THE OTHER SIDE OF THROUGH

THE OTHER SIDE OF THROUGH

Psalm 126:1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

To begin with I want to teach about what it looks like on the other side of through..... Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death I shall fear no evil for thou art with me. The other side of through.

And so as we glint gleam and gaze at this glorious text I’m so glad we have a map, a mentor, and this great manual to teach us what it looks like on the other side of through.This Psalm was composed by Ezra the Brilliant Scribe. Ezra was more than just a scribe he was also a great organizer and Ezra and Nehemiah were in captivity and now Israel is returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. And Psalm 126 is a part of the Pilgrimage Psalms. Everybody say Pilgrimage Psalms. And what this means is that while the children of Israel were returning to Jerusalem they sung psalms 126 b ecause it spoke to their Bondage, to their Prayers, too their Prayers being answered to their fruitful ness and finally to their great Joyfulness over what the Lord had done for them.

And church when you have been through something hard, you got something to shout about. The church in the text is

1. Celebrating and praising God for her return out of Babylonian captivity in vs 1-3. The Return the Shoob shoob shoob the return I looked it up In the Hebrew vernacular the word Shoob is talked about 1066 xs concerning the children of Israel returning back to God.That means that they acted up too many times to be talked about that many times in scripture. Teach me Pastor,

2. The church is praying to God so that God perfect His work. Yes Lord.

3. The Word of God in verses 4-6 through the mouth of the Preacher tells the good successes that are forthcoming. In other words he’s telling us what it looks like on the other side of through. When you’ve been in the midst of a storm and it seems like is won’t ever let up! You have Great Joy when the sun comes out again and the storm is finally over.

The bible says in verse 1 that they can’t believe their eyes. They were astonished . They were overwhelmed with joy. They were utterly surprised. They felt like they were in a dream… This is too good to be true. Let’s read verse 1 again 1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

This is the forgiveness is right here in verse 1 before we go to any other verse, The Israelites couldn’t believe the divine intervention of favor that was being bestowed upon their lives. And the church said Amen.

They said It was almost delusional because it was like a dream that we’ve been dreaming a longggggg time. Because at other times we dream this same dream and then woke up to the same old Babylonian captivity.

But now God has forgiven us and is fueling, flowering, and funneling favor to the Israelites. But here’s the question that you’re not asking? WHY were they in Babylonian Captivity in the first place.

Listen to the rhetoric in verse one again from the NCV

126:1 When the LORD brought the prisoners back to Jerusalem, it seemed as if we were dreaming. In other words Y’all were prisoners that been cutting up and carrying on so badly until you don’t see how God could have forgiven a no good low down rotten people like you Jews.Yes indeed.

The Israelites of biblical antiquity said listen your future church folk. Listen Mam’ans and Sirs we know how terrible we were when we engaged in idol worship. We dibbled and dabbled in the occult and God didn’t like it. We tried soothsayers, and witches and warlocks and God didn’t like it. We were terrible. We knew better but sin had gotten so good until we just couldn’t stop. We enjoyed being out of the will of God and it was a stink in God’s nostrils ,but and we didn’t think that we were going to suffer this badly because of our sins.

The Israelites said Future church, Mam’ans and Sirs when Jeremiah the prophet came and told us about ourselves we got mad with the preacher and put him in jail. Yeah and Jeremiah said that these false prophets are testifying and testilying that Israel will be prosperous and will not suffer lost.

But the Prophet Jeremiah said Don’t believe that. He said that Israel would suffer under Babylonian Captivity for 70 years!!! Some of us laughed at Jeremiah, but others of us got red hot mad with him and put him deep down in the dungeon. And Jeremiah said Lord this what I get for telling them the truth. I ain’t preaching for you no mo. I’m done! and the bible says that the word of God was like fire shut up in his bones and he had to keep on preaching.

And so now that God has shown us favor despite our wicked folly and fuddy, duddy fake false phony ways,,, We simply can’t believe it… We know we deserve this punishment.

Have you ever been wrong? And you knew you were dead wrong, and God delivered a not guilty verdict and let you off the hook? You’ll look in the mirror and say boy that could have gone another way. And so now that God has delivered Israel and they are going back home to Jerusalem singing the Pilgrimage Psalm listen to what they say in verse 2&3.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

They burst out with jubilant laughter. Not a sniggle of a giggle type laugh but a hearty laugh.Brothers and sisters the bible says that laughter is a medicine for the soul. Laughter is good for your soul.Find laughter and you’ll find medicine to all of those rough and tough issues that you’re dealing with.I laugh as often as I can.

I read stuff in this bible that makes me laugh sometimes to tears.Laughter is good medicine.

Tell your neighbor: You need to laugh sometimes. So they are laughing at the fact that they should be crying. Here’s what the text is implicating. The text is teaching talking and telling us that the Israelites are saying “You mean to tell me that a heathen emperor of his own free will and mere notion and motion is showing this much kindness to such despicable and hateful people like us Jews” Whatttttt? They can’t believe it and they can’t stop laughing. They can’t stop praising God they can’t stop magnifying God.They can’t stop singing to God. They can’t stop lifting up the name of the Lord publicly. They gt the can’t help its… Anybody in here ever got the can’t help its? They said in verse 3 The Lord has done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

And just like Israel We in 2024 lift up the name of the Lord because we remember what it was like when we were in the midst of a hellish situation. Anybody ever been through hell and the Lord delivered you? That’s rejoicing moment, that a give Him Glory moment, that’s a thank you Jesus moment.That’s a grateful moment. And for the record despite everything that I’ve been through I STILL HAVE JOY! The songwriter said “Through many dangerous toils and snares I’ve already come. God made a way out of no way.

Then there is verses 4,5,&6 , 4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:4–6. is really a prayer that the Lord will intervene and ameliorate the lot of His People. And simply put this talks about the postexilic time. A time when the Judean community are going back to Jerusalem from Captivity and they are now praying in the song, in the Pilgrimage Psalm. They are not just celebrating and praising but they are also praying for God’s good graces and successes to be bestowed upon their lives. In other words this is the talk

on the other side of through.

Well there are a few more things about this text that’s got to be mentioned.

First of all 1.The prayer is LORD, return all of our prisoners again, just as you would bring streams to the desert. Just like you can bring water in dry places. um um yes

2. And although you may have had to cry sometimes the bible says that tah keep on doing good because weeping may endure for a night but Joy will come in the Morning . Tell your neighbor You’ll reap in joy. Oh yes you will and then finally.

3. You might be having it hard now and you might be singing the song I don’t know why I have to cry sometimes but I’ll find our by and by. In other words there is a great harvest for you on the other side of through. 4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

Turn again our captivity; as thou hast brought us home, bring home also the rest of our brethren, who are dispersed and yet remain captives in Babylon, or in any other parts of the world. As the streams in the south; as thou art pleased sometimes to send floods of water into dry and barren grounds, such as the southern parts of Canaan and the parts adjacent were; which is an act of thy great power and goodness; and no less will this reduction of thy people be, and no less shall we rejoice in it, and bless God for it.

5 They that sow in tears shall reap in ǁjoy.

This is an argument wherewith he presseth the foregoing prayer, ver. 4, taken from the common course of God’s providence towards men of all nations, to whom he affords vicissitudes of sorrow and comfort; and particularly towards husbandmen, who though ofttimes they sow their seed-corn with care, and fear, and sorrow, yet afterwards for the most part meet with a joyful harvest. And therefore we hope thou wilt not deny this favour to thine own people. And as thou hast in some good measure granted it to us, so we pray thee grant it to our brethren, who are yet exercised with hard labours and griefs, that they in biblical antiquity and we in 2024 together may at last obtain that blessed bountiful and full harvest which we still pray and hope for today.

Verse 6 says He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing ǁprecious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

He that goeth forth; the husbandman that goeth out into his field, and walketh to and fro to scatter his seed, as the manner is. The sower Weeps, for fear of the loss of his seed, and of a bad harvest, but he plants anyhow. You got to plant anyhow church. There are Precious seed in the body of Christ, seeds worth saving. And the church said AMEN-

Our ministries may end of being the baskets of seeds sown and rendered in our margin of our capabilities but God will multiply our seeds and our harvests will be bountiful. I just believe that if we sow in tears we will reap in joy.

Well I’m out of here now but I’m so glad that God looked past our faults and gave us what we need.

I’m so glad to finally see the other side of through.We had VBS last week and the children did a marvellous job . The teachers did a marvelous job. The staff did a marvelous job. The community came out and supported us and we are grateful . I thank God for his goodness and his lovingkindness he bestowed towards us. God is constantly making a way put of no way.

Because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life yes because On Friday um um yes they took my Lord and your God and led Him on up to Calvary.