The God of Providence (Psalm 127)

The title of the Psalm can be translated either as ‘by Solomon’ or ‘for Solomon’. If it was written for Solomon by David, then it is a great pity that Solomon did not administer his reign and his personal life according to the details of this psalm. Yet normal translation practice would indicate that Solomon wrote this psalm (the other psalm he composed is Psalm 72). Indeed the main emphasis of the psalm, that to live life without God is vain, is very similar to the theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon, which says that all is vanity.

The opening lines of the psalm, in Latin, were chosen as the motto of the city of Edinburgh (without the Lord, it is vain). Although it appeared on official documents of the city it is clear that the sentiments of the motto are no longer prominent in the thinking of those who live there.

Unusually for a psalm it contains neither prayer or praise to God; instead it contains observations on life. The main point of the psalm is that the Lord is the God of providence, that he is working in all the areas of life, both public and domestic.

Providence in Solomon’s own life

There are several features in the psalm that can be linked to the life of Solomon. He was a great builder, having constructed the temple and several palaces in Jerusalem; he was a great soldier-king who presided over the enlarged territory of Israel and defeated or subjugated her enemies (v. 1). Perhaps there is a reference to the worries of a ruler in the first half of verse 2; the second clause is a reminder that Solomon was, in a special sense, the beloved of the Lord (his other name was Jedidiah, which means ‘the beloved of Jehovah’). Solomon also received sleep from God in a particular manner when God appeared to him and asked him what he would like to receive from God. Solomon asked for wisdom, an answer that pleased God. These details of building, defending the city and the enjoyment of sleep show the manner in which Solomon benefited spiritually from the overruling providence of God.

Solomon also refers to the divine gift of children. The general outlook of the Old Testament was that the presence of many children was a sign of God’s blessing, and it gave a man the authority to speak to his foes, those with whom he might have a disagreement (vv. 3-5). The gates of the city was the location where people came to discuss differences before the city elders. Any respect a man would have would be comprised partly of the beneficial contribution of his children to the society.

Solomon had been given the supernatural gift of wisdom but he did not use it throughout his life, and he did not pass on any wisdom to the one son of his that is mentioned (the foolish king, Rehoboam, whose policies resulted in the division of the kingdom of Israel). The behaviour and outlook of his foolish son had some connection to Solomon’s own folly.

We know that Solomon later wandered away from God, mainly due to the influence of the pagan princesses he had married as a result of the various treaties he made with the rulers of other nations. It is not likely that Solomon would have written this psalm during that time in his life, which means that he either wrote it before he fell into these sins or after he repented of them. (The Bible does not record his repentance, but that does not mean he did not repent.)

Sometimes people speculate as to whether or not he was a true believer, but it is clear from the Bible that he was. One reason for this conclusion is that he had the special relationship with the Lord, which we mentioned earlier; another reason is that Peter says that the books of the Old Testament were written by holy men (2 Pet. 1:21), and Solomon wrote three of these books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon).

The life of Solomon is a reminder to us that a believer can enjoy great spiritual privileges and yet depart from them in a drastic manner. If the psalm was written in his early days, then it is an example of the wisdom with which God favoured him; if it was written in his later years, then it is an example of how he learned that only the Lord can keep his people from falling. The presence of godly parents, wise advisors, loyal friends, spiritual gifts (possession of wisdom), answers to prayer (request for wisdom), actions for God (building the temple) did not prevent him from falling very far once he had started down that road.

Providence is the lives of the pilgrims

As we know, this psalm was placed in this collection of psalms for use by the pilgrims who attended the annual feasts in Jerusalem after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. They would have sung these words of their greatest king, of the ruler who had made their capital city into one of the greatest in the world at that time. But those days were over five hundred years before and they would have also known that since then the Lord had judged their forefathers for departing from him, and they would have also known that many of these false gods had been given a place of worship in Jerusalem by Solomon. The poverty of the rebuilt city, in comparison to the greatness of the previous city, would have been a stark reminder of the consequences of the folly of turning away from God.

Providence in civil life

John Calvin says that ‘this Psalm shows that the order of society, both political and domestic, is maintained solely by the blessing of God, and not by the policy, diligence, or wisdom of men; and that the procreating of children is his peculiar gift.’ It is a psalm that is concerned about the healthy functioning of society and it tells how to relate to political authority, military power and family responsibilities.

The political authority is described in the words of verse 1: ‘Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.’ Every time a country has a general election, the various political parties make great promises about what they intend to construct in that society.

The military authority is described in the words of the second clause of verse 2: ‘except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.’ The watchmen were those who stayed awake while others slept in the city. One of the best-known applications of this was by Oliver Cromwell when he told his army ‘to trust in God but to keep its powder dry’.

The presence of political leaders and military strength does not remove worry.

Providence in the life of a Christian

The psalm teaches that nothing happens without our total contribution or without God’s contribution. In all that we do we are co-workers with God, be it in our personal spiritual growth or in our families or in any other legitimate aspect of life. For example, in our personal life, we have to use the means of grace. A Christian does not grow in grace automatically, without giving 100% to the task. As he or she uses the means of grace (meditation on the Bible, prayer, church services, fellowship with other believers, etc.), God enables him or her to grow in grace. The more he or she uses the means, the more blessings they receive. A believer who is not diligent in the means of grace cannot expect to receive blessings from God.

There are three applications of this psalm at a personal level: (a) the Christian and work; (b) the Christian and worry; (c) the Christian and his family.

The Christian and work

In verse 2, the writer is not saying that there is anything wrong with getting up early or staying up late. What is wrong is the assumption that such personal sacrifices will have any benefit if God is omitted from the person’s perception of life.

The Psalmist describes a common experience of life when he talks about eating the bread of sorrows. This description of one’s daily food goes back to what was said to Adam in the garden of Eden as part of the curse against sin: ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ (Gen. 3:17-19). Work for many is a chore, an activity that gives no pleasure. It is also uncertain: many a business man or woman experiences stress and endless pressure with their work that causes them to be at it first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and when all is done they discover that they have not made a profit.

The Psalmist’s assessment is that such concern for many is vain because they don’t bring God into the situation. This assessment is not based on believers avoiding the problems; rather it is based on them facing the same problems by taking God into the predicament. They know that he is the Sovereign who is working things out for their good, that he is the God of mercy and compassion who cares for them. This knowledge does not reduce the hardness of the situation but it does make it easier to bear. Perhaps it is situations like this that especially call for the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ because it is not only a request for provision but also a petition regarding how we are going to obtain the provision.

Obviously the Bible does not endorse laziness. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, where Paul rebukes people who refused to work. Obviously a person can be unemployed through no fault of his or her own. But to choose not to work is, in Paul’s teaching, a reason for church discipline.

The Christian and work is an important biblical topic and it would be absurd to try and say all that the Bible means by work. But here are a few comments.

First, work is not limited to what our culture defines as a career. Many aspects of work, as we know, are concerned with matters for which no financial remuneration is given, such as work done in the home. Although there is no financial remuneration, there are many rewards for dedicated work.

Second, work is part of what it means to be created in the image of God. It is clear that God is a worker, as is seen in the week of creation. Since we are created in the image of God, one aspect of that image is engaging in work. God gave roles to Adam and Eve after he created them, which is why work is usually called a creation ordinance.

Third, work is an important aspect of sinless society. We can see this from the situation in Eden before Adam and Eve fell into sin, and from the descriptions that are given of heaven as a place of service.

Fourth, work should be performed according to the particular talents that God has given us. Obviously, the work God performed at creation was within his capabilities. There is an important principle here which has to be implemented in order to enjoy work – we are to work according to our ability and competence. It used to be said that much of the problem with British industry was that many people were promoted to the level of their incompetence. God has made each of us capable of doing particular roles and the fulfilling of these roles is part of his calling in our lives.

Fifth, despite the fall, work is designed to bring pleasure and satisfaction, and so it is a means of glorifying God. ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God’ (Ecc. 2:24); ‘And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God’ (Ecc. 3:13).

Sixth, Jesus worked as a carpenter and taught in the synagogue, which means that he combined manual work with his role as a teacher. (Paul did something similar, being a tentmaker as well as an apostle.) The involvement of Jesus gives dignity and sanctity to work. Hugh Latimer, the English Bishop who was martyred for his faith, said: ‘For as he blessed our nature with taking upon him the shape of a man, so in his doing he blessed all occupations and arts.’

Seventh, because of the fall, work can be done for wrong reasons (instead of being for God’s glory, it can be done for human glory), in wrong ways (masters can be cruel and workers can be unreliable and lazy) and for wrong results (produce sinful products). There are many forms of work that are not legitimate.

Eighth, work (whether a career or otherwise) is an aspect of God’s common grace whereby he enables societies to function in a cohesive manner. If everyone did nothing, nothing would happen.

A man once asked workers on a building site what they were doing. One said that he was engaged in a monotonous task of building one brick on top of another, another said that he was trying to earn a living, and a third said that he was helping Sir Christopher Wren to build a great cathedral that future generations would use. The third man had the right perspective, because while he was also doing a monotonous task to earn a living, he also realised that his small role was a contribution to a great purpose. Similarly, our small roles are all part of God’s great purpose.

The believer and worry

The great benefit that the Psalmist has experienced is that of sleep. Spurgeon commented that ‘sleep is the gift of God, and not a man would close his eyes, did not God put his fingers on his eyelids’. Again the writer is not saying that lack of sleep is always the result of sin. Yet it is the case that unnecessary worry deprives us of sleep just as much as justifiable concern. We cannot expect to have pleasant sleep in general if we do not trust in God day by day. Jesus commanded his disciples that they were not to be over-concerned about their daily needs because of the awareness of these needs by the heavenly Father.

Solomon is also saying that through sleep God gives blessings to those who trust in him. This may mean that God-given sleep helps us cope with natural tendencies of apprehension, of grumpiness. Albert Barnes comments on this blessing of sleep: ‘The thought thus modified is extremely beautiful. God is working for his people even when they are asleep. The people of the world are toiling and struggling, labouring night and day, as if they were slaves, and with what pitiable results! But Yahweh showers rich benedictions on his beloved ones in sleep. They act to the best of their judgment; they labour without distraction of spirit; and they leave the issues in the hands of Him from whom comes down every good and every perfect gift. They lie down with a feeling of security; and while their senses are steeped in forgetfulness, and the calm slumbers are recruiting their strength for the duties of another day, God is working for them all the time, and is blessing the fruits of their honest industry.’

The believer and his family (vv. 3-5)

Verse 3 teaches that the children of believers both belong to the Lord and are given by him to be prized by their parents (the word ‘reward’ does not mean that they have earned their children by right living; it means a ‘precious gift’). In Old Testament times it was essential for families to have children in order to ensure the continuation of the family inheritance.

In verse 4, children of believers are likened to arrows that believers shoot out into the world. Arrows have to be made from branches by being shaped and smoothed. Similarly, believing parents have the God-given task of shaping and smoothing the characters of their children. An arrow was not designed to look pretty in a quiver but to have an effect (defending against one’s enemies or providing food). Likewise children are not meant to only look nice at home, but to be eventually a defence and a provider for their parents and others once they are let loose into the world. It is in the home that biblical principles are usually communicated to children, who are each born with the potential for any and every sin. Obviously parents, who have taught their children well, are not to blame for children later ignoring their parents’ teaching. And even if they do rebel for a while, God’s Word has been sown in their hearts and is there for God to use at any time.

Verse 5 indicates that in Old Testament Israel large families were a sign of God’s blessing. Jacob had twelve sons, and the Old Testament mentions other large families. It cannot be deduced, however, that a lower number was a sign of God’s displeasure; after all, Abraham and Sarah had only one child (although Abraham fathered other children as well). Spurgeon refers to Rev. Moses Browne who had twelve children. On one remarking to him, ‘Sir, you have just as many children as Jacob,’ he replied, ‘Yes, and I have Jacob's God to provide for them.’ In addition, Spurgeon mentions a German proverb: ‘Many children make many prayers, and many prayers bring much blessing.’

Solomon realised that he needed God’s help in very situation of life. In a sense, he had to learn this basic lesson through hard experiences arising from his folly. May we learn the same lesson by remaining on the path of obedience to God’s commands.