A “Receivement” Psalm
PSALM 127 (LSB)
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless Yahweh builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless Yahweh watches the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early,
That you sit out late,
O you who eat the bread of painful labors;
For in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved.
3 Behold, children are an inheritance of Yahweh,
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 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with enemies in the gate.
When it comes to Christmas gifts, a “family gift” means something special. First, we must decide who unwraps it. Then there’s the matter of sharing in the gift itself, which might mean taking turns or coordinating everyone’s participation at the same time, depending on the nature of the item. In these ways, receiving a family gift involves a bit more complexity than an individual gift. As a father giving the family gift, I delight in the relational experience that surrounds its enjoyment.
This brings to mind our Father’s delight in giving good gifts to His family (James 1:17). Our “receivement” as a group may involve some complexity, like its opening and how we will share in it together, but the reward is greater than the gift itself—a sense of our Father’s delight and the joy of relational connection.
I think of Psalm 127 as a “receivement” Psalm. While in contrast to achievement, our posture is not passive. Rather, the psalmist portrays a kind of trusting group participation. For example, building a house involves a team of workers. How might their efforts reflect a trusting participation? If this is a physical house, like the temple that Solomon built, even with all the preparation and planning that went into it, only Yahweh Himself could fill the house with His presence (1 Kings 8:10–11). If the house refers to building a people, like the house of Israel (a people of His pasture, Ps 100:3), their participation of hearing and obeying depends upon the One who calls them: “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Ps 100:3).
Consider the next example in Psalm 127 of a watchman guarding a city. The group of those watching and those living in the city depended on a coordinated communication system to sound the alarm when facing outside threats. Yet without Yahweh’s protection also extending over the unseen spiritual conflicts and the ultimate reality of His sovereignty, “the watchman keeps awake in vain” (v 1b).
The theme of vain effort continues with an illustration of the painful work of farming that yields food for eating. Long and strenuous days, even with sacrificing sleep, must wait upon the Creator’s hand at work in the seeds and soil, roots and shoots, under the sun and clouds that withhold or release rain. Furthermore, sleep itself involves the trusting participation of getting ready for bed, but entering into sleep comes as a loving gift from our Father (v 2b).
The final example features children, received through intimate participation of more than one—man and woman in His image—trusting for the miracle of a new image bearer of God. These true family gifts of children represent reward, inheritance, strength, and protection from enemies.
Such is the nature of receiving from Him together. As His redemptive family, may our own trusting participation in His care for His sheep follow His calling and leading as our Good Shepherd—that we might not care in vain. True safety only comes from Him, as does true food and rest. By supporting His children, may we gain glimpses of our redemptive family where heaven and the nations on earth meet.
May such “receivement” continue to characterize our trusting participation!