About this sermon
Psalm 126 remembers the joy of the exiles’ return to Zion, when their mouths filled with laughter and even the nations said the Lord had done great things for them. The restoration was still incomplete, and the psalmist prays for the Lord to restore them fully, like streams in the Negev. Believers live in the same tension: already saved, being saved, and still waiting to be saved in full. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy at the final harvest.
Sermon transcript
Amen, please remain standing for the reading of God’s word. We continue our consideration of various select songs. You may have noticed that I’ve jumped ahead this evening, we’re going to consider a very short song, but a very powerful song, Psalm 126. You may have noticed that I’m jumping ahead a little bit and I may be doing a little bit of back and forth as we approach the end of our our song series, but this evening I thought it would be well for us to consider Psalm 126. So let us hear God’s holy word. This is entitled A Song of Ascent. When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad. Restore our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro, weeping, carrying his bag of seed shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Here once the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Once again, let’s seek the Lord’s blessing upon the preaching of his word. Our Lord and Father in heaven, we pray that by your Holy Spirit, you would cause your word to find a lodging place in our souls. Once again, this Lord’s Day evening, we ask that in this brief psalm we would find a truth that indeed transforms us and renews our minds.
We ask that you would set a guard over my lips, that I might speak only that which is faithful, and we pray that your name would be glorified in the proclamation of your word this evening. We ask these things through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, and all of God’s people said, Amen. You may be seated. titled my sermon this evening is Sewing in Tears, Reaping in Joy. Well, dear ones, reunions with family or old friends that you haven’t seen in a while can indeed be joyful occasions, especially so when such a reunion takes place after a significantly long period of time filled with life-changing trials, struggles, crises, and sorrows. This was brought home to me recently. Recently, I was looking online at some old photos of soldiers who had just returned home to their families and friends after the end of the Second World War.
Though the pictures were black and white, for the most part, the look on the faces of these folks, the folks in these photos, whether we’re talking about the returned soldiers, their girlfriends, their wives, their children, their friends, and onlookers in general. The looks on their faces were just beaming with brightness and joy. In some of these old photos, you can also detect some eyes that were moist with tears of joy. One particular picture that really stood out to me was a photo of two young soldiers who had returned home from the war. In this particular photo, these men in uniform were walking on crutches, the reason being that each one of them had lost a part of his leg up to the knee in the photo. But in spite of having lost a limb in their service, both of these wounded warriors were just smiling from ear to ear, their faces just beaming.
And you might wonder as you look at that picture, why are these men so happy? Each of them has lost a significant portion of one of his legs and they’re walking on crutches. Why are they so happy? Well, friends, the war was over. They were home, finally home. It’s likely that they had been looking forward to that moment in time for a very long time. And when the moment finally arrived, it must have seemed euphoric to them, almost like they were dreaming. As I was looking at these photos, I also began reflecting on not only on the joy of homecoming and reunion with family and friends as depicted in these photos, but I also began to wonder to myself, well, what was it like for these brave men to readjust to life after war and life off of the battlefield?
What was it like for them to get back into the routine of ordinary civilian life and in a setting of peacetime? As joyful as it was for many of these soldiers to return home from the war, no doubt many of them and their families would face painful challenges as these men sought to transition back into civilian life and as they sought to return to a sense of normalcy. Now some, like the two men who had lost a leg, some of these men would carry with them for the rest of their lives the physical wounds of the battlefield. But even in the case of those who emerged from the war without physical injuries, no doubt many carried with them deep psychological scars, painful memories of the hellish horrors and atrocities witnessed on the battlefield, perhaps even memories of witnessing the lives of close friends and comrades in arms being violently snuffed out before their very eyes.
In their case, there was indeed joy in coming home and reuniting with family and friends. But for many who leave the war, sadly, the war never completely leaves them as their souls bear the imprint of it for the rest of their lives. What does this all have to do with our song for this Lord’s Day evening? Well, dear ones, our song for this Lord’s Day evening reflects a similar kind of tension between, on the one hand, the joys of restored fortunes, the joy of returning from the captivity, and on the other hand, the ongoing challenges and obstacles and struggles that living life in this fallen world continues to throw our way. In terms of the original life setting of this psalm, many believe that this particular psalm reflects the reality of life for God’s people after their return to the promised land following their exile. in Babylon.
This setting is favored by translations such as the one I’m preaching from this evening, the New American Standard Version. You’ll notice in verse one, it is translated, when the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion. Now, if that’s the favored translation, then it favors the view that this psalm was likely composed following the exile from Babylon. In other words, a post-exilic psalm. However, some versions, like the very sound English Standard Version, offer another possible translation that leaves the door open for a more general historical setting. In the ESV, it is translated in verse 1, when the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion. That could be referring to any number of historical situations in Israel, situations both before and following the exile. Based on my own research, I tend to favor the view that this particular psalm is a post-exilic psalm.
But in any case, whenever it was written, this psalm appropriately speaks to the joys and to the sorrows that God’s people experienced after their return to the promised land from their Babylonian exile. Now, this is one of the so-called songs of ascents. The songs of ascents include Psalms 120 through 134. And many believe that these songs were sung by pilgrims after the exiled who would sing these songs on their way up on their ascent up to Jerusalem for the annual feast, and which also may have been used in the temple liturgy as they made their way up the steps of the temple. Like many other songs, this song covers a full range of human emotions. It goes from joy to sorrow and back to joy. Again, Professor Elmer Leslie introduces this psalm in the following words in his commentary.
He says, The psalmist remembers the joy which came to him and his countrymen when the return from exile or the change in fortunes was experienced. The presence, however, is disappointing, and in confidence, he prays that Jehovah may bring the restoration to a glorious completion. There is no definite indication of date. It would fit in the troublesome period soon after the return in 537 B.C. or in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah nearly a century later. So as we dive into this brief poem this evening, let’s first of all consider the opening verses, verses one through three, as we consider the joy of restoration, the joy of restoration. Again, assuming the New American Standard Version translation being appropriate, it says, when the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Again, we have here likely a post-exilic setting. And he says, when the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, Yahweh, the Lord, Israel’s faithful covenant-keeping God, is credited with bringing his captive ones back to Zion or of restoring the fortunes of Zion. What is in view here, beloved, is a gracious, divine intervention, a special providential act of Israel’s faithful covenant Lord, the Lord who does great things for them. And it says, as the psalmist recalls, God’s mighty work in bringing the captives back to Zion this joy, the joy of returning from the captivity. What does he say? He says, we were like those who dream. If you’ve ever experienced an occasion of reunion after a long period of time or a heightened emotion, it can almost seem, especially heightened emotion when it comes to joy, it can almost seem like you’re dreaming.
It can seem like, is this really real? We were like those who dream. In other words, what God had done for them almost seemed too good to be true. Almost seemed like a dream. But God had indeed done great things for them in bringing them back to the promised land. And then it goes on to say in verse two, then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting. Then they said among the nations that the goyim, the gentile nations, they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. So great was God’s restoration, his intervention that brought this restoration, that even the Gentile nations surrounding Israel acknowledge that Yahweh, their God, has done great things for them. Once the initial shock of joy over their restoration is over, they’re filled with rejoicing over the Lord’s gracious restoration.
Their joy is multiplied. And even as I mentioned, even the Gentile nations at that time recognized the sovereign power of Yahweh, Israel’s God, in doing great things for his people. And by the way, that reminds us that part of Israel’s calling as the chosen people of God and as a theocratic nation, as the church under age, the church of the old covenant, was to bear witness to the reality of God and the truthfulness of his word to the Gentile nations around them. Israel to God’s people under the old covenant also had a missionary calling. They were to bear faithful testimony to the true and living God to the Gentile nations that surrounded them. Just as it is our duty as the Church of Jesus Christ in this new covenant era to proclaim the gospel in all the world and to make disciples of all the nations.
And so following up on this confession of the nations that yes, The Lord has done great things for them. What does it say in verse three, the psalmist voicing the expression, the confession of the people of God, the psalmist says the Lord has done great things for us. And what’s the result? We are glad. You see how these opening verses of this brief psalm just pulsate with joy. Pulsate with with thanksgiving to God for the great things that he has done for them. Beloved, even greater than God restoring his people from exile, that great historical restoration and deliverance was God restoring us believers to a right relationship with us, with himself, through the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. You see, all of these lesser restorations and deliverances point forward to the ultimate restoration and deliverance that comes to God’s people through the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners.
In Christ, God has indeed done great things for us, especially in saving us from our sins and granting us the gift of everlasting life. Dear listener, do you know the joy of being restored to a right relationship with God, the joy of salvation? It is that joy that would cause us to say we were it was like we were dreaming. What a wondrous thing that God, the infinitely holy creator of the universe, would have pity upon and take and show mercy to us wretched sinners and send his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and to rise again that we might receive the gift of eternal life. May your trust be in him. May you rejoice in the Lord who has done great things for you, the Lord Jesus Christ, your Savior. But next, while this psalm opens with a note of great joy, we next notice in verse four, a prayer for the Lord to complete the restoration, a prayer for the Lord Yahweh to complete the restoration.
Verse one, when the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, so there’s already been an initial restoration, but then the psalmist goes on to say, Restore our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South, or the Negev. The Negev was the southern part of the promised land, as streams in the South. Though the people have experienced the joy of restoration, they await a complete or full restoration. When the psalmist prays and petitions God to restore our fortunes, as one commentator puts it, it’s as if the psalmist is saying either complete the repatriation of exiles or fully restore the security and prosperity of former times. If you read in the Old Testament the history of the post-exilic community, you recognize that the returned exiles didn’t have it easy. Yes, they rejoiced that that the Lord had brought them back to the promised land.
But once they got back to the promised land, what did they face? They faced difficulty. They faced opposition from the pagans who were then dwelling in the land and so forth. And so there was there was difficulty. It was not like it had been in the days of Solomon for the post-agylic community. And so, again, the psalmist says, Restore our captivity, O Lord. as the streams in the south. Now, what is this referring to, the streams in the south? Another commentator reminds us that the streams in the Negev were dry in the summer, but winter rains brought plenty of water and made the people rejoice. Now, this kind of agricultural language that the psalmist is using, what does it point to? This imagery of streams in the Negev and seed for sowing and so forth.
Again, another commentator says that the images that follow seem to illustrate the kind of renewal that is being asked for, namely a good year for crops. Since Israel’s life in the land was to show forth a new Eden for all the world to see, such agricultural fruitfulness would necessarily be tied to active faithfulness on the part of the people. And so the returned exiles seem to be praying for Lord, grant us a a full crop that we might be able to provide for our children in the next year. Living in that part of the world, living in that kind of an agricultural environment where people, you know, if you were hungry you couldn’t go to the local supermarket, you depended upon a good crop to be able to survive. And so this is the kind of, these are the kinds of requests that are being made in this particular psalm.
What is the basic overall message of this psalm? Well, to quote from another commentator, the message of the psalm is that there is no simple solution on earth for the problems of the people of God. No single act of God which will bring them into unbroken joy, rid them of trials and temptations, or establish them in perfection. This side of heaven. In other words, friends, This psalm expresses the already not yet tension of this present age. What’s that talking about? What am I talking about when I speak of the already and the not yet? Well, thank brothers and sisters of your salvation. Are you saved? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Have you trusted him as your very own Lord and Savior, having repented of sin and put your faith and trust in him alone?
If by God’s sovereign grace and through the effectual call of that grace, you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, you are already in a safe position. You are already justified. You are an adopted child of God. You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You are being progressively sanctified, and one day you will be glorified. But you are saved, and yet you are not saved in the fullness of salvation. You yet await full conformity into the image of Christ your Savior, which will happen at your glorification. So, in answer to the question, when someone asks you, are you saved? Really, the biblical answer is, I am saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. I’m already in a saved condition because of Christ and because of His mercy to me, because of my justification and adoption.
But I am being saved. I’m being progressively sanctified and I will be saved in the ultimate consummate sense on that final day. There’s this already not yet reality or tension that we live with in this present age. This is reflected in the psalm. The psalmist says that they rejoice because the Lord had restored their fortunes. The Lord had brought back the captive ones and yet They’re not fully restored as verse as the petition of verse four indicates. And so again, we who are in Christ are already know the joy of the Lord and his saving, restoring grace. If Christ is your savior, if you are in Christ, you already know that joy inexpressible and filled with glory, you know, in your heart, the joy of the Lord. And yet we do not experience that joy and restoration in its full consummated sense yet.
And therefore, this psalm leaves us longing for the eschatological age to come. This psalm ultimately points us to the fact that there is something better yet to come. The good news is that this psalm closes by pointing us to the hope and promise of the final harvest. And that leads me to my final point as we consider verses five and six, where the psalmist writes, Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Now, assuming that this psalm reflects a post-exilic setting, The returned exiles faced, as I mentioned, they faced the difficult and often sorrowful challenges of working the land. And the land was not always cooperative. Working the land, sowing their seed, and looking in hope for a fruitful harvest.
But here our Lord assures his people that though at this present time we sow in tears, one day we shall reap a joyful harvest. In these verses, we are presented with an oracle of hope. And, you know, this has been mentioned many times, but it’s important to remind ourselves that when the Bible talks about hope, it’s not just talking about a pipe dream. It’s not just talking about, oh, I wish. We might use the word hope in that looser sense of, well, I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, or I hope, you know, I hope I get that new job, or I hope I get a good report from my doctor. When we use the word hope in that sense, we’re expressing a wish, but a wish that may or may not come to pass. But biblical hope is not merely a wish.
Biblical hope is a certainty. Our ultimate hope as Christians is not an uncertain thing. Our ultimate hope, the hope of glorified life in the new heavens and the new earth, There’s nothing uncertain about that. It is an absolute certainty, but it is still in our future. And in this present age, we are pilgrims walking towards that ultimate hope. We walk by faith, not by sight. And so here we have an oracle of hope where God is assuring his people that yes, a bountiful, joyful harvest is coming. God will in his good time, grant a fruitful harvest. Now, the present painful toil of his people will yet bear abundant fruit. Now, no doubt this promise was fulfilled in a typological and agricultural sense in its ancient context, and no doubt God did grant his post-exilic people the necessary harvest to sustain their life.
But this also points us to an even greater harvest. That is the spiritual and eternal harvest of redeemed souls that our Lord will harvest on that final day. Beloved, this points us to Christ. Think about it. Christ’s body was sown in sorrow on Good Friday. But through his redemptive labors on the cross, he reaped a harvest of eternal life on Easter Sunday when he rose victorious from the dead. securing the harvest of a great multitude of redeemed sinners. And likewise, the church of two, the Church of Jesus Christ, also sows the seed of the gospel word throughout the field of this world, and oftentimes, beloved, our labors as the Church of Jesus Christ, our labors at sowing the word are often accompanied by the sorrows of this life, often accompanied by the sorrows of discouragement and disappointment.
People rejecting the gospel. People scoffing at us. People even persecuting the church. In this present age, we sometimes face the sorrows, the tears. We take out our bag of seed. We sow the seed of the word. The church sows the seed of the word and much of that seed will fall on fallow ground, unresponsive ground. And it’s tempting to be discouraged. The Church of Jesus Christ, let us not lose heart. Christ has promised and indeed secured an abundant spiritual harvest. He has secured it by his obedient life, his atoning death and his glorious resurrection. So let us with courage and joy labor on until our Lord returns and brings in the final harvest. This passage also leaves us longing for the glories of heaven. For the sorrows and the struggles and incomplete restoration that we experience in this present life are reminders to us that something better is yet to come.
As I studied this psalm in preparation for this sermon and considered it and meditated upon it, one of the effects that it had on me is that, again, it kind of whetted my appetite for the glories of the age to come. If I considered the redemptive historical and eschatological truths that this was pointing to, namely the truth of heaven, the final harvest, the final bringing in of the she’s where the Lord will bring us his harvest into his everlasting barn. How about you, dear listener, do you long for the glories of the age to come? Are you looking forward? to the ultimate joy of that ultimate eschatological harvest, that ultimate restoration. Are you looking forward to that time when Jesus, your Lord, will take you to be with himself or come back for you? Should he return at this present time?
Whenever our Lord returns, this psalm directs us to look to the Lord for that final harvest and to be assured that indeed, as it promises here, he who goes to and fro, weeping, carrying his bag of seeds shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Oh, dear, discouraged believer, latch on to this truth, this promise in verse five. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. There may be sorrow and tears now, but joy beyond imagination, the joy of the Lord is yet to come in its consummated glory. Amen. Let us pray. Our gracious Lord and Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you, O God, that you have indeed restored us into a right relationship with yourself through faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that was given to us by your grace as a gift We thank you, Lord, that we can experience in Christ the joy of the Lord.
Even now, in this present age, we have a foretaste of the glorious age to come. And yet, Lord, in this present age, we continue to labor. We continue to sorrow. We often sow in tears. Give us the grace, Heavenly Father, give us the grace to rest in your promise that those who sow in tears will one day reap, by your grace, a joyful harvest because Christ, our Savior, has brought us into a right relationship with yourself. In his name we pray, and all of God’s people say, Amen.
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