Psalms 127:1-5
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.
Gordon Churchyard
Psalms 127
Psalms For Climbing;
Psalms 120:134
Jesus said, "We will go up to Jerusalem" (Luke 18:31).
The Story of Psalms 120:134
These 15 psalms are called "Songs of Ascent" in many Bibles. "Ascent" means "going up". This translation calls it "climbing". But what are we climbing? Bible students give us 4 answers:• One line in the psalm "climbs" on the line in front of it. This means that it repeats the line. Read the start of Psalms 124 for an example.
• There were 15 steps from where the women stood to where the men stood outside the *temple. The *temple was God's house in Jerusalem. As the men climbed the steps, they sang one psalm on each step. This is why most of the psalms for climbing are short.
• Jerusalem was on the top of a hill called "Zion". The *Jews often went to Jerusalem to worship God at the *temple. "Worship" means "Tell God how *wonderful that he is. And tell him that you love him". The *Jews sang these psalms for climbing as they went up to Jerusalem.
• Hezekiah was a king of the *Jews. He was so ill that he thought he would soon die. He prayed for a longer life. God made the clock "climb" back 10 degrees. This was about an hour. It was a sign that Hezekiah would live another 15 years. Hezekiah made a book of 15 psalms, 10 of them new, the other 5 by David and Solomon. The story is in Isaiah chapter 38.
We do not know which of these is the true answer. It may be something else! Perhaps answers 3 and 4 are the true answers.
Who wrote the psalms for climbing? Some are by David, and one or two are by Solomon. Solomon was David’s son. The other psalms for climbing may be by Hezekiah or one of his friends like Isaiah; or by Ezra or Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders of the *Jews 500 years after Solomon built the *temple, or 250 years after Hezekiah was king. This was when the *Jews made the Book of Psalms. The psalms for climbing were part of this Book of Psalms.
Psalms 127
(This is) a psalm for climbing by Solomon.
v1 If the *LORD does not build the house,
the workers cannot do anything.
There are men who watch (for danger).
But if the *LORD does not *guard the city,
they will be *useless.
v2 If you work all day for food,
from early morning to late at night,
you will get nothing.
It is God who gives sleep.
He gives it to the people that he loves.
v3 Children are something that God gives.
The fruit of your body is a gift (from him).
v4 The sons of a young man
are like *arrows in the hand of a soldier.
v5 The man with many of them will be very happy.
He will not be ashamed when he meets his enemies in the city gates.
What Psalms 125; Psalms 126 and 127 mean
These three psalms fit together well. Psalms 125 tells us that *wicked (or very bad) people were trying to rule Israel. The *psalmist (the person who wrote the psalm) believed that God would not let this happen. God was all round his people, as the mountains were all round Jerusalem. Jerusalem was on a mountain called Zion. The *psalmist prays that God will not wait too long. If he did, good people might start doing bad things. "To *trust" someone means "to believe that they will give you help". "*LORD" is a special name for God. The notes in Psalms 120 explain it."*Righteous" and "upright in their *hearts" mean the same. "*Righteous" means "very, very good". Only God is really *righteous, but he calls his people *righteous too. This is because he is near to them. "At peace", in verse 5, means "not at war".
Psalms 126 tells us that God has done something. He has sent away the armies that were round Zion. But these armies have destroyed the food that was growing in the fields. People were happy because the enemy had gone. But they were sad because there was nothing growing in the fields. But the *psalmist believed that if they planted seeds, then food would grow.
Psalms 127 tells people to remember that it was God who saved their city. God had given them everything that was of value to them: *safety, food, children and *peace. "Guard" means "stop people attacking". "Useless" means "of no use". "Arrows" are sticks with sharp points that men shot from bows.
Something to do
Pray that God will guard you and the people that you love.Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
temple ~ a place where people meet to worship God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
wonderful ~ great and surprising.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
guard ~ stop someone hurting someone else.
arrows ~ pointed sticks shot by a bow.
wicked ~ very, very bad.
psalmist ~ the person that wrote a psalm (or psalms).
trust ~ believe that someone (usually God in the psalms) will be kind to you.
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people who love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
heart ~ (in Hebrew poems), "heart" means "mind", the part of us that thinks.
heart ~ part of the body. Jews believed that you thought in your heart.
poem ~ using words in a special (often very beautiful) way.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
righteous ~ very good (only God is really righteous). God says that the people who love and obey him are righteous. Sometimes we say they are "the righteous", meaning "righteous people". Look after Psalm 5 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the word "righteous".
safety ~ when we are in a safe place.
peace ~ when we are friends with God and with other people; or when we have no trouble in our minds; when there is no war and everybody is happy.