While I have already reflected on Psalm 127 as it relates to military affairs as part of my series on the biblical way of war [1], I would like to comment today on the symbolism of Psalm 127 and 128 as it relates to the importance of young people (children and teenagers) within the community of faith.  Let us therefore look at Psalm 127 today from the point of view of God’s family and physical families to point out the honorable place and role of young people.

Let us examine the first half of Psalm 127 in the light of the family of God and earthly families.  Psalm 127:1-2 reads as follows:  “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.  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.”

Much effort is spent by people building up what they think is God’s house as well as their own families.  Royal families, after all, are called “Houses,” and not only are we future kings and priests, but we are also the temple (house) of God as well (see Exodus 19:5-6, 1 Peter 2:9-10, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Unfortunately, though, many people who believe and think that they are building up the House of God (namely the Church) are really engaged in seeking after their own homes, their own selfish interests, their own dynasties.  It is an easy problem to confuse our will with God’s will–we can think that God likes Texas and wants to build there because we think it’s the nearest place to heaven on earth, without knowing God’s thoughts on the matter.  Likewise, people spend a great deal of time and effort guarding their ill-gotten gains in the assumption that what is ought to be, and that possession is 9/10 of the law, so they are going to protect what they have and not let anyone do to them as they did to others.  To the extent that we act contrary to God’s will, whatever we do, no matter our reasons or justifications, will not prosper or endure.  It will instead be futile.

The second half of Psalm 127 adds even more interesting layers about the Family of God and the families of man.  Psalm 127:3-5 reads as follows:  “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.  Happy is the man who has his quivers full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies at the gate.”

If you are a young person growing up in the Church of God, you should never feel unwanted or unimportant.  Children are a gift from God, part of the legacy not only of the family of man but also the family of God.  Children are not a burden, but are a reward–a sign that one’s family, one’s reputation, and one’s name will carry on another generation.  They are a sign that one’s labors and efforts to make the world a better place will go on after you are gone, that you have a being in your image and likeness just as we are created in the image and likeness of our Father in heaven.  Godly parents appreciate their children, praise God for them, and raise them up to be brave and courageous against their enemies, to fight the enemies of their Father like arrows from the bow of a skillful archer.

Children are a great gift from God, a fact that should never be forgotten by any young person, or anyone speaking to or dealing with young people.  In Joel 2:28-29, we read the following:  “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your old man shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.  And also on My menservants and on My maid servants I will pour out My spirit in those days.  Let us reflect a little bit on those verses–the granting of God’s Holy Spirit will be on both the old and young, both on men and women (and young men and young women).  God’s calling was to be a blessing and a gift to all–God does not discriminate based on age, nor is He a respecter of persons, one who judges people by mere surface appearances without bothering to know the person underneath.

This passage is particularly interesting in the way that Peter quotes it as “fulfilled” during his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2 as the Holy Spirit was given openly and widely to the brethren for the first time in recorded history.  After quoting from this passage in Acts 2:16-21, Peter makes the following statement about the promise of salvation in Acts 2:39:  “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  The children of believers are automatically included in the special promises of God–they need not doubt if God is calling them, but they automatically bear the responsibility of either choosing God’s way for themselves, to receive the blessings that spring from obedience, or to reject their heritage and to reject the blessings of a personal relationship with God.  The choice is theirs though as a result of being born to a believing household, a choice, we ought to remember, that large parts of the world throughout history have never had on account of ignorance about God’s ways and isolation from those who practiced godly behavior as lights in a dark world.

Psalm 128 continues the theme of showing the importance of young people to God.  Psalm 128 reads as follows:  “Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.  When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table.  Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.  The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.  Yes, may you see your children’s children.  Peace be upon Israel!”

This psalm has a lot of symbolic meanings, as ought to be clear.  Biblical prophecies say that in the Millennium every man will have his own vine and fig tree (see Micah 4:4), and the fig tree is associated in the Bible with deep thinking and reflection (see John 1:48).  Here we see a woman associated with the vine, a reflection that the blessing of God to people involves more than just property (though that is part of it), but also the promise that mankind will enjoy loving relationships, something which can be hard to find in this present age.  While it may seem a bit unusual for a young person to be compared to an olive plant, this is actually a very profound and flattering description.

If you examine the symbolism of oil in the Bible (like the oil of the priesthood described in Exodus 31 that glistened on the beard of Aaron the priest in Psalm 133:2, and that represents the Holy Spirit in Matthew 25:1-13), then having young people compared to olive plants would appear to signify the fact that they are early in their training to be kings and priests, but also that the oil of the Holy Spirit is beginning to flow through them, and that they are not cut off from God or from His blessings for obedience.  It means that children are part of and connected to the larger Family of God even in their youth, a very flattering and often neglected implication of the biblical language of Psalm 128.

In examining the importance of Psalm 127 and 128, let us reflect on the fact that these two psalms are part of the Songs of Ascents, which were sung by all pilgrims to Jerusalem three times a year during the Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles seasons.  During this time of year, as is the case today, families traveled to the Holy Day to celebrate the Feasts with other brethren from all over.  Here entire families would see that God was not only working with the men of the house, but with women and children as well.  As entire families were called to obey God and follow God, so God also promised His blessings upon the whole family as well.

The Church of God cannot afford to look down on any aspect of its membership.  Lest we forget, all of us are part of the ‘bride’ of Christ, and therefore an attack on the worth of women attacks the worth of all mankind.  Likewise, an attack on the worth of children is an attack on the worth of all believers since we are the little children of God, younger brothers to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who said that no one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we become like little children (see Matthew 18:3).  Therefore, let us all show appreciation for the glorious works of God with young people, recognizing their honored place within the plan of God from ancient Israel to today, and far beyond.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/unless-the-lord-the-city-keeps-the-military-insight-of-psalm-127/