Bible Commentaries
Psalms 127

Verses 1-5

Psalms 127:1-5 is a psalm that is important for all of us to really get implanted deep in our hearts.

Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it ( Psalms 127:1 ):

I spent far too many years laboring in vain, trying to build the Lord's house. Trying to build the Lord's church. I used every gimmick that came down the pike, and there's a lot of them. There are people that are cranking out programs every day, sending them out to churches. And you can buy all kinds of programs: church growth programs, and financial programs. And we get letters all the time of some new program that they've devised for church growth or whatever. They'll come out for a fee and do a demographics on your community and determine just what kind of a program you should enter into to attract the community that you're in, and a sociological demographic. They've got everything all figured out. It's just like if you're trying to merchandise peanuts in an area. They'll come out and they'll take a survey of the people and find out just how to package the peanuts to sell them best, you know. Will they go best in the little cellophane wrap or a little box? Or do you need a can? And the colors and everything else. They've got the whole thing doped out. Well, they got them doped out for churches, too.

And I worked every program that I could trying to build the church of Jesus Christ... all to no avail. I was laboring in vain. Except the Lord build the house, you're spinning your wheels. It's just a lot of futile effort.

except the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes up in vain ( Psalms 127:1 ).

Unless God keeps our house. Unless the Lord build our house, you know, you're just worrying in vain. You can't do anything. We've got to just trust the Lord.

It is vain for you to rise up early, and to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows ( Psalms 127:2 ):

Now, not to rise up early to work, but to eat the bread of sorrows.

for so he giveth his beloved sleep ( Psalms 127:2 ).

You know, a lot of people pound the pillow all night long worried about things. It's vain to spend the night worrying.

Now the psalmist begins to talk about the family and the family ties and the strength of the nation is in the strength of the family. And recognizing that this principle is true, he turns now his attention towards the family and declares,

Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward ( Psalms 127:3 ).

Years ago we were living in Tucson, Arizona, and we had a captain in the Air Force that was living next door to us. And they were a very friendly couple, Jim and Jan and their three daughters. And because our driveways were adjacent to each other, according to the sociological books, you have a... if your driveway is adjacent to your neighbor's driveway, then you'll get acquainted with that neighbor. It's sociologically compatible homes. And it's interesting in the demographics, sociological demographics, according to where your driveway is and where your house is in the block and so forth, they can show you which houses you'll be friends of the neighbors around. It's a crazy deal and they've worked it all out.

But we had sociological compatible driveways and so we got acquainted with them. And through our acquaintance, Jan came to receive Jesus Christ. And ultimately, Jim accepted the Lord. Shortly after Jim accepted the Lord, he was transferred to Alaska. He was a pilot of the B29s and I got a letter from Jim, which I will treasure and prize as long as I live. Jim had been a professor at Cornell University prior to being recalled into the Air Force. And he wrote in his letter of his agnosticism that he had had, of his attitudes towards his three daughters. He said, "I used to say that children were the scourge of the earth." And he said, "I hated being tied down in marriage. And I hated being tied down by my girls. I couldn't wait to get away. I love the missions where I would fly off overseas and all and I could just get away from them for a while." He said, "But since receiving Jesus Christ, since your sharing His love with me and my finding out how glorious it is to know the Lord and follow Him," he said, "you know, I'm so lonely for my family I can hardly wait for them to get things packed and get up here with me." He said, "I have such a love for my little girls. They're such a blessing, they're such a heritage, you know." And oh the way the Lord can turn things around in a person's life. Giving us the true sense of value for children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of his youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them ( Psalms 127:4 , Psalms 127:5 ):

So the quiver full of children.

they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate ( Psalms 127:5 ). "