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Meditation
Good morning, Reader,
Psalm 127 is one of only two Psalms to be explicitly attributed to Solomon. (The other is Psalm 72).
Drawing on his own experience as the king who built the Temple and fortified Jerusalem, Solomon emphasizes that no amount of civic planning, military defense, and daily toil will succeed apart from God's provision.
All human effort, whether it be in our labor or in our parenting and our family, is futile without God's blessing. And one way to seek that blessing is to sing these songs as a reminder to ourselves and a praise to the Lord who provides.
The song version I've linked today is set to a familiar tune.
Be sure to click the link here or below to hear how this Psalm sounds when sung unaccompanied.
Today's verses are Psalm 127
Psalm 127
1 Except the Lord do build the house, the builders lose their pain:
Except the Lord the city keep,
the watchmen watch in vain.
2 ‘Tis vain for you to rise betimes, or late from rest to keep,
To feed on sorrows’ bread; so gives he his beloved sleep.
3 Lo, children are God’s heritage, the womb’s fruit his reward.
4 The sons of youth as arrows are, for strong men’s hands prepared.
5 O happy is the man that hath
his quiver filled with those;
They unashamed in the gate
shall speak unto their foes.
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Psalm 127 (NIV)
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
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Encouragement
1 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.
2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.
3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:1-3
Andy
God's Word In Your Hand