Presence Weekly 8/19/2024 - The Search for Significance

127 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. 

Thinking It's All About Us

In a city like Washington, some of us might come to think that it’s all up to us or that it’s all about us and that we must be utterly dependent on ourselves to accomplish it. What does the “it” refer to? In Washington, “it” can mean the economy, the flourishing of America, or national security. On top of that, “it” can mean our financial security, our career, and/or our family. This, of course, leads us to work and worry like it is entirely up to us.

But the gospel sets us free from that lie.

Through the gospel, we can move from dependence on ourselves to dependence upon God. While our efforts and work are essential, they are only truly meaningful and worshipful as we are dependent on God. Psalm 127 calls us to see that reality. 

Initially, Psalm 127 appears to suffer from an identity crisis. Is it about vocation or procreation? In verses 1-2, it talks about the vanity of pursuing anything without the dependence upon the LORD, and then in verses 3-5, it appears that the Psalmist wants to encourage everyone to have a lot of kids. But if we take a more intentional approach, we may find that this is actually a very well-written song directing us to dependence on God: verses 1-2 explain the importance of dependence upon God, and verses 3-5 illustrate the reasons for dependence on God. 

First, we are directed to see that no work is independent of God. The Psalmist writes, “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. 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.” 

The choir of voices singing this song was being asked to consider the vanity of engaging in work that is independent of God – that is, man-centered. He points to three areas: working on a house (and the passage is ambiguous enough that it could mean an actual house, or a family, or even the Temple – and all of them are possible and appropriate), defending the city that you live in (specifically Jerusalem), or simply the dawn to dusk vocational toil. I think that everyone can relate to this futility, regardless of whether you are an elected, appointed, or career service worker. It also holds true for those serving and those leading in the public square. (Of course, it applies to those not serving or leading in the public square as well.)

Notice that the Psalmist is not discounting the value of the work - whatever it may be. This is not a song that was directing the singers to stop working, but a song that was intended to expose the flaw of work that is not dependent upon God. 

The Anxious Search for Significance

First, the Psalmist says that this approach to work, and ultimately to God, is in vain. It profits nothing! In other words, work that is dependent solely upon man brings no significance. I am not saying that it does not matter, but that it does not provide meaningful significance to the one who is doing the work. Because true significance is measured in terms of God’s economy, not man’s. Further, work that is dependent on man ultimately brings no satisfaction. Again, by this, I do not mean that there is no sense in which one might not derive joy from their work, but that the work is not something that leads one to a place of finding true peace about the work. Finally, work dependent upon man brings no sleep – its only fruit is anxious toil! 

Many of us have experienced the “fruit” of this anxious toil. Waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, your mind going a thousand miles an hour, trying to plan your next day, trying to figure out what you need to do to get ahead at work, what you need to do to raise better children, what you need to do to have a better office or agency, what you need to do to have a marriage. You know how it goes: the loop starts running, and it doesn’t stop. It is often not because you are not working hard enough; perhaps you are burning the candle at both ends. But all you are experiencing is “anxious toil.” The Psalmist’s point is, “Why on earth would you want to do that when he gives sleep to those who he loves?” 

 Why?

One problem of the Fall is that, although we were designed for dependence upon God, we are constantly struggling with a desire to be dependent upon ourselves. 

We often do not trust God with something that is our biggest fear. We do not want to be put to shame. And so, we move towards dependence upon ourselves and our work to ensure we are not shamed.

The Genesis of Our Problem

It started so long ago, in the Garden. Adam and Eve were not able to trust God enough that they could be dependent on him for their significance. The serpent used this as a wedge. God, he implied, must have been holding out on them - there must be something even better. Quickly, they made their work all about them. And you hear it in the curse, ¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

And man did not learn his lesson; as soon as you get to Chapter 11, you see mankind once again making their work about them. They want to build a Tower to the Heavens so that their name will be great. Again, God judges them for their failure to be dependent upon him. This is why chapter 12 starts out with the blessing of Abraham, including the words, “I will make your name great; I will bless you.” 

We even see this in Solomon’s life. Solomon was a man who, at first blush, appeared to be working very hard for the LORD. He builds Him a beautiful Temple, but then makes his own house just a little bigger. To protect the city, he accumulates many horses (some from Egypt) and chariots. He guilds his chariots with gold and silver (1 Kings 10:23-29). He also has many children with men foreign wives.

However, the people were previously told to watch out for a king who did those very things because that would be a king who was actually not showing dependence upon God (Deut. 17:14-17). Even in his family, we see the vanity of Solomon’s marriages. Within just a few short years of his death, all that he had toiled for began to crumble. Eventually, the people would end up in exile. 

Some of us use what we have built (homes, families, careers) to validate our relationship with God. That must stop. Our efforts will produce results, but that is NOT the point. Solomon’s work produced results: a huge home, a huge city, a vast family – but all of them were built on a shaky foundation. It only appeared as though Solomon was building for the LORD. Perhaps he even started off building for the LORD, but somewhere along the way, he got diverted by his own success. 

The point, which should not be lost on us, is that despite his words of wisdom, he mainly labored in vain. It was his toil, and The LORD was not in it. 

The Significance of Dependence

The Psalmist invites us into that better way of life. He calls us to embrace an approach to work that is dependent upon God. This is the way to move beyond believing that it’s all up to us and all about us – and moving us beyond working and worrying like it! 

When we embrace dependence on God, we find significance - which is a gift from God; satisfaction - which is a gift from God; and sleep (or rest) - which is a gift from God. 

To make his point, the Psalmist uses a very simple illustration. For all of our strivings, ultimately, we realize that we depend entirely upon God for the miracle of childbirth. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 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.” 

Children are a heritage from the LORD. The very thing that we strive for, leaving a heritage, the Psalmist says, is ultimately from the LORD. Note that he ties this gift directly to the LORD, rescuing him from shame. In the culture of the Ancient Near East, children, and yes, in particular sons, were integral to a person’s prosperity. Whether the benefit of children resulted in production in the workplace or his ability to defend his city – despite all his human strivings, it was the LORD who provided the children. When we read it this way, instead of inferring that the more children you have, the more blessings you have received from the LORD, it fits together with the earlier portion of the Psalm perfectly. (It also does not say there is no blessing for those who do not have children. It says that the shame of not having children is removed when we see that children are a gift from the LORD, not a product of faithfulness to him.) 

We see this most poignantly in the work of Christ to secure our salvation. It is not our work but the work of Christ that reconciles us to God. As Christians, we are reminded that our salvation centers on dependence upon God! As we embrace this, we find true significance, true satisfaction, and even true sleep. 

This song gives the traveler something to think about on his journey. He is being taken away from his work to go and worship, and as he does, he is asked to think about his approach to work and his approach to God. He is asked to re-center himself on dependence upon God.

As servants and leaders in the public square, we are called to do the same.

Application Questions

How does re-examining Solomon's story through the lenses of Deuteronomy 17 and 1 Kings 10 bring new insight into the distinction between work and dependence?

What is your work-dependence balance currently? Are there particular situations where this balance is overly weighted in your direction?

How does viewing our work as worship help in refocusing us upon dependence? How (and where) would applying that paradigm bring you true satisfaction and rest?

• Monday: Morning: 1 Samuel 22: 6-23, Romans 15:14-33, Psalm 38, 39, 40 // Evening: 1 Samuel 23, Luke 8:1-21, Psalm 38, 39, 40
• Tuesday: Morning: 1 Samuel 24, Romans 16, Psalm 44, 45, 46 // Evening: 1 Samuel 25:1-43, Luke 8:22-56, Psalm 44, 45, 46
• Wednesday: Morning: 1 Samuel 26, 1 Corinthians 1:1-25, Psalm 50, 51, 52 // Evening:1 Samuel 28:1-29, Luke 9:1-17, Psalm 50, 51, 52
• Thursday: Morning: 1 Samuel 30, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16, Psalm 56, 57, 58// Evening: 2 Samuel 1, Luke 9:18-50, Psalm 56, 57, 58
• Friday: Morning: 2 Samuel 2:1-3:1, 1 Corinthians 3, Psalm 62, 63, 64// Evening: 2 Samuel 3:2-39, Luke 9:51-62, Psalm 62, 63, 64
• Saturday: Morning: 2 Samuel 4-5:12, 1 Corinthians 4:1-17, Psalm 68 // Evening: 2 Samuel 6, Luke 10:1-24, Psalm 68
• Sunday: Morning: Judges 16:4-31, Mark 9:30-50, Psalm 71, 72 // Evening: 2 Samuel 11, Acts 8:26-39, Psalm 71, 72

• Cabinet Agency: The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (HHS) and its staff, which “leads the department's efforts to build and support partnerships with faith-based and community organizations to better serve individuals, families, and communities in need,” including offering mental health services. 
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as they advocate to members of Congress and regulatory agencies that so often hold the authority to influence policy.
• Weekly delegation: For the Congressional delegation of Missouri.
• News events: For those attending and participating in the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago. For the recent Phase 1 winners of the HHS’s Innovation Grants for the “Challenge to Prevent Human Trafficking Among Women and Girls.” For Homeland Security's success in substantially reducing the number of illegal border crossings.
• Personal requests: For a family enduring a parent’s recent heart attack that required multiple stints. For someone overwhelmed by scheduling demands in a world with only 24-hour days. For a hard-working dad who is trying to be fully present when he is home with his family. For a couple getting ready to move overseas with a young child. For someone finishing a book. For someone settling into a new job and feeling like an imposter.

• Read this first —> Achim Novak, a C-Suite Coach, has a wonderful article that was recently forwarded to us on The Neuroscience of Conformist Thought. 
• Read this next —> The New York Post has Yuval Levin’s latest, We Can Thank Our Broken Political Parties for Giving Us Candidates So Many of Us Hate.
• Mere Orthodoxy has a pastor’s perspective on the recent book gaining some notoriety, Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda. Acton has a review worth reading as well. 
• The WSJ has a hopeful opinion piece on North Carolina’s (Chapel Hill) decision to open a new school of Liberal Thought intended to teach students to disagree well in a world of pluralist ideologies.
• The New York Times has an important piece on the difficulties but opportunities, of intervening in the import of fentanyl, whose smugglers and distributors killed over 80,000 last year in the U.S. alone.

• It’s August Recess in Washington, so most think tanks and policy centers are on break. Enjoy!
• Monday-Thursday you can catch the star-studded Democratic National Convention, live from Chicago!
• Weekdays 12:00 - 1:00 pm, LIVE! CONCERT SERIES ON THE PLAZA at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center’s Wilson Plaza. On stage this week,
• • Mon. 8/19 - The Tribe Band, R&B
  • Tues. 8/20 - Phil Ravita, Jazz
  • Wed. 8/21 - J Chris, Urban Latin
  • Thurs. 8/22 - Walker Redds Project, R&B/Go-Go
  • Fri. 8/23 - The Gayle Herrod Band, Blues
• Friday, August 16, 5:30 pm - 9 pm The National Landing in Arlington continues to host Fridays at the Fountain, an excellent and family-friendly free concert series. This Friday, you can catch Mambo Sauce, Go Go

Paul Simon, for those whose cultural awareness only goes back as far as Nirvana, is, unquestionably, the greatest singer-songwriter of the past 60 years. Until his "retirement" from producing new music and touring last year, Simon's career had included a string of hits with Simon & Garfunkel and then a prolific solo career. Recently, two biographies have been released that attempt to capture and convey Simon's brilliance and unwavering commitment to creativity.

Miracle and Wonder is Malcolm Gladwell's new and immersive audiobook which features extended interviews with Simon in which he explains his obsession with lyrical and sound perfection. Gladwell captures Simon's youthful friendship with Art Garfunkel and the lingering, bittersweet, impact of his mother and father on his self-assessment of success as he grapples with his own mortality. Miracle and Wonder also puts Simon's unrivaled creativity with sound, and musical genres at the forefront of his storytelling.

In Restless Dreams is Apple TV's equally excellent documentary retrospective of Paul Simon's career, which uses the making of his 2023 album, Seven Psalms, as the latticework for storytelling. Here too, Simon's genius and obsession with "just the right sound and lyric" leaves the viewer with a glimpse of what sets Simon apart from so many other artists from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s who are content to play county fairs and casinos while offering guests only memories of their past glory.