****PSALMS 126:5-6

Singing While We Cry

Psalm 126:5–6 (NRSV)

5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

Preaching Themes: Family: Mothers, Grief, Suffering

I once heard a Welshman preach in his own native tongue. It was a sermon in which he got into the spirit of his subject, and spoke as one inspired. He used a very simple illustration when he said, “The mother has her dear baby on her knee. It is time for washing; she washes its face. The little one cries; it does not love the soap; it does not love the water; and therefore it cries. Here is a great sorrow! Listen to its lamentations! It is ready to break its heart!

“What does the mother do? Is she sorrowful? Does she weep? No, she is singing all the while, because she understands how good it is that the child should suffer a little temporary inconvenience in order that its face, all smeared and foul, should become bright and beautiful again. In this way does the great Father rest in his love and rejoice over us with singing while we are sighing and crying.”

Ours is only a child’s sorrow, sharp and shallow, of which the greatest source is our own ignorance of the great designs of the perfecter of men. The Lord pities our childish sorrow, but he does not so regard it as to stay his hand from his cleansing work.274

Introduction: it is thrilling to observe people who have just been born again! Their demeanor changes immediately. The burden of sin that they have carried their entire lives vanishes. A strong sense of relief and release takes its place. No longer are they slaves to sin, for they have been set free from its power over them. The joy that floods their souls is seen on their faces and in their lives. They have been given a fresh start, a new beginning, new life, and new hope.

As the days pass by, though, these new believers begin to realize that the challenges of life were not washed away with their sins. Trials come, temptations arise, and Satan opposes them as they strive to live for Christ. They discover that the Christian life is not easy, and discouragement tries to force its way into their struggling spirits.

Psalm 126 portrays the ups and downs of the Christian life through the experience of the remnant who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity. It captures the exuberant joy they felt when they were first released to go home again. Then, it conveys the struggles of rebuilding a city that had lain desolate for seventy years.

It is interesting that this psalm was sung regularly by God’s people as they journeyed to Jerusalem to worship. Perhaps it is because it truly grasps what we do when we go to God’s house: we praise God for what He has done for us, and we seek His strength to continue laboring faithfully for Him through the ups and downs of life. This is, When God Saves You from Bondage: Honor Him with Your New Life and a Fresh Start, 126:1–6.

1. Praise the Lord for setting you free from captivity (both human and spiritual) (vv. 1–2a).

2. Know that God uses your deliverance as a testimony to unbelievers (vv. 2b–3).

3. Ask God to restore you—your spirit and prosperity—just as streams refresh a dry desert (v. 4).

4. Work hard and pray sincerely (weeping) (vv. 5–6).

1 (126:1–2a) Praise the LORD for setting you free from captivity (both human and spiritual).

The psalmist recalled how God’s faithful people had felt when the LORD released them from Babylon. As seventy years crawled by, they no doubt dreamt of going back to the promised land. Nearly all who chose to return had either been born in Babylon or were children when their families were dragged away into captivity. They had only heard about the glories of Jerusalem and the temple where God’s presence resided with His people in a special way.

Nevertheless, the fire of freedom burned intensely within their hearts. These flames had been sparked by their parents and grandparents who had lived in the land. Their stories of the joyous times they had experienced at their religious feasts created a thirst in their descendants for a similar experience. They longed to worship in God’s house in His holy presence. When the opportunity finally came to return and to reclaim the land that God had promised Abraham, their hearts jumped for joy. They counted it a privilege to rebuild the Jewish society there.

The longed-for day of freedom finally arrived, and it seemed too good to be true. As the psalmist records, it was as if they were dreaming (v. 1). While they packed their possessions for the long journey home, they laughed heartily and sang songs of joy. With every passing mile, their excitement grew. Imagine how they rejoiced when, after many days of exhausting travel, Mount Zion came into view.

This devoted remnant praised the LORD without restraint for setting them free from captivity. From the top of their heads to the soles of their feet, they were filled with joyful laughter and song (v. 2a).

Thought 1. The Jews’ release from Babylon by King Cyrus is a picture of our being set free from sin by God when we are saved. Just as the people of Israel continued to remember when the LORD delivered them from bondage, we too need to remember …

• the day we were saved and the freedom we felt when the burden of sin rolled away.

• the relief that came to our troubled hearts when we realized we were no longer sentenced to hell but rather destined for eternal life in heaven.

• the joy that flooded our souls when God’s presence came into our lives.

• the unexplainable peace that swept over our spirits when we received God’s forgiveness and were reconciled to Him.

• the gratitude we felt for the LORD because of what He had done for us.

• the hope of being given a new life, a clean slate, a fresh start, a new beginning.

Without question, the greatest day of our lives is the day we are born again. Throughout each and every day, we ought to pause to praise the Lord for saving us and for setting us free from the bondage of sin. And we should never allow the pressures, challenges, and temptations of life to rob us of the joy of our salvation. No matter how bad things may get, we know we are secure in our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Ro. 6:18).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Ro. 8:1–2).

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (He. 13:15).

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Re. 5:9–10).

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD” (Ps. 40:2–3).

2 (126:2b–3) Know that God uses your deliverance as a testimony to unbelievers.

When Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers paraded the Jewish captives to Babylon, they were a shameful spectacle to the world. Their pagan neighbors ridiculed them unmercifully as they passed through their lands. Even worse, the heathen mocked the LORD. For generations, Israel had boasted that the LORD was their refuge and defense. To these unbelievers, it appeared that their God had failed them terribly.

a. Your changed life shows what God has done for you (v. 2b).

The Jews who crossed through the surrounding nations seventy years after the captivity were far different from those who passed through before. Their heads were held high in triumph, not bowed low in disgrace. Instead of sobs and mournful wails, their mouths were filled with laughter and songs of joy. The change in their lives testified to what God had done for them. The same people who had mocked the LORD decades earlier now acknowledged that He had done great things for them.

b. Your duty is to declare the facts (v. 3).

The released captives responded to their freedom by giving God the glory. They affirmed to the pagan nations that it was indeed the LORD who had done this great thing for them. They gratefully declared the fact that God had saved them and set them free from captivity. Because of Him, they were filled with joy.

Thought 1. Throughout the New Testament, Scripture highlights those who boldly testified to what Christ had done for them (Mk. 1:45; 5:19–20; Lk. 8:39, 47; Jn. 4:28; 5:15; 9:25; 1 Ti. 1:15–16). We need to follow their example by letting others know that God has saved us from sin and death. Jesus Christ Himself has commissioned us to go and tell others of the great salvation that is available through Him (Mt. 28:18–20; Mk. 16:15; Ac. 1:8).

One of the greatest evidences of genuine faith in Christ is a changed life (2 Co. 5:17). If we have truly repented and received Christ, people will see a difference in us. This difference will be a strong testimony to what the Lord has done for us. Others need to hear our testimonies about Christ, but they also need to see that we are changed individual with new lives. As James so effectively put it, we should show others our faith by our works (Js. 2:14–18).

“Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mk. 5:19–20).

“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Ac. 2:47).

“And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God” (Ac. 3:8–9).

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pe. 2:9).

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Pe. 3:15).

3 (126:4) Ask God to restore you—your spirit and prosperity—just as streams refresh a dry desert.

The bliss of being set free from captivity faded as the remnant realized the difficult task that lay ahead of them. The land was totally devastated and had lain desolate for seventy years. The people needed the LORD’s blessing in order to rebuild Jerusalem, their economy, and their society. Therefore, they prayed for the LORD to turn again, to restore their spirit and prosperity.

Turn again our captivity (shub shebuth) is translated in newer versions as restore our fortunes. It is the same phrase used when God gave back to Job twice as much as he had lost when Satan tested him (Jb. 42:10). Similarly, the remnant asked God to restore what Israel had lost in the Babylonian invasion.

The people prayed for God to restore their fortunes like streams in the south (negeb). Negeb or Negev, which means to be dry, was the name given to the parched region south of Judah toward the Sinai peninsula. It is a rocky desert that receives very little rain. “But on the rare occasion when during the winter months it rained even as little as one inch, the water ran downs its ‘streams’ with great rapidity and often with destructive force.”1 These downpours could “turn the surrounding desert into a place of grass and flowers overnight.”2 In like manner, the people asked God to unleash a sudden flood of blessings on Israel that would result in the restoration of prosperity.

Thought 1. As believers on this earth, we live and labor in a dry and thirsty land, a land that has abandoned God and forsaken godly values. We desperately need the cloudbursts of God’s blessings, the rain of heaven, to fall upon us and our work. We will accomplish nothing if we labor in our own strength. We need the fullness of His power, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, that He might work through us. Help from heaven will come as we depend totally on God, work in the power of the Holy Spirit, and pray fervently for His showers of blessing to fall.

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Mt. 17:20).

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Ac. 1:8).

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ep. 3:20).

“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth” (Ps. 72:6).

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Is. 44:3).

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing” (Eze. 34:26).

4 (126:5–6) Work hard and pray sincerely (weeping).

While totally dependent on God for help, the remnant realized that prosperity would be restored as they continued to labor faithfully. They considered God’s laws of nature and claimed the LORD’S promises. By faith, they declared that God would bless their diligent efforts.

a. Honest labor is rewarded (v. 6a).

The psalmist compared the restoration of Israel to the work of the farmer. The farmer has to sow his crop before he can reap the harvest. In other words, He has to labor before he can receive the reward (2 Ti. 2:6).

Often, the farmer sows in tears. These tears represent the burden of supporting his family, the difficulty of his work, and the unfavorable conditions under which he must sow his precious seed. But he presses on with the hope that he will one day reap what he has sown. The tears that marked his sowing will eventually be replaced by joyful songs as he harvests the fruit of his labor. God will do what the farmer cannot: He will touch those seeds with new life and send the necessary rains for their growth. He will reward the faithful labor of the sower with a bountiful harvest.

b. Hard work and prayer (sowing and reaping) will reap a good harvest—prosperity and success (v. 6b).

Sowing and reaping is one of God’s laws of nature (Jb. 4:8; Ga. 6:7). In every area of life, we have to sow before we can reap. The remnant realized this truth: if they were to reap a restored society, they had to sow or work to rebuild it. They earnestly sought God’s strength to continue the hard, exhausting work of restoring the region. They were determined to labor on, bolstered by the confidence that in return for their hard work (sowing), they would reap a bountiful harvest of prosperity and success.

Thought 1. When God disciplined Israel by allowing Babylon to overtake them, the faithful people were taken captive along with those who had turned away from the LORD. For seventy years, they had sown their tears in a foreign country, far from God’s house and the land they loved. But through the prophet Jeremiah, the LORD promised that He would one day turn their sorrow to joy:

“Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow” (Je. 31:10–13).

Perhaps the psalmist had this prophecy in mind as he wrote Ps. 126:5–6. God’s faithful people endured the exile because the LORD had given them hope that they would one day go home. Believers ever since then, including us today, have been laboring for the LORD in a foreign land, a world that is not our home. And we, too, have often sowed our tears into barren soil. But we have a promise from God, a great hope that sustains us. Our LORD is coming back, and one day, He will catch us away out of this world and take us home (Jn. 14:3; Ph. 3:20–21; 1 Th. 4:16–17; Titus 2:13)!

After the remnant returned to Israel, imagine how easily discouraged they could have become as they labored to cultivate land left unplowed for seventy years. Yet, the LORD had promised that the land of Israel would be fruitful again. Standing on this promise, they refused to quit; their hope in God’s Word strengthened them to labor on in spite of the challenges.

For generations, Psalm 126:5–6 has been precious to the people of God. Many of God’s faithful servants sow the seed of God’s Word in the people’s hearts but see little fruit from their efforts. A lack of visible results can cause any of us to become discouraged in the LORD’s work. When we are tired and feel that our labor is in vain, the enemy will tempt us to quit.

At such times, we should pour out our hearts to the Lord. He invites us to cast our burdens on Him and to come to Him for rest (Ps. 55:22; Mt. 11:28–29). We also need to fall before Him in worship and total surrender. When we do, we will find fresh strength to continue on in our labor for Him.

We also need to remember the promises of God’s Word. God’s Word will not return empty. It will accomplish what He desires (Is. 55:11). We will, in God’s time, reap fruit for our labor, if we do not give up (Ga. 6:9). In addition, we will reap an eternal reward from the Lord when we stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Co. 3:6–14).

“But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold” (Mt. 13:8).

“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together” (Jn. 4:35–36).

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour” (1 Co. 3:6–8).

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Co. 9:6).

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Ga. 6:9).

“The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward” (Pr. 11:18).