What does Psalm 127:2 mean?

[ByTheSpirit]

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. (Psalm 127:2 ESV)

What do you think?

 

[Yitzchak]

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. (Psalm 127:2 ESV)

What do you think?

I think that it goes together with verse one. Unless God is in our endeavors , we will waste our efforts and have it come to nothing. I also see where God give sus sleep which means to me that God orders our lives in a way where we do our part and put in effort but we are not expected to go at it 24/7 .

Psa 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Psa 127:2 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

Also worth nothing is that this is one of the Psalms of ascent. They were called that because they were sung and meditated upon as worshipers approached the Temple in Jerusalem where the Shekinah presence dwelt.

Beth Moore has an interesting teaching series on this. Psalms 120-134 are the fifteen steps that we take as we ascend into the manifest presence of God , into his glory.

Each one of these Psalms was selected for this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit because it provides instruction on how to prepare to be in His presence.

So there is a larger context , as well. This is about preparing our heart to meet with God by setting aside our striving after our owns plans and goals and consecrating ourselves to want only His will. We don;t build our own kingdom and order our own lives. We are suposed to build His Kingdom and learn his ways of ordering our lives.

Those are my thoughts on it.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Well when I first read Ps 127 I saw that verse and my first thought was negative honestly. I took it as a direct reproach from God in regards to my prayer time. Going to bed late and waking up early to pray, havent experienced much in the way of breakthrough yet, so when I read this for the first time I thought well perhaps God is saying Im wasting my time and there must be some hidden sin that is causing Him to tell me this.

Then last night after posting this OP I read it again and the thought came that perhaps it is connected to the first verse, in that how verse 1 pretty much says if God is not leading the work, it is all in vain, verse 2 would go with that in that even if a person were to rise early or go to sleep late because of their work (their own effort trying to accomplish more) that it would still be in vain because God knows His beloved and gives them rest even in times of work and toil.

 

[Yitzchak]

Well when I first read Ps 127 I saw that verse and my first thought was negative honestly. I took it as a direct reproach from God in regards to my prayer time. Going to bed late and waking up early to pray, havent experienced much in the way of breakthrough yet, so when I read this for the first time I thought well perhaps God is saying Im wasting my time and there must be some hidden sin that is causing Him to tell me this.

Then last night after posting this OP I read it again and the thought came that perhaps it is connected to the first verse, in that how verse 1 pretty much says if God is not leading the work, it is all in vain, verse 2 would go with that in that even if a person were to rise early or go to sleep late because of their work (their own effort trying to accomplish more) that it would still be in vain because God knows His beloved and gives them rest even in times of work and toil.

I agree. I think you have the overall basic idea correct.