The Vanity of Our Efforts Without God

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2).

The psalm was written by Solomon – king of Israel and builder of the temple. He understood the need to rely upon God in building God’s house, in protecting the city, and in his labor.

• As king, he asked God for wisdom: “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9).
• In building the temple, he was charged with following God’s instructions: “‘All this,’ said David, ‘the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.’ Then David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished’” (1 Chronicles 28:19-20).
• As he reflected upon life, he saw the futility of his labors: “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

In this article, we are going to make some spiritual applications to what Solomon mentioned in this psalm.

Building the House

God’s house today is the church (1 Timothy 3:15) and is made up of individuals. Peter wrote, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). If we do not want our efforts to be in vain, we must build God’s house in His way.

We build God’s house in His way by following the pattern given in His word. Paul told Timothy, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me” (2 Timothy 1:13). This principle was given in the Old Testament in the building of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:40) and the temple (1 Chronicles 28:19-20) and was carried over for us in the New Testament (Hebrews 8:5). Everything we do must be authorized by the Lord (Colossians 3:17). Jesus told His apostles, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded” (Matthew 28:18-20). The basis for our teaching and practice must be the authority of Christ.

We build the house (grow the church) by preaching the gospel (Matthew 28:19). This is the means by which the Lord calls people to Him (2 Thessalonians 2:14). We must preach the gospel in its entirety (Acts 20:27) and never change it (Galatians 1:6-9).

It is vain to build in any other way – change the message, add “ministries,” host social events, etc. Many do this, but any fruit (growth) is meaningless. Since they are not teaching and practicing the pure, unadulterated gospel of Christ, they are not converting people to Christ, but to themselves. They are like the Pharisees who would “travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, [they] make him twice as much a son of hell” (Matthew 23:15). If we want the Lord to build the house, we must do things His way.

Guarding the City

The word used for city denoted a place guarded by a watch. The city that is being guarded today is the local church – it is under the watch of the elders (Acts 20:28). If the church is not protected against attacks, some or all of the disciples could be led astray.

The work of elders is to watch over the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). This is spiritual oversight, as the Hebrew writer said, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls” (Hebrews 13:17). This is a necessary work because of the threats from outside the church and from within the church. Paul warned the Ephesian elders about this: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). It is possible for those who once stood for the truth to fall away, making one’s previous labor over them “in vain” (Galatians 4:11).

The city is guarded (church is protected) through the word of God. Paul said that the elders are to “[hold] fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that [they] will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). This is why Paul commended the Ephesian elders “to the word of His grace” (Acts 20:32). The church must be “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) and the flock must be fed the word (1 Peter 5:2).

It is vain to try to protect the church in any other way – by ignoring error for fear of running people off, compromising the truth or conforming to the world to avoid persecution or opposition, etc. Many do this, but unfortunately they have already abandoned the Lord and are no longer protecting the flock against sin and error.

The Fruit of Our Labors

As we make a spiritual application, this is about the work that we do for the Lord. If we are not working the way that God wants us to work, our efforts will be in vain.

In this psalm, Solomon was certainly not discouraging work (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10). When it comes to spiritual things, we are to be “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). We are to “[bear] fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10). However, it is not up to us to define what these good works are. Good works have been defined in God’s word. Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If a particular practice is not authorized in God’s word, we cannot label it as a “good work.”

When we do God’s work in His way, He causes the growth. Regarding the preaching of the gospel, Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). It is not up to us to produce results (1 Corinthians 1:17), but simply to plant the seed (Luke 8:5-8, 11). In fact, Jesus told His disciples that the fruit is not always seen by those who first begin a particular work: “For in this case, the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:37-38).

It is vain to work for the Lord without doing what He has instructed us to do. Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23). Of course, as Jesus pointed out, many will do this. They may be working sincerely and diligently, but they are not working in God’s way.

Conclusion

It does not matter how much effort we put into something – if we do not do things God’s way, our efforts are in vain. We need to be content with doing things God’s way – working diligently and putting our trust in Him and His plan.