A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake 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 to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. – Psalm 127:1-5 ESV
This psalm is attributed to Solomon, the son of David, who was the heir to his father's throne and the author of the Song of Solomon, the Book of Ecclesiastes, and a significant portion of the Book of Proverbs. He would be the third and final king to reign over the undivided kingdom of Israel. Following his 40-year reign, God split his kingdom in half, creating the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This division of the kingdom resulted from Solomon's idolatry and apostasy. He had violated several of the prohibitions God had given the kings of Israel.
“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.” – Deuteronomy 17:17 NLT
God had blessed Solomon with unparalleled wisdom (1 Kings 3:4-14). He also allowed him to enjoy success, great wealth, and fame. But Solomon was never satisfied. He continued to pursue increasing prosperity, pleasure, and prominence. In fact, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, he describes his incessant need for more.
I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!– Ecclesiastes 2:4-8 NLT
His mention of “many beautiful concubines” was a gross understatement because, according to 1 Kings 11, Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines.
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD. – 1 Kings 11:1-3 NLT
Solomon was a man who loved pleasure and was ruled by a spirit of hedonism. He had a heart for Yahweh, but seemed incapable of controlling his earthly passions.
Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.– Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 NLT
Despite having 1,000 women to serve his physical needs, Solomon only ended up with four children. Yet, he built a massive palace to serve as their home. And while his son, Rehoboam, would serve as the next king, he would do so over a divided kingdom.
It would seem that this song of ascents was written late in Solomon’s reign. He opens it with a rather pessimistic-sounding statement.
Unless the LORD builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the LORD protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good. – Psalm 127:1 NLT
Solomon had built many homes, including the Temple, which was considered to be Yahweh’s dwelling place on earth. But as Solomon surveyed the landscape of his 40-year reign, he rightly realized that so much of his success had been Yahweh’s doing and not his own. His relentless pursuit of material wealth and physical pleasure had left him feeling empty and unfulfilled. Anything that was of any value had come from the hand of the LORD. His accumulated wealth, vast palace complex, greatly expanded kingdom, and renowned reputation for wisdom meant nothing.
I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.– Ecclesiastes 2:18-20 NLT
Yet, everything Yahweh touched was of great worth. This led him to summarize the futility of trying to replicate what only Yahweh could produce.
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones. – Psalm 127:2 NLT
Solomon had come to understand that all his hard work had produced nothing of lasting value. Upon his death, his kingdom would be divided. His son, Rehoboam, would rule over a drastically diminished domain, and the vast kingdom Solomon had built and the peace he had brokered would be no more.
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. – Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 NLT
While Solomon comes across as a pessimist, he was just a realist. His eyes had been opened to the truth that Yahweh was the giver of all good things (James 1:17). Every material possession Solomon enjoyed had been a gift from God. Food, wine, female companionship, sexual pleasure, homes, hard work, health, and happiness all came from the LORD. But when men worship the gift rather than the gift-giver, they experience the futility of life that Solomon so aptly describes.
Even as he looked back on his life, Solomon was able to offer sage wisdom to anyone who would listen.
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind. – Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT
And one of the things he seems to have regretted was his failure to make his children a priority in his life. Much of what he compiled in the Book of Proverbs pertains to parenting and contains wisdom directed at his own offspring.
My child, listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck. – Proverbs 1:8-9 NLT
My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD,
and you will gain knowledge of God. – Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT
Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
One of the things Solomon learned from his rich and varied life was that children were a gracious gift from the LORD and were to be treated with inestimable value and worth.
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. – Psalm 127:3-4 NLT
Solomon had watched his own father struggle with parenting. David was a man after God's own heart, but he turned out to be a far-from-model parent. One of his sons ended up raping his half sister, and David let the crime go unpunished. His lack of action resulted in another son taking matters into his own hands and avenging his violated sister by murdering their guilty half-brother. Once again, David took the path of least resistance and let the murderer go unpunished. That same son would later attempt to overthrow his father and seize the kingdom. David’s poor parenting resulted in highly dysfunctional children and a far-from-idyllic home life.
Yet, Solomon knew that raising spiritually healthy children was far more critical than accumulating wealth, building a career, pursuing pleasure, or protecting one's reputation. Despite all the Proverbs Solomon had compiled and the vast wealth he left to his son, he had not adequately prepared Rehoboam for the difficulties that lay ahead. Once Solomon died, his son inherited the throne, along with a disgruntled populace who accused Rehoboam's father of treating them like slaves. Rather than wisely listening to their complaints and promising to come up with a solution, Rehoboam took the advice of his young and inexperienced friends.
Rehoboam spoke harshly to the people, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!” – 1 Kings 12:13-14 NLT
As a result, ten of the 12 tribes of Israel broke off and formed their own kingdom with their own king. Had Solomon only made parenting a priority, he might have better prepared his son for just such an occasion. Perhaps he could have prevented the disintegration of his kingdom. However, Solomon had prioritized his career and personal desires over his family and faith.
Solomon wisely wrote about the joy of having children.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. – Psalm 127:5 NLT
But because Solomon failed to make his children a priority, his son was put to shame at the city gates.
When all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded,
“Down with the dynasty of David!
We have no interest in the son of Jesse.
Back to your homes, O Israel!
Look out for your own house, O David!”
So the people of Israel returned home. But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. – 1 Kings 12:16-17 NLT
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box. Even with all his God-ordained wisdom at his disposal, he still made some very unwise decisions in life. He had spent decades building houses, accumulating wealth, establishing a kingdom, pursuing pleasure, and securing his legacy, but he ultimately left behind a trail of division and destruction.
Father, how easy it is to let the things of this earth become our highest priority. You are the giver of all good gifts, but we end up worshiping the gift rather than the Giver. We place a higher value on the things of this world than on our relationship with You. Not only that, we misprioritize the good things you give by putting our careers over our children. We sacrifice our kids at the altar of success. We treat our spouses as second class citizens and fail to honor them the way you commanded. Rather than seeing our children as gifts from You, we end up viewing them as burdens and roadblocks to our home happiness. Forgive us Father for our nearsightedness and selfishness. Open our eyes to see what Solomon saw too late. Help us to change our priorities now so that our children's futures might be bright and filled with a knowledge of You. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.