Psalm 127

Psalms 127 and 128 are Songs of Ascents (we call them Pilgrim Songs, songs to encourage people as they make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem).  And they are Psalms about the family.  You may be a little surprised that this collection of 15 Songs would include family themes.  But if you think about it, it makes sense.

·        Pilgrimage in Bible times usually was a family trip.  Remember, for example, how Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, went annually to Jerusalem for Passover (Lk. 2:41-42).  So you’re thinking about family as you travel; it’s good to meditate on Songs that make sense of family.

·        Even though our pilgrimage is ultimately personal, we are always traveling through life having grown up in a family, and to a great extent, we are who we are by virtue of the home setting in which we were raised.  

Psalm 127 has some major truths related to family.  1) Too much work is a waste.  2) Children are special.  3) Large families are not a sin.  But certainly the primary issue in this Psalm is that, whatever we are building (career, family) is empty if God is not in it.

There are many stories in the Bible that illustrate this.  One that comes to my mind often is the man who built a great farming enterprise and was ready to expand it when, suddenly, he died (Luke 12:13-21).  The lesson from our Lord was that we need to set our hearts on eternity, laying up treasure in heaven.  That’s another way of saying: “Make sure God is in it!”

How can we make sure that our building projects, including the development of our families, have God at the center?  It’s not simply a matter of 1-2-3 and you have it.  But the Bible does tell us how men of God did just this.  Consider and apply.

·        1 Chron. 22:19: Seek God first about what you are interested in building.  Don’t be in a hurry to get started without consulting the Architect.

·        Neh. 2:18: Strengthen your hands for the work.  In other words, get the skills, learn what you should know, as you set out on the project.

·        Psalm 51:18: Pray! Pray! Pray!  Ask God to be the Builder; commit yourself to seeking Him and following His plan throughout the life of the project.

·        Matt. 7:24-27; 1 Cor. 3:12: Lay a solid foundation.  In all the projects of our lives as believers in Christ, the Savior should be that foundation!  Everything we are involved in is part of the construction of a holy temple in His honor.

·        Acts 20:28: Not just at the beginning but regularly bring the word of grace into the life of your project.  

The bottom line is that the Pilgrim knows that his goal is not to be found in what he builds but what God builds.  For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 2:10,16).  Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ!