Ps 127 The Lord our Builder
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Men desiring to build know that they must labor, and accordingly they put forth all their skill and strength; but let them remember that if God is not with them their designs will prove failures. As with a building so it is with our spiritual life. Someone once asked, “So is it God that Builds or us? The answer was “yes”. There is a process in the Christian life called ‘sanctification” (John 17:17) It is a collaborative effort between us and God to make us holy (1 Peter.1:13-16). It is God at work in us to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil 2:13), and us responding in faith to what he is doing. It involves the continual work of the indwelling Holy Spirit revealing truth to us and our response in obedience to that truth. But if we do not desire the truth and don’t want to be transformed by the truth our sanctification is stalled and we become stagnant and stale in our walk with God. Our growth stops. This process is God building and us building. It is like God is the general contractor and we are the construction workers. He holds the blueprints for building our life into conformity to the image of Christ. (Rom 8:29). But it is a mutual building process. He knows what “our” building needs to look like and directs us in what we need to do to build it. But, if we don’t like the way that he is building it, or want to build it in our own self-centered way, then we will be building in vain. All of our efforts will be futile and empty. There are three things in the text that we must consider to have a lasting productive faith: The Lord Builds, the laborer builds and there is a lasting effect.
Lord that labors Unless the LORD builds the house
It seems to me that the point of verse 1 is that no matter how hard you work to achieve anything, its achievement and the fulfilling enjoyment of it depend decisively on God. If we do not trust in God with all our heart but instead rely on our own insight, then we might, if he wills, produce a monument, but in the end it will only be a monument to futility. (Piper) God is always working on us so he can work thorough us. When we don’t allow him to do his refining work upon us we should not expect a fruitful Christian life. Just because we don’t “feel” God work in us doesn’t mean that God is not working on us. Phil 1:6 Says “God” who has begn a good work in us will continue it unto the day of completion.” Eph 1:11 says God is working all things according to the counsel of his will. He knows exactly which faulty beam needs to be removed from our building and which failing beam needs to be undergirded to make it stronger. God knows what he is doing because he is good, wise and just. Whether encouragements, tests or trails God is “build the house”.If God works in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, then the natural result is that I must work out what He has worked in. We may expect failure if we attempt the work without God. We may expect it and we shall not be disappointed. Without God we are nothing and can do nothing (Spurgeon).
Laborer that Labors the builders labor God is going to “build the house” but we are the laborers on it. God can’t build into what you don’t bother with and you are not bothered with what you are not burdened with. Are you burdened by your mediocre time in the word? Are you burdened by your feeble prayer life? What you are burdened by you s should bothered about. And what you are bothered about you will seek to do something about. We must be disciplined and obedient to “build” our faith daily. We are not to assume that because we are Christians, we shall go on growing in Grace if we use no sort of means to do it. A laborer has his tools and he uses them to build the structure. We are the “Lord’s building” and thus must use the tools that he gives s to be built up spiritually. So, If a man will not feed himself upon the Bread of Heaven, can he expect that he shall grow strong? But, if we neglect to search the Word and neglect prayer, and neglect the assemblies of God’s House . . . can we wonder if we do not grow? God will undoubtedly build our spiritual house, but we, also, must labor in it. There must be an earnestness, a prayerfulness, a watchfulness, an intensity of desire, a using of all appointed means by which we may be built up in our most holy faith. (Spurgeon) The idea is, that they are entirely dependent on God. No matter what their skill, their strength, their industry may be - all will be in vain unless God shall assist them. They are dependent on Him for life, for health, for strength, for practical wisdom, for a disposition to continue their work, and for success in it. (Barnes)
Lasting Labor in vain This word is used 3 times in the text. It means pointless, futile and meaningless. Piper suggest a couple of reasons your work might be in vain:.
1) If God Isn't with You- if God isn't with him in the building he simply may not be able to finish it. Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). 2) If the structure collapses by a bad foundation -The building might be completed and yet later collapse because of a poor foundation (Matt 7:24-27, 1 Cor 3:10-12) . . . we hopefully learn before it is too late that unless we rely on the Lord in our building, we labor in vain. (Piper) Success in our spiritual life, without God, is always vain! We all want to have faith that lasts. We should all want to be more like Jesus today then we were yesterday, but we cannot expect that to happen if the labors quit laboring. Yes God will build the house, but you are hands that build it. When you become disillusioned with your Bible reading, when you become dissatisfied with your prayer life, when you become disheartened with other believers, if we are not careful, we will lay down your tools and say I quit!! Labor is work, and only those who work will find lasting faith. The persecution is too great, the demands are too high and the “labor” is too hard to “build the house” so many quit. Success and lasting faith only comes when we rely on the one who builds the house. We will be discouraged, but as we realize that this is a joint task it becomes bearable. God is at work in us and through us to do more then we can think or imagine. No difficulty can deter us. No disillusionment can derail us. No defeat can disarm us. God as the builder will assure the lasting success of our efforts to conform us to the image of his son. Don’t stop working, but rather turn to the one who builds and trust that he knows what he is doing. Lasting faith comes only for those who look to and labor with the Lord to build the house. The success of all our undertakings depends so entirely upon God’s blessing, that it is in vain to attempt anything without it: (Benson).
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