Note on Psalm 127:1, October 2009
October, 2009
Unless the Lord...
Even in the flesh, our preoccupation must be God. For any relevance or success to be claimed, God must be the author / source. Between the houses and cities and stuff, we must set our hearts elsewhere. We have to set our hearts on God, not stuff. It's hard to do.
18Oct09 at 06:18
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. (Ps 127:1)
Houses and cities are things that hold stuff for people. God does not need stuff or things but engages stuff for our benefit.
We need stuff and things but are called to engage God for our benefit. When we look to stuff and things for engagement, our work is in vain. Except on the condition that God provides and allows access to stuff, our efforts to get stuff are in vain.
It is a shameful part of the human condition that we are preoccupied with stuff. Living the ideal of a perpetual pursuit of God in ignorance of the gnawing of the flesh is desired. But life on earth is life in flesh and flesh requires stuff.
See what happens to flesh without a house or shelter from the elements. See what happens to flesh when it is not protected. See what happens in Psalm 127:2 if flesh isn't given food to eat. By nature and necessity, we want to see but not experience deprivation of the flesh. Yet this text teaches that our preoccupation, while the flesh is gnawing, out to be God.
19Oct09
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full... (Ps. 127: 4-5)
Unity in the family is represented in verses 4 and 5. The benefit of children is most readily seen when they are all together in a family. The quiver represents the home / family / unity. The benefit of unity also brings responsibility. The text refers to a warrior's hand.
When children are given, we have to know what to do with them to help them maximize their potential. A warrior can't fly but can launch arrows into flight. As a warrior, so a parent isn't meant to compete with the children but rather propel the children into their purpose.
Q: What is the bow representing in this illustration?
See Isaiah 55:1-5, Matt 6:25-34, Job 38: 39-41 and Luke 10
Unless the Lord...
Even in the flesh, our preoccupation must be God. For any relevance or success to be claimed, God must be the author / source. Between the houses and cities and stuff, we must set our hearts elsewhere. We have to set our hearts on God, not stuff. It's hard to do.
18Oct09 at 06:18
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. (Ps 127:1)
Houses and cities are things that hold stuff for people. God does not need stuff or things but engages stuff for our benefit.
We need stuff and things but are called to engage God for our benefit. When we look to stuff and things for engagement, our work is in vain. Except on the condition that God provides and allows access to stuff, our efforts to get stuff are in vain.
It is a shameful part of the human condition that we are preoccupied with stuff. Living the ideal of a perpetual pursuit of God in ignorance of the gnawing of the flesh is desired. But life on earth is life in flesh and flesh requires stuff.
See what happens to flesh without a house or shelter from the elements. See what happens to flesh when it is not protected. See what happens in Psalm 127:2 if flesh isn't given food to eat. By nature and necessity, we want to see but not experience deprivation of the flesh. Yet this text teaches that our preoccupation, while the flesh is gnawing, out to be God.
19Oct09
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full... (Ps. 127: 4-5)
Unity in the family is represented in verses 4 and 5. The benefit of children is most readily seen when they are all together in a family. The quiver represents the home / family / unity. The benefit of unity also brings responsibility. The text refers to a warrior's hand.
When children are given, we have to know what to do with them to help them maximize their potential. A warrior can't fly but can launch arrows into flight. As a warrior, so a parent isn't meant to compete with the children but rather propel the children into their purpose.
Q: What is the bow representing in this illustration?
See Isaiah 55:1-5, Matt 6:25-34, Job 38: 39-41 and Luke 10
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