The Importance of a Godly Home

Psalm 127

Psalm 127 is one of two Psalms written by Solomon (72). This is debated by some. Some believe it was written for Solomon by David. The similarity between the style and other writings by Solomon suggests to me it was written by him.

1) It is written in a Proverb style. As you read through it you can see that.

2) There is an emphasis on vanity like in Ecclesiastes (3x in v. 1-2).

It is one of the songs of ascent. It was sung as families traveled up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts. It is a reminder that a godly family is a blessing from above.

 psalm 127

The Psalm is broken into two sections:

We cannot build a godly home without God (1-2)

The blessing of children (3-5).

1. Only God can build a godly home (1).

“Unless the LORD” YHWH. The only way to Him is through Jesus. Only Christians can have a godly home.

Other religions may have a disciplined home.

Other religions may have a moral home.

Other religions may have a successful home.

It’s clear from this text we are not talking about building with wood and stone. We are talking about building people.

What are the materials God uses to build a godly home?

The new birth

His Word

His Holy Spirit

His church

All of these things proceed from God.

Notice there are two builders in verse 1. One is primary, the other secondary.

“the LORD builds….those who build”

We have a responsibility in building a godly home. It doesn’t just happen. 

What does it mean to build a house in vain? It means it’s temporary. It passes away.

You can build a good home without God.

You can raise healthy children.

You can raise children who are successful in the world’s eyes.

You can have a loving and close-knit family.

But without Christ it is vain. It will pass away.

You can leave behind a large inheritance.

You can leave behind a good name.

You can leave scholarships and even have your name attached to hospitals and charities.

If you do not have Christ when you die, it’s all over. You go to hell. You are forgotten.

How then do we build a godly home?

1) We marry a godly person.

2) We live godly lives.

3) We teach our children the Word of God.

4) We actively worship and serve through the local church.

2) Only God can protect a home (1).

“Unless the LORD watches over a city”

Image the pilgrimage of these people. They left behind everything to go to Jerusalem three times a year. They had to trust the Lord with their home. It was predictable when they would be gone!

The Lord is compared to the watchmen that were tasked with the oversight of a city. They stayed awake all night. If the city came under attack they sounded an alarm.

Notice that just as there were two builders, there are two watchmen.

The LORD is the primary watchman.

The watchmen are secondary.

The point is if the Lord is not protecting the city, it doesn’t matter if the watchmen watch or not. The city will fall. However, the watchmen are still tasked to watch in the same way the builder is still tasked to build.

God must do it.

We must do it.

As Christians we must protect our home.

Sin is our greatest threat.

Some people want God to protect their home, but they let the devil in it. God protects us through His Word. He has given us instructions.

Psalm 101:3

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

Ungodly music

Ungodly Movies/shows

Ungodly friends

Drugs/alcohol in home (how I smoked my first joint)

Unattended children

People who allow boyfriends/girlfriends to go in the room and shut the door (even spend the night).

This is primarily a man’s job. You keep the ungodly things out of your home. You are the secondary watchman. God has told you what to watch for.

If you allow your home to be filled with ungodliness don’t be surprised when your children forsake the Lord. The devil is after all of us.

3. Only God can sustain a home (2).

This verse presents to us people who feverishly work to provide for their home. Their work is inspired by worry.

“rise up early” and “go late to rest”

“eating the bread of anxious toil” You get what you want but it takes a toll on you. You are filled with sorrow and worry.

“for He gives to His beloved sleep”

The Christian should rest. We are to build and watch. We are also to rest. 

There are a couple of ways we show we are trusting in ourselves to sustain a home.

1) We work too much. The truth is we can find work to do every day. God has given us a principle of the Sabbath. People should rest. Resting from work shows you trust God with your finances.

2) We serve too much. Not even Jesus healed everyone. He departed at times to rest.

The pastor who forsakes time with family to serve the church shows he is trusting in himself more than He is trusting in God for the prosperity of the church.

Our time should be balanced between Work, family and the church.

If you can’t rest, you are doing more than God has called you to do.

This will hurt your relationship with your wife/husband

This will hurt your relationship with your children.

This will burn you out at church.

This will affect your relationship with God.  

Imagine working yourself to death and then the Lord says your work was in vain.

I see this with sports and kids

I see this with parents and their jobs.

Sometimes I see it with individuals at church.

It may be God’s will for your kid to play sports but it’s not God’s will he play sports as much as you do.

It is God’s will that you work, may not be His will that you work as much as you do.

It is God’s will that you serve the local church, but it may not be His will for you to be doing everything you do.

You say:

But what about the scholarship? God will take care of that.

What about the bills? God will take care of that.

What about this ministry? God will take care of that.

God sustains the home. He allows us to rest in Him. If we are not resting, we trust in ourselves.

4. Children are a blessing from God (3).

Children are described in three ways in verse 3.

A heritage from the Lord. This is an inheritance. An inheritance is not earned but freely given. It invokes joy. Children are a gift from God, and we should rejoice in them.

They are the fruit of the womb. This implies action on the part of the parents. God gives children but we have a part as well. He gives them through the union of a man and a woman.

They are a reward. This is something God gives to parents.

Because children are a gift from God, they are also a stewardship. God has trusted us with these children. It is our responsibility to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Your children are your first ministry. You have them for about 18 years and you cannot afford to waste a day of that time. 

It is heartbreaking that:

God gives some people a car, but they won’t drive it to church.

God gives some people money, but they will not give to the Lord’s work.

God gives some people children, and they do not raise them for His glory.

We are to raise our children to see their need for Christ.

We are to raise our children to study the Word.

We are to raise our children to value the family of God.

We are to raise our children to hate sin and love holiness.

None of that just happens. It happens through the parents. That is how God builds the house. This is how we show God our appreciation for the wonderful gift He has given us.

5. Godly children are the defense of their parents (4-5).

These verses describe a man whose children have grown up. They are the children of his youth that have been sent into the world.

A warrior without arrows has a more difficult life. A warrior with arrows has a much better chance of survival in war. A warrior with a quiver full of arrows has great security. How are our children our defense?

1. They help us in old age. We get too old to work. We may even get too old to walk or feed ourselves. It is a great blessing to see children who love their parents come together as they age.

2. They testify before the Lord of our faithfulness. Children saved through the ministry of their parents gain the reward of the soul winner.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.- Daniel 12:3

3. They silence our enemies.

The end of verse 5 is interesting. The context is a man standing with his sons before his enemies. They are at the place where legal proceedings were held. They are contending for their father.

We all have enemies. Those who live godly will have more enemies than others. People will attack the godly in all sorts of ways. One of the ways is to call them hypocrites, false teachers, etc. Ultimately our children can be witness to our integrity or lack thereof.

To be sure, there are ungodly people who have godly kids and godly people who have ungodly kids, but I believe those cases are the exception. Your kids reflect your relationship with God.

Some people start with God too late. They become godly after their children are grown. For that reason, the children may not be a proper reflection of their current spiritual state. They reflect what they grew up under.

When children grow up in a godly home, they normally embrace the faith of their parents and become godly men and women. They are the ultimate proof of the spiritual integrity of their parents.

The godly testimony of your children can silence all of your enemies. They stand and defend their parents. They do this through their own integrity and through how they speak of their parents.

What is your home like? Is it a godly home?

Does it have a balance of family, church, and work?

Do you and your children live for and love the Lord?