When a couple decides to marry and establish a new family they don’t usually want or even plan for an end to their marriage and family. The same would go for when a new community is established. No one looks for failure to happen. Our Scripture today from the Book of Psalms gives us an answer to this problem. Since we wish to avoid the failure of a marriage or of a city, a country, or any type of community, we can look to God’s answer in this Psalm.
Psalm 127 is one of only two psalms that King Solomon wrote that are included in the Bible. It is also one of fifteen “Songs of Ascent”, which were a group of generally shorter psalms written to be sung by pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem has a higher elevation than its surrounding environs, the pilgrims were climbing higher, or ascending, as they journeyed to the city and the Temple.
Our psalm begins with the statement that “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” (vs. 1). The Hebrew word for “house” here is “bayit”, which can mean both a structure built and used as a dwelling, or a household, a family. Both definitions of “house” would be fitting here. God’s Word is telling us that if we want our family firmly established, one that will both last and get along well together, it needs to be built on Him and His Word. The Lord Jesus needs to be a “member” of the family if it is to be well-established.
The second half of this brief psalm tells of the blessings of children, which is quite often what follows a wedding and establishing of a household or family. Again, if we wish to see our family prosper and have the blessings of the Lord upon it, and especially if children follow, it needs to be established in the Lord. It should be the desire and prayer of every Christian parent that their children will one day, preferably earlier in their life, that they will be saved. A more certain way of this happening is if they are instructed and taught from an early age the truths of the Bible. However, if within the family and household there is nothing but fighting and squabbling, if it is a dysfunctional family, that is what the child will learn.
As believers, we should have a godly desire to train our children to use their talents and gifts to do what is right, and to live by the ways of the Lord. A parent is responsible for the direction of their children. A child, like an arrow, is incapable of directing himself (vs 4). It is the responsibility of parents to direct the early lives of their children. No Christian parent should ever follow the ungodly philosophy of “letting the child decide for themselves when they are older” what religious beliefs they should have, if any. That is like wildly shooting an arrow blindly out into the air and hoping that it will hit the target. It’s not likely to happen. When we shoot an arrow, we aim for the bull’s eye, and that is what we should be doing with our children, aiming them for the Lord Jesus.
As for the actual structure of a house, there is nothing wrong with praying over it, whether one is moving into a brand new building, or one that has stood for decades. Many Christians pray over each and every room of their home when they move in, and periodically afterwards, and that is a good practice to help keep Satan and his minions from getting a foothold.
A nation, city, or any other type of community will also be blessed if they are established in the Lord and the godly principles found in His Word. If they aren’t, if they cast God’s Word behind them, they cannot expect His blessings, and their endeavors in the long-term will be in vain. When our country took God’s Word out of our schools and in society in general, it has been a slow downward slide since then.
Unless the Lord is an active participant in all we do, our efforts will be in vain. A relationship with God, based on obedience to His Word, must be the defining mental, emotional, and spiritual guide for every decision if the home or the nation expects to stand firm. The Lord Himself should be the center of our home.
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