Sermon Tone Analysis

“ 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.