Psalm 127 - The Keys to Provision and Protection

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Introduction

We are continuing our Praying through the Psalms series, and today we are going to be in Psalm 127.

Very quickly, for those who might be new, this is a bit different than our normal Sunday morning.

We will be walking through a few verses, and then pausing to pray together as a church body.

We will break off into groups of 3-4 people and will have 3 or 4 minutes to pray together.

If you are uncomfortable with this, no biggie - just pray silently to the Lord.

When it is time to close that prayer time, I will say “Lord” which will be your cue to wrap up, and then I will close that prayer time.

Prayer

Background on Psalm 127

Author

This is one of two Psalms that is attributed to King Solomon.

The other one is Psalm 72, and both of them carry a theme of divine blessing and human submission to the Lord.

A Song of Ascents

This is one of 15 Psalms that is described as a Psalm of Ascent

Interestingly, these Psalms of Ascent are all grouped together - from Psalm 120-134.

This word “Ascents” is the Hebrew word: “Mah alah” meaning “a journey to a higher place.”

These Psalms of Ascent are also called the Pilgrimage Psalms because they were meant to be sung as the Israelites made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual feasts.

These Psalms carry themes of:

Deliverance

Repentance

Protection

Provision, etc.

Psalm 127, interestingly, holds the central position of the Psalms of Ascent.

This might not mean much to us, but this would be important for the Jew.

The center of something was the point, in Jewish culture.

They told stories like one might climb a mountain

There is a journey up one side

There is a summit

Then a climb down the other side.

While the journey up and down are not unimportant, it is the summit that drives you to make the journey in the first place.

Psalm 127:1–2 (ESV)

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It 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.

Illustration - Building my house

For the past four and a half years, I have been laboring on weekends to build our family home from the ground up - and this first part of verse 1 has been like a song on repeat.

In fact, I will sometimes catch myself breathing out those words as I work, over and over again.

It feels like a reminder that the Lord is gently wanting to massage into my heart and mind.

Unless the Lord builds the house, you, Matt, are laboring in vain

I would guess I have put somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 hours into this project.

The thought that I could be doing that in vain, is a bit of a terrifying thought.

All of this time

All of this energy

All of the money

All of the sacrificed events and experiences

Meaningless - unless the Lord is the one who builds it.

That is what this Psalm tells us!

This Psalm goes after something precious in all of us.

It goes after something that you have been devoting yourself to for years.

Christian, the Lord doesn’t share His throne and He will go after the thing that you look to for provision and protection.

He wants to cut the heart strings that hold you to this world and anchor you in heaven.

He doesn’t want you wasting your life, working for the wrong things.

As we dive in, the first key to provision and protection is…

Choose Faithfulness over fretfulness. (vv. 1-2)

Solomon makes a strong point here:

We can have either a God-centric OR a Man-centric view of life - but not both.

In a God-centric view of life

The Lord Builds

The Lord Watches

The Lord gives to His people sleep

In a Man-Centric view of life

Man builds

Man watches

Man rises up early and stays up late

The Question

Which view does your life uphold?

I am not asking what view you would SAY that you uphold.

What does the fruit of your life say?

Do you live as if the Lord is the supreme builder, or is that you?

Do you live as though the Lord is watching over you, or is that also you?

Those questions might be answered by answering this question that v. 2 calls to mind:

Do you rest peacefully at night, or do you find yourself lying awake at night, racked with anxiety over the days and challenges ahead?

I have a feeling that we all have some growing to do here - I sure know I do!

The Point

This gets to the core of something that is deeply personal to every single person in this room

Our Provision and Our Protection

These are not amenities for us to have - they are essentials…the sum total of what we need for life!

We need provisions to survive - food, water, clothing, shelter.

We need protection to stay alive - secure from those who seek to do us harm.

Because these things are essential, most of us will devote our lives to acquiring them.

Going after the best job

Climbing the ladder

Working longer hours

Hustling harder

We do this to gain provision - Making “enough” money - whatever that is

And that money, makes us feel secure because with it we buy those things that we want and/or need.

What are the outcomes?

Do not miss the outcomes here.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

The implication is that if the Lord isn’t in it, then any action towards that end is futile.

The builders labor in vain

The watchman stays awake in vain

YOU are not the source of the provision and protection you need… the Lord is.

Toil or Sleep

As such, your life will be characterized in one of two ways:

Anxious toil OR divinely granted sleep

Psalm 127:2 It 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.

Rising up early means “start out early” and carries with it a repetitive action… you do this day after day.

“Go late” to rest means to “take longer to do something than planned, scheduled, or required”

And when it says rest, it means to simply sit down - this is not deep, rejuvenating sleep.

Is the picture becoming clear?

It is the rat race!

This is anxious toil.

Application

When we seek to do our own thing, in our own ways, we will spend a lot of time spinning our wheels and not getting where we need to go.

Some of you are gunning for the job working at a Big Four finance firm where you will make lots of money, you will rise up early and work longer than you had planned.

Is this what the Lord is wanting you to spend your time building?

The reward of that work may be bread and lots of it, but it may come with a side of crippling anxiety…

There is another way!

The alternative is in v. 2 where it says that the Lord “gives to His beloved sleep”

“God can accomplish more good for those who trust him while they sleep than they can accomplish with anxious labor while awake.” - John Piper

We do not need devote ourselves to the pursuit of provision and protection for ourselves and our loved ones - because God will handle that!

This doesn’t mean that you do not work - just in case any of my modern sabbath people start to get fired up to take even more quote “sabbath” time.

We still work, but our work is sanctified in the name of the Lord.

And this also doesn’t mean that we DON’T take the job at one of the big 4… It just means that our work must be yielded and submitted to the Lord rather than to ourselves.

When our work is sanctified, when we trust the Lord to be the decisive actor for our provision and protection, we reach the end of our work day and sleep is a sweet gift from the Lord.

What about you?

Are you choosing faithfulness or are you choosing fretfulness??

1. Prayer Points:

Thank the Lord for His provision and protection

Ask for the wisdom to know the difference between fretfulness and faithfulness

Renounce your efforts to seek provision and protection on your own

Get Arrow

Point 2

Let’s look at vv. 3-5 here:

Psalm 127:3–5 (ESV)

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed 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.

I know it feels like we just took a hard left turn, but I want you to hang with me here for a minute.

Some commentators actually think that this was two separate Psalms that was stuck together, but I don’t believe so, and I will explain why in a bit.

the second key to provision and protection is:

Tending your living assets (vv. 3-5)

Those living assets are children.

Children are our most precious living assets in this life!

That is true because our future depends on children.

And not just our future, but the future of humanity.

I am not being dramatic here…

John Stuart Mill - “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”

Therefore, we need to raise up our children to have grit - to be warriors.

They need to be the types of people that bad men fear.

How do we do this?

There are two basic things I see from this passage:

Embrace them as your reward

Equip them for war

1. Embrace them as your Reward

The text describes children as being a heritage, fruit of the womb, a reward

Heritage

A heritage is an inheritance - something precious passed on from parents to their children.

Fruit of the Womb

Children, are the benefit of the womb - the miraculous outcome of what the female body was created to do.

And it is through labor that a child is born - the fruit of the womb.

A Reward

Finally children are called a reward!

a reward something given in response to something that was done.

Ironically, this word can also be a recompense for acts of wrongdoing

Some of your parents warned you this would happen.

young people, go easy on mom and dad

Payback is real! ;)

But for real, sometimes children are really difficult!

I love this perspective from Derek Kidner In regards to raising difficult children:

“It is not untypical of God’s gifts that first they are liabilities, or at least responsibilities, before they become obvious assets. The greater their promise, the more likely that these sons will be a handful before they are a quiverful.” - Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16). InterVarsity Press.

Hang in there, mom and dad! Keep praying and clinging to God’s promises here!

They are a reward from the Lord - even if it doesn’t feel that way right now!

Continue to lean into them - especially those that are a bit more challenging.

God is working through you - so keep at it!

2. We also must Equip them for war *PICK UP ARROW

Here in verses 4&5 Children (specifically boys) are described as arrows in the hand of a warrior

What is true of arrows in the hand of a warrior is that they do not stay there long

They were never meant to.

Arrows are meant to fly forward with purpose and force.

But we must prepare them for that!

How does a warrior prepare his arrows?

He makes sure that the shaft is straight, so it will fly true

He ensures that their point is sharp, so it will do damage

He ensures that the fletching (feathers) are secure, to make it stable in flight

He ensures that the nock is fitted to the bowstring, so that it can be propelled forward.

But He also carries his arrows with him into the battle.

Are we doing this for our children, or are we keeping them as sheltered from life as possible?

If you are going to fulfill your calling as a parent, you are going to have to get into the fight, and bring your children along.

There is a LOT of work that must be done to prepare children for this.

Caring for them physically - until they are able to do so for themselves

Caring for them Spiritually - teaching them to one day feed themselves on God’s Word.

We must Cultivating a love for the Word, a pattern of service, a habit of giving, and a posture of surrender before the Lord.

And this all builds up to a moment when they are thrust forth like the arrow from the hand of a warrior.

We pull back the bow string, take careful aim, and then let them fly.

What happens when we do this?

Psalm 127:5a Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

You might remember this word from a few weeks ago in Psalm 1 - Ashray!

Happiness that is derived from divine grace.

Psalm 127:5b He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Put another way, he will not be embarrassed.

Do you remember when you were a kid, and your dad was like superman - and when he was with you, you weren’t afraid of anything?

There comes a moment when that little boy grows up,

He is no longer the soft, delicate child in need of protection

he’s a warrior; an arrow, honed and tested, trained to do battle.

One day, that little boy will become an imposing force that stands alongside you.

That father can face his enemies without fear because he has arrows in his hand.

I think about some of the young men in this church, who are becoming formidable forces that can stand beside their own fathers.

Jackson and Slaton Caffey

Micah Saxe

Jake Palcer

Charles Saenz

These dudes are going to one day be men that their fathers are going to want backing them up when their enemy attacks.

In their commentary on the OT, Keil and De-litch say this: “Unjust judges, malicious accusers, and false witnesses retire shy and faint-hearted before a family so capable of defending itself.” - Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament. Hendrickson.

We must raise children that make bad people think twice before mounting an attack!

Prayer points:

Pray to see children as a heritage, fruit, and a reward

Pray for the strength and wisdom needed to raise arrows (either now, or in the future)

Pray for Christian children to be used powerfully against the enemy

Ok, let’s tie everything together here

The final key to provision and protection is this:

3. Build the right things and trust in the Lord! (vv. 1-5)

What are the right things?

The first two verses of the Psalm are about provision and protection

God builds the house - we labor alongside Him

God watches over and protects the house - we protect alongside Him

The last three verses are ALSO about provision and protection

In God’s sovereign plan, a man and a woman have children - who are a heritage, fruit of the womb, and a reward - Provision…

Then these children grow up and stand with us as we face our enemies… Protection.

Christian, Invest yourself wisely

The Average person will spend around 90,000 hours at work by the time they hit retirement.

And most of us spend the best of ourselves in those hours.

Leaving our family with the leftovers

And the result is that we fill our children’s bellies, but we neglect their souls

We do not prepare them like arrows.

Let’s go back to the illustration of my house…

I am building a house, but It is not about the structure - it’s about those image bearers that will fill the structure.

If I spend all this time building my house, but in doing so neglect Cammy and the kids, then I have been building in vain.

All of the physical building is important - but the more important part is the relational building with my wife and kids.

It’s setting aside work to coach their soccer teams and going with them to camp

It’s sacrificing a day of work to build memories on the beach.

It’s understanding that the house is going to break down over time, but my children will grow strong.

The house is temporary, but the children will live on for eternity.

They are much more important and they are much better protectors than material things that I am so good at collecting!

So Build the right things!

What if I don’t have children?

That is a great question…

Does this passage have nothing to say to you?

This passage has something to say to every Christian.

1 John 3, Romans 8 and 9 and other passages tell us that we are part of the family of God.

Ephesians 4 tells us that as a part of the family of God, we are to work for the building up of the body of Christ.

This command to raise up children as arrows is not just for biological children.

It is for all children in Christ.

There are those of you in here who’s earthly father didn’t know or love Jesus.

It is in these scenarios where a godly man, or a godly woman would step into that person’s life and help them be formed into an arrow.

Believer - you should have multiple people standing around you when you face your enemies at the gate.

You should have your biological children, but also those “spiritual children” who you have poured yourself into, helping them be more and more conformed to the image of Christ!

This is what your life needs to be about.

It needs to be about Building the right things.

And you need to work really, really hard at it.

BUT, work as though restfully.

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV) 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Yokes are heavy and meant for work- there is no way around that.

In your building

In your watching

In your parenting

In your disciple making

Stay yoked to Jesus, and in the work, under the yoke you will find rest.

Prayer Points:

Repent for how you have been building the wrong things.

Ask the Lord to show you who you can “raise up” like an arrow

Commit to raising children/multiplying disciples

As we close this whole thing, Remember what last line of verse 2 said…

He gives to His BELOVED sleep.

Christian, You are deeply loved by the Lord

So much that Jesus came and died in your place, doing what you could not do.

He went to the cross, bore the punishment for your sin and shame and gave up his life to preserve yours.

He was buried, but didn’t stay buried.

On the third day, He rose from the dead and effectively conquered Satan, sin, and death.

If you are not a Christian - Jesus offers the same salvation to you now!

The question is, will you accept what He offers?

Romans 10:9 (ESV) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

But understand, it is a call to come and die.

Die to yourself and live unto Him!

And if you desire this, repent of your sins, confess Him as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him.

Build what God is building and in the process find rest for your soul.

If this is you, come pray with us!

We have a prayer team available in the back

Pastor Matt Ullrich and I will both be available.

Pastor Kevin will be available.

We would love to pray with you about anything - or talk to you about coming to know Christ!