Who builds the house?

Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Bern Leckie answers:

What did I like about today’s passage?

I am loving these “songs of ascents” which were written for people gathering from around the world to meet for worship. I know that we are by no means the only people in history who have looked to them for inspiration while unable to meet in person.

This selection reminds me that people approach God from different places, emotionally as well as physically. The joyous starts of Psalms 125 and 126 contrast with the painful beginnings of Psalms 129 and 130. I love that wherever we start from today, we might be able to find an encounter with God through Psalms in which he meets us where we are.

But where do we go next? To the house of the Lord! But what does that mean? Is this just about going to some building we put up for religious services?

Far from it. For one thing, “the house” Solomon writes about in Psalm 127 is far bigger than anything we could build. He must have the first Jerusalem temple in mind – we know because it was his life’s work to get this constructed from the incredible piles of resources gathered by his father, David, as we are currently looking at in Chronicles. But this was only ever a symbol of God’s presence, a facilitator for the life God wanted to build for his people.

Psalm 127 points to vital aspects of this life – connectedness, family, things done together we cannot do alone. The other Psalms remind me of the need for both justice and mercy in my life, family and community. These are things God wants us to want from him.

“The house” God promises to build for David is not a palace, it’s a family and community built around God and the life he wants for us. Is it up to us to do our best to build that?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain,” says Psalm 127 verse 1. This is amazing! God promises to be the builder of a God-centred life. He is an awesome provider and putter-together of everything we need for a fruitful, productive, joyful, love-filled life.

I love that these Psalms turn some people’s idea of religion inside out. God isn’t waiting around wanting us to impress him, he has been working on our foundations since before we knew him. God is not remote from us now while preparing to judge us later, but he is intimately involved with building and strengthening who we are and how we can live today. And while God loves receiving our love and worship, we can only give what we receive from him.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

We have house problems at the moment, involving builders, plumbers, engineers and lots of awful smells! I’m going to remember that we credit God as the source of our stuff, livelihood and love, so trust his provision for fixes, and praying to meet good builders too!

Who am I going to share this with?

My family and hopefully some of the tradespeople we will talk with in days to come.