Blessed in Work & Rest
# Blessed to Work & Rest
PSALM 127
PSALMS OF ASCENT
Unless the LORD builds the house,
the builder labour in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat —
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their
opponents in court.
Like many scholars, I lean towards the idea that Solomon wrote this psalm and not King David for Solomon as others argue. Solomon knew what it was like to both build a house and guard a city and, in his wisdom, understood that though God welcomed and even commanded human effort, His work and His blessing were more important.
A Latin motto says, Nisi Dominus Frusta. It comes from the first words of this psalm and means, ‘Without the Lord, Frustration.’ Interestingly, this is the motto of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland and could be attached to the lives of many who are trying to live their lives without the Almighty.
While in the Book of Proverbs Solomon has many words for the sluggard, in this psalm he speaks to the one who over-indulges in work to the detriment of more important matters, like family, the theme of verses 3 – 5. Thus, Psalm 127 shows a way to work that is neither sheer activity nor pure passivity. It does not glorify work and it does not condemn work.
Most important in this psalm is to understand that God works: He builds and He guards. For this reason, the Bible begins with the announcement “In the beginning God created” — not “sat majestic in the heavens,” not “was filled with beauty and love.” He created. He did something. He made something. For this reason, Eugene Peterson refers to Genesis 1 as a journal of work.
As a Christian and disciples of Jesus we need to understand that our work is a natural development out of God’s work, setting us in the mainstream of what God is already doing, and freeing us from the compulsiveness of work. Hilary of Poitiers taught that every Christian must be constantly vigilant against what he called “a blasphemous anxiety to do God’s work for him.” In other words, the curse of some people’s lives is not work, as such, but senseless work, vain work, futile work, work that takes place apart from God, Peterson explains. This happens when we have the wrong priorities, the wrong motives, or the wrong methods. As followers of Jesus, we need to always remember that God cares about what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.
Verse 1 also informs us that a watchman’s task to ensure the security of a city can be vain. Through the ages, security has always been a priority to men. In ancient times huge walls were built around cities. At various points along the wall were elevated towers where watchmen were stationed day and night to warn the citizens of imminent attacks. Today we have security guards, watchdogs and sophisticated electronic devices, all for the same reasons.
Yet, even here we are reminded that it is God who guards. In Biblical history there are two instances when God removed Himself from the business of security. The first one is when safety is sought in the midst of sin, for the sinner is never secure in sin, as we can see from the Tower of Babel and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Second, man is vulnerable when he strives for security in his own strength, for man’s safety is only in God.
Verse 2 shows us another misuse of work, namely when it goes beyond the limits God has set for it, going beyond the reasonable limits of time. In Ecclesiasts 3:1-8 we are told that there is a time for everything. Now all of us know that occasionally it is necessary to “burn the midnight oil,” the workaholic is the person who has made this a pattern.
The reason why the workaholic toils in vain is because he has failed to appreciate the delicate balance between the need to work and the necessity of rest. Once again, we are reminded of Genesis one where work was a part of the curse pronounced upon Adam as a result of his sin. Yet, prior to the fall, God had established the principle of rest. God made the heavens and the earth in six days and in the seventh day He rested. Thus, while work was a consequence of sin, God graciously put limits on man’s labour.
The Sabbath was:
- A gracious provision for man to rest and recover.
- A time for spiritual reflection and worship
- An opportunity for men to learn to trust God and strengthen their faith.
The above is pretty clear. Why then did the Israelites find it so difficult to cease their labours on the Sabbath and why do you and I struggle to do the same? I guess it is either because of greed or unbelief. Yet, prolonged labour violates a basic spiritual principle: God gives to those who have learned to rest in Him, not to those who strive in their own strength.
In contrast to the anxious labour that builds cities and guards possessions, the psalm now changes gears and praises the effortless work of making children in verses 3 to 5. Preceded by the phrase, For so He gives His beloved sleep, a possible allusion to Solomon’s other name, Jedidiah, God’s darling, the psalm continues to celebrate the miraculous processes or reproduction God has created. Interestingly children are conceived when we are at rest, not when we toil. Indeed, God gives to His beloved in his sleep. The words used here, such as reward and heritage remind us that God gives children not as a penalty nor as a burden, but as a favour. They are a token for good if men know how to receive them, and educate them, Spurgeon reminds us.
Thus, they are compared to arrows in the hand of a warrior because:
- They must be carefully shaped and formed.
- They must be guided with skill and strength.
- They must be given care or they will not fly straight.
- They must be aimed and given direction; they will not find direction on their own.
- They are, in some respects, only launched once.
- They are an extension of the warrior’s strength and accomplishment.
- They have potential for much good or evil.
I find this psalm extremely practical as it deals with the two areas of our lives that demands most of our time and cause us the most trouble. They are also the two areas which often compete with each other for our attention and energy: work and family. It will do us well to remember that work was a part of the curse and children were an essential part of the promise.
This is also an important reminder for us as believers that people are at the centre of Christian work. The character of our work is shaped not by accomplishments or possessions but in the birth of relationships: “Children are GOD’s best gift.” Thus, we develop sons and daughters, sisters and brothers – relationships with others. Such work can be done within the structure of any job, career or profession. This reminds us that the pilgrimage is not at the centre; the LORD is at the centre. No matter how hard they had struggled to get to Jerusalem, or how hard we struggle to reach our destination, Psalm 127 insists on a perspective in which our effort is at the periphery and God’s work is at the centre.
