In God We Trust!

"Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." --- Psalms 127:1

Psalm 127 was written by Solomon. As you will remember from Sunday school, Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. 1 Kings 4:32 says Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs. As Solomon grew older, he became wiser because he had failed miserably in other areas of his life and he learned from those experiences. Psalms 127 was written late in his life, and verse 1 lays out wisdom regarding the foundation upon which civilization is built. He declares that a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the "cornerstone" that civilization rests on. From the nation all the way down to the individual family, Jesus Christ holds it all together.

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." --- 1a

The first thing we should notice about this verse is the word that is used for God. The Jews had several names for God, but the most personal word is the four Hebrew consonants YHWH. We pronounce this word in the English language "Jehovah." This is the covenental name of God to the Jewish nation, and it literally means "the existing One." In fact, this name was so sacred to the Jews they would not even pronounce it verbally, instead they would say "Adonai." Essentially what Solomon is saying is that which is infinite, the Creator, must be supreme over that which is finite, or created.

"Builds the house" does not mean to actually build a physical house with a hammer and nails. The Hebrew word translated "builds" is banah, which means "to establish; to cause to continue." It means not only to build something, but also to be the reason why it remains standing.

The word for "house" is bayith, which can also be translated "household" or "family". Solomon is warning us that if Jesus Christ is not the builder of a family, then the building of the family is done in vain. This is a simple fact that can be verified through empiricism, meaning you can look at the the world around you and see concrete examples of this everywhere. This is something that I learned at a relatively young age because I lived it in the middle of my own family. I dearly love both of my parents, but bottom line is Jesus Christ was not the banah (builder, causer to continue) of the household, and it was built in vain. I'm sure some of you can tell me similar stories, the fact is families are falling apart everywhere.

Some of you are saying, "I know a lot of people in church that have terrible family lives." That's not what Solomon is saying here. He is not talking about a family that goes to church, he is talking about a family where both the husband and wife are completely devoted and obedient to Jesus Christ. This is something that is done on a daily, 24-7 basis. As a result, they raise up their kids the truths of God's Word. Family is the basis for a "blessed" nation. The reason for a "blessed" nation can be traced all the way down to the grass roots level, where you will find strong families that are sold out for Jesus Christ. Strong families generate strong leadership on a local, state and national level. Strong leadership generates strong education, strong economies, strong militaries, etc., and it's all based on the foundation and operates on the relationship with Jesus Christ. But don't take my word for it...

"Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." --- 1b

The word translated here "guards" is the Hebrew word shamar. It means to "continually keep." This word has more meaning than our English word "guards." It is intended to paint a picture of a hedge with thorns. If a nation does not have the "blessing" of the Lord, if it is not wrapped in a "hedge with thorns" by God, that nation is doomed. This is the reason great nations eventually fall. If the faith of the founders is not passed on and accepted by later generations, then that nation is doomed. This is exactly what happened to Israel after Joshua died.

Judges 2:10 --- "All that generation also were gathered to their fathers (Joshua's generation died); and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel."

So what happened to this generation "who did not know the Lord?"

Judges 2:14 --- "The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies."

Though we could point out many other examples of this, let's pick on Adolph Hitler for just a moment. The Nazi movement is commonly referred to today as the "Third Reich," which means "third empire." The Nazis used this name because they considered themselves to be the third chronological great empire of the world (1st was the Roman which ended in 476 AD, 2nd was the German which ended in 1919, and they considered themselves to be the 3rd.) Another name that is not often used today, one that Hitler himself gave to the movement, was the "1000 Year Reich." He truly believed the Nazis would rule the world for 1000 years. We all know how brutal and evil the Nazis were. They were a Godless, satanic group of evil people, about as far from a Christ centered nation as you can get. How long do you think they lasted? The most liberal length of time the Nazis lasted is 12 years (1933-1945), and their leader died a cowardly death while holed up in a bunker.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction." --- Prov. 1:7