Expository - Songs of Degrees

Psalm 127

The Foundation and the Building

The foundation that we are building on is not one of good works or of human efforts, nor of entertainments or attractions, but the sure foundation, a tried and tested foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Scriptures teach us that one foundation has been laid; no other can be laid or added to it. Upon Him we build. "Upon this Rock, I will build my church." That Rock is Jesus Christ and the revelation of Him as the Son of the living God.

The materials that we are building with, likewise, must be Divinely approved, not human effort and ability. In I Corinthians 3, Paul instructs how we should be building on the foundation. He speaks of gold, silver and precious stones and then of wood, hay and stubble. Eventually every man's works are going to be tried by fire. All that we can do in our own strength will not stand the test of fire. Only the Divine work, gold, silver and precious stones, will stand the test of fire. How are we building on the foundation? In every aspect of our lives it is Christ that should be being manifested, the foundation and also the visible superstructure of our lives. To change the metaphor for a moment, it is like the fruit of the Spirit. Christ is the root and stem; we are the branches, but the fruit we bear should be Christlike.

All the building is fitly framed together in Him. He is not only the foundation, but the chief cornerstone which holds the whole building together. This is what Abraham was looking forward to, four thousand years ago - the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We are seeing the realisation of it.

We are workers together with God. At the end of Mark 16 we read that the apostles went out and preached the gospel, the Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs following. It was evident that the work was of God. When Paul came to the Corinthians he made it clear that he was not coming with the words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that their faith might stand in God. Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.

Not long after the flood, men took it into their minds to build something that would reach up so that its top was in the heavens. God was not in it. It was a work of their own effort and imagination. Therefore, God destroyed it. Those things that are of high esteem in the eyes of man, are an abomination to God. Let God reveal His will to us; let God establish His work; let God provide and enable us; let God guide and direct us. Let us work with God and see that the Lord is building the house.

The Watchman

Over the centuries there has been the temptation among those who have had the care of God's people, to impose their own wills, to enforce rules and regulations so that people are kept under a burdensome law. Sadly, rules do not deliver you from sin; they do not keep you nor present you faultless in the end. The Lord, by His Spirit and His own mighty power, is able to keep you. The watchman has a function, to alert to approaching danger, but the people, if they respond properly, will look not to the watchman for deliverance but to the Lord. If the people do not turn to the Lord, then the watchman can watch and shout all he wants, but he will do so in vain. The Lord is thy Keeper. (Psalm 121 v 5)

Now if the people are not listening to the voice of the watchman, he can shout all he wants but it will have no effect. The Lord must be our Keeper but we must listen to the voice of His servants who watch and bring us the Word of God.

If there are dangers coming from outside, there are also dangers within. The watchman would be on the lookout, not only for the danger of enemies from without but also for dangers occurring within the city, such as fire or burglary. God made Ezekiel see the wickedness and evil ways of His people. He was to warn them so that the people might be aware of the danger within, turn from their ways and cry out to God for deliverance.

Further, the watchman also keeps his eye on the times. He shouts out during the night at regular intervals. In Isaiah comes the question, "Watchman, what of the night?" "The morning comes," the answer returns.

The watchman was aware of the times too. If the people of God are listening to the words of the Lord's watchmen, and are listening to the Lord who keeps them, they will also be informed about the times. They will be looking for that glorious morning of our Lord's return.

Our Role in the Work of the Lord

When we understand that the Lord is at the centre of this work, then it helps us to get our position in the right perspective. We can work ourselves out, eating, as the Psalm says, the bread of sorrows, constantly burdening ourselves with the idea that we must do something for the Lord. We can neglect sleep and food to throw all our energies into OUR work for the Lord, but is the Lord building? Is the Lord keeping? Is this the will of God or is it some imaginative scheme of our own mind, crafted in the style of worldly success? Jesus invited those who laboured and were heavy laden to come to Him and He would give them rest. The Lord does not want us to burn ourselves out for Him. Paul's question of Jesus was, "What do you want me to do, Lord?" In all that you are doing for the Lord, is it what He has directed you to do?

When we get guidance from the Lord, we also get the enabling to do what the Lord wants us to do. The life that we are called to live may not be easy. Paul's record of his travels and experiences is not one to desire lightly. He was, however, doing what God wanted him to do, in the power of the Lord. People did not like him, argued against him, threw him out, persecuted him, stoned him, but he had no nervous breakdowns, because he was doing what God wanted him to do.

In the church today, it is so possible to imitate the method and the organisation, the management skills and such like, that you find in the world and which are suitable for human organisations. Associated with all those ways and means are all the disorders and conditions that we find in the modern world, of nervous tension, of stress and strain, breakdowns, stomach ulcers and so on. It is all brought on by worry and anxiety. The word says here that it is vain for you to get up early, to go to bed late, to pack your day full of the energy of the flesh. It is useless. The Lord must be in it. If the Lord is doing the work, where is the need for worrying. He gives His beloved sleep. Be careful for nothing! In other words, do not worry about anything! It is God's work.

Now the Psalmist is not encouraging us to be lazy. No. This is, in fact, a song of degrees for Solomon. It is the only one that is for him. Solomon had much to say, in the book of Proverbs, about lazy people. We have to respond in faith and thus be about the work of the Lord. There is no excuse for laziness. This is working together with the Lord and He with us. It does not depend on your strength, as it says in Zechariah, "It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord."

Blessing and Reward

The last three verses of the Psalm speak about children. The reason for this is that the Lord wants us to realise that there is fruitfulness when the Lord is in the work. When you are involved in the Lord's work, it is not a matter of burdens, worry and anxiety, but of fruitfulness and blessing.

Children are a heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward. They are like arrows. The man who has his quiver full of them is a happy man. Spiritually speaking this is true too, for when we see others coming to that new birth as they put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, born again of the Spirit, becoming children of God, then we rejoice. It is wonderful to see. It is a great blessing. Such children are a heritage. What you inherit, you have not worked for. It was not earned. Those who have become part of the family of God did nothing to deserve it. When we see God's grace being manifested as people are born again, as they become children of God, it is wonderful. It is an inheritance from the Lord.

However, it says also that they are the fruit of the womb; they are a reward from the Lord. The fruit of the womb points us back to the time before birth occurred. Birth does not occur unexpectedly. A period of growth, which began at conception, has been taking place. Similarly, there is such a period leading up to the new birth. The seed of the Word is sown in the heart. There is a time of growth; there is a time of struggle and labour; then there is the birth. After the labour, the birth of the child is a joyous time of reward. In this, we, as workers together with God, see this glorious fruit of the new birth as a fantastic reward. This is not a reward of a pat on the back or anything that would elevate self and pride, but the reward of seeing the fruit of our labour in the Lord. Does the Word of God not assure us that our labour in the Lord is not in vain? (I Corinthians 15 v 58)

Conclusion

There are three weapons in the Scripture which remind us of the work of God. There is the sword which is used in close combat; then there is the spear which can be thrown a fair distance; finally there is the arrow which can be shot over a very long distance, so that the word of God can reach to the ends of the earth. Do we not desire to see people going out, full of the Holy Spirit, to serve God? Do parents not feel proud when their children grow up and it is evident that they have been brought up well? They are straight and true. They know where they are going. Is it not the case also spiritually? We are not content just to see people being born again. We want to see them being formed for the Lord's use. Ready like arrows to fly out into enemy territory to effect God's work.

The Psalm, of course, refers to their being like arrows in the hand of a mighty man. Well, of course, that mighty man is our Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them. My desire, and I am sure that it is your desire too, is to see our assembly full of "arrows" - those who have been formed and disciplined, straight and true, fully conformed to the will of the Lord and who are now ready to speed on any and every mission that the Lord gives them to do. Such people will not be ashamed. Paul exhorted Timothy to study to show himself approved, a workman that needs not to be ashamed. They will speak with the enemies in the gate, ensuring that God's standards are applied within (for the gate was the place of justice) and that no enemy could gain entrance from without.