Psalms 127:1-5: a reflection

1Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones. 3Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth. 5Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They won’t be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

This psalm states plainly the vanity of labor apart from God: Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. And it adds a word about anxious toil: It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones. Without God, all our building and guarding and anxious striving is in vain; and God gives rest to those he loves, rather than requiring their anxious, sleepless toil.

Notice two things: the vanity of labor without God, and the rest God gives. All our labor, our building, our guarding, our anxious striving, is in vain unless God is in it; without him, we build and guard for nothing. And the psalm contrasts anxious, sleepless toil, rising early and staying late in worried labor, with the sleep God gives his loved ones. God does not require of those he loves an anxious, self-reliant toil that never rests; he gives them rest, sleep, trusting him rather than their own frantic striving. Labor without God is vain; and God gives rest, not anxious toil, to those he loves.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can labor anxiously, as though everything depended on our own striving, forgetting that without God our labor is vain. We can rise early and stay late in anxious toil, driving ourselves as though the outcome rested wholly on our effort; but the psalm says that without God our labor is in vain, and that God gives rest to those he loves. Do not labor anxiously, as though everything depended on your own striving; without God your labor is vain, and with him you may rest, for he gives sleep to his loved ones. Work faithfully, but rest in God rather than driving yourself with anxious, sleepless toil, trusting that unless the LORD builds the house you labor in vain, and that he gives rest to those he loves, rather than requiring the frantic self-reliant striving that never rests.

Lord, this psalm states plainly the vanity of labor apart from you: unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain; unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. And it adds a word about anxious toil: it is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones. Without you, all our building and guarding and anxious striving is in vain; and you give rest to those you love. Show me two things: the vanity of labor without you, and the rest you give. All my labor, my building, my anxious striving, is in vain unless you are in it. And the psalm contrasts anxious, sleepless toil with the sleep you give your loved ones. You do not require of those you love an anxious, self-reliant toil that never rests; you give them rest, trusting you rather than their own frantic striving. Take that to my heart, for I can labor anxiously, as though everything depended on my own striving, forgetting that without you my labor is vain. I can rise early and stay late in anxious toil, driving myself as though the outcome rested wholly on my effort; but the psalm says that without you my labor is in vain, and that you give rest to those you love. Keep me from laboring anxiously, as though everything depended on my own striving; without you my labor is vain, and with you I may rest. Help me work faithfully, but rest in you, Lord, rather than driving myself with anxious, sleepless toil.