Psalms 127:3-128:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.  
 
IT is likely the majority of people in the world, and perhaps the majority of people in the church, would find this “family-oriented” scripture somewhat amusing. Large families seem to be far in the past. Some countries have even passed laws restricting family size.
   And are fathers really important to a family? For more than 40 years, we have heard that a man is a non-essential to his children’s lives. And shouldn’t children be allowed to choose what is right for them? Who needs a family with a father, mother and children – with a man who loves his wife and loves his children?
   God wants you to know that the world needs the family. After all, God created the family unit his image. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
   In God’s image families are to create families and rule the earth with God’s wisdom and purpose. A strong family is necessary to build a strong community. A strong community becomes a strong nation that enjoys its relationship with the LORD God.
   The first sin broke the bond between Eve and God and broke the bond between Eve and Acam: Genesis 3:11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” And then the decline spiraled downward into Cain’s murder of his brother Abel.
   The Bible’s history is one of broken bonds within families. Death and destruction resulted from sons killing fathers and brothers killing brothers. It seems God is continually repairing the damage families caused Israel.
   In modern times, the family’s decline has led to the communities becoming neighborhoods of violence. Schools have lost control. Churches are neutralized and considered ineffective to guide people toward a purposeful life.
   God’s family picture, though, is one of blessings and plenty. All who walk in his ways will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Why wouldn’t people want this?
   Yes, it’s true not all are called to be fathers and mothers. But most of us are. This is God’s design. Let’s pray the young and future generations fear God and rebuild the crucial stone in the kingdom’s foundation.   

Psalms 127:1-5 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.
 
WHAT is your life’s foundation? Born into Adam’s sin, our lives become restless wandering when we build our lives on pride and self-pleasure. We see this in God’s judgment on Cain: Genesis 4:12 “When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
   In this psalm that seems to read as one of Solomon’s proverbs, the wise king points us to the only One who will fill our restless heart. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
   You can understand “house” as your personal life relating to your household, your relationships with friends, your church and your faith in Jesus. Pick one. Who needs to be at the foundation of that relationship? If the LORD is not, who or what is? How vain, how hopeless it is to build your house on anyone but the Maker of heaven and earth.
   One of the common practices to safeguard a city in ancient times was to establish watchmen on the city’s walls. Their constant presence kept the city alert to welcome visitors and to block enemies. They could call for the gates to be open or shut, depending on friend or foe.
   When you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit becomes your watchman. He alerts you to the good and the evil. As the Spirit teaches you the foundational truths of God’s Word, you will gain wisdom to build your faith on God’s good, enduring Word. And you will reject and remove temptation’s crumbling foundation.
   Jesus said it this way as he concluded his Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
   Your task, Christian, is to strengthen your faith’s building blocks. Hold firmly to your testimony of Jesus. Trust the Holy Spirit to be your watchman. Use the Helper’s strength to help you be a watchman for your family, community and church. Close the gate to evil. Open the gate to God’s foundational truth. Build a life that helps build the kingdom of God on earth.
           

Psalms 126:1-6 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
 
JOY is a powerful force of worship. Remember it is listed as the second fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy… Joy is Jesus’ reaction to his disciples’ salvation: Luke 10:20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
   Four times Psalm 126, another psalm of ascents preparing people to worship, calls the congregation to go to worship with joy on their hearts. God has restored and saved them from exile! God has a future for them.
   No longer captives in Babylon, they looked upon their return to Judah as a dream come true. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Remember, Judah, you belong to God. Your prison is past. Your freedom is your future. God has done this. Sing with joy to his name. Dear Christian, have you put aside your past to joyfully live in God’s salvation?
   Also, be joyful, Israel, the nations know of God’s mercy and power to save. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” Many scriptures reveal that pagan rulers knew of God’s work to empower his people to victory. At times, it seems the Gentiles had more faith in God than the Jews. Does your life express joy in the great things God has done for you? When your life exhibits a joyful heart, especially in difficult circumstances, your joy will, indeed, be sweet fruit to reveal God’s salvation to the world.  
   Be joyful, too, Israel, because you know God’s firm promises for your future. Before and during the exile, prophets had spoken of God’s plans for Judah’s future. Many know Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We use this verse to encourage people through difficult times. And the verse is much more. God told Judah in their exile that he still had a remarkable future for them.
   The psalmist wanted the Jews to grasp God’s promises come true. He urged them to live and worship in joy because were re seeing the evidence God will restore our fortunes. This will be a bounteous future like streams in the Negev. It is a transformed future. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
   Put your grief behind you, Israel. Let the past be in the past and go forward with God. Joyfully know he has saved you for this moment to glorify his name.
   This exhortation comes to our hearts, too. Jesus has told us the joy of our salvation is celebrated in heaven. Do you celebrate it in your soul? God has brought you out of sin’s exile, so you can live into the promised future he has planned for you. What joy it is to trust completely in the eternal Savior. He is joyful your name is written in the book of life.    

Psalms 125:1-2 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. 2  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
 
YOUR sure faith is a very strong asset, isn’t it? It’s so strong, it is as unshakeable as Mt. Zion – the immovable mountain that was Jerusalem’s foundation. How do you have such an unshakeable faith? How do you know the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore?
   One way to understand God’s surrounding love is to reflect on Jesus’ purpose for his ministry: Luke 19:9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” God’s presence entered into Zacchaeus’ home to surround this lost man and his friends with God’s saving love. Jesus had come to earth to seek them. He had found them. He had saved them. His redemption secured their eternal life.
   What would you do if someone you loved was lost? You would be very personally involved in finding and rescuing your loved one, wouldn’t you? If your spouse, son or a daughter was missing, you would even be willing to give up your life for your loved one’s safe return home. Such a love is a surrounding love that completely joins you with another.
   This is God’s love. The Bible tells us that for nearly 2,000 years God formed and surrounded his people with his enduring love. He birthed them. He promised them blessing. He expanded their population and gave them a luxurious land of promise. The LORD disciplined the wicked to preserve the righteous in the family.
   And then in his surrounding love, he put aside his glory to come in the flesh. Why? It is because his children remained lost. Israel had not yet found the way into the eternal Promised Land God had prepared for them.
   God’s surrounding love came from heaven to put his arms around the blind and the lame. He lifted up his hands with his followers to praise and petition the Father for their eternal souls. He stretched out his hands to receive the Father’s punishment, so his eternal love would surround God’s eternal church.
   Then Acts tells us the Spirit came at Pentecost to fill the apostles with power. And they began to surround the Jews first, then the Gentiles with Jesus’ saving love. Through the next 2,000 years the church has expanded because God’s love is surrounding the world.
   The Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, has been very intentional to seek you. Build your faith on this truth, so you will firmly trust your LORD’s love surrounds you.
  
 
 

Psalms 124:1-5 A psalm of ascents 1 If the LORD had not been on our side – let Israel say – 2 if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us, 3 when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; 4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, 5 the raging waters would have swept us away.  
 
“REMEMBER, remember, the LORD has protected you.” the song urges. To prepare the people for worship, the psalmist exhorts Israel to remember and know the LORD had been on their side. He had kept them secure from their enemies’ raging waters (that) would have swept us away.  Approaching worship, Israel must remember that without God’s secure hand on Israel, their foes would have overwhelmed them, v 4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us.
   You will see how true this is when you begin reading in Genesis. Throughout the Old Testament God reveals the nearly continual opposition to him and to his people Israel. Many times God raised up judges, generals, kings and prophets to defeat Israel’s enemies. God also sent his avenging angels to destroy the enemy and his guardian angels to keep Israel safe. Amazingly, God even used the wind, trees, water and other elements of nature to confuse Israel’s enemies into fear and destruction. In addition, some believe this psalm referred to God’s rescue of the Jews in Persia when the evil Haman plotted to kill the Jews (see Esther). Without God’s help, the song warns that Israel’s enemies would have swallowed us alive.
   Remember God’s secure protection. V 6 Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. Thank God v 7 We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
   Then once more the psalm celebrates a foundational truth God’s people must know. V 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. We have seen this faithful confession several times in the worship songs of ascents. This is confession remains a must for the church’s worship today.
   When we repeat God’s sovereign authority to create and secure us to be his church, we develop a deeper heart devotion toward God. Saying what we believe is crucial to believing what we say. Every time we worship, we should confess in some form that, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Many churches say this in the creeds, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Confessing this weekly in faith and with conviction installs this truth more securely in our hearts. When we faithfully know this is true, all God’s word become true. The Bible is our security against the enemy Satan’s vile threats that seek to flood us with sin. The Maker of heaven and earth has created a plan to protect you into eternal life. A faithful proclamation of God’s power as Father, Son and Spirit will defeat sin’s anger and defend you from all threats. With joy and confidence you will stand triumphant with the omnipotent God. Worship him who casts your enemies into eternal death and secures you into his eternal home. 

Psalms 123:1-4 I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy. 3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. 4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.
 
DO you see God’s signs to direct your life? The psalm’s reference to slaves looking to the hand of their master and a maid looking to the hand of her mistress refers to that culture’s common practice of masters and mistresses using hand gestures to command their servants. The servants needed constant, intentional eyes of understanding to know and respond to their masters’ various hand movements. Their well-being, even their lives depended on their response.
   The psalm exhorts Israel to lift up and keep their eyes on God’s heavenly throne. Knowing God’s commands will help them reject their enemies ridicule and contempt. How, then, do they see God’s throne – his power and authority? It certainly isn’t visible to the human eye.
   But his throne is visible to the faithful heart. If they look into their history, they can see God’s power and authority to call and form them into a personal relationship with him. What would they see?
   In one word, they would see grace. His grace is evident when God promised salvation in Eden, called Abraham, formed a great nation in Egypt, freed Israel from Egypt, gave the law, and established Israel in the Promised Land. By his grace, God forged a worship system that allowed Israel to know his holiness and forgiveness. His specific laws revealed a God of order, worthy to honor. They could see God’s grace in his faithfulness to promise and to fulfill those promises. Eyes lifted to God will see the signs he has given them. Faithful eyes of the heart will  know who God is and what he has done. Faith will look forward to trust what will do.
    We must take this to heart in Jesus’ church today. The ridicule and contempt for God has not ceased since the psalmist’s day. The church is demonized and minimized. By God’s grace the Spirit urges you now to keep your eyes on the Master. He has given you many signs through Jesus and the apostles to reveal his grace. There is no greater throne of grace than the cross.
   He has done these things to signal you to an obedient, redeemed life. With your eyes on God’s throne, you will be confident God reigns over his church and your life forever.
   Turn, then, from the negative, so you will focus on God. Lift up your eyes and keep them on his throne. Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalms 121:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
 
THESE two verses may be one of the most common Bible passages used for a call to worship as church begins. It is a wondrous thing to know the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, is your help.
   When we consider God’s character, though, we may not list “helper” as one of his traits. To most of us, a helper is someone who is under another’s authority. A helper is not a leader, but an assistant. Is God an assistant to your needs?
   But that is not the way the psalmist knew God. When he says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills.” he exalted God’s creation. The fertility of the hills that produced olives, grapes, grain and livestock were God’s gift to Israel. He had created the land and given it to Israel, his children of the promise. When we now consider and look to the earth, we always remember God is the Maker of heaven and earth. We consider his power to create, and we understand there is nothing less or minimal about God’s character. When you lift your eyes to see God’s creation, you know he is one who has the power to help you ascend to heaven’s throne.
   The psalm’s remaining eight verses inform us that God, the helper, continually watches and protects you. The LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth v 3 will not let your foot slip. He will protect your soul when you lie down and when you rise. The Almighty is always awake and on guard. Three times the song assures God’s people he is the always-present and all-powerful helper, who V 3b watches over you.
   The apostle Peter affirms this truth and teaches us God’s help is for those who believe: 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” How well Peter, this rugged fisherman become chosen apostle, knew of God’s constant watch on our lives.
   The psalm also emphasizes God’s help when he says v 5b the LORD is your shade at your right hand 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. In Israel’s climate, one needs shade to be safe from the sun’s burning heat; then one must have warm clothes or a blanket to be warm at night. God is a constant protector and comforter.
   Yes, when difficult things confront us we may not quickly or outwardly experience God’s protection and comfort. But we must understand that in every circumstance God is watching over us for his purpose. People who develop a deeper, consistent relationship with God do so because they believe God’s help is always with them. They understand God is sufficient to meet our every need. He delivers us from evil and leads us into his eternal kingdom.
   Yes, you can lift up your eyes to God’s heaven and earth. See his majesty and know v 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
   How good is that?
 
One More Thing: You women have a wonderful association with God, the helper. When God created Eve he said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18) The common cultural response is to see this as the woman having a servant role to fulfill every need for the man. On the contrary, God has made the woman in his helper image. She is given the character to be a protector for her husband and family. She is to encourage and respect her husband to help him fulfill his role as the family’s leader. This is a great honor and responsibility fulfilled in God’s purpose. 

God Promises Peace in Unity
 
Psalms 122:6-9 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”  9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
 
DAVID wrote this song of ascents – going up to worship – to remind Israel v 4 that is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to praise the name of the LORD, according to the statute given to Israel. With the first of his laws, the LORD God had commanded his people to worship him and him alone. Then Exodus tells us God gave the worship laws that included gathering at the Tent of Meeting. The gathering under God’s authority was crucial for the vast nation’s unity.
   In the centuries between Moses and David, Israel had suffered much division. They had put aside their worship of the LORD. The 12 tribes were often hostile toward each other when idolatry created a deep divide in Israel’s unity. There was seldom true peace in Israel.
   But through faithful Jews, the Tent of Meeting and the sacred elements of worship including the ark of the covenant remained. When David conquered Jerusalem and established Israel’s throne there, God instructed David to take the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and put it in a tent. (2 Samuel 6) Jerusalem, a small and compact city, became Israel’s worship center. This fulfilled God’s prophetic command in Deuteronomy 12:5 But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go. David calls his fellow citizens to come up to Jerusalem, the place God has established for the unity of their worship. Israel’s prosperity would be a richness in their relationship with God.
   But too many divisions remained in Israel. Some kings refused to worship God. The LORD’s word became silent in his city. And there was no peace.
   The church has not learned this lesson. Since its beginning, factions have divided the church’s message. We must understand that as the gospel moves throughout the entire world, mankind has the opportunity to focus our worship on the One who has Created us. And he is the One who Redeems the repentant sinner. With a faithful response to God, the local church is to worship in spiritual unity: Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – 5 one LORD, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
   The peace of unity will come when God’s people go in faith to the LORD’s house with a heart of worship. Where there is true worship, there is true peace between people of different tribes, nations and tongues.
     This is the future God has prepared for us. May he come quickly. In the meantime, be a person of peace. Let the peace of Jesus Christ rule your heart, so you and your future generations will have a true wealth in the LORD’s love.  

Pray, Trust, Wait in God’s Promises
 
Psalms 120:1 I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. 2 Save me, O LORD from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.
 
THIS is a psalm of ascents. These were sung as the Jews ascend to the temple mount to worship. God wants his people to consider three things as they go to worship.
 
Pray
​
First, these two verses are a prayer. This is the fundamental action of our relationship with God. When we move from our daily lives into worship of the Almighty God, prayer helps us set our mind to the Holy God. He has called us into his presence to worship him. He wants our full attention.
   As they go to worship, the Jews pray for God to save them from their enemies’ influences. This is likely an appeal to God to keep their hearts away from pagan immoral influences. Our prayers must recognize our need for spiritual purity. When we pray, we speak to the God we ….
 
Trust
 
God is very clear throughout Scripture that when we pray we must trust in God’s response: V 3 What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? 4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom tree. As we conclude our prayers, we must spiritually submit to the LORD’s answer. We will not silence God’s enemies. They are too numerous. But God will work in many ways to remove those who oppose him. Seldom does he immediately act, but he awaits his time to respond in his will. This requires us to …
 
Wait
 
Psalm 120: 5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. 7 I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
 
Meshach and Kedar refer to two pagan people groups at the opposite ends of Israel. The point here is that when we associate with unbelievers for too long, we begin to think as they do. And another challenge in the church is the influence of nominal Christians who minimize God. God’s enemies, as the apostles refer to in their letters, can be false teachers who lift themselves above our Lord Jesus. Or they could be people who attend church but fail to put their faith into action (James 1).
   We must be careful to not dwell among them in the sense they keep us from God. Instead, we must pray for God to turn their hearts to repentance. Be confident God will do his will and wait on his response.
 
When we go to worship with prayer on our lips, trust in our hearts and waiting in our soul, we will be prepared to spiritually ascend to God’s throne. And you don’t have to wait for worship on Sunday. You can do this when you sit at home to read and pray his Word. Your life is to be continual worship, ascending spiritually to God each day. Speak to him. Trust him. Wait on him. He is LORD. May his holy will be done in your life.    
 

 

Psalms 119:1-2 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
 
THE psalm’s 176 verses form a beautiful song that honors the LORD God’s law. The law is God’s Word to teach us what is right. The law is God’s foundation to bless mankind with a full life.
   But our sin-captured hearts naturally rebel against the law. Our tendency is to believe God’s commands restrict our freedom. How important free will is to us! We think free will is God’s gift to us, so we can be free to do our will on earth. We ask, “Is it possible God wants any boundaries on our lives? Isn’t his sole purpose to make us happy?”
   No. God’s sole purpose is to make you holy before his throne. This purpose began in the beginning: Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
   God’s first law was Adam’s work to care for the Garden. This would not be toilsome work, but it would be a necessary, life-sustaining work to look after God’s creation. A lawful servant enjoys the fruit of his work with God.
   God’s second law is a blessing. God commanded Adam that he was free to eat of any fruit in the Garden. The third law is one of consequence. If Adam ate from the one forbidden tree he would die. His death would first be a spiritual death in his relationship with God. The second death is physical death.
   These three commands have the three elements of God’s law throughout Scripture: service, life and death. In the Exodus service laws, God established the place and order of worship. He teaches us to serve one another with particular laws to aid widows, orphans, slaves and those falsely accused of murder.
   The Ten Commandments and other laws point us to proper behavior in our relationship to God and to one another. His laws also detail consequences to lawbreakers.
   Your obedience will bless you to a good safe life in God’s benevolence. But if your will is to live outside those laws, the consequence is God’s curse. Moses says it this way in Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. God wants your free will to choose his law, so you can enjoy life to the full with him. (John 10:10)
   The law becomes even more beautiful when you understand it leads to Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the law, so God will completely establish his will on earth as it is in heaven. God’s law continues to be and must always be our guiding force in our redeemed life. When you completely understand its blessings, your life’s purpose will match God’s purpose for you – to become holy as the LORD God is holy.