Not In Vain, You gain!
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain. (Vrse 1)
'Except the LORD' and 'in vain' appears twice. The emphasis and contrast is pretty obvious. Except the LORD- signifies: Noone else, Only Him. And who are they?- its talking about the human builders. Except the LORD build the house, the builder's labour is in vain. What does 'in vain' means: To no avail; without success. Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless. Excessively proud of one's appearance or accomplishments; conceited. Empty pleasures.
So if The LORD build the house, they labour in (Antonyms of vain) is effective, fruitful, meaningful, productive, satisfactory, sufficient.
It shows that Without God, we are nothing!
When Solomon resolved to build a house for the LORD, matters were very different, for all things united under God to aid him in his great undertaking: even the heathen were at his beck and call that he might erect a temple for the LORD his God.
The greatest building project of the ancient world was the Tower of Babel. It had wonderful organization, resources, vision, clarity of purpose, and tenacity, but it ended in total disaster. We are still trying to recover from its effects.The babel builders labour was in vain, for the Lord's face was turned against them. I feel this part of the verse invites me to Rest in His strenght rather that spend my strenght for nought!
except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain. It like the opposite is so true: The LORD keep the city, even if the watchman sleeping its safe. We are not safe because of watchmen if Jehovah refuses to watch over us. The alert Watcher is better than an army of sleepless guards.
Note that the Psalmist does not bid the builder cease from labouring, nor suggest that watchmen should neglect their duty, nor that men should show their trust in God by doing nothing. But do as always, but not fix our trust in our own efforts/ work. Rather efforts/work is in vain unless God's power comes through.
Sometimes we get frustrated after doing much and our efforts account to nothing. Its a feeling that comes when we know we are putting much effort but nothing seem to come out of it. Frustration can be the result when God is not the builder nor watcher. Are we living lives dependant on our Creator or our Created energy? Isnt it so obvious how many times we fall in the trap of asking ' I'm doing all i can! LORD, why isnt it working?' instead of ' LORD, are you building/watching over what i'm involved in? Show me what you are building/ watching!' The point is, if God is not involved in what you are building, creating and preserving, your efforts will be void of results. For its proven useless for without the LORD he has accomplished nothing, and his wakefulness has not warded off evil.
Solomon knows that the Lord is the ultimate builder. As the Lord and the designer of history, God will tear down the works of the wicked and he will build his own kingdom.
Many people in passing do not notice the difference between Lord and lord in the Bible. However, this difference is very important.LORD in the Bible refers to the divine, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent creator of the universe. Using the term Lord is a show of reverence and respect to God.
Lord in the Bible refers to someone that is a master of a household or in a position of authority. Calling someone lord is a display of respect for that person's position.
