Unless the Lord builds the house

Selie Visa

Scripture passage: 

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.”

(Psalm 127:1)

Some tenets of Humanism

In Genesis 11 we find the story of the Tower of Babel. The builders of Babel were the first humanists. Instead of God, these first humanists put themselves at the centre. They decided to build a monument to themselves. “Whose top will reach into heaven” expresses their intent to reach areas that God should have occupied in their lives.

The term 'humanism' sounds innocent, even denoting virtue and honour to God’s highest creation. Who could be against the betterment of mankind? When we examine the ideology or philosophy of secular humanism, however, we realise how dangerous it is. Basically, humanism puts man at the centre of everything. God is just a crutch or a symbol that the simple-minded use to explain the yet unknowable.

1) There is no evidence of the supernatural. God does not exist.

2) No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.

3) Beliefs in life after death distract humans from present concerns. Life has meaning only here and now.

4) Reason and intelligence are the most effective instruments that humankind possesses. There is no substitute.

5) The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be given to all.

6) The right to euthanasia and suicide should be held by all.

Notice that humanism is focused on man. Religion, God, and faith are banished. Man decides what is moral and worthwhile.

The people of the Tower of Babel were full of pride and arrogance. They did not build in humility and dependence upon God.  They sought their own will, not the will of God.  They built in vain. The result of their effort did not turn out as they originally intended and they were scattered.

To build a house

To build a house is taken in three different senses in the sacred writings.

1. To build the temple of the Lord.

2. To build any ordinary house or place of dwelling.

3. To have numerous offspring.

To build a house in Psalm 127:1 may be interpreted as a son, a daughter, and a house because sons and daughters build up a household, or constitute a family, as much and as really as stones and timber constitute a building. Now it is true that unless the good hand of God be upon us we cannot prosperously build a place of worship for his name. Unless we have his blessing, a dwelling-house cannot be comfortably erected. And if his blessing be not on our children, the house or the family may be built up, but instead of its being the house of God, it will be the synagogue of Satan.

All tasks will go in vain without God

When the returned Jews began to restore the walls of Jerusalem and rebuild the city, Sanballat, Tobiah, and others formed plots to prevent it. Nehemiah, being informed of this, set up proper watches and guards. The enemy, finding this, gathered themselves together and determined to fall upon them at once and cut them all off. Nehemiah, having gained intelligence of this also, armed his people, and placed them behind the wall. Sanballat and his company, finding that the Jews were prepared for resistance, abandoned their project. Nehemiah, to prevent surprises of this kind, kept one-half of the people always under arms, while the other half was employed in the work. To this the psalmist alludes; and in effect says, “Though you should watch constantly, guard every place, and keep on your armour ready to repel every attack, yet remember the success of all depends upon the presence and blessing of God. While, therefore, you are not slothful in business, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; for there is no success either in spiritual or secular undertakings but in consequence of the benediction of the Almighty”.

There is an allusion to the daily and nightly watches that Nehemiah instituted. The people are worn out with constant labour and watching; he therefore divided them in such a manner, that they who had worked in the day should rest by night, and that they who worked by night should rest in the day. So the Jews got sleep, refreshment, and rest. As for Nehemiah and his servants, they never put off their clothes day or night but for washing.

Despite the oppositions from his officials and the large scale damage to the wall, it took merely 52 days for Nehemiah to rebuild it.

1. This Psalm calls you to recognise and acknowledge that God is the true builder and that all you do must be done in an attitude of humble dependence upon him.

2. It calls you to look to God for your security, both on a national and on a personal level.

3. It calls you to trust God for your safety and the safety of your family.

4. Your dependence upon God, as Christians, will not produce vain effort. If you seek God’s will in all you do and have, then it is not vain work.

In humility, seek God in all you do.  Seek his will.  Give to him your work, your security, your family… and he will bless you according to his unfathomable wisdom.