All around my town the noise of construction on new houses and condos and apartment buildings echoes from dawn to dusk. This is repeated around much of the U.S. as we experience a building boom. Some builders are better than others, of course. A few raise to the level of master, and those you want building your house.

Solomon built throughout Israel. Construction seems to have been a passion of his, culminating in his magnificent temple. He possessed an eye for detail and quality.

So I notice when Solomon writes: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

Solomon knew about construction, and Solomon know about vanity (see Ecclesiastes). As he looked at his vast kingdom, this unrivaled king understood that without the Lord, all his work would crumble. Indeed much of it later did, as his successors failed to take his words to heart.

When we set about to build something, great or small, physical or spiritual or relational, it’s good to remember the Master Builder and seek his sign-off throughout the project.

Psalm 127 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Silvia Brazzoduro