January 17, 2018

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO KEEP THE CITY (part 2)

Psalm 127:1 “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

I have always felt, when I read about Biblical days, that it would be a difficult job to be the watchman for a city. It would be burdensome and boring at the same time. Being required to stay awake, to watch everything, to watch the same thing, to have the responsibility of the safety of the city, and to feel as if it is solely on your shoulders. You would probably be noticed only when something went wrong, and probably never thanked when things go right.

I don’t find anything in this statement that implies that the watchman, being discussed here, was a bad person. He probably had been working hard, and maybe even working hard for a long time. I would say that he wanted the city to be safe as much as anyone in the city. There was also the great possibility that he had family living in the city. This does not mean that he did not care, was not working hard, or that he was just lazy. It is implied that he might have fallen asleep on the job because the verse says that he woke up. It was probably just a mistake. Not a mistake that he ever meant to make. The problem was that it was just too late when he tried to correct it. He might have just been nodding off for a few seconds. He could have been awake and aware for hours, but he just let his eyelids close briefly. I mean after all, he was only human!

I guess that is the point. We might do our best, try our best, and give our best, but all that Satan needs is a few seconds. That is why God has to keep the city. Sometimes our best just is not good enough. God sees dangers that you and I don’t see. God never sleeps. God never even gets tired. There is never a moment that God is not watching.

Satan seems to know when we are tired, worn-out, and susceptible. This reminds me of Proverbs 24:33 “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man”. If we are determined to build our house and keep our city on our own strength, then we will eventually finish building, and wake up. The problem is that our house will not stand, and the city will fall about the time we wake up.

I encourage you today to rely upon the Lord to build, and depend upon the Lord to keep. Because according to this verse, the best of our efforts are in vain.