Matthew Henry Commentary Psalms 127
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 127
Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalms 127
"Except Jehovah build the house, They labor in vain that build it: Except Jehovah keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To take rest late, To eat the bread of toil; [For] so he giveth unto his beloved sleep. Lo, children are a heritage of Jehovah; [And] the fruit of the womb is [his] reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. " — Psalms 127:1-5 (ASV)
Let us always look to God's providence. In all the affairs and business of a family, we must depend on His blessing.
For raising a family. If God is not acknowledged, we have no reason to expect His blessing, and the best-laid plans fail unless He crowns them with success.
For the safety of a family or a city. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen, though they neither slumber nor sleep, wake but in vain. Mischief may break out, which even early discoveries may not be able to prevent.
For enriching a family. Some are so eager for the world that they are continually full of care, which makes their comforts bitter and their lives a burden.
All this is to get money, but it is all in vain unless God prospers them; in contrast, those who love the Lord, using due diligence in their lawful callings and casting all their care on Him, achieve the success they need without uneasiness or vexation. Our focus must be to keep ourselves in the love of God; then we can be at ease, whether we have little or much of this world. However, we must still use the proper means very diligently.
Children are God's gifts, a heritage, and a reward; they are to be accounted blessings, not burdens, for He who sends mouths will send meat if we trust in Him.
They are a great support and defense to a family. Children who are young may be directed rightly to the mark—God's glory and the service of their generation. However, when they have gone out into the world, they are arrows out of the hand; it is too late to direct them then.
But these arrows in the hand too often prove arrows in the heart, a grief to godly parents. Yet, if trained according to God's word, they generally prove the best defense in declining years, remembering their obligations to their parents and taking care of them in old age.
All earthly comforts are uncertain, but the Lord will assuredly comfort and bless those who serve Him; and those who seek the conversion of sinners will find that their spiritual children are their joy and crown in the day of Jesus Christ.
Jump to: