“WHEN GOD TURNS IT AROUND”

“ When God Turns It Around”

A song of ascents.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.

2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.

5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

I am a firm believer that we all have had or has a thorn in our lives. I believe that God has allowed some situations/circumstances to enter our lives that Satan meant for our destruction but God, has turned it around to help us grow and change. You may feel that your life has been shattered by some personal crisis, but God can still turn it all around for His glory. (Watch this) Trust Him!!! He’s already in the process of working it out. I’ve learned this, that God did not cause the horrible events in our lives, but we need to embrace the fact that He allowed them. Here it is for me (I could have been dead, He didn’t have to let me see this morning, and it doesn’t look as if I’m the only one in the room. Can I just come back and put this in the atmosphere again, “It could’ve been me (outdoors), with no food and no clothes, all left alone, without a friend, or I could have been just another number with a tragic end, BUT YOU DIDN’T SEE FIT, to let none of these things be, everyday with your power you keep on blessing me and I want to say “Thank you Lord for turning it around for me”.

EXEGESIS:

CONTEXT:

This psalm is composed of two sections:

Verses 1-3 speak of a wondrous, joyful time “when Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion.” This almost certainly refers to the miraculous return of Jewish exiles from Babylonia, which took place when Cyrus, king of Persia, defeated Babylonia and in 538 B.C. set the exiles free to return to Jerusalem.

But, while the return was cause for celebration, it introduced a new set of difficulties that are the reason for verses 4-6:

Only a remnant had returned; others remained in Babylon. The returning Jews found Jerusalem in total ruins. They had to rebuild the city from scratch, beginning with the walls to protect them from hostile neighbors. While they eventually succeeded in rebuilding the temple, their temple was a pale substitute for the grand Solomon’s Temple. Their vineyards and farmlands had been left largely untended for fifty years, so it took massive effort and a long time to restore them.

PSALM 126:1-3. WHEN YAHWEH BROUGHT BACK THOSE WHO RETURNED

A Song of Ascents.

1 When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, we were like those who dream.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, (heathens) “Yahweh has done great things for them.”

3 Yahweh has done great things for us, and we are glad.

A Song of Ascents. (Psalms 120-134) associated with the meaning of “going up”

This is one of 15 psalms (120-134) that begin with this superscription. These psalms may have been sung by pilgrims ascending the road to Jerusalem (which was on a mountain) for the three great festivals: Passover, the Feast of Weeks (which we know as Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Or Levites may have sung them as they ascended the fifteen steps to the temple.

Psalms are a collection of poetry of prayers, and songs praising God, encouraging faith, or giving voice to human emotions like sorrow, fear, and joy that covered a broad range of human experience and it was often used in worship in the Old Testament.

1. God is going to bring you out/He’s going to blow your mind(Captivity, Bondage, Leave people behind)

“When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion” (v. 1a). See The Context (above).

Jerusalem is on Mount Zion, so this verse speaks of the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. However, the word Zion also came to represent the nation of Israel and the people of God.

“We were like those who dream” (v. 1b). The exiles had dreamed of Jerusalem for fifty years. They remembered how wonderful it was and how free they had been there. They remembered the grandeur of Solomon’s temple and their worship there. They dreamed of returning one day­­–– although they could hardly imagine how that might be possible.

When Yahweh elevated Cyrus to the throne of Persia and caused him to allow the exiles to return to Jerusalem, their dream had come true. When they set out on the road, they could hardly believe that they were free––and were actually moving toward the realization of their dream. When they finally got to Jerusalem, even though it was in ruins, they could imagine restoring it to its former glory. It seemed too good to be true. Were they still dreaming? Would they awaken to find themselves still under the Babylonian thumb?

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing” (Hebrew: renanah) (v. 2a). These two lines repeat the same thought in different words, as do many psalm verses. This is known as parallelism and is the most common form of Hebrew poetry. (Parallelism-a position of same relation, in comparison)

Laughter and singing are expressions of joy. Both are filled with positive energy. Both well up from deep within our persona.

This word renanah means a joyful shout or singing. It is sometimes used for the joyful shouts of a victory celebration. The psalmist is describing singing powered by exuberance and energy and enthusiasm.

2. You and your life will become a witness (it will become infectious) it will talk for you

“Then they said among the nations, (Hebrew: goyim) ‘Yahweh has done great things for them'” (v. 2b). While the word goyimcan mean nations in general, it was often used to mean Gentile nations––heathen.

The psalmist is saying that the goyim (the nations, the Gentiles, those not in a covenant relationship with God) have noticed the great thing that Yahweh has done for Israel––and have responded by affirming Yahweh’s actions in behalf of Israel.

This brings credit to God among the ungodly. It also inspires respect for Israel, who obviously enjoys God’s protection.

“Yahweh has done great things (Hebrew: gadal) for us” (v. 3a). The goyim (nations) have affirmed Yahweh’s actions in behalf of Israel, and Israel has also acknowledged them.

The word gadal (great things) has several meanings. In this context, it means that Yahweh has done great things––magnificent things––for Israel.

“and we are glad” (Hebrew: sameah) (v. 3b). The word sameah means to be filled with joy––to be exuberantly joyful. That would certainly be Israel’s natural response to Yahweh’s bringing their fifty year exile to a close. To be free again after all those years would be wonderfully liberating. To be home again would put Israel on familiar ground and give them a sense of belonging that they had lost when Babylonia took them into exile fifty years earlier.

PSALM 126:4-6. RESTORE OUR FORTUNES AGAIN, YAHWEH

4 Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like the streams in the Negev.

5 Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.

3. You will be able to withstand opposition with joy.

“Restore (Hebrew: sub) our fortunes (Hebrew: sebut) again, Yahweh” (v. 4a). The word sub has several meanings: Turn, return, and restore being three of the more prominent ones. Return and restore are related, because both speak of going back to a previous place or condition. That is what happened when Yahweh inspired Cyrus to allow the exiles to return to Jerusalem.

The word sebut means captivity rather than fortunes. Ross says that this is a prayer that Yahweh would return the remaining captives to Jerusalem (Ross, 669). These were apparently people who voluntarily remained in Babylonia rather than facing the rigors of a journey back to Jerusalem, which they knew to be a ruined city.

But it is also possible that it is a prayer that Yahweh would restore Israel to its former prosperity.

“like the streams in the Negev” (also spelled Negeb) (v. 4b). The Negev (which means dry) is the far south region of Israel, a desert-like region that gets only eight inches (200 mm) or less of rain a year––barely enough to sustain subsistence agriculture. (They just do get enough rain)

I lived for a short time in El Paso, which gets ten inches of rain a year. El Paso has huge concrete-lined culverts, capable of handling a river of water. Why would it have such large culverts when it gets only ten inches of rain a year? Natives told me that, although they got little rain, the rain that fell often did so torrentially. It was known to wash cars down the street. They needed a large drainage system––the largest I have ever seen.

The Negev experienced something of that sort. Their wadis and river beds were normally dry, but rain could quickly restore them to life-giving streams. To sustain agriculture, residents had to channel that rainfall to make it usable.

So the psalmist is praying that God will restore Israel to vitality, just as he restores the streams of the Negev when it rains.

“Those who sow in tears will reap in joy” (v. 5). As noted in The Context (above), the returned exiles faced many hardships. It would take their best efforts to make the land productive again. They would sow in tears.

But the psalmist had faith that Yahweh, who had made possible their return, would also restore their earlier prosperity. Thus they would reap in joy.

But Ross, because of the proximity of this verse to verse 4, says “the psalmist’s concern was not with a harvest of wheat, but people” (Ross, 670). He believes that the psalmist is praying for the return of the rest of the exiles.

“He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves” (v. 6). This verse repeats the thoughts of verse 5 with a bit of added detail.

Sheaves are bundles of stalks tied together after reaping. The person who carries his sheaves is “bringing home the bacon”––bringing in the harvest––reaping the reward for long months of toil.FB Meyers say this, some farmers soak their seeds before sowing them, and then applied this idea: It is well when Christians begins to address God with their prayers that are soaked in tears. He says, its not enough to just sow but we must add passion, emotions, tender pity, strong crying tears. CRY WITH SOMEBODY/HOLLER TOGETHER, you don’t know how your witness will affect somebody. In the right set of circumstances, you will be able to withstand the opposition with joy. I never said you would not cry only this time you will no that when you do cry you also know who to cry to.

DON’T WASTE YOUR TEARS/THEY ARE A RELEASE

Sheaves are bundles of stalks tied together after reaping. The person who carries his sheaves is “bringing home the bacon”––bringing in the harvest––reaping the reward for long months of toil.

A little over 2 years now I’ve been trying to overcome this “temporary affliction” in my body and I must say that I’m doing well, much better than I was and I thank God and my wife for taking care of me. I am a trip, I’m something else when it comes to someone helping me to do something, oh no no no, not me, but I began to understand that number 1 I couldn’t do nothing and then I understood that I couldn’t do it alone. I guess that why God had the author to pen these words in Psalms 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Well Sis. Kelly, while in therapy last Thursday I learned something new. The words aerobics and anaerobics. Heather my therapist had already taken me through on last Tuesday and I really couldn’t get my proper rest because we had to come here for teacher’s meeting/ bible study. Yes, you need your whole day of rest after they finish because you have to get ready for the next time you meet them. When I met her on last Thursday she saw me and she looked at me and then she said “hey honey” that’s what she says to lure you in. She told me that we were going to take it easy today. She began to explain why I was experiencing some technical difficulties within my body. When I go in I immediately get on the elliptical it works the entire body and it gets your heart rate up and it causes you to use more oxygen, and then we go for a six minute walk (longest walk of my life) those are called aerobics.When we get to the table mats I do plank, up down planks, side planks, dead bugs, supermans, hip and ab abductions and all of that is called anaerobics. Aerobics causes you to use more oxygen and anerobics causes you to use less oxygen and when you don’t use as much oxygen your body begins to set up this lactic acid, and therefore your body is sore. With anaerobics you are doing more exercices and you still have the pain because it just seems to me that the more exercises you do the more the pain ought to leave your body and then she said but because of your condition. She said to reduce the pain drink plenty of water and eat plenty of protein and the pain will gradually leave. She said it’s not going to be a quick fix but if you would just follow my instructions the pain will turn around for your good. Everyone does not have your condition, your condition, your situation, your present location in life only you know where you are, but if you would just follow the instructions, the answer won’t come when you think but I believe it’s coming. See right now you are just bearing seeds while you’re weeping but there’s a harvest coming and it’s just for you. It’s turning around for you. Aren’t you mighty glad that Jesus stepped in when He did? We were in bad shape and if truth be told we are still in bad shape but I thank God for His grace because its His grace that we don’t deserve that turns not all of our situations around but some of them and I thank him that he died, hung on Calvary’s cross but he got up!!!!