Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19990307.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Twenty-Seven - God's "Must-Have" Workman's Insurance Policy
(Psalm 127:1-5)
  1. Introduction
    1. To a man (or a woman if no man can be there to fill that role) who heads a household, a big concern is that of the stability of that party's income and the security needed to keep that household existing!
    2. God has a workmen's insurance policy for such parties that is a "must-have" as offered in Psalm 127:1-5:
  2. God's "Must-Have" Workmen's Insurance Policy, Psalm 127:1-5.
    1. This psalm is directed toward male heads of households as the Hebrew text reveals:
      1. The word "you" in verse 2 speaks of the hearer of the psalm, and is written in the 2nd person masculine plural, Biblia Hebraica, p. 1089 (lit. lakem; the 2nd per. feminine pl. would have been laken instead!)
      2. Also, the word "man" in verse 5 is from geber, meaning a "male at the height of his powers" in contrast to more general words for man (Loc. cit., Bib. Heb.; Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., v. I, p. 148).
      3. Further, since Psalm 127 is a pilgrim psalm, it psalm holds particular application for males in Israel:
        1. The psalm says it is a song of "ascents" in v. 1, meaning it was a pilgrim psalm (cf. former lessons).
        2. The Mosaic Law ordered all men (lit. zeker, meaning male of man or animal, Ibid., Biblia Hebraica, p. 290; Anal. Heb. & Chal. Lex., p. 238) in Israel to visit the temple three times a year, Deut. 16:16.
        3. Thus, such convocations of heads of households obviously brought to mind and to topics of conversation by such pilgrims of the welfare of their jobs and security of their homelands.
    2. Thus, by way of application, Psalm 127:1-5 addresses the concerns of heads of households in today's era!
    3. The lesson of the psalm is that of the head of household needs God's workman's insurance policy:
      1. Heads of households must keep in mind that without the Lord both constructing and then keeping watch over a man's household and the city walls of his home's town that protect that house from invaders of the Ancient Near East, it was vain for them to labor to build and protect that household, 1.
      2. Indeed, it was vain to rise early and stay up late in such a toil, doing the best a head of household could do to insure the security of his household if the Lord was not involved, Ps. 127:2a.
      3. When one trusts in God and is loved by Him, God grants a head of household sleep -- implying both the sense of security he desires for his household, and freedom from being overworked at the job trying to nail down his livelihood and household security, Ps. 127:2b.
      4. It is God who gives a head of household sons to carry on his line and name as a reward, Ps. 127:3.
      5. These offspring act as defenders of a head of household in his waning years as his sons pick up the burden of producing a livelihood for him much like sharp arrows extend the impact of a warrior, 127:4.
      6. Indeed, God blesses a man who has such a developing family as his descendants can bring income and stand up to protect the city from invaders and be the man's own defense in his waning years, Ps. 127:5!
Lesson: When a head-of-household pays the CASHLESS premiums of trusting and obeying the Lord, he (or she, as the case may be) is loved of the Lord (John 14:21, 23), and God gives security for that one in every way: namely, that one (a) can get prop er SLEEP in being SECURE and NOT having to become a WORKAHOLIC to succeed; (b) that party finds PROTECTION from those who could ruin the party's household security either by crime or financial ruin; (c) that party finds PROVISION for the FUTURE so t he party can have children who grow up to be STRONG and provide SECURITY for the party in that party's waning years of life on earth!

Application: (1) God's Workman's Insurance Policy covers the worker's welfare AND that of that party's family welfare, and adds INCOME and FUTURE SECURITY to both, and ALL for the CASHLESS premiums of the head of household's trust and obedience tow ard God! Thus, a head of household simply can not afford to be without this wonderful insurance policy coverage! (2) Keep in mind that the Church era allows for trials for spiritual advancement for believers, and that there may be exceptions at times to Ps. 127's blessings for us who are no longer under Law!