Thursday, June 30, 2005

Inheriting Destiny

[Are you ready to walk in your world-changing destiny in God? This is a new article posted at our website.]
Psalm 127
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
  They labor in vain who build it;
 Unless the LORD guards the city,
  The watchman stays awake 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 gives His beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
  The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
  So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
  They shall not be ashamed,
  But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
This is a wisdom psalm — it reveals to us the pathway of God’s favor. In this case, wisdom compares a way of life that is empty and vain with a life that is fruitful and full of blessing. This psalm was written by Solomon, who is considered the wisest man in the world. It belongs with the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120-134), a collection that was used to prepare the heart as one made pilgrimage to Jerusalem each year to celebrate the three big feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

Lord, Build Our House.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

This is the first of three vanities Solomon warns us about. The word for “house” comes from the word banah, which means “to build.” In the natural, we think of a house as a physical structure, an abode or dwelling-place made of wood and stone.

But Solomon has something much deeper in mind, so instead of “building,” think “family,” for a house is a place of relationships. It is a place where inheritances are imparted. Every house bears a name, and that name establishes the family and its inheritance.

Whose name does the house bear? Unless it is name of the LORD, the house is in vain and will eventually come to ruin. Only the LORD can build something that will endure. Jesus gives us a vivid description of a house built in vain and shows us how to build one that endures:
Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24-27)
Now, when God builds a house, He is not simply putting together a little social unit—He is planting a seed of hope to reap a harvest that changes the world. It is much more than a dynasty, it is a destiny. The LORD built Abraham a house, and through him blessed all the families of the earth. He built David a house, and through him brought forth a King of Righteousness who reigns forever.

Lord, build our house. Amen.

(continued here)

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