Note: I have developed a few slides in PowerPoint that I used in delivering this sermon. They're not fancy, but if anyone is interested in them I will send them to you directly by Email. Send your request to sam@srmccormick.net with the word Slides in the subject.
“UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE”
I. Psalm 127 and 128
Psalms is a book of poetry with a musical character.
For instance, some contain directions to the choir or choir-master:
• “To the chief musician” (Psalms 11, 13, etc.).
• or the name of a musician or designation of a group of musicians (Psalms 62, 77)
• To this is sometimes added the kind of instruments to be used (Psalms 5, 6, 54, &c.),.
“Song of ascents” appears at the beginning of these Psalms. A total of 15 Psalms are so designated (Psalms 120-134).
The “Psalms of ascents” as a group:
A. Are thought to have been sung by priests (and the people) as the priests ascended the 15 steps at the Nicanor gate to perform the priestly services.
B. Possibly were sung by the people on their approach to Jerusalem to celebrate the regular feasts such the feast of tabernacles, unleavened bread, firstfruits, ingathering, and Passover.
C. Some suggest these Psalms had to do with raising the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s time, several centuries after most of the Psalms were written, specifically (“Unless the Lord watches over the city (Jerusalem), the watchman stays awake in vain. ”).
Read Psalms 127 & 128
(David is thought to be the author of Psalm 127 in reference to the task of building the temple.)
The opening line of Psalm 127 emphasizes a theme that runs through both Psalms – Without God’s direct and crucial involvement in its building and protection, no house or city will survive.
Psalm 127:1 – Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
God must build it; God must guard it, or it will be unbuilt and unguarded.
II. Meaning of Psalm 127
I have seen the opening lines of this Psalm on church bulletins and correspondence about a building program that was being planned or in progress.
The thought conveyed is that we must build what we believe to be what the Lord wants us to build—conforming to his judgment as to curbing extravagance, blending our own tastes and preferences with honest functionality and good stewardship.
It would be hard to deny that the principle in the psalm applies to church building programs.
In all such building efforts, the Lord must be the builder, or we build in vain.
As a young man attending a meeting where the church was considering tearing down its meeting place and building a new one (some were for the project, some were against it), I heard an elder in the church declare – “I've built two church buildings in my life and I’m going to build one more before I die.”
(I vividly remember cringing at his leaving the Lord out, and the arrogance of the “I, I, I – I have built,..I am going to build,” “Before I die” attitude.)
The new building was built, finer than the one it replaced. But internal strife and hard times fell on that church and after a few years it no longer existed, having fractured and scattered to other local venues.
But I am convinced this passage of scripture is not primarily about church buildings, none of which existed for more than a thousand years after it was written--not even in the early years of the New Testament church.
The Psalmist says, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
Firstly, what does the Psalmist mean by “vain?” That it would fade from existence, as the church of my youth did?
Solomon gives us a variety of things he found to be vanity in Ecclesiastes, where he uses the word “vanity” 30 times.
Ecc 1:2 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
Ecc 12:8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!"
One meaning of “vain” describes something that is, although useless, is also harmless.
We might be considered vain if we are overly concerned with physical appearances, or have “vanity” license plates on our vehicles.
Or we might be laboring in vain if we are concerned with some good deed done or some worthwhile accomplishment accruing to our personal credit and recognition.
But the meaning of “vain” in Psalm 127 is more insidious than that.
It includes the aspect of being not just empty of effect, but evil.
e.g., idolatry was (and is) vain worship – useless because idols are nothing – but as strongly disapproved by God as anything we can imagine; and therefore destructive to our relationship with him.
Vain worship (other gods) leads the list of the 10 commandments.
Furthermore, worship is equally vain if it is based on the commandments of men. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and scribes who were doing exactly that in this way:
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Mat 15:7-9
Paul was concerned about the possibility of his work being in vain:
Gal 4:9-11 - But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
These scriptures reveal that “vain” activity is not merely pointless and ineffectual; it is evil and destructive to a healthy relationship with the one for whose sake we believe we are building and laboring.
Secondly, let's turn out attention to the Psalm’s objects of vain effort.
A. HOUSE
The phrase "build the house" has a variety of meanings:
Most obviously, to build a literal dwelling place – a physical structure.
Solomon was chosen to build a house for God, to be built according to God’s specifications.
Its value and protection were dependent upon God doing the building.
It was God’s house, not Solomon’s.
After Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple, God answered:
1 Kings 9:3 “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
Any yet, many years later, Isaiah would record the very words of God himself
Isa 66:1-2 Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
What “house” is the psalm about? The temple Solomon would build?
In the Psalm, the temple Solomon built may have been the launching pad for thoughts on a wider scale about building and guarding.
The “house” is not merely a temple, church building, home, place of business, etc. There are other meanings of “house” in scripture:
• Gen 7:1 - Noah was to come and bring all his house into the ark.
• Gen 12:17 - But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
• Gen 28:17 - Jacob at Bethel: And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
• Gen 28:19 - And he called the name of that place Bethel (house of God): but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
• Gen 28:22 …and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."
• Exo 16:31 God had provided manna in the wilderness: Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
• Exo 19:3 At Mt. Sinai: …Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
• Exo 20:2 Preamble to the 10 commandments: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
• Jos 24:15 Joshua: … choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
In these and many other scriptures, house is more than a place of residence.
House also embraces family, nation, and even condition (“house of slavery” as in Exodus 13:3,14; 20:2 and others).
B. CITY
The 2nd part of Psalm 127:1 says:
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
Notice that the house and the city (or nation) are considered together.
“The city” is not just a local municipality, but a social form or structure – a family or governmental frame.
This seems to be the same principle as the first part of the verse, stated another way.
In Old Testament times there were "city kingdoms" that consisted of one city with its king and his subjects.
In modern times in Colorado, it would be like king of Denver marching against Colorado Springs, defeating it and proceeding on to attack Pueblo. Joining forces with those conquered city kingdoms, they muster their army against Grand Junction. And so on…
As time went along—as nearly as I can sort it out--city kingdoms conquered other city kingdoms and expanded into nations.
The world got smaller.
God early promised Abraham that he would make of his descendents "a great nation."
The nation of Israel was called the house of Israel 83 times in Ezekiel alone.
God built up the family of Israel in Egyptian captivity, and guarded the house of Israel in the house of slavery, preparing to make them a special nation for himself.
The nation of Israel could not have been built or guarded without God’s intervention.
Its security and ultimate freedom depended on him alone.
C. FAMILY
The remainder of Psa 127 and most of 128 place that principle in the context of immediate and extended families.
III. How do these lessons pertain to us?
The Psalms are not just about building houses and guarding cities.
All human effort disconnected from God--not subordinate to his plans and collaborative with his actions—is vain.
I don’t want to do vain things!
This psalm suggests that I might do things that seem right to me, and it might be in vain.
Something is vain if:
A. It goes directly against God
B. It does not consider God’s plan (no consultation)
On one occasion Israel brought the Ark of the Covenant into a battle against the Philistines, thinking that doing so equated to bringing God into the battle.
The result was calamity in battle and loss of the ark to the Philistines. 1 Sam 4:3-4
Charles H. Spurgeon: "Instead of attempting to get right with God, these Israelites set about devising superstitious means of securing the victory over their foes. In this respect most of us have imitated them. We think of a thousand inventions; but we neglect the one thing needful . . . They forget the main matter, which is to enthrone God in the life, and to seek to do His will by faith in Christ Jesus."
C. It was well-intentioned, but misguided
Sometimes in the Lord’s work, we measure ourselves by effort, not results.
It seems that any and all efforts are justified by the most miniscule results, if those results are noble.
And it is true, that one soul’s worth is greater than the sum of this world’s wealth.
But does the potential that a single soul might be saved by the perpetuation of a generally unsuccessful but burdensome effort require that we perpetuate it endlessly - imagining that God is behind it all and will reward our efforts if we just keep it up?
Or should we seek the most effective way of applying our efforts, with the real results being our indication that God is “building the house?”
D. A thing is vain if it depends entirely on human ingenuity and effort.
2 Chron 20:15 “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (cf. v17)
IV. Application
A. What about our nation as a “house?” Will America survive?
Yes, but only if God blesses her (and that is the point!)
Rom 13:1-5 - Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
Certainly, governments are often flawed, sometimes deeply and in ways that are critically important.
But civil governments are there because God put them there for his purposes.
Those purposes often lie outside our field of vision.
However, it is not a civil government that sets standards for our behavior and regulates our relationship with God. It is nice to have had, for these many years, a civil government in the United States that on the whole, aligns well with Christian values. But nothing guarantees it, and it is outside the historical norm.
But is this Psalm primarily concerned with the survival of America, so that if America moves away from God America will be struck down?
I think not.
Rome, in one form or another, ruled much of the ancient world for many hundreds of years, and was deeply corrupt from the time it rose to power, ruled at times by emperors who were madmen (Tiberias, Caligula, and Nero to mention a few), often subjecting its Christian citizens and subjects to horrible punishment for their faith.
B. More directly to the point, will our families survive?
One thing is sure. We will survive as families and a nation only if God blesses us. We cannot secure our own future.
Will our homes survive? Does God guard them?
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
C. Will this church survive?
Will the Church of Christ, as we recognize it, survive?
I remember once hearing a church member lamenting that “we” had allowed small churches in small nearby towns die. The truth was that there was an economic and cultural shift in the area. Those small towns were dying--some were already dead. Changes in the dynamics of making a living in agriculture wiped out small farmers in favor of large farmers), ease and speed of transportation, etc. created a sort of gravitational pull to larger towns and cities. Some small towns had already died except for a few aging residents, and even those did all of their business and church attendance in a larger town close by. “We” could not have ensured that those local congregations would not close their doors consistent with the realities they faced. People were migrating slowly toward a more urbanized culture in church attendance as well as other things.
Did those little churches really die because its people began to attend the assemblies of other churches in towns where they did most of their business? I’m not sure it’s a question we can answer, or even need to ask.
The church will survive and flourish but not because we built it and guard it, but because Jesus built it on the rock of truth – the truth that he is the Son of God – and man’s belief in that truth.
E. What is this Psalm really about?
Being written about 1000 years before Christ came, does it have anything to do with us at all?
The answer is found in 1 Peter 2:4-5:
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We are being built up a spiritual house!
Who is building the spiritual house, in which we are the living stones? Not ourselves.
The one building the spiritual house is the master builder, who said:
On this rock (his diety and man’s faith in it) I will build my church.
Jesus would build the spiritual house.
V. Final point
Whom does God bless? – Psalm 128:1 – Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
Compare with Eccl 12:13 NASB
Ecc 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Psalms 127 and 128 depict God’s blessings upon the obedient, those who fear Him and walk in His ways.
Psa 128:4 – Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
But notice carefully--there he is not describing a whole city or nation.
He is describing a single person, and the blessings that God provides to him.
This is how God protects and secures the city and the nation; through the blessings he provides to the individual who fears him.
Conclusion: Before we leave these powerful Psalms, consider the last words of 128 –
Psalm 128:5-6 – The Lord bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
The blessings of God come from out of Zion.
Zion (Jerusalem) symbolically depicts where God lives.
In both the Old Testament and New Testament, and today, Jerusalem is an actual city.
In the Old Testament it was God’s presence, and therefore was the place of worship.
In the New Testament it stands for God’s house – His people – the church.
Heb 12:22-23 – “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,”
There are no spiritual blessings outside of a relationship with God through Jesus.
The true blessings God desires for you are to see the good of Jerusalem – to live with God and enjoy him all the days of your life...
…and prepare to be received into the realms of everlasting glory.
You have but to believe, leave a life of sin, making Jesus the Lord of your life, and be baptized in water, being raised to new life. Will you accept his gift?
