The Enjoyment of Transformation


	PSALM 127: The Enjoyment of Transformation Stopping Our Vain Labor and Allowing the Lord to Give Us Rest Psalm 127 was written by Solomon. It begins, "Unless Jehovah builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless Jehovah keeps the city, the guard watches in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to lie down late, to eat the bread of toil" (v. 1-2a). There are three things we all like to do once we love the Lord and enjoy the church life. Firstly, we like to build. Secondly, we like to keep watch. Thirdly, we like to labor. These are the three "attractions" for us in the church life. We enjoy the building, the watching, and the laboring. It is significant that this psalm was written by Solomon, because he was the one who built the Lord's house. He says that unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. When we try to do many things to build up the Lord's house, it doesn't work. Furthermore, unless the Lord keeps the city, those who guard the city watch it in vain. Finally, it is vain for us to rise up early, to lie down late, and to eat the bread of toil. This means that it is vain for us to be so consumed with concern for the Lord's interests. When we are overly burdened for the church life then our bread becomes the bread of toil. This sounds very good, but actually it is in vain. It is of no use. Solomon then says, "All the same, He gives to His beloved while they sleep" (v. 2b). Other translations say that the Lord "gives sleep." In other words, Solomon is saying, "Don't you know that you are His beloved? You don't need to labor so hard or be so consumed. Instead, you should just go to sleep. Don't work so hard. Don't do so much. The Lord wants you to rest." In our human life we can work and be consumed for many days on end, but after just one good night of sleep we are completely refreshed. This is the Lord's desire for us. Because we are His beloved He wants to give us rest. In the church life, the Lord would tell us, "Go to sleep. You are too busy. You are trying so hard to build, to watch, and to labor. Let Me remind you that I love you. You don't need to work so hard. Just go to sleep." Not only does the Lord tell us to go to sleep, but He Himself gives us sleep. He gives us rest. When we are so concerned about our local church, He will say, "Rest." When we are struggling with whether we should serve the Lord full-time, He will say, "rest." If we are full-time and are wondering if we should get a job, He will say "rest." The Lord loves us and gives us sleep. This doesn't mean that we should be lazy. We will see in the next psalm that there is a time to rise up and work. But this psalm firstly tells us not to run around so much and work so hard. Especially when we are young and lacking maturity, we should learn to rest. This follows the realization in the previous psalm that we are good for nothing but death. We have seen our self and want to be delivered, and we have realized that the only way is to be sown as a seed into the ground to die. What is it do die? In this psalm it means to go to stop working so hard, and rest. Sleep Results In Transformation When the Lord loves us, He gives us sleep. We enjoy a sweet restfulness. The more we struggle, the more the Lord says, "It is in vain." All our labor is in vain until we surrender to the Lord and rest in Him. For us to go to sleep can mean one of two things. First, it can mean to stop our working. Second, it can mean to accept the Lord's environmental arrangement for us. We need to learn how to rest in the Lord. This is to pray, "Lord, I will stop myself. I will forget about all my plans and all my striving. I will forget about everything. Lord, I take Your disciplinary hand. I accept Your government and Your authority. I accept what You have arranged for me. I rest in Your hand." When we stop our striving and rest in the Lord's arrangement we begin to be transformed. It seems that we are asleep, yet we are actually experiencing transformation. Eventually we do not grow so much by our struggling, but by resting in the Lord's hand. Sleep Issues in Fruitfulness It is when we allow the Lord to give us sleep that we become fruitful. The next few verses of this psalm are very attractive: "Behold, children are a heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the womb a reward" (v. 3). When we become restful, then we also become fruitful. When we accept the Lord's arrangement for us, and when we give up trying to do so much for the Lord, then we have children. As we are resting like a seed under the ground, children are being produced. As we rest in the Lord's hand and the Lord's government, we eventually have "the fruit of the womb." This is against our concept. We often think that we need to work hard to be fruitful. We think that we need to equip ourselves, be trained, and do many things, but the Lord says, "No. It is when you sleep that you will have children. When you rest in My hand, you will see fruit." We need to tell the Lord, "Lord, I am willing to bury myself and die. I want to get away from anything of my self, including all my activities. Lord, just give me rest." Then we will be fruitful. The Process of Transformation Equips Us with Riches to Serve the Lord The psalm continues, "Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one's youth" (v. 4). This verse is too precious. On one hand, children are "the heritage of Jehovah." Yet on the other hand, they are the "children of one's youth." They are the Lord's children, but they come through us. These children are "like arrows in the hand of a mighty man." They are not merely numbers and statistics, but they are "like arrows." Suppose there is a brother who bears some fruit. That means he becomes "like a mighty man." Formerly he worked so hard, but he labored in vain. Everything he did to bear fruit was also in vain. But then he went to sleep. He accepted the Lord's arrangement and put himself to death. Not so long afterwards children came out. These children are not numbers, but "arrows," and the brother is "a mighty man." Why does the Bible use these words? When we trust in the Lord's government, when we learn to have no choice for ourselves but allow Him to put us to sleep, then the Lord causes our "womb" to bear children. In other words, we have an inner growth and transformation which enables us to be fruitful. We produce children as "arrows," which implies something of strength. Not only do we have an outward fruitfulness, but inwardly we are prepared, facilitated, and equipped with riches. We no longer have an immature desire to do many things for the Lord. Instead, we become someone equipped by the Lord with inward strength and riches. That is why our children are likened to arrows. When we are put to sleep we experience growth and transformation. Eventually this process not only enables us to be fruitful, but also makes us strong and mature. We are like a "mighty man" with "arrows." Because we have grown and matured inwardly, we are equipped with the riches to effectively serve the Lord. Becoming a Vessel unto Honor by Being Transformed and Standing against Our Self This section of Psalm 127 corresponds to a section of the New Testament. "But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor. If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work" (2 Tim. 2:20-21). These verses are a description of the church life. In the Bible, human beings are often described as "vessels." Some vessels are gold and silver; these are vessels of honor. Gold represents God's nature, and silver represents the redemptive work of Christ. People who are constituted with God's divine nature and with Christ's redemptive work are vessels unto honor. There are also vessels unto dishonor, which are the wooden and earthen vessels. A wooden vessel is a natural person, and an earthen vessel is someone who works with human hands, and not with "divine hands." We need to ask for the Lord's mercy that we would never be wooden or earthen vessels. Christianity is filled with these vessels. Many in Christianity are trying to do something to serve the Lord, yet everything they do is with human hands and according to their natural concepts. Many people carry out Christian works in the name of the Lord, yet what they produce has almost nothing to do with Him. These are the vessels unto dishonor. Paul says, "If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these..." We need to be purified from these things. People prefer being wooden and earthen vessels. To do things as a wooden or earthen vessel can seem simple and effective. But to do something as a gold or silver vessel is not so easy. To be a golden or silver vessel requires a great degree of transformation. That is why we must "cleanse" ourselves and purify ourselves from these things. In other words, we must take a stand against ourselves. We prefer being wooden or earthen, but we must stand against it. Then we will be "a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work." This corresponds to being a mighty man with arrows in Psalm 127. For us to have arrows means that we are prepared unto every good work. How can we be prepared? Only when we take a stand to purify ourselves. We must purge and deal with what we are by nature. We must refuse to be earthen, common, and low. If we desire to be a vessel unto honor, then that is something high. It requires a great price, with a bold consecration: "Lord, I don't want to be so natural and common! I stand against myself! I want to be a gold and silver vessel! I want to be a mighty man with arrows! I desire to pay the price to be useful to You! I desire to be prepared unto every good work!" The book of Second Timothy also tells us another secret of being useful to the Lord: "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We not only need to take care of life, we also need to take care of the Word. Enjoying the Word and being constituted with the truth is absolutely necessary for us to be a vessel unto honor. By standing against ourselves, growing in life, and being constituted with the truth, we will be prepared and equipped unto every good work. In the Church Life We are Short of this Fruitful and Equipping Transformation We must remember that the only way for us to reach this stage of maturity is to go to sleep. "He gives to His beloved while they sleep." Brothers and sisters, learn not to struggle. Learn to be restful. Learn to take the Lord's hand and abide under His governmental dealing. As you are sleeping, "arrows" will come forth. You will become a "mighty man" with children. These children do not come from your work, they come from you. They come from your growth and maturity. The process of bearing fruit makes you a fighter, a mighty man. On the one hand you have been resting, yet on the other hand you know how to fight, you know how to struggle, you know how to deal with the enemy, and you know how to gain the victory. You are a mighty man with arrows. These arrows didn't come by doing things outwardly. They came by an inner work of transformation. Because you were so much before the Lord, you allowed the Lord to transform you and make you fruitful. As you were asleep, and in your submission to the Lord, transformation came. Out of transformation you became a mighty man with arrows. In the church life we are not short of desire or consecration towards the Lord. We are short of what this psalm describes as transformation. We are short of "arrows." How many of us can say, "I am a mighty man with arrows"? How many of us can genuinely say, "I know how to preach the gospel. I know how to share with people in a way that conveys the riches of Christ. I know how to pray effectively. I know how to minister the word. I know how to help people into their spirit. I know how to operate for the building of the church!" All of these items are like arrows. So many of us are filled with desire, but we build, we watch, and we labor all in vain. Therefore we need to learn to be transformed. We need to submit ourselves to the Lord's governmental hand and let the Lord transform us. This transformation will cause arrows to be brought forth. We will become a mighty man who is equipped and prepared. Then we will know how to effectively serve the Lord. Today in the church life we are so short of mighty men! We all love the Lord, we have all given ourselves to the Lord, but how many of us have truly gone to sleep? How many of us have really learned the lesson, "Lord, I rest in You. I trust you to transform me and make me fruitful. As I am buried, as I learn to put myself aside, may there be children from the fruit of my womb. Build up something in me that can make me useful to You." Only then can we know how to confront and deal with so many situations. Only then are we equipped with arrows to fight the enemy. After going through such a process we will be useful to the Lord. Our Transformation is for the Church Life This experience of transformation can only take place in the church life, because this is the place where we experience the Lord's governmental hand. Furthermore, it can only be retained in the church life. That is why this psalm concludes, "Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. He will not be put to shame when he speaks with enemies in the gate" (v. 5). The psalm began with so many things done in vain, but it concludes with, "Blessed is the man." The word "blessed" in the Bible can also be translated "happy." At this point in the psalm, we are happy. We are joyful, because our quiver is full of arrows. What is the "quiver" here? The quiver is the church life. When there is no quiver, then there is no place for all the arrows. We may have so many arrows, but without the church life they will all disappear. We must be in the church life for all of our experiences of the Lord to be retained. No matter how useful, capable, or well-equipped we are, we must have the church life to uphold us. All our transformation, all our equipping, and all our fruitfulness is for the church life. When we have a quiver full of arrows, then we are truly blessed with the rich enjoyment of our transformation. To purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs