THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

CXXVII: God's Family Security For Heads Of Households

(Psalm 127:1-5)

I. Introduction

A. Male heads of households are responsible to protect and provide for their families, 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Thess. 3:10.

B. However, that oversight in reality is far too difficult for one to achieve in himself: so much can go wrong that a head of household cannot control that he needs divine help that extends far beyond himself.

C. Psalm 127:1-5 offers God's security for heads of households and even of nations, so we view it for our insight:

II. God's Family Security For Heads Of Households, Psalm 127:1-5.

A. The introductory remarks are part of verse one, so the numbering system in the Hebrew text matches that of the English Bible (Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1089). We thus stay with the English Bible's numbering system.

B. We then translate Psalm 127:1-5 (as follows):

1. "A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless Jahweh builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless Jahweh watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain," Psalm 127:1.

2. "In vain you [adult men, 2 person masculine plural] rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat -- for He [Jahweh] grants sleep to him [3 person masculine singular] He [Jahweh] loves," Psalm 127:2.

3. "Behold! Children are a heritage from Jahweh, the fruit of the womb His wages for hired labor (sakar, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 969)," Psalm 127:3.

4. "Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man (gibor, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 150) are children of one's youth [young adulthood]," Psalm 127:4.

5. "Blessed is the adult male in the height of his powers (geber, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 149-150) whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the [city] gate," Psalm 127:5.

C. We note significant observations regarding this psalm (as follows):

1. Since this psalm's author was king Solomon, the king who realized his vulnerability to human failure as an inexperienced king of a large nation so that he asked God for wisdom to rule aright (1 Kings 3:5-10), and God richly rewarded this petition (1 Kings 3:11-14), Solomon evidently sought to spread the lesson around to all the heads of households in his nation for their individual welfare and for the welfare of the nation.

2. Accordingly, Solomon stated that unless Jahweh builds a physical house for a family, its builders build it in vain, Psalm 127:1a. The same principle holds for a city or nation as well: unless Jahweh watches over a city, and hence by broader application, a nation, the watchman or military stand guard in vain, v. 1b.

3. The use of the masculine plural for "you" and the masculine singular for "him" in verse 2 reveals that Solomon was addressing male heads of households who were responsible for earning a livelihood for their families. Male heads of households then needed to realize that the welfare of their livelihood incomes that impact their families was entirely in the hands of God, that they thus needed to relate rightly to Him for the Lord to reward them with stability in their incomes, Psalm 127:2.

4. Shifting from efforts to build a physical house and perform physical labor to earn a living, Solomon then wrote of God's construction of a human household, one's family members themselves, in which God blesses a man by giving his wife children as wages for the man's right workmanship before the Lord, v. 3.

5. Children are especially a blessing to a young adult male head of household who is at the height of his male powers, Psalm 127:4-5a.

6. God also provides protection from legal threats at the city gate where courts of law were convened, v. 5.

7. In summary, then, all that a male head of household needs by way of protection and provision for himself, his family, his city, his nation, etc., be it in the physical or the spiritual realm, comes as a reward from God for the man's proper relationship with and obedience to the Lord God of Israel.

Lesson: Solomon who realized his need for God's help to rule the nation Israel and thus asked God for wisdom to do so was greatly rewarded by God for looking to Him to meet that need. Solomon in this psalm thus taught this lesson to all of Israel's heads of households and leaders that they might trust and heed God for blessing.

Application: May every male head of household and every male leader of collections of people larger than a single household realize their great need for God's help in oversight that they trust and obey Him for blessing.