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Psalm 127 reads as follows from the King James Version of the bible: 1] 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. [2] 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. [3] Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. [4] As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. [5] 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. This psalm is seemingly separated in two parts but there is also a continuance to where the Lord gives an individual sleep and children, both of which are considered blessings flowing from his hand but blessings that also contain elements which operate as a buffer as it is in the case of the children who speak with the enemies at the gates and metaphorically are like full quivers of arrows and who act as a buffering presence in the face of the discomforting presence of the nemesis or enemies at the gate. This encounter depicted is not understood by most interpretations of this psalm as anything to do with a violent confrontation but it was custom in that time that discussions were held, often of the legal kind at the gate in the town or city. This verse would therefore refer to children that were at least mostly grown as helping the father. The sleep acts as a buffer to overdoing it and getting to worked up about the worldly efforts and how they will transcribe as time goes on. From this we see that the Lord’s blessings can also have a part that is a buttress for us, against unfriendly elements. Something to ponder then from this psalm is how the Lord fortifies us in various ways. I had heard a sermon a long time ago on this psalm and it was at an outdoor service in the summer and I remember the homilist saying specifically about the first two verses about pertaining to work and prayer. How the excessive emphasis on work as opposed to prayer can lead to a vain situation presented here. People do say their work is their prayer but this is talking about focused prayer in the presence of the Lord. He went on to mention that this balance can easily be lost in the pace and time of modern society and it is important to fine tune this balance and the call back to prayer is something that is brought about by maybe increasing difficulties which would have been graced against had prayer been resorted to in the first place. Something to also think about is the necessity of leisure time and activities that could be considered leisurely pursuits rather than work. Often, people feel if they are churning the wheels of work, then somehow it is all good and it is always fully justified based on the ethic of hard work. As far as generating personhood and a balanced prayer life, leisure could be important and people sometimes correlate leisurely activities like walking alone on a beachfront in the early dawn with personal prayer. This time is for leisure but also carves into time alone with the Lord in prayer. Many people go through long periods of time when they usurp leisurely pursuits for the seemingly greater goals of work and whether this is the best thing for spiritual growth and maintenance is something to ponder in the context of what this psalm is saying. One thing to think about is does the Lord suddenly value you that much more because of recent work successes? In this psalm we could speculate that the beloved to whom this psalm is addressed, is generally beloved regardless of work successes or indeed additional successes or toppings don't increase the status as of the beloved, because it says he gives his beloved sleep and how much can you be increasing your status or drive towards that while sleeping? So this psalm also indicates that the status of beloved has intrinsic qualities to it, that are there regardless of what is generated off of given efforts towards labor or building and rising up early or staying up late and eating the" bread of sorrows". Then, is this psalm just riding over that the Lord is not only giving the beloved sleep, he actually giving the beloved everything that is needed to bring him to the place of peaceful sleep. The only other possibility would be that the Lord might bring sleep but not always the fuller answer to what is going into the realm of vain efforts. But it is just as likely that what this psalm is really saying that the relief has been total and the Lord has relieved this person to the extend that there problems are solved and they can enjoy a peaceful sleep as well. Why would the Lord just give the sleep and not all else that pertains? Since he is in the mode of giving. It is interesting that something like the expression " eat the bread of sorrows" survives to this day. People today, say things like these problems are eating away at me or my worries are eating away at me. Here this psalm is saying not to imbibe in this, that going there, hosting this extensive worry and excessive concern, just isn't go to work regardless as it is a vain effort. Unless the Lord's part rises, like the sun rising in the distant horizon of the early morn, there is only so much that can be done. Something to discuss specifically in prayer, is not only what is of concern and worrisome, but just what the Lord's part will be against the backdrop of these worries that indeed may be eating away at my happiness, and how much deference is actually needed to the Lord's part and giving understanding to the manifold ways in which the Lord's part may emerge into the scenes of my life. Whatever we need, we all need blessings or daily blessings as we go about in the world. We depend on so many small blessings that must happen for our days or day to go well. No matter what overall standing you can achieve, you don't lose the place of having to rely on daily blessings coming thru and coming your way. There is no exemption to this. The clause, expect the Lord play his part, is without exception if you want blessings and good things. You can stand on the words of this psalm and approach the Lord asking him that except you labor with me, build with me, I can't do this and this isn't going to happen. This is not passing the buck but just going into the reality of what we believe actual is according to the words and wisdom of this important psalm. The reality is I'm depending or dependant on the Lord coming into this to some degree in the manner of labor or building and in the manner of watching for me. With this should come a greater understanding of that which is coming through as contextual to the Lord's labor for me and the Lord's close watch for me as I strive to keep the relationship close in the manner of prayer, reverence and heeding the presence of the Holy Spirit. Even in small but conspicuous ways the Lord's presence comes through as part of a overall and continuous watch. The Lord will come right into that area that involves this and assist with these concerns which should be lifted up to him. Rising up early meaning rising up to these concerns and worries rather than rising up in prayer to the Lord. It is not that you still don't retain the quality of alertness but the rising up is not to greet these concerns head on. Indeed someone might legitimately have real sorrows to contend with but the status of the beloved supersedes the sorrows and the Lord in this psalm comes into the sorrows and takes on a role to where the beloved can indeed sleep on it and give it to the Lord. There is a place of labor, but laboring in vain can be crossed into and the Lord can quickly allow the efforts of labor to dissipate or come to nothing. You do know people possibly even yourself that have made tremendous long term work efforts but these efforts can be lost in vanity and the results of vanity which are warned against here. Here, the Lord gives as an anecdote to the festering worries, sleep. But it may not be just sleep or only sleep, what else the Lord is trying to give as the contrast against the real worries that are keeping someone awake. It is not only a matter of asking the Lord to relieve you of these great worries, but also going into them and asking what the Lord prefers to give you, within the topic of concern. The seeking process is not just getting the Lord to give or pleading for something specific, but also finding out and understanding what the Lord is and will be giving if you don't run past it, as this is what is happening by vain efforts, the individual goes right past what the Lord had for him or her. It is like someone running a race and getting so focused on the goal they run right past the water stop or whatever people are trying to give as an aid or help for the race. The example here of watching for a whole city, how can an individuals efforts in this direction compare to what the Lord could do in terms of watching for a city? There are however several interpretations of this psalm. One can be that this psalm is really speaking to the individual, to the individual that is called the beloved who means well, but is sincerely misguided as to how big the Lord’s part is compared to any small part he is playing. Except the Lord is at the helm, this boat is just not going to sail through and losing sight of this can be also losing sight of your status as that of the beloved. The except part of this psalm refers to the continued presence of the Lord's care and the Lord's care is something that the beloved of the Lord should keep in his or her sight. How the Lord's care is manifested isn't manifold and also includes going ahead of you. It is like going on a long hike and unexpectedly when you get back someone has prepared a great meal for you. The Lord has his part and you have you part and you might lead into a prayer discussion as to asking what the Lord’s part is, especially when you are at points of needing to let go a bit and defer to the Lord. But don't just look at the Lord's part as mundane, you can defer greatness, wonder and awe to the Lord's part and there might be visible signs and wonders and miracles in the Lord's part. It is not just a begrudging thing to seek the Lord's part. It can be more like bringing in the majestic and awesome presence of the Lord as you increase your awareness of just what the Lord's part can be. The invitation of this psalm is to increase awareness. There is the part that blessed are those who do not see and believe but here we can actually see that the Lord has a part and this psalm goes into the area of seeing is believing. What the Lord's part is and will be is something to ponder, meditate and pray about. The image of the watchman is interesting in that it has a staying aspect. Even Jesus in the garden when he admonished the disciples to pray one hour was looking also that the disciples stay with him as a presence in the dark hours of the night and , this requests involved staying with him. Here the Lord as watchman, doesn’t leave us, doesn’t forsake us and stays with us as the watchman and this is a continued presence. The image of the watchman is also very extensive and great, and it is comforting to have the watchman working for you. Imagine a lighthouse looking out to sea on a stormy night on a desolate coast, yet this watchman has fantastic abilities to see what is really out there and multiply that by infinite numbers and you can really go into what the Lord as watchman means in terms of help and comfort. His part is also labor as he labors for us possibly in mysterious ways we cannot see, or except that he labors for us, we labor in vain. He gives his beloved what he chooses and he chooses to play a part and watch and labor for the beloved. It is a mistake then to separate your watch or whatever you are watching for or seeking and your work or whatever you are working for and seeking from the presence of the Lord almighty because the beloved is carefully within the watch and within the labor of the Lord to where she can sleep peaceably in the presence of the Lord. This the Lord gives as part of his watch and what else is the Lord giving as part of his watch as graces overflow to an individual’s presence from the watch of the Lord? Also, this psalm very much is speaking of what later is known in the New Testament of the Bible as the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit as watchman is easy to image but it seems not as much as the laborer. You can image the Holy Spirit building in nature such as in building great mountain ranges. We can not only meditate on the guidance of the Holy Spirit but also the labor of the Holy Spirit. Happiness for the mighty man is also a theme here. Striving solo again can be in vain if it goes right past the point of happiness. This man had obtained something or reached some point to where he was considered a mighty man yet the psalm mentions his happiness as a concern of the Lord. Just because the Lord calls you to something more, something beyond to where it is a now a mighty call, doesn’t mean that your happiness is left behind and that the Lord still doesn't consider what is for your own happiness, and what would be still be important to your personal happiness and the fruition of it. Then this psalm is not only for the beloved individual but also for the giant city. It is important to call upon the Lord and ask for his watch over the city that you might reside in as this psalm specifically sights that the Lord watches over cities. This means that the Lord cares about cities and how the cities are doing. This points to intercession and asking for the Lord’s wider presence within these intercessions. The house here is representative of any endeavor including the actual house or household, or even anything that you are striving or building towards, even constructing a schedule for the day could be considered a “ house.” This psalm is a call to awareness and spiritual sensitivity, as to where to look and find that except the Lord be in this, it isn’t going to fly in a way that will make ultimately make it through. There is just too much out there that is beyond the help of man. You need to seek and find the truth of what these verses are saying, that the Holy Spirit is the watchman and the laborer. And there is the importance of having a sensitivity that even in the wider aspect of things, for this whole city that you are now taking for granted will keep functioning well, is actually under the matter of the grace and mercy of the Lord’s watch and that there is the danger of vainly and mistakenly thinking that going forward on your own is the narrow road or one road you have where your great efforts totally of your own volition will get you through and lead you through. Your own efforts however strong they actually can be is not the loss leader of what you are trying to do but it is the place of the Holy Spirit to be your guide or leader in whatever you are doing and however great an effort you can make from your own volitions. Only the Holy Spirit can make a way in areas that otherwise are just not obtainable or going to happen. The Holy Spirit's part according to this psalm is the key to not laboring or watching in vain. The Holy Spirit will actually widen the road for you and there is an amazing difference to what the road can be trying it alone and then trying it with the help and aid of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will unburden you if necessary and you are only making the road easier by seeking the help of the Spirit. The true road can only be found and kept to in the light of the Holy Spirit's watchful care.
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