Let’s consider the following scripture. FYI when the word ‘son/sons’ is used in this post, it is with reference to both male and female full grown offspring of GOD.
Psa 127:1-5
(1) A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build (bânâh) the house, they labour in vain that build (bânâh) it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
(2) It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
(3) Lo, children (bên) are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
(4) As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
(5) Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Seeing the scripture as is, one might wonder whether it truly has anything to do with the BUILDING NATIONS INTO SONS—the theme of the 2015 College of Sustainable Transformation and Development.
To adequately understand this scripture, pullout e-sword or any Greek and Hebrew lexicon/dictionary and look up keywords in the theme like BUILD, SONS/CHILDREN and NATIONS.
The original word which the translators translated as BUILD is bânâh and it also means to “obtain children, make, repair, set (up), establish (of restored exiles), made permanent”. This means the translators could have picked any of the aforementioned. The scripture could have read, “Except the Lord makes permanent or Except the Lord restores…” Banah also means to be built up ( i.e. of childless wife becoming the mother of a family through the children of a concubine).
Moving on, the original word which the translators translated as CHILDREN is bên which interestingly is derived from the word for build i.e. bânâh. Bên is defined as “a son (as a builder of the family name), anointed one, arrow, nation, bough, branch etc.
Now look carefully at v1 and 3 of the said scripture. Without looking at the original Hebrew it is hard to connect them. It looks as if the author is disjointed. But he is not.
Look at what happens when I put in other fuller definitions of the same Hebrew word for build (bânâh).
Psa 127:1-5
(1) Except the LORD builds up a home by causing a childless wife to become the mother (bânâh), they labour in vain that build (bânâh) it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
(3) Lo, children (bên) are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Until we understand that bânâh also means to cause the barren to be a mother, v3 seems out of place. Isn’t it curious that the word labour is also used in v1? Women labour before birthing sons.
The proper comprehension of this scripture alone is enough SEED to make the barren fruitful in any sphere, domain or arena of society.
But how does the scripture relate to BUILDING NATIONS INTO SONS?
Verse 1 tells us that the master builder is the LORD. From v3, we understand that sons are nations (this is confirmed by Genesis 25:23), sons are also boughs/vines (this is confirmed by Gen 49:22), Sons are branches (this is confirmed by John 15:5). Sons are built or birthed by GOD and they themselves made in the image of their Father grow up to become builders of nations pattering after their father the master builder—GOD. Failure to build with and by GOD is a vain exercise v1.
Sons do not appear simply appear. It is GOD who births sons (male & female)—thus building His House. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the SONS of God.
Notice v4 shows us that sons are arrows! But v3 also said the same IF we understood the full breath of what bên entails. It is these arrows that will speak with the enemies of their Father in the gate v5.
Sons (male or female) are scepters/branches i.e. staffs of GOD’s authority in GOD’s hand that smashes the heads of sea serpents. They are GOD’s arrows; they are GOD’s nations who reproduce after their kind (the GOD-kind)—hence BUILDING NATIONS INTO SONS.
The job of Godly sons is to transform wayward sons/nations into the godly Sons/nations because … For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known. Why? Because nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children. (Romans 8:19-21). When THE Son was planted by crucifixion, death and burial, He germinated later by ressurecting fomthe dead resulting in producng many other sons after his kind unto Glory! Aim to be one of these sons for its the greatest calling. Shalom Aeichem!
