- When Human Diligence and Vigilance are Useless - Psalm 127, Verse 1 is a clear reminder that all human effort apart from God’s intervention is “in vain”, or futile. The desires and pursuits of unsaved man are typified by man’s construction of the tower of Babel in order to make a “name” for themselves, as Gen 11:4-9 describes. We learn from these passages that unsaved man in his pride wants to be just like God, and he wants to get the glory that belongs only to God Himself. This same sinful attitude is eminiscent of Satan, who is the spiritual father of all who are unsaved, as Isa 14:12-13 underscores. Those who are lost are unable to recognize the truth of Psa 108:12: “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man” and Pro 18:10: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”. Man’s pride and arrogance are not confined to the unsaved heathens of the world, but are also characteristics of those in the institutional churches and denominations, as typified by religious Israel in the Old Testament, as declared in Oba 1:3. In God’s earthly, institutional churches, the proliferation of today’s worldly false gospels tends to increase the percentage of false brethren, or nominal Christians, within the various congregations. This expands the worldly influence in the churches and accelerates the worldwide “falling away” from the True Gospel, or apostasy, that is so much in evidence at the present time (2 The 2:3). The popularity of most false gospels can generally be attributed to their appeals to man’s pride and basic sensual desires for political freedom, economic security and good health. God describes this natural, materialistic focus as man’s love of the world in 1 John 2:15-17. Psa 127:1 is a magnificent tribute to God’s constant faithfulness, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain”.
Gen 11:4-9 “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
Luke 1:51 “He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”
Isa 14:12-13 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:”
Oba 1:3 “The pride of thine [institutional churches and denominations, as typified by religious Israel in OT] heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock [naming the name of Christ], whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”
Psalm 127:1-2 “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
- The Futility of Human Effort - The real desire of natural or unsaved man is to achieve the maximum level of economic prosperity, physical well-being, and political freedom in order to satisfy “the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life…” according to 1 John 2:16, which is “not of the Father, but is of the world”. Notice also the warning in verse 17: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever”. The book of Ecclesiastes has much to say about this striving after “wind”, or vanity (Ecc 5:16). Consider the admonition of Ecc 2:11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun”. Those who put their trust in material goods –in the things of this world – are guaranteed to reap what they have sown, as Jam 5:1-5 sets forth. In our previous passages we looked at the pride of man to make a “name” for himself at the Tower of Babel and gain access into Heaven through his own presumptuous efforts. Man’s works are at best “filthy rags”, according to Isa 64:6. Ecc 2:22-23 is a vivid picture of the fallen human condition. Ecc 6:7 makes this point: “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled”. Perhaps this is related to John 6:27, where we learn: “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
Jam 5:1-3 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.”
Ecc 2:22-23 “For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.”
Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Psa 33:16-17 “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.”
- The Necessity for God’s Intervention - Psa 147:10 declares “He [God] delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man” and in Zec 4:6 “...Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”. Deu 6:10 explains that the land Israel inherited (that ultimately points to the kingdom of God) was a gift for which they did not work: “And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not”. This concept is also evident in the construction of the Temple, according to 1 Kin 6:7: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building”. Notice what God looks for and what He, in turn, has initiated in Psa 33:18: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;” and Eph 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. The reason God has to take the initiative by His redemption is because man by nature is spiritually dead, and spurns God and the Bible, as Jer 6:16 indicates. Of course, God’s greatest gift to man is salvation, or eternal life, as Eph 2:8-9 insists. Not only has God done all the work of salvation, but He reminds us of His faithful and constant love for His people throughout the pages of Scripture.
Jos 24:17 “For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:”
Psa 37:28 “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints [born-again believers]; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”
Psa 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Jer 6:16 “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”
Psa 44:3-7 “For they got not the land [points to the kingdom of God] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.”
- Resting in God - Psa 121 is a marvelous portrait of God’s providential care for His beloved children. The language that God neither slumbers nor sleeps illustrates His eternal vigilance over the sheep of His pasture. A comforting verse for the believer is also found in Deu 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”. This verse is a beautiful declaration of God’s sovereign faithfulness and perfect integrity in not only guiding the child of God through this life but all the way to glory. This same idea of God’s providential care is also expressed in the New Testament in Php 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”. Isn’t it amazing how God has obligated Himself to finish what He has begun by His eternal grace and love? Psa 127:2, highlights physical sleep, which symbolizes the spiritual rest that is the result of salvation, according to Mat 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Pro 3:21-26 also states: “... thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet... the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken”. Let me hasten to add that this only applies to his beloved sleep -- the believer in Jesus Christ, as 1 Pet 1:3-5 and Jude 1:24-25 affirms. Rom 8:38-39 assures the true child of God that absolutely nothing can separate him from His faithful Savior: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Psa 66:8-9 declares, “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.”
Psa 121:3-5 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel [God's Elect] shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
Psa 127:1-2 “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Pro 3:21-26 “My son, let not them [God’s commands in the Bible] depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”
Eze 34:23-26 “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David [typifying Christ] a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing [spiritual blessing].”
Matt 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
1 Pet 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Jude 1:24-25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
- Your Labour is NOT in Vain in the Lord - 1 Cor 15:58 admonishes believers, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”. The “labour” in this verse is pointing to the utmost importance of the task of spreading the Gospel and spiritual growth in God’s grace by labouring in His Word. 2 Cor 5:8-9 declares: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him”. And who is this “workman” or “laborer” these verses speak about? Luke 10:2 asserts, “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest”. In actuality, the “laborers” are the ones whom God has redeemed and set apart to be His ambassadors, according to 2 Cor 5:17-20. Sadly, there have always been those who masquerade as God’s servants. This phenomenon is even more pernicious in these last days. 2 Cor 11:13-15 warns, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ”. With respect to genuine believers 2 Cor 4:2 maintains, “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God”. We must bear in mind that both the motivation as well as the performance can only be attributed to the marvelous intervention of God Himself, as 1 Cor 15:10 reveals: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. Php 2:13 also verifies this, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”.
2 Cor 5:17-20 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
1 Tim 5:17 “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Ecc 5:12 “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.”
1 The 2:4-11 “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.”
