Reflections on Psalm 127

 

Psalms 127 (Contemporary English Version)


1. (A song by Solomon for worship.) Without the help of the LORD it is useless to build a home or to guard a city.
   
2. It is useless to get up early and stay up late in order to earn a living. God takes care of his own, even while they sleep.
   
3. Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD.
   
4. Having a lot of children to take care of you in your old age is like a warrior with a lot of arrows.
   
5. The more you have, the better off you will be, because they will protect you when your enemies attack with arguments.
   

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Is this a psalm written by Solomon or written to him? That is not certain. Some believe it to be a fatherly psalm written by David to his son Solomon. On the other hand, it certainly seems to fit the style of Solomon's writings in Ecclesiastes. Either way, it is wise counsel to a young man beginning life and taking on a family. He is wise to recognize early on in his life that if his house is not built by the Lord his own labor will be in vain. To leave God out of the equation as he charts the course of his life he sets himself up for a life of vain labor. But if the Lord is allowed to chart life's course for him, his labor is fruitful and he will be at peace, able to sleep at night.

In the first two verses the writer counsels the young man to let the Lord direct the building of his house, in his provision of security, and in his vocation. Finally he counsels him concerning his family. In this, too, he needs to recognize God's hand, for his children are "a heritage from the Lord," and a reward. They are a natural blessing in themselves, but beyond that they are a provision to a parent as the parent is to them.  Parents provide for their children through their childhood years, and in return the children become an asset to their parents in their adult years. As verse 5 says, the man whose quiver is full (with children) "will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate."

This psalm conveys the same truth as does Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."