Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Builds the House
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Introduction
Psalm 127 lies in the heart of the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134) which are believed to have been sung by pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem for religious festivals. While many psalms in this compilation have references to Zion, Jerusalem, and deliverance, Psalm 127 in many ways takes on similarities found in other passages of wisdom literature. The use of parallelism is evident throughout, building the main idea with corollary examples in a similar theme. An example of this poetic device is found in verse one of Psalm 127.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
The futility of action without the Lord is explained in both lines, but the message is strengthened when viewed together as a whole.
Psalm 127 is also one of the two psalms attributed to Solomon. As the author of Ecclesiastes and much of the book of Proverbs, Solomon seems to address themes in Psalm 127 which are also mentioned in these other books.
Theology
As we begin to study the passage we can make a couple of observations rather quickly. One observation is that Solomon is considering two separate subjects within this one psalm. In fact, at first glance it might appear that there are two completely different categories being discussed without any connection. After all, how does defending a city relate to raising a family? In reality, we will discover that Psalm 127 is entirely cohesive in how it speaks about the hand of God and how He relates to our daily lives.
This leads to our second observation as we look at the subject matter of each section. Verses 1–2 deal with the concept of God at work in our public lives. As we build our homes, guard our communities and work for our provisions, there is a greater power at work than our human effort. Three times in these two verses we are reminded that all our efforts are in vain unless they are covered by the blessing of the Lord. Does this mean that it doesn’t matter what we do? We don’t need to build our homes or work for food?
On the contrary look at the end of verse 1, “The watchman keeps awake in vain.” Solomon doesn’t say there isn’t a watchman looking over the city. He also doesn’t say that the watchman shouldn’t be at his post. But Solomon does remind us that we shouldn’t trust in the guards, no matter how good they are. “Unless the Lord guards the city” their work is in vain. There is a divine cooperative as we observe the other instructions given in the Bible for work and godliness.
Consider this passage from Solomon found in Proverbs 6.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,
8 Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
Surely then when we read Psalm 127:2 it is not a prohibition from work, “It is vain for you to rise up early,” but rather an admonition to not put our trust ultimately in our efforts, “For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” Put your hope in God alone.
Finally, we come to the subject focus of the second section of our psalm, the concept of God at work in our homes. Tying the two sections together is the principle that God gives to His own. In verse three, the second section begins by saying that children are a “gift” from the Lord.
Verse three also says that children are a “reward” and verse five clearly states that children are a “blessing.” While these are wonderful truths on their own, how do they relate to being unashamed when speaking with enemies at the gate?
In the ancient world the city gate was the center of business activity and civil affairs. The man who is blessed with many children will also have many advocates for family interests and security. Therefore, as the Lord blesses a man with children in one’s youth, so in turn will those children be an assurance for security in old age. “They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:5)”
Here then we can begin to make the connection between the two sections of the psalm into the overall theme. The children are a defense for the parents in old age, but the Lord provides the children. The watchman stays awake, but the Lord watches over the city. God is in control!
Psalm 127 is bound together by the overarching theme of God’s sovereignty. No matter what we do or where we are, the Lord is the One who makes things come to pass. We can praise Him for He holds every aspect of our lives in His hands!
Application
Though Psalm 127 is short in length, it is packed with the promises of God. In simple statements regarding God’s provision for His beloved, this is a psalm that celebrates the sovereignty of God.
Musical settings that would be fitting for the congregation are very limited outside of metrical versions that can be found in various psalters. There have been scripture memory programs that have set the text to music, but again these are limited. The late Keith Green wrote a song to this text in the early 1980s but this is from an artist performance understanding. The most accessible setting in recent years was by Marty Goetz on his album Sanctuary. Again, this is from an artist perspective, but it could be adapted in certain settings for a worship service.
There have been many sermons titles based both on verse one and verse three. As a statement of dependence upon God, this scripture could be read appropriately in a worship service centered around the vision for future ministry opportunities. The clarity of the teaching that children are a blessing from God would also make this an appropriate psalm to be read at a child’s dedication or baptism. As a psalm that reminds us of God’s provision, this psalm could be utilized throughout the year in corporate worship settings.
