Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain. In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food—yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves. Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, offspring, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them. They will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate. (127)
Solomon, the writer of this Psalm, tells us that the Lord is the Foundation of the Home. If He doesn’t build it we are wasting our time, and if He isn’t the foundation then it is doomed to crumble. The Lord is not only the foundation but also the watchman of the home and even the city. This doesn’t mean we abandon our post—watchmen are necessary, but if the Lord is not in charge having a watchman is useless. This is a great reminder for parents; if God isn’t watching out for your children then there is not much you can do. Instead of hovering around your kids like a helicopter, it is better to trust the Lord and realize that their safety and protection is ultimately in His hands and not yours. Be a wise watchman, but at the end of the day, release them into His care. He loves them more than you do.
Solomon also wisely tells us that busyness is the Foe of the Home. The Bible extols the virtue of hard work and pushes back on laziness of every form. Yet, it also calls for balance and rest. It is vain to stay up too late and then rise too early trying to burn the candle at both ends. We are mortal, and as such we must rest. Sleep, Solomon says, is a gift from God. It is a gift because He gives us sleep but also gives “to us” while we sleep. It is a gift because we are reminded by our need for sleep that He is God and we are not. He watches over us and our home while we sleep and we can rest knowing that He is in control of everything. He is the supplier of our every need. We don’t have to work ourselves to death because He provides for us. We work hard to honor Him and we rejoice in His gift of rest to honor Him.
Finally, Solomon talks about the Fruit of the Home. Our children are a gift from God. Like arrows, it is our job to sharpen them so that they are effective in the fight against the enemy and the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Like arrows, they need to be aimed in the right direction and we do that as we raise them, teach them, and train them. Like arrows from the bow of a warrior, they need to be “released” in order to be effective. Suzie and I raised our kids to leave—not because we don’t want them around; on the contrary, we miss them terribly. But more than we want to cling to them, we want them to accomplish the purposes for which they were created. We are truly happy when we consider the arrows the Lord gave us and it was our honor to shepherd them, sharpen them, and release them. Now we just pray for them that they will fly true and bring glory to Jesus.
