Psalm 126 Zion’s Captives Restored A song of ascents.
“When the LORD restored (bought back) the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers (or like those restored to health.) Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our captives, O LORD, (Some translations say “restore our fortunes.) like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.“
For many of us, the last few years have brought even more struggles than before. Due to the COVID pandemic, many countries have taken severe measures that have destroyed small businesses and educational enterprises. But unless you have endured the refugee experience, it is still difficult to identify with the writer of this psalm.
“When the LORD restored (bought back) the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers (or like those restored to health.) Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” First, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, slaughtering many people and carrying the rest away to Assyria. Then Babylon conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah, carrying away many of its people as well. While those scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire never returned as a group, groups under Ezra and later under Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple after an edict by King Cyrus of Babylon.
Even though the captives of Zion returned to a city whose walls were broken down and whose gates had been burned, the very fact that God had moved a pagan king to order them to return was a huge miracle. Centuries later, the Zionist Movement encouraged Jews to return to Israel to rebuild it. After World War II, thousands more Jews fled Europe and the Soviet Union to Israel, spurred on by the horrors of the Holocaust. Today Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.
“The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. Restore our captives, O LORD, (Some translations say “restore our fortunes.) like streams in the Negev.” What an encouragement! God does not play favorites. When we are faced with seemingly hopeless situations, we can appeal to the Lord to do great things for us. But what does the reference to streams in the Negev mean?
The Negev desert in southern Israel is relatively desolate for much of the year. But when the rains come, suddenly dry wadis will swell with water from rain in other places. The desert will suddenly blossom. Here the psalmist is begging God to take the dry desolate places of life and fill them with life-giving water, hope from the Holy Spirit.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.“ Why would anyone weep while sowing seed? Simple. That person might be sowing seed in fear, weeping because they cannot believe that anything will come from it. But when God gives a harvest, He gives so abundantly that all we can do is shout for joy. Those who have scattered seed in faith will gain an enormous harvest, far outstripping anything they can imagine.
APPLICATION: I love this psalm for the encouragement it brings. These last several months, we have seen ever-deepening poverty among our hospital patients. Our farming season was a disaster, but that has not prevented people from falling sick. Working with our hospital chaplain and some of the nurses, we find ourselves settling medical bills and disbursing money so patients and their care givers will not starve in the hospital.
We are not wealthy people and we depend totally on donors for assistance. We are sowing financial seeds into people’s lives, begging God to bring in the funds so that we may continue to help more people. At the same time, we also have witnessed results that cause us to laugh and shout. One seventeen-year-old Fulani boy was so ill that we despaired of his life; yet, God is healing him and he is doing extremely well. Another ten-year-old boy from an interior village 150 miles from us has recovered from typhoid and malaria and has now had his large groin hernia operated successfully. A long-time friend needed coronary artery stents, a procedure that is not normally performed in Ghana. Thanks to a team of visiting American doctors, our friend has been operated and is doing so well that she hopes to return to work in February. We paid for our friend’s procedure with donor money.
There are so many lessons to be gained from this short psalm. Here is one: Do not be afraid to step out in faith when God moves you to help others, even though you aren’t sure if your resources will stretch. One of the laws of the kingdom of God is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. If you give generously and even sacrificially, you can trust God to provide for you when you are in need.
We have just returned from the capital city of Accra by way of the Volta and Oti Regions. It was essential for us to make the last ferry carrying vehicles across the Volta Lake, and God gave us passage on the ferry. After leaving the ferry, we needed a place to eat and a safe and inexpensive place to stay the night. God gave us both. The next morning, we needed breakfast and a petrol station from one of the major brands so that we could be sure of getting clean fuel. Again, God gave us all those things. God also allowed our fuel to last until we could reach that petrol station.
As long as you hold God’s provision lightly, prepared to give whenever He says so, God will give you more. But react in fear and begin clutching and you will find yourself lacking. Do not despise God’s provisions when they seem simple. The guest house in which we slept was quite basic, but the beds were good, the rooms were clean, and the security was adequate for our needs. Our breakfast consisted of fried egg sandwiches and tea or coffee at a roadside stand. But those were great sandwiches!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You all the days of our lives. Give us the courage to go out and sow, even if we are weeping as we do so. We praise You that You will bless those who sow, giving them an abundant harvest. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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