We turn in God's Holy Word to Psalm 127. The text is verses 1 and 2. We first read the whole Psalm. Psalm 127, a song of degrees for Solomon. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It 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. Lo, children are in heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. The text is verses one and two. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It 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. Beloved, in our Lord Jesus Christ, there seem to be especially two main ways to interpret Psalm 127. First, there is the interpretation, the approach that emphasizes or that says that this psalm was written by David for Solomon, his son. And that's what we have in the heading, a song of degrees for Solomon. With this approach, then, the psalm is treated this way. David knew that Solomon, his son, would have to build the temple. David knew that Solomon, his son, would have to keep and protect the city of Jerusalem. And that Solomon would have a household to raise up, because the king, the Messiah, would come from Solomon, and from David through Solomon. David is teaching Solomon that without God's blessing, All of Solomon's wisdom, all of his care and industry would be in vain. David is directing his son to look to the Lord and to trust in the Lord's blessing and depend on the Lord's care. That's one way to approach this psalm. Second, there is the approach that this psalm was not written by David, but it was written by Solomon. So that the heading should read, A Song of Degrees by Solomon. And that's a very real possibility. It could mean, perhaps even it could better mean, A Song of Degrees by Solomon. And if that's the case, then this psalm could very easily be treated as a piece of wisdom literature, which it is. Think of what Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs and what he wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature. And so this psalm could be treated in that same kind of thinking. Solomon, we know, did write many songs. He wrote over a thousand songs. One of the books of the Bible is one of Solomon's songs, the Song of Solomon. If the psalm is looked at this way, then the psalm does remind us of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes speaks about the vanity of life. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Here in the first two verses of this psalm, the word vain is used three times. These verses could be straight out of the book of Ecclesiastes. Whichever approach we take doesn't make too much of a difference. The point of the psalm is that we need to have our eyes upon the Lord. He must give success in all our undertakings. He must give a blessing upon all our work and all our possessions. Why I bring before you these two different approaches because I think there's a third way we can approach this psalm. We can approach this psalm not just as a word written by David to his son, or by Solomon, but we can look at this psalm from the perspective of the pilgrims who sang this song as they traveled to Jerusalem to keep the feast days. That's what is in the heading of the psalm. a song of degrees. And that means that this was one of the songs that the Israelites sang as they traveled from all over the countryside to the Mount of Zion, to Jerusalem, ascending degree by degree up the hill to worship the Lord at the temple. When we read the psalm from this point of view, from the point of view of an ordinary believer who has left his home and who's left his family, who's left his hometown and who has left his work in order to go to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the Lord, then I believe there is much we can glean from this psalm. Much that makes the words of these verses very practical and down to earth. And that's really what we want to do this morning. We want to see how practical these truths are. How essential it is for us to look upon the Lord and depend on His blessing. That's true no matter what we are doing. Whether we are building a house, whether we are watching a city, whether we are building up a business, whether we're in the middle of raising a household, we must trust the Lord. We take as our theme, accept the Lord, build the house. And we look at that theme under three points. First, the sober reflection. Second, the joyful thought. And third, the resulting rest. In the text, there are three different phrases, three different statements, and they each have the same purpose, the same conclusion. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. And it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, These are the three main phrases that we want to look at in this first point of the sermon and the meaning of the three of them is the same. What is the meaning? Let's look at each of these three phrases in turn. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. What does that mean? Well, these words first apply to the actual physical construction of a house, or the actual construction of the temple in Jerusalem. If the Lord does not build the house, if the Lord does not provide you with the materials and the means to construct a building, and if He does not bless your labors and give you success in your daily toil, that house that you are building will never be built. I think of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem during the days of Nehemiah. During Nehemiah's day, there were many enemies who were persecuting God's people. They didn't want the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt. And if the Lord had not been with His people and governed the rebuilding of the walls like He did, Nehemiah would never have been able to finish the work. The circumstances they were in, the heavy persecution, would not have allowed it. But the Lord built the walls through Nehemiah. Except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it. That's one way to treat these words. But that's not all we can say. In addition, what we must say is this. Except the Lord build the family. Except the Lord build the household so that there is peace and unity and good order in a home, except the Lord do that, the work of parents, the work of the head of the household is all in vain. Godly parents want a household that's pleasing to the Lord. Godly parents want a household that is in good order. A household where children honor their parents, where there is peace and unity and fellowship, where there is a covenant community, a relationship, a friendship, where each person in the home has his place and works for the profit and well-being of the other members of the family, where they live as friends of one another. Ultimately, where the children with the parents are worshiping the Lord, not just around the kitchen table, but in all their activities. Parents want that, and parents work towards that. But the reality is, except the Lord build the household, except the Lord build up the family in that way, and by His Holy Spirit, He works the fruits of the Spirit in that home and in that family, all the work that parents might do in the pursuit of such a family is vain. The point is, parents might put in all kinds of labor, foresight, skill, money, into maintaining and running a family. But what we need is the Lord's blessing. Accept the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it. Now this doesn't mean we don't pursue these things. It doesn't mean that parents just stand back. They don't actively and strenuously work at building their families and building their homes. We know that's true very much when it comes to the building of a physical house. A physical house doesn't build itself. You need construction workers. The verse isn't saying that all you need to do is stand back and watch God build the house. It just happens. Sometimes parents can fall into that attitude. They forget it doesn't just happen. It takes wisdom and skill and work and discipline. But the point is, all of these things, without the Lord's blessing, will lead to nothing. Yes, even outwardly you might have a family that looks beautiful. Children that have straight teeth. Children that look picture perfect, where the family picture shows success and beauty. But if you don't have the Lord's blessing, then even all that earthly beauty and success is vain. You need the Lord's blessing. Now what I want to point out is the fact that this is a pilgrim psalm. And that adds a special point of view to these words. These words were sung by the people and especially by the men, the husbands and fathers, and the men as they made their way to Jerusalem for the pilgrim feasts. Let's notice that for a second. Who was obligated to go up to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the Lord? It wasn't the women. It wasn't the children. It was the men. Women and children did often come. Hannah came with Elkanah. But it was the men who were obligated to come. And my point is, it was especially the men, the fathers and the husbands, who would sing this song. Oftentimes, the men would leave their wives and children back home while they themselves, as a group of men, went to the city of Jerusalem. And as they traveled to the city of Jerusalem, they would sing these songs of degrees. And as they sang, they would have the opportunity to reflect on the words of these songs and reflect on their own home life and family life. And maybe as they thought about their home life, their thoughts would become thoughts of concern for their wives and for their children. I hope my wife can handle the kids all by herself while I'm gone for a week and a half or two weeks. I hope the children behave for her. Maybe, hopefully little Johnny or little Susie can help out with the baby, the younger children while I'm away for two weeks. Because they kept the week in Jerusalem and then they'd have to get there and back as well, right? Two weeks maybe. And then as they sung this psalm, Psalm 127, the men would be able to reflect on this reality. It's all vain. All my work as a husband and father, all our work as parents in the home, it's all vain. Except the Lord blesses it. Men and fathers, can you imagine yourselves walking to Jerusalem, leaving your wife and children back home for a week and a half or two weeks, while you worship the Lord at the temple? And mind you, the Lord has commanded you to go to the temple. What you are doing is pleasing to the Lord. This is your obligation. But as you walk, you get a little worried about your family. And then you remember, but the Lord has called me to come to Jerusalem to worship. And the Lord is well pleased with me taking this time to leave my family and worship Him at the temple. And what I need to remember is this. I need to trust the Lord for the well-being of my family far away from me. For their care and their protection and support. I need to remember that my help comes from the Lord. I need to remember it's all in the Lord's hands. You see, beloved, it's that idea, that experience of learning to trust the Lord that's at the heart of this psalm. It's not so much that in this psalm the believer is telling others about what is true. It's rather that in this psalm the believer is telling himself, he's speaking to himself about what is true. I need the Lord's blessing. Otherwise, everything I do is vain. And what must have hit home to the pilgrims going to Jerusalem, the men walking to Jerusalem, is that this is true not just when they're away from their wives and children as they're in Jerusalem. This is also true the rest of the year while they are at home with their wife and children. In making the trip to Jerusalem, the men of Israel would have had time to reflect on these things. That with all my work back home, with all my toil and sweat, I so easily fall into this pattern of thinking that I can do it all for my family. That it all depends upon me and I can do it. I can protect my family. I can train my children in the fear of the Lord. And everyone will grow up the way that I want them to grow up. With all my industry and care and hard work. But the reality is, I'm just as helpless to build up my family when I am with them as when I am away from them in Jerusalem. Because the reality is, except the Lord build the house, I labor in vain that build it. That's another way in which the Lord used the pilgrim feast for good. With these men away from their families, God taught them these songs, and learning these songs gave the men perspective again on the reality of things. They weren't just reminded again of how precious their wives really were to them, and how dear their children were to them, but they also learned again that in every instance of life, whether with their families or away from their families, they needed the Lord's blessing. That's what the words are getting at. We are completely dependent upon the Lord for everything. Well, that's what God does with us at certain seasons in our lives as well. Sometimes when we feel like we're on a short little pilgrimage. Sometimes when we question why God is doing certain things in our life, or why He calls us to go down this path for a certain period of time and experience certain things. Maybe especially in the moments where we feel vulnerable. We feel so worn out and the way is difficult. We're not in our normal, comfortable environment. And then the Lord causes us in a special way to remember, oh yes, I need the Lord's blessing. Oh yes, not just now, but all the time. Even when things are going well, I need the Lord's blessing. You see, the Lord uses such moments in our lives in order to give us perspective again on the whole of our lives. The Lord does that when we're raising our children too, busy in the season of raising little infants. We feel it more acutely day by day. I need grace for today. As a side note, what I want to point out is this. Notice men. Notice young men. that it was especially the men who sang these songs. It's very striking that our attention in the sermon this morning is suddenly especially on the men. The men went to Jerusalem to worship, and the men and the young men sang these songs. Men of the congregation, teenage, 12 years and up. That's when Jesus went to the temple for the first time. Teenage men and up. Don't ever think that singing is not manly. God wanted the men, the strong youth and men of the church to be singers, to lead in singing. Who are the ones who wrote the Psalms? Yes, Hannah wrote a beautiful song. Mary wrote a beautiful song. But the men wrote songs too. Jesus and His disciples sang all the time. Even the night before Jesus' crucifixion, in the upper room, there were 12 men gathered around the table, and what did they decide to do? As men, they decided to sing a few songs. Fathers, be men who sing. Let your children know what your singing voice sounds like. Work on developing your singing voice so that you can sing God's praises without being self-conscious about how you sound. This is a good thing. A godly thing to pursue. This is also how the men were refreshed in their calling to be leaders in the home. They went together as men on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to rest and enjoy a break and spend time with the Lord. So that they could be faithful, godly leaders in the home. That's what the men of the church needed. To take that pilgrimage. Now beloved, what I've done with the first phrase of the text can also be done with the second phrase. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. What does that mean? Well, again, we can read it just as it reads, and it's very true. A watchman is one who would stand at the gate of a city or even on top of the walls of a city and keep watch in case any enemies approach to attack the city. And when the watchman saw something, he could sound the alert in the middle of the night. That's when it would happen, usually. And the city could wake up and make quick preparations to defend the city. And it would be properly protected. But Solomon says here, if the Lord doesn't protect the city, then what prophet will the watchman be? If the Lord doesn't protect the city, then it doesn't matter how prepared the city may be for an attack, it will still be destroyed by the enemy. What we need is the Lord. It depends on the Lord. That's the meaning of the words. But now, again, think about it from the perspective of the pilgrims who were walking to Jerusalem to keep the feast. There they were, the men from their hometowns around Jerusalem, leaving their hometowns all unprotected, their wives and children unprotected, vulnerable to the attacks of an enemy. And then think of them singing this song, Psalm 127, and they are reminded again whether we are at home. or whether we are in Jerusalem at the feast, the reality is the same. We and our families need the Lord's protection. We need the Lord to keep our cities. Ultimately, nothing else makes a difference. Now that doesn't mean that the people shouldn't set up watchmen to watch over the city. God himself sets up watchmen in the city of Jerusalem, in the church. He sets up office bearers who stand on the walls of Zion. God is a God who uses means. But the point is, where is our confidence? In ourselves or in the Lord? With our confidence in the Lord, we don't need to be anxious or worried. God will protect us. This is also what the next phrase in Psalm 127 is driving at. In the first part of verse 2 we read, It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. The idea is this, you can work yourself to death. You can rise up early, you can go to bed late at night, you can be so focused on your work, be a workaholic and be anxious about it and stressed out, but it makes no difference If the Lord's blessing is not upon it, you may even skip lunch. You may keep yourself from eating because you simply got to work, work, work, work. That's what's meant by the phrase bread of sorrows. The phrase bread of sorrows means one of two things. Either it means the bread that you earn through all your sorrows and your toilsome labor, the bread that you earn from it. Or it means the bread that you eat with an anxious and troubled mind. Think of a miser who's so greedy over his own money that he can't even allow himself to eat a healthy diet. He starves himself because he doesn't want to waste his precious money on food. And the psalm says, it's vanity. All your work, all your food, all your skill, all your industry, all your worrying, all your anxiety, all your planning, all your preparation, it's all in vain. It's all like the smoke that's taken away by the wind. If the Lord's blessing is not upon it. So again, it doesn't mean it's wrong to get up early in the morning to work. It doesn't mean that it's wrong to stay up late to get a job done. Maybe even I have to skip lunch because I have to make hay when the sun shines. But the point is, it's not your work that makes the difference. It's the Lord's blessing that makes the difference. So you can stop for lunch. Because what matters is the Lord's blessing. What we need is God's blessing. And again, I think this was deeply impressed upon the pilgrims as they made that journey to Jerusalem. Ask yourself, what was involved in keeping the feast days? It involved the men of Israel doing this, putting down their work. For a week and a half, two weeks, in order to worship the Lord at Jerusalem. Some might say, well, I've got too much work to do. Some might say, I can't stop now to worship the Lord. I'm in the middle of building a house. I need to get the walls built. What God is telling the people, what God was telling His faithful, who were keeping the commandments of the Lord, who did put down their work, who did make the trip to Jerusalem, what the Lord was teaching them is this. Your attitude is exactly right. You don't need to worry about your work. You don't need to live your life as a slave. You don't need to be anxious. What you need is the Lord's blessing. And so it is very good for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. Because even as you go, you need to be reminded of your need for the Lord. You need to worship God and be properly reminded again of how the Lord has provided for you in so many ways. Most of all, look at the lamb who is slain at the temple. He's taken care of all your sins. Now do you think you really need to work so hard and be anxious and worry about building the house? Keeping watch over the city? When God Himself has taken care of all your sins through the shed blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ? If He has given you Christ, you can rest assured He will care for you and do you good in all your labors. You keep the commandment of the Lord and trust in Him. Beloved, isn't that what we do every Sunday? Isn't that what farmers... I think of farmers right away. They're acutely reminded of each Sunday as they step away from their fields. They don't plant their crops in the spring on Sunday. They don't harvest their crops on Sunday in the fall because they are keeping the Sabbath day holy. Because they are going to the feast of the Lord. They obey God's command. What does God remind them as they go to the Lord on the Sabbath day but this? What you need is my blessing. What we need to see is that these verses are deeply practical. Practical for every aspect of our life. Practical for our homes and families, for the raising of our children. Work hard, yes. God uses means, yes. But above all, remember your need for the Lord's blessing. How do you begin each day? Ask yourself honestly, applying these words secretly to your own lives, how do you begin your day? Do you scarf down your food and simply get to work? Or do you pray and seek the Lord's blessing in all your work as you start the day? Because this is what matters. Because this is what matters. For a minister, this is a very real thing. My great reality is this. Accept the Lord, write the sermon. He labors in vain who sits down to write it. This is true for us in the earning of our daily bread. This is true in the raising of our children. What you need is God's grace. What you need is God's favor. If you don't have that, it's all vanity. Ultimately, the lesson is, and this was the conclusion of Solomon at the end of Ecclesiastes, fear God and keep His commandments. For that is the whole duty of man. Now in the end, that's a very comforting reality. Because it doesn't matter then how much money I can make. It doesn't matter the opportunities that I can give my family for them to be happy. What matters is this, is God's blessing upon my children and upon my work as a parent. This is also what we need to teach our children. Children, this is a sermon for you this morning and for the young people and for the young adults. I may make all kinds of plans for the future and yet in my own heart and mind what I need to be jealous over is this, Where is God's blessing? Am I walking in the way of God's blessing? Am I living in the fear of the Lord? Because nothing I do has eternal value. Nothing I do is worth anything if the Lord's blessing is not upon it. That's the sober reflection of the text. But there is a joyful thought. It's all a joyful thought. The joyful thought is this, we are the children of the Lord. The joyful thought is this, we do have the Lord's blessing upon us. God is my God. The joyful thought is this, not that I must look to the Lord, but that I can look to the Lord. I can trust the Lord because He is my God. Look at the pilgrims. Where were they going as they sang this song? They are going to the house of their Lord to worship Him and enjoy intimate fellowship and receive His blessing. They were expecting His blessing as they went to Jerusalem. Look at the words used in the psalm. Accept the Lord. The word Lord is in capital letters. My Jehovah. My covenant God. Who has spoken His promises to us. Who has promised His blessing. Who has promised that He will build our homes and our houses. Who's promised us He will keep our cities. He's promised us He will provide our daily bread. Look at the end of verse 2. For so He giveth His beloved. We are His beloved. You are the dearly loved of God. Look at verses 3-5. Verses 3-5 talk about how God gives children to His people as a heritage. A heritage. That means an inheritance. And what's implied in that very idea of an inheritance? What's implied is this. You are the children of the Lord. Because God gives you an inheritance. That's what parents give their children. An inheritance. The Lord gives you an inheritance. You are God's children. Apart from how the children are a blessing, the point is we are God's children. The very language implies that we are blessed of the Lord. Look at the children. That's the Lord's inheritance to the church. You are blessed. So the truth is, except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. That's true. Except the Lord watch the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. That's true. But the truth is, the truth embedded in these words is, the Lord is our God. As we trust Him, as we rely upon Him, He will build our households, He will protect our cities, He will bless the work of our hands and establish it. So don't compromise God's commandments because you feel you need to work on Sunday. Don't compromise God's commandments and the obligations He puts upon you for anything. But trust. Do what is right. And the Lord will provide. He will watch over your homes and your wives and your children while you are keeping the Feast. He will watch over your cities while you are keeping the Feast. He will watch over your daily needs while you are kept from your work because you're keeping the Sabbath days. And when you get back home, He will still be there with you, also at home, blessing you. In the raising of your children, don't fret. Yes, work hard. Yes, seek the Lord's blessing. Yes, keep your priorities straight. Pray fervently. Begin each day in prayer. But then rest assured, the Lord will bless. The Lord will lead. The Lord will provide, the Lord will answer my morning prayers. He is well pleased with these prayers. And the Lord knows just how to bless me. And that's where I can be at rest too. His ways of blessing me are far higher than the ways I would want to be blessed in my own earthly wisdom. His ways of blessing are far higher than our ways. Isn't this exactly what our children are memorizing in Sunday school? All the faithful to His covenant shall behold His righteousness. He will show that He is right. He is faithful. All the faithful to His covenant shall behold Him. You will see God's righteousness. He will be their strength and refuge, and their children's children bless. And this is where we can rest. That's the rest that results from this attitude. That's exactly what the last part of verse 2 is getting at. At the end of verse 2 we read, for so He giveth His beloved sleep. Sometimes we trip over that phrase. What does that mean? For so He giveth His beloved sleep. It doesn't just mean that God gives sleep to His people. As if to say, you don't need to work all day because God wants you to sleep too. That's true. Sleep is a gift of God. God wants His people to enjoy the sweetness of sleep. Sleep is a blessed thing. But the point of the psalmist is this. It's when you have this attitude that it is vain for me to rise up early and stay up late and eat the bread of sorrows. It is when I have this attitude that except the Lord bless my labors, and except the Lord build my household, I labor in vain that build it. It is when I have this attitude that I can also sleep at night. It doesn't depend on me. You don't need to be anxious. Your anxieties don't make anything better anyway. What matters is the Lord's blessing. And you have the Lord's blessing. Can't you see evidence of the Lord's blessing all around you? Can't you see it as the throng, the multitude of men and their young sons are going to Jerusalem to worship, and you see one generation after another motivated to worship the Lord and keep His commandments? Can't we see it this morning? Little children, God is giving the church. Can't we see it in the cross of Jesus Christ washing away all our sins and the sins of our children? God's blessing is upon you. So work. Be diligent in your work. Be a faithful steward of everything God has given you. But when it comes time to sleep at night, Don't stay up being anxious and despairing. Commit your concerns unto the Lord who loves you, and then enjoy the sleep that He causes His children to enjoy. The pilgrims in Jerusalem, far away from their families, they could sleep at night because God was with them and their families. God would keep them safe. Think of David. He's being pursued by King Saul all throughout the wilderness. He's hiding in the caves. David too could sleep at night in the cave. He says in Psalm 4 verse 8, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. And we can sleep too, beloved. It doesn't mean that the little babies will wake us up in the middle of the night. It will not wake us up. We understand that. Little babies keep us up in the middle of the night. Sometimes we can't sleep. But it means we can be at rest. We can close our eyes and sleep because the Lord will build our homes and families. He will protect the city of Jerusalem, His church. He will provide daily bread for His beloved children. It's in Father's hands. We can sleep. Amen. Let us pray. Father, our Father, work these words in our heart. Sometimes we struggle to sleep. Cause us to know Thy blessing is upon us. Cause us to see it. Cause us to see it in the cross of Jesus Christ. Cause us to see it by the operation of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. And even sometimes as we open our eyes in prayer and we look at all that Thou has given us, provision for each day. And if not, then also the support of the deacons and the church. Thou dost tend to our needs. Thou art mindful of all our human frailties. Work these things in our hearts. Give us rest. Give us joy. as we strive to keep Thy commandments and worship Thee and Thee alone day by day. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.