Psalm 126/Commentary

It Was Like a Dream Psalm 126

“When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream” (126:1) It is hard to appreciate the tremendous feeling expressed in the first verse of this psalm. It is describing the delirious happiness, the surprise, and wonder of the Jewish captives who once had been taken in Babylonian captivity, and were then released after seventy years and allowed to return to their native land and the capital city of Jerusalem. Seventy years is a long time for mankind; it would be like we being allowed to return to a homeland we had not seen since 1938.

“They were so overwhelmed with this sudden turn of fortune that they almost imagined they were dreaming” (Psalms 107-105, James Montgomery Boice, p.

1110). Even though God had promised deliverance through the prophets (Daniel 9:2), when it actually arrived, people could not believe it was reality. One moment the Babylonians were in charge and Israel was a captive people without any hope of return and the next moment the Persians were in charge telling them they could return home (Ezra 1:1-4).

“The Lord brought back” Even though Cyrus gave the decree to return and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4), it was God who had ordered and orchestrated the plan. Israel was in exile under God’s judgment and as a result only He could truly release her. Cyrus was simply God’s tool for getting the job done (Isaiah 45:1).

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with joyful shouting” For some time the captives cannot believe the news they are hearing that they are allowed to go home. The shock and disbelief must have issued in such statements as, “Is this real?” Now the reality of the release sets in and as they return home they are joyfully laughing and singing.

Applications  Our own Deliverance from Sin: “For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).

Do we still stand in awe of the fact that we are saved? Are we stunned that God wanted us saved? Are we surprised the gospel message came to us? Are we amazed at all the providential effort God put into making sure we heard the truth? Did we ever expect to be a Christian, to be living the Christian life or to be so involved in the kingdom or to know so much about the Bible? Boice writes, “Exceptional joy usually doesn’t last a long time. It can’t, really, because life is always a combination of ecstasy and agony, good times and bad times, joy and suffering” (p. 1110). While this is often true, it seems that God wants us to hold on to the excitement of being saved. We can easily lose sight of our appreciation for it, especially when we are careless and take it for granted, yet even David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12). So what does the true joy of salvation look like? Consider the following passages: “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away you confidence” (Hebrews 10:32-35).

1. We approached setbacks and trials differently when we were new Christians. We did not resent such things or say, “Oh no, not another problem..” We viewed trials as proof that we were on the right road, we were happy to suffer for Christ and considered it an honor to endure something for Him. Early in the existence of the New Testament church the book of Acts records, “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (5:41).

2. We were not afraid, rather we were willing to give up anything for Christ, including bad friendships, the praise of men, and sometimes material gain. And we did not find such things to be discouraging, rather, we found all this engaging, exhilarating, and we thrived in such challenges.

3. We looked forward to studying with people, found ourselves surprised when we could find a passage or recall one from memory, and studied with people with a self-forgetfulness.

4. Nothing else mattered except our relationship with God and as long as we had that we were happy.

5. We had tremendous confidence in the Scriptures—for from them we had learned the truth, and adherence to the teaching therein had liberated us from sins that had seemed impossible to escape.  Our own Victories Over Temptation: We experience the same type of joy when we have been battling a temptation that just seems impossible to shake until we completely trust God’s way of handling the situation and all of a sudden we find ourselves free. Yes, the thoughts return and the temptation will come back now and then, but it is no longer in control, it is no longer the invincible enemy. Now we go days, weeks, months and years without giving in. There is an absolute joy of a sinful addiction that has been broken, an almost disbelief that is no longer controls us, it is like a prisoner being suddenly released from what seemed like a life sentence, or a prisoner of war who suddenly finds that all the guards have fled, the gates are open, the Allies are entered and that he is actually going to live and go home after all these years.

I think it is easy to forget the many victories that are to be gained and appreciated in the Christian life, besides a victory over temptation: 1.

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The victory of leading someone else to Christ.

The victory of a happy marriage.

The victory of faithful children.

The victory of believing grandchildren.

The victory of appointing elders and deacons.

The victory of helping someone else with a problem.

The victory of bringing back someone who has strayed.

The victory of seeing the next generation assume their spiritual responsibilities.

9. The victory of living long enough to see countless Biblical principles reinforced by real life.

“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” Even the people who lived around the Promised Land could see that Israel’s deliverance was not just luck. Their deliverance was widely talked about and

non-Jewish peoples attributed such an event to the hand of God. Could this be how people who knew us as non-Christians speak of our conversion? It is hard to explain the drastic transformation of a sinner in purely secular or material terms, especially when our faithfulness stretches past days, weeks and months into years and decades.

“Restore our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South” The Negev or “South-land” is a desert that has gullies which are the remains of former streams. For most of the year they are barren, hot, and comfortless. “At those rare times when rain descends on the highlands to the north, the rivulets of water come together in streams descending from the hills and then rush down to fill the barren wadis with abundant sparkling and refreshing water. The essence of this image is how suddenly these gullies fill up, which is how the people’s freedom from Babylon came” (Boice p. 1113). “Sudden bounty has its perfect illustration here, since few places are more arid than the Negev, and few transformations more dramatic than that of a dry gully into a torrent. Such can be the effect of a downpour, which can also turn the surrounding desert into a place of grass and flowers overnight” (Kidner pp. 439-440). A number of us who became Christians experienced this first hand in our lives. At one moment we were dead in sin, without any plan for the future, surrounded by bad companions and fully under the influence of Satan. A month later we were saved, surrounded by good influences, active in a congregation, maybe even leading a prayer, and for some of us, engaged to a strong Christian. Overnight, almost everything in our lives changed for the better. What looked like a hopeless barren wasteland became a fruitful garden.

“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” Matching the picture in verse four, here is another picture of revival or a complete reversal of fortunes. “In terms of farming at its most-heartbreaking; all its joys hard-won and long-awaited (Galatians 6:7-10; James 5:7ff)” (Kidner p.

440). Yet for all the uncertainties of literal farming—the victory here is certain.

Therefore, the Psalm still speaks to us today. It reminds us of past deliverances and great upheavals, where the seemingly hopeless becomes a reality overnight.

It reminds us that dry places can become rivers, and that hard toil and good seed will result in a certain harvest.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017 www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com