The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple.

Ronnie Evans takes final sermon in this fifteen part series as he points to the Lord singing over His worshipping people.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple.

Ronnie Evans takes the fourteenth in this fifteen part series as he looks at the Holy Spirit’s work in bringing His people into unity.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple.

Ronnie Evans takes the thirteenth in this fifteen part series as he examines the promise of God to his people.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple.

Ronnie Evans takes the twelfth in this fifteen part series as we see the Hope that we have in God.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple.

Ronnie Evans takes the eleventh in this fifteen part series as we see the extent of our sin and the depth of the love of our Redeemer.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple. In Psalm 128, we encounter the second of the two wisdom Psalms in this series.

Phill Marsh takes the tenth in this fifteen part series as we see the Psalmist dealing with a reality that doesn’t seem to match up to the blessings of the previous two Psalms.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

Notes for this sermon will be available soon.

These are the notes of a sermon preached at Firwood Church by Phill Marsh on the morning of the 29 March 2009; these notes are, therefore, intended to be read in conjunction with the sermon.

To download or stream the sermon, click here.

To download the notes of the sermon in PDF format, click here.

SONGS OF ASCENT – PART 9 – THE LORD MY BLESSING

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

1Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

1. INTRODUCTION

The Songs of Ascent are a series of fifteen Psalms (120 through to 134) that were sung by pilgrims as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the major festivals and to worship the living God.

Psalm 128 is the second of the two Wisdom Psalms in the Songs of Ascent (see the sermon notes for week 8 for more on this), and can be seen as an expansion of the thoughts Solomon expressed in the previous Psalm. Here the Psalmist will go on to announce more of the Lord’s blessing and present the character of the man who should expect to receive them. Again, the Psalm should be seen as ‘practical praise’ for Israel.

2. THE BLESSINGS OF GOD

In verses 2 and 3, the psalmist creates a picture of ‘the blessed man’, focussing upon three aspects of that blessing for the individual,

i)The blessing of labour
ii)The blessing of a wife
iii)The blessing of children

i) The Blessing of Labour

The Psalmist begins with a response to the futility curse presented in the previous Psalm which said,

Psalm 127

1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Instead of labour without reward, or indeed labour for someone else’s reward, the Psalmist speaks of the blessed of being experiencing the rewards of labour,

Psalm 128

2You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Note that the blessing is not that work will be easier or diminish. As was discussed regarding the previous Psalm, working hard is championed throughout Scripture as a godly response to life. The blessing offered here then is not a ceasing of work, but an assurance that the work is not in vain and that its fruit, its rewards, will be experienced by the labourer.

ii) The Blessing of a Wife

The Psalmist moves on to continue to describe the blessings of the Lord, using metaphor to create powerful images and associations within the mind of the Israelite hearer. He announces that the blessed man’s wife will be,

Psalm 128

3… like a fruitful vine
within your house;

Here, the imagery has a two-fold meaning. The first and most obvious refers to fertility and harkens back to the idea of Psalm 127 that children are a gift given by the Lord. The Lord will continue to bless the blessed man and his wife with children.

However, the Psalmist is also pointing to the joy the blessed man will receive from his wife. Throughout Scripture, wine (the product of the vine) is often associated with joy and gladness. Alongside warnings that too much wine (or any alcohol) is clearly ungodly and foolish,

Proverbs 20:1

1Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

We find verses that speak of the gladdening effect of wine,

Psalm 104

14You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

Clearly these verses should be taken alongside the many warnings given against drunkenness and foolish behaviour. Indeed, it may be most beneficial for someone never to drink if their drinking leads them to sin.

However, scripture still often associates wine with the idea of joy and gladness and here we see the Psalmist likening the blessed man’s wife to that wine; the wife of the blessed man will bring him joy.

It should be noted that this is true of the husband’s effect upon the blessed woman. A godly husband, living out the biblical plan of husbandhood, will most certainly bring joy to his wife and gladden her heart.

iii) The Blessing of Children

The Psalmist goes on to speak of the blessing of Children. Here he describes them as,

Psalm 128

3… like olive shoots
around your table.

Here the Psalmist pictures the young shoots that can often be seen growing up from the roots surrounding the older parent olive tree. The promise is much akin to that of Psalm 127; the blessed man’s offspring will surround him into old age.

3. A NOTE OF CAUTION REGARDING ‘PROSPERITY’

The end of verse 2 is translate by the ESV as,

Psalm 128

2… you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Other translations, such as the NIV, give,

Psalm 128 (NIV)

2… blessings and prosperity will be yours.

The misunderstanding of verses regarding prosperity in the Bible has given rise to the health, wealth and prosperity gospel which is utterly opposed to the gospel of Christ. We would do well to take time to clearly understand what such verses speak of.

This is a vast subject into which we shall only dip our toe as we consider the place of the term ‘prosperity’ in this Psalm. There are two points to consider here,

i)Prosperity as defined by the psalmist.
ii)The general principles of Wisdom Literature

i) Prosperity as Defined by the Psalmist

Prosperity gospel would have us believe that those who are faithful should expect to see God’s blessing in the form of financial increase, perhaps a new car or house. The picture of God’s blessing given by the Psalmist here however presents a much simpler, less materialistic idea of blessing, not so tied to financial gain.

Paul speaks of contentment with these ‘simpler’ things and warns Timothy of the dangers of the desire for wealth in his first letter,

1 Timothy 6

6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

However, the Psalmist is not here making a cast iron promise of the simpler things in life either.

ii) The General Principles of Wisdom Literature

In Psalm 128, we see the Psalmists lay out the blessings of God. How are we to respond then if as Christians we do not receive them? It is here that we see that Wisdom Literature in the Bible lays out general principles, not guarantees. The Psalmist is not laying out a plan saying ‘press the button for a gift’. Rather, he lays out general principles for life; the Lord blesses, and this is how it generally works.

It can be viewed in the same way that many of our sayings are not concrete descriptions of how life works, rather they are general principles. We may say that ‘cheats never prosper’. In fact, some cheats do. The general principle remains, however.

We must be clear on this matter. The Lord does bless, and loves to bless.

Our health, wealth and prosperity are not however guaranteed because of this. The faithful may expect to have it rough. We see examples of this throughout scripture, perhaps the most well known example being found in the book of Job, or alternatively in Habakkuk where we see the prophet rejoicing in the Lord in the most difficult of times,

Habakkuk 3

17Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord may bless you financially. He may not. The crucial fact is that it is the Lord who blesses,

Psalm 128

5The LORD bless you from Zion!

He is the source of all our blessings. All good things that come to us are at the behest of the Lord. When we work and receive the benefit, the blessing is as a result of the Lord, not our own hard labour, as we discovered in Psalm 127,

Psalm 127

1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.

4. THE FEAR OF THE LORD

The psalmists bookends his declarations of individual blessings with the proper attitude of the blessed man,

Psalm 128

1Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!

and,

Psalm 128

4Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

Believers are expected to walk in God’s ways and to fear the Lord. At first, this idea may seem unattractive and even strange as a desired attitude. Why would a person want to live a life of fear?

The fear of the Lord mentioned in scripture is a world apart from the fears that we may hold regarding other issues. Fear of terrorism, fear of spiders, fear of violence – all these fears are not the fear that believers are supposed to have concerning the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is based on the knowledge of the awesome power, might and holiness of God. These attributes of God are constantly displayed in Scripture. Indeed, Scripture begins with the awesome opening phrase,

Genesis 1

1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Without effort or fanfare, the Lord creates everything we see in existence today. He holds the power of creation and destruction in His hands. Our very existence depends on God. Knowledge of this fact should bring godly fear.

In Exodus, we see the holiness of the Lord displayed. God meets with Moses but warns of the consequences of anyone approaching Him on terms other than His own,

Exodus 19

21And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. 22Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.”

Here we see that the holiness of God is such that anyone unholy coming into His presence faces the terrifying prospect of the Lord ‘breaking out against them’. Again, this should bring us to godly fear.

This idea of fearing God is not confined to the Old Testament, as some would think. Indeed, it is a mistake to think that the Old and New Testaments speak of two different Gods, or even a changed God. There is one God, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Jesus speaks of this fear in Matthew,

Matthew 10

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And James reiterates,

James 4

12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.

Again we see the power of God over all things. Existence, life and death, eternal life and hell; all these depend on the Lord.

The Lord is Holy and stands against sin and rebellion,

Acts 5

1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

In perhaps one of the most shocking passages of the New Testament outside the crucifixion, we see in Acts the results of lying to a Holy God.

Believers should possess a fear of the Lord. However, we also know that as Christians, we will stand before God holy and blameless. With confidence we can approach the Lord,

Hebrews 4

14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So what does this ‘fear’ look like in a believer? It is not a fear of judgement, as Christ has dealt with our sin at the cross. It is a fear that leads to the recognition of the absolute horror of our sin (to be clear on how horrifying our sin is, we need only look to the only solution that God found for it; the death of His Son), and the real desire not to revisit that sin, to not want to bring that into the Lord’s presence in light of the knowledge of how it offends Him.

Godly fear does not paralyse or burden. Godly fear activates godly living. Notice verse one of the psalm,

Psalm 128

1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!

What may seem like two statements of blessing is actually one. The fear of the Lord and walking in His ways are inextricably linked in the life of the believer. Without one the other too is absent. Those that do not fear the Lord will find themselves wandering away from His path. Those that wander away from His path will find that they do not really fear the Lord.

5. THE WIDER BLESSINGS

As has already been discussed, the Lord chooses to individually bless those that fear Him and walk in His ways in work, marriage and family, but the Psalmist has his eye on something more than just individual blessings in this psalm.

Psalm 128

5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

Here the Psalmists talks of the blessing of Jerusalem and Israel and links individual blessings with blessings in the wider community of God’s people. The believer’s blessedness and the Church’s blessedness go together. Part of God’s blessing for the individual is to see the Church being blessed by God.

For example, note the blessing that Paul received in witnessing the growth of his brothers and sisters in Philippi,

Philippians 1

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

The absurdity of those that feel that a Christian can live apart from the Church is here witnessed. God chooses to bless us individually, yet also by sharing in the blessings of the body of Christ, the Church. God does not have in mind a Kingdom of solitary individuals.

6. APPLICTATION

The Psalmists ends the psalm with a subtle call for change,

Psalm 128

5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

‘May you’ is the call. With this phrase, the Psalmist implies that it is possible that the hearer may not receive the blessings spoken of previously. How might one exclude themselves from these blessings? Through walking his own way, lacking the fear of the Lord.

The Psalmist urges the listener to examine himself, to be aligned with the will of the God, and to walk in His way with a full understanding of the power, might and holiness of the God we serve.

Walking in the fear of the Lord, we look to the hope of His blessings. First, in our families; that we might see loved ones turn to God and witness families being made complete. Second, that we might look to the Church and take joy in seeing God’s blessings there.

As we receive His blessing and take part in the blessing of the Church, we become a living testimony of the goodness of God to those around.

In all this, we hold to this one fact: The Lord is our blessing.

© 2009 Firwood Church

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple. In Psalm 128, we encounter the second of the two wisdom Psalms in this series.

In part nine of this fifteen part series, Phill Marsh examines the blessings extolled by the Psalmist and the proper attitude to be found in those the Lord blesses.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

To view or download the notes for this sermon, click here.

These are the notes of a sermon preached at Firwood Church by Phill Marsh on the morning of the 22 March 2009; these notes are, therefore, intended to be read in conjunction with the sermon.

To download or stream the sermon, click here.

To download the notes of the sermon in PDF format, click here.

SONGS OF ASCENT – PART 8, THE LORD MY FATHER

Psalm 127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon

1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Songs of Ascent are a series of fifteen Psalms (120 through to 134) that were sung by pilgrims as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the major festivals and to worship the living God.

In the Psalms encountered so far in this series, we have seen psalms of praise and of lament. In Psalm 127 (and also Psalm 128) we arrive at a new type of psalm, a ‘Wisdom Psalm’. Other examples of this type of psalm can be found in Psalm 1 and 37. They present a slightly different style than has been encountered in the Songs of Ascent up to this point, and take themes from the Wisdom Books of the Bible (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs of Solomon).

This change in style can at first make Psalms 127 and 128 feel out of place in this series of Songs of Ascent, perhaps even in the Psalms – one could be forgiven for thinking that maybe Psalm 127 would be better placed in the book of Proverbs. Examining the purpose of wisdom literature however shows these two Psalms to be quite fitting in this series. Wisdom literature aimed to both explain something of the character and nature of God and highlight the way of ‘right living’.

Psalm 127′s place then in this series of songs gives those moving to worship God time to consider who He is (specifically, His sovereignty), the blessings He pours out, and the right response to those blessings. Psalm 127 should be seen as a psalm of ‘practical praise’ for Israel.

2. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The Psalmists begins with a declaration of the sovereignty of God,

Psalm 127

1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

‘Nothing happens unless God makes it happen’ is the cry of the Psalmist. This is true, but there is a danger (as with most things) in misunderstanding this truth. One could take away the idea that God will do what needs to be done and we can sit back and let it happen.

This kind of thinking can have disastrous effects on the Church. It may express itself as laziness within the band that leads worship, for example. The band could be of the mistaken impression that they may simply turn up to lead worship as the service starts, with no time spent practicing beforehand, under the banner of ‘Whatever is God’s Will will happen’ – If the band sound terrible, it must be God’s will that they sound terrible – well done band for following God’s will!

Perhaps this misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty could express itself in the outreach (or lack thereof) in the Church. ‘God will bring in who He wants to bring in’ would be the lazy call. Laziness is the key word here. Misunderstanding God’s sovereignty in this way leads to laziness in all areas of work.

This is clearly not what the Psalmist is getting at. This becomes clear as we examine his background and the mindset that it ultimate formed in him, because the Psalmist is Solomon.

a) Author’s Background

Solomon was the Son of King David and reigned after him from 971 until 931 BC. In 1Kings 3, we see that Solomon, presented with an open invitation to ask for anything from God, asked for wisdom

Psalm 127

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God
said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6And Solomon said, “You have shown
great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he
walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness
of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast
love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7And now, O
LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my
father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or
come in. 8And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you
have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for
multitude. 9Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to
govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who
is able to govern this your great people?”

10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11And God said to
him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself
long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for
yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12behold, I now do
according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind,
so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise
after you. 13I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and
honour, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
14And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my
commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your
days.”

It is for this reason that much of the Wisdom Literature of the Bible is accredited to Solomon (Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Solomon).

In studying the writings of Solomon, his opinion regarding ‘work’ becomes very clear. Verses such as,

Proverbs 6

6Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

And again,

Proverbs 14

23In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.

All this shows the high premium that Solomon places upon hard work, and his lack of sympathy (to put it mildly) for the lazy person (sluggard). Over and over again, Solomon attacks the sluggard and praises the hard worker.

This is a principle found throughout Scripture. It is undoubtedly so that the Church should love, care for, and give to the needy. The Church should never be without Charity. However, Paul also makes it clear that he agrees with Solomon; the sluggard should not be given a free ride,

2 Thessalonians 3

10For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If
anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11For we hear that some
among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12Now
such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to
do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

And so we see that the Church should definitely love and support those in need, but alongside this is the call to everyone: If you can work, you should.

Viewed from this perspective, Solomon’s point in the Psalm is protected from the misunderstanding that leads to laziness. Solomon is not telling his hearers to stop work, instead he declares that work is good, but work outside of God is pointless, vanity.

b)Solomon on Sovereignty

Solomon’s understanding that God rules over all, that nothing that happens does so outside of His command, is the grounding for what is to follow in the Psalm. Jesus spoke of this reality of God in Matthew 10, where he said,

Matthew 10

29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to
the ground apart from your Father.

Here Jesus points to the insignificant (sparrow – small birds of little value, and pennies – the smallest monetary denomination) and declares God’s sovereign rules even over their existence. Benjamin Franklin expanded on this point in a speech given in 1787 addressing the necessity of God’s involvement in the building of the State when he said,
“…if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it
probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
Israel were fully aware of this fact that the rise and fall of nations, military success, national safety, etc. all depend on God alone. In hearing the terrifying reports of the spies sent into the Promised Land, which spoke of strong people and large, fortified cities, Israel was at first ready to give up. Moses and Aaron had to remind the congregation that God was with them, that the protection had been removed from their enemies, and that victory was theirs,

Numbers 14:5-9

5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the
congregation of the people of Israel. 6And Joshua the son of Nun and
Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out
the land, tore their clothes 7and said to all the congregation of the
people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an
exceedingly good land. 8If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into
this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9Only
do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land,
for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and
the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”

Israel also saw the other side of this truth. In Lamentations, we see Jeremiah’s response to the sacking of Jerusalem,

Lamentations 1

15″The Lord rejected
all my mighty men in my midst;
he summoned an assembly against me
to crush my young men;
the Lord has trodden as in a winepress
the virgin daughter of Judah.

In this case, after a succession of kings that did evil in the Lord’s sight, God decides to ‘cast them out from His presence’,

2 Kings 24

18Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19And he did what was evil in the sight
of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of
the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that
he cast them out from his presence.

The result is the sacking of Jerusalem

2 Kings 25

1And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day
of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army
against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all
around it. 2So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King
Zedekiah. 3On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so
severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
4Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by
night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s
garden, though the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in
the direction of the Arabah. 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the
king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was
scattered from him. 6Then they captured the king and brought him up to
the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7They
slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes
of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

8In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month-that was the
nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon-
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of
Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9And he burned the house of the LORD
and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great
house he burned down. 10And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were
with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters
who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the
multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.
12But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be
vinedressers and plowmen.

The wisest of Israel’s kings in their wisest moments the Lord for the next move that they should make, not daring to trust in their own strength. Solomon understood this. His understanding was grounded in his father’s words to him as he lay dying,

1 Kings 2

1When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son,
saying, 2″I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show
yourself a man, 3and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in
his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and
his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may
prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4that the LORD may
establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons
pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with
all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the
throne of Israel.’

David tells his son to:

• Be a man.

• Work hard

• Do it God’s way
Solomon knew that to step outside of the will of God was to move in vain. In the first two verses of the Psalm, he announces a form of ‘futility curse’ found a number of times in the Old Testament. The essence of these curses is ‘you will work, but someone else will benefit’.
Another example of this kind of curse can be found in Amos 5,

Amos 5
11Therefore because you trample on the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.

The idea that another nation could come and take their homes and crops was a very real threat to Israel. Solomon’s words to them are not ‘toughen up’ or ‘train well’. They are simply to trust God and to work according to his Will. He points out that extra builders and watchmen and longer working hours will all prove fruitless without God.

Again, Jesus makes this very point about Himself,

John 15

5… apart from me you can do nothing.

How sincerely do we take this statement of Jesus’? Nothing. We can do nothing. Jesus doesn’t say that we are weak without Him, that we are going to find things difficult without Him to help us. He says that without Him, nothing can happen. Absolutely nothing. This is an incredible statement, and merits much meditation.

Why does Solomon this sovereignty of God and our dependence and powerlessness as a good thing? His answer is in the second verse of the Psalm,

Psalm 127

2It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

He gives His beloved sleep. Here Solomon is not simply talking of having a nice nap. He contrasts the man working in God’s Will, to the man outside of it, working all the hours he can, getting up early and going to bed late, producing only the driest results. Solomon posits that for the believer who understands that God is in control, peace comes. As Jesus says in Matthew 6, we are not to worry, for God orders all things and our worry had absolutely no effect upon our situation.

Matthew 6

25″Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is
not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the
birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span
of life?

Solomon’s call in light of God’s sovereignty is this:

• Seek God’s will
• Do that. Nothing more or less.
• Trust that God has it in hand.
• Rest.

This principle can be applied to all of a believer’s life, but here in Psalm 127 he focuses it down to a specific application – our children.

3. CHILDREN

At first reading, the second half of this Psalm can seem quite disconnected from the first. It seems as if Solomon is discussing one subject and then suddenly changes focus and discusses another. What we see in Psalm 127 however is that Solomon is using the first half of the Psalm with its declarations of God’s sovereignty as groundwork for the second half.

Solomon has a number of things to say regarding children.

a) Children are a Gift from God

Psalm 127

3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.

Here it is important to pause and ensure that we read what the verse says and what it does not say. Solomon very clearly declares children to be a reward and a gift from God. He does not say, however, that those who are unable to have children are being punished by God. If you are a couple struggling to conceive you should not take this verse as a sign of God’s displeasure with you. We see in Scripture God’s heart for those unable to have children,

Psalm 113

9He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!

The truth is that many churches are full of, or at least surrounded by, young people who need parents. It may be that God, in His sovereignty, never grants you your own children. This does not mean that you may never be a parent.

In this Psalm, Solomon shows God’s sovereignty His giving of children to people. This very fact highlights the gravity and responsibility involved in receiving and raising a child. They are God’s gift, and we must be sure that we handle that gift correctly.

b) God’s Gifts Continue to Bless

Psalm 127

4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

What is Solomon saying here? He is not suggesting that it is good to have a number of children so that in his old age he will have a sizeable family mob able to surround and protect him, threatening those that dare threaten their father. Here Solomon talks of the power of raising children of integrity.

It is at this point that we begin to see the ‘house’ that Solomon spoke of in verse one. Here he makes a call for parents to toil, not at simply raising their children, but at something bigger: to work at raising them in God’s will. This leads to children of integrity, who silence the slanderous accusations of enemies against their parents by their good living.

It is in this way that all Christians are now known as Children of Abraham and in a similar sense, Children of the Disciples,

Galatians 3

6just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness”?

7Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8And
the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all
the nations be blessed.” 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed
along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Indeed, our very faith speaks of the faith of those before us that made it possible to hear the Gospel. Our lives speak their defence at the gate, giving no cause for shame. This is what Solomon urges us to be a part of.

c) The Condition

The condition for this continued blessing of children of integrity that Solomon (and ultimately God) sets forth is this: The Lord builds.

The problems of lazy parents are clearly evident in society around us, but Solomon is not speaking to that issue here. Here he addresses those parents that toil outside of God. Those that work hard to provide for their children, but do so without concern for the will of God. Solomon’s warning is stark – unless it is done God’s way, all that labour is in vain. Futile. Pointless.

4. APPLICATION

So how are we to ensure that we do not labour in vain? How do we work to raise our children and let God build the house? The answer comes in knowing that the one who gives children as a reward is Himself a father. Our Father.

Jesus said,

John 5

19So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do
nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For
whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

In everything we work at, labour for, we are only to do what we see the Father doing. We must do away with our own ideas of what seems to be the right course of action, and seek only Him. As parents, we must get on board with what God is doing, align ourselves in His will, and follow the model of God, our Father. We must then model this for our children, allowing them to see us be honest, fair, kind, loving, just, hardworking, holy, and obedient, willing to lay our lives down for our sons and daughters.

In all this, we must trust God and rest in the knowledge that it is He that builds the house.

An obedient generation will now raise up a generation of young people that silence the enemies and mockers of the Church not by force or might, but with lives of integrity and love.

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple. In Psalm 127, we ancounter a new style of Psalm in this series – the Wisdom Psalm.

In part eight of this fifteen part series, Phill Marsh explores Solomon’s thoughts on God’s sovereignty, and how he links this to wise parenting.

To watch the promotional video for this series, click here.

To view or download the notes for this sermon, click here.