Psalm Meditation 899
Proper 18
September 10, 2017

Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)

When the concept of immortality is based in being remembered by children, and having a legacy passed on is about having lots of sons to carry on one’s name, lots of children is important. When child mortality is a greater possibility than having children reach adulthood, lots of children is important. When the best way to get work done in the family business is to have a lot of children, lots of children is important — and necessary.

For many families the idea is to have “one or two [or three] precious children.” to make up the family unit. It is seen as good stewardship of the resources God has given us to keep from overburdening the earth and its resources by limiting the number of children a couple brings into the world. These smaller families also trust God to “build the house,” “guard the city,” and “give “sleep to his beloved.”

There are a lot of ways to trust God. There are a lot of ways to fail to trust God. Tempting as it is to see our own ways as the only ways to live out our trust in God, it does a great disservice to those around us as well as to God to judge others by our own standards. Yes, we will disagree. Yes, we will be wrong sometimes and right others. Yes, we will find ways and make ways to justify our actions through Scripture, among others. Yes, times change, and we are not always willing to change with them, which is sometimes good, sometimes not. The important thing is to trust God to the best of our ability, whether that means standing firm or moving on.

September 4, 2017
LCM