Selected Text: Psalms 127:1-2
Unless Adonai builds the house, its builders work in vain.
Unless Adonai guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
In vain do you get up early and put off going to bed, working hard to earn a living;
for he provides for his beloved, even when they sleep. Complete Jewish Bible
The Need for Ultimate Dependency on God
In Psalms 127:1-2, King Solomon offers us aspects of his wisdom concerning whom we are to trust and depend upon in our human affairs. The highlighted word house בית (bayit) in Hebrew has an assortment of meanings.
The fundamental meaning of the word בית (bayit) appears to be a kind of enclosure, specifically for keeping, safekeeping, or containing, and is contrasted by a wide array of specialized words meaning any kind of specific habitat, ranging from tent to palace.
One very important usage of the word בית (bayit) is to describe the entire membership and economy of one’s household. Hence the Bible speaks of the house of Jacob (Genesis 35:2, 46:27), the house of David (2 Samuel 7:11), and the house of Israel (Exodus 16:31). [bayit definition taken from https://www.abarim-publications.com/Dictionary/b/b-y-ta.html]
In the text, Solomon contends that ultimate success and prosperity are made possible when the Lord God builds the house. Whether the house is an ordinary dwelling; to the temple, as a place of worship; or to a family, it is spiritually wise for any faithful follower of God to be humble and have a universal dependency on God in all our undertakings.
In perhaps a very graphic depiction of the spender of God’s craftsmanship in the construction of His Sanctuary, consider Psalm 78: 69,
“And He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has founded forever.“
Somewhat a side note, God is limited less and timeless in Heaven and has revealed Himself into our material world of space and time in four ways. Within the Hebrew Scriptures, the invisible God is connected with us in history by being the God of Israel, which connects Him with all other Nations.
The second way that God has chosen to dwell with His people is in the Tabernacle and the Temple. Thirdly, God inhabited human flesh and dwelled on the earth as Immanuel, God with us in Jesus from Nazareth. and lastly, He abides within our hearts via the Holy Spirit and the Living Word of God. In this way, we become the priesthood of faithful followers of the Messiah.
[ First three side note findings were gleaned from the book, Body of Faith: God in the People Israel, by Michael Wyschogrod]
Vanities of Vanities
It is very difficult not to see that in the fifty words that comprise Psalm 127:1-2 the word vain is mentioned three times. The words “vain,” “vanity,” and “vanities” are frequent in the Bible. Their idea is almost exclusively that of “evanescence,” “emptiness,” including “idolatry” and “wickedness” as being not only evil but vain and empty things. They also signify falseness. [meaning of vanity: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]
Returning to the text, the last portion of verse one reads, they labor in vain that build it – literally, “In vain toil its builders in it.” The idea is, that they are entirely dependent on God. No matter what their skill, their strength, or their industry may be – all will be in vain unless God shall assist them.
The practical takeaway is that we all are to remain dependent on Him for life, for health, for strength, for practical wisdom, for a willing determination to continue our work, and for Godly success in it. All of our work might be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances thus, we must maintain total dependence on God.
God’s Sovereign Rule Over His Creation
The last portion of verse one of the text ends with Solomon disclosing that God not only builds our dwelling habitations, but He also is the keeper of our cities. The preservation of a city depends wholly on God, whatever care or precaution may be used.
The watchman waketh but in vain – literally, “In vain waketh the keeper.” The word rendered waketh means to be sleepless; and then, to watch. The allusion is to the watch or guard appointed to keep a city, and the idea is, that, whatever may be the diligence, the care, the fidelity of one thus appointed to guard a city, its safe-keeping must depend on God alone.
In our feeble attempts at staying awake as a watchman and builders, God whom we depend upon will never slumbers. Please consider Psalm 121:2-4: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
I would be spiritually irresponsible if I fail to correlate this matter of awakeness to the coming last day’s judgment. Biblically, historically, and prophetically, God is and has been faithful as the protector of His people throughout the ages. As our generation is closer to the Second Advent of Christ, now more than any time we are commanded to be on High alert, sober, and diligent in watching for the end of this age.
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. James 5:7
And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Matthew 25:10
Obeying and Resting in the Lord
Looking at our last portion of Scripture, In vain do you get up early and put off going to bed, working hard to earn a living; for he provides for his beloved, even when they sleep.
Mere early rising, without our Heavenly Father’s blessing and provisions, would not secure what we hoped to accomplish in our building or watching, for everything is still in the hand of God throughout our lives on earth. Health, strength, clearness of mind, and success, are all under His control; and though early rising may tend to produce all these, still we as His people are not the less dependent on God for success.
The reference, to working hard to earn a living in the text, causes my mind to reflect upon the curse that God placed on Adam after being disobedient to the voice of God in the Garden.
And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. Genesis 3:17
To eat the bread of sorrows – the bread of care, anxiety, or trouble; that is, bread earned or procured by the severity of toil. The good news in our lifetime is that the curse of Adam now has been released [thanks to the victory of our Savior] thus each of us now can willfully become obedient to the will and commands of God.
The practical meaning if not the application for us today is that it is in vain that you and I labor hard, that we exhaust our strength, to get bread to eat, unless God shall bless us. Such intimate blessings of God are even extended to our rest or sleep.
even when they sleep.
The idea seems to be that there would be calmness, repose, and freedom from anxiety, or solicitude. God makes the mind of His people, those who are His beloved, calm and tranquil, while others in the world are filled with anxiety, restlessness, busyness, and worried.
The writers of Psalm 3:1-5 and Psalm 4:8 affirms God as our sustainer,
But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me dwell in safety.
Closing Sentiments
Psalm 127:1-2 is a very practical yet divine pearl of wisdom for God’s people as we pursue any endeavor that will require God’s absolute sovereignty in our lives and the events in the world that we live and share. All of the things that we wish to accomplish in life will be in vain if God Almighty is not the central motivating factor.
Through the divine progressive manner in which God has invaded His broken world and creatures, we now understand that unless the Lord builds the “house,” all is wasted. It is He who is the ultimate carpenter of our lives, the life-giving source of our wisdom in every step we take.
The blessings and sovereignty of God are forever available to us because of His redemptive plan for us in which we now have the power, through Christ of collaborating with the plans that He has ordained for His people, now, shortly, and the New Heaven and Earth to come for all eternity. Amen
Grace and Peace
Brother Alonzo
