ONE SCRIPTURE WITH MULTIPLE MEANINGS
This scripture is poetry and metaphor and has more than one interpretation. People interpret this scripture to refer to the building of the temple and the Lord's watchfulness over Jerusalem. Other people thank this scripture refers to the building of His kingdom or of building up the church, and of watching over the morals of society.
These are beautiful things to think about and talk about. Still, the problem for many of us is that it becomes academic and ethereal. Isn't it better to approach scripture by asking oneself how this verse applies to my life and my understanding of God and the universe, and how do I make it work for me?
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| Psalm 127:1 |
At the heart of this verse is the expression of faith and dependence on God. It is a realization of our limits and His sovereignty.
WHY LABORERS AND GUARDS?
Is there something special about the builders and guards that the scripture singles them out?
There are many things that the Lord has called people of faith to do. There are commands to obey and principles to follow. Things like sharing our faith, loving our neighbors, being good stewards, worshipping Him, and more.
We must labor for the Lord. All work is worship (Colossians 3:23-24. Genesis 2:15, Adam was put in The Garden of Eden to serve as a gardener, which sanctifies work and makes it worship).
We are all called to be laborers for God's kingdom. Not every one of us can be a missionary or a church leader, but wherever we are and whatever we do, we are called to live for him.
DONT FIRE THE WORKERS OR DISMISS THE GUARDS
You are wrong to say, "Well, God is going to do it all so I can just go home and relax." Scripture assumes that there are workers and there will be workers. The verse takes it for granted that there are guards, and there will be guards.
WHOSE HOUSE ARE YOU BUILDING?
We need to be building up God's kingdom, not our own. We need to be building His house, not our own interest.
- We need to be sure that the things we do are in line with His purposes.
- We need to be diligent in examining our motives and desires.
- We need the attitude of seeking God in what we do.
- We need to pray and ask God to show us where He wants us to watch and work.
- We need to acknowledge that God is the one who makes the labor meaningful, successful, and righteous.
SO, ARE YOU WORKING WITH GOD OR AGAINST GOD?
Since God is the Master Builder and the Captian of the guard, we need to see Him as the One who is over every task we do. You can say If God isn't the boss and giver of success, then my work is vain.
- What if we extended this verse and said, If God isn't the Chief Executive Officer, then our work is in vain.
- If you are an engineer, you can say if God isn't doing the engineering, then my work is in vain.
- If you are a janitor, you can say if God isn't the one doing the cleaning, then my work is in vain.
- If you are a dog walker, you can say, if God isn't the one walking this dog, then my work is in vain.
When we, with the acknowledgment of His sufficiency and confession of our weakness, look to him in faith as the God of the work, then we will not be working in vain.
Blessings
