew Christ, but I do know that the Word of God is righteous forever, and that included all the living days of Ms. Calment.
When the old Christian Polycarp in 167 AD, was asked to deny Christ or be put to death, his answer is so sweet. He said, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?”[3]
We don’t know if Polycarp was 86 years old or he was converted 86 years before, but the fact remains, Polycarp was an old man and he found the Word of God, and the God of the Word trustworthy for as long as he lived.
Polycarp was burned at the stake and then pierced through with a spear because he refused to offer incense to Caesar. Caesar is not lord, Jesus is Lord. He would not deny his Master.
No matter how long you live, cling to the Word of God, for he is trustworthy. While you have life, seek to understand the Word of God so that while alive, you might live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus.
As I have prepared sermons, there have been many occasions when I have tried to find the source of a quote that I want to use. On many occasions, I find out that many books may use a quote, but nobody can seem to find out where that quote came from. Many times people will say that Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, or Jonathan Edwards said or wrote something that simply cannot be trusted as their actual words.
The other day I wanted to use a great quote I found supposedly from Albert Einstein, but nobody knew where or when Einstein said it. The saying was untrustworthy, and for all I know, Einstein may have never written or spoken those words.
But the Bible is always trustworthy. Satan and his workers may try to twist it for their own uses, but interpreted properly, it is trustworthy and perfect. It is trustworthy no matter what others do, or what they say, or feel or however long you live. The Word of Life is eternal. Do not substitute anything for it.
“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
(Psalm 113:1–3, ESV)
What does the Bible mean when it extends a call to worship? Is it talking about quiet, solemn, personal times of devotion, or does it mean corporate praise with brothers and sisters in church? Well, both. As a matter of fact, in many ways, we can’t define “praise” in the context of a church service until we have understood how it must impact our heart attitude toward God on a personal level.
God, speaking through the prophet Malachi, despised the worship of his people. He said in Malachi 1:10, “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.” The people’s hearts were not right with God, so no matter what they sacrificed, it was not acceptable to him.
I like what Steve Lawson wrote in regard to Psalm 113:1. The word ‘praise,’ he said, “…carries the idea of an exuberance, radiance, jubilance, or celebration. It means to light up for God, to be radiant for God, to be shining forth for God, to boast in him, to brag in him.”[1]
That’s a great definition because it captures the joyfulness of praise. So, how can we get that back if it is missing, and how can we stoke the fire if it is present in us, but we want our passion to burn hotter? Let’s look at why the Lord is worthy of praise:
His Covenant (v. 1a)
The first line of verse 1 is sometimes given as Hallelujah which is the Hebrew word translated “Praise the LORD.” The “Yah” part is a shortened version of the holy name of God, “Yahweh.” This you’ll remember, is his covenant name, given to Moses at the burning bush by the Lord.
Why should we give praises to the Lord? Because he is our Lord. He has made covenant promises with his people, and of all people on the earth, we who are his children should give the loudest praises to him.
John Calvin wrote, “This psalm contains abundant reasons for all men without exception to praise God. The faithful alone being endued with spiritual perception to recognize the hand of God, the prophet addresses them in particulars.”[2]
What Calvin meant was that God commands men everywhere to give praises to God, but in their sin-filled blindness, they can’t see God the way we can. So we, who have been forgiven and set free from our bondage to sin, should give praise all the more because of this!
His Commitment (v. 1b)
The second line of v. 1 calls the “servants of the LORD” to praise God. If we are servants, that makes him our what? Master!
Later on, in the last part of the psalm, the psalmist demonstrates in greater detail the kind of things that the Master does for his servants—things such as lifting us up from the dust and ash heap of sin and death and placing us upon thrones. But even before we think about that aspect, we must remember that we are his servants because he redeemed us from our sin.
As his servants, we are called to praise our Master. Our Lord is so good to us. The Israelites traditionally sang this psalm and psalm 114 at the beginning of the Passover meal. As they retold the account of God’s great salvation from the hands of the Egyptians, they would remember how great and good God really is!
You know, the Lord didn’t have to commit himself to Israel, nor to the Church. He did so freely. Christ bound himself to His Bride willfully. It wasn’t a shotgun marriage! We aren’t as lovely as we need to be, but Christ keeps his commitment to us. O how we need to worship him!
His Character (v. 1c)
Notice the last praise of verse 1 is a call to praise “the name of the LORD.” The “name of the LORD” is a shorthand way of speaking about the character of God. His name encapsulates all that he is.
When you read you Bible, you read who this God is that loved and saved us. He is merciful and compassionate. Just ask Jonah! He is forgiving and kind—remember the woman caught in adultery?
He is holy, righteous, and just, and will come with the full wrath and fury he has promised. We see that in the way Christ suffered on the cross—the very punishment that was meant for you and me.
We see love on that cross as well, don’t we? Is your heart beginning to warm with praises toward our God? Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day. I pray the our voices and hearts will resonate with praise that will ascend to heaven and give the honor that is due God’s name.
[1] Steve Lawson, Holman Old Testament Commentary, “Psalms 76-150”, p. 205.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble”
(Psalm 107:1–2, ESV)
The pattern of Psalm 107 is particularly easy to see in the English Standard Version with the word “Some” in vv. 4, 10, 17, 23. Each section reveals a situation that “some” people encounter in life:
Some wander in the wilderness and are doomed to death (vv. 4-9)
Some are enslaved and sit in darkness. (vv. 10-16)
Some have invited destruction and death as the consequence of their sin (vv. 17-22)
Some faced near death as they went about their dangerous vocation as sailors upon story seas (vv. 23-30).
In every instance, whether self-inflicted or providential, the Lord responded with “steadfast love” toward his people because he is the faithful, covenant-keeping God. That is how the Lord God Almighty acted toward Israel, and that is how he responds to his Bride, the Church.
The question for you, if you are a Christian: how do you respond when God has acted? So many times we are vocal in our cries, our needs, and our complaints, and yet we are silent in our praises to the Lord for his goodness to us. We call people, we post to Facebook, we tell our church prayer groups and we tell friends of our need. But when God answers? Crickets.
As verses 1-2 say, let us give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and let all those who are Redeemed, say so! What is your reason for giving thanks? And have you been as vocal in your praise as you have been in your complaint and cries for help?
I invite you to share your praises in the comments how the Lord has recently answered your prayers so that you might encourage others who are still seeking answers.
Always Reforming 