Truth Streams

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:5-6

Psalm 126 is the final note in the musical scale of deliverance. The scale is not complete until the notes go full circle and return to the point of beginning. To stop short of that eighth note is to end the scale without resolve.

The cycle of chastening could not be complete without restoration. This song recalls the day when God restored Israel after seventy years of captivity in Babylon. Until the notes of this psalm were sung, the story of the Babylonian captivity was incomplete. We were left hanging in a suspenseful state. There was no feeling of harmony and completeness until the captivity of God’s people was ended and Israel once again planted in the land. This is the song the nation sung to commemorate the symmetry of God’s dealings with His people. It was sung on the occasion of the holy days, as the pilgrims ascended the holy mountain to the city of David and the place of the temple.

The goodness of God cannot be understood without the last note that returns to the beginning of the scale. So much about God’s purpose and how He deals with us will not be resolved from our perspective unless we stick with Him through the entire cycle. When Jeremiah was shown the destruction that was ahead for an unrepentant people, he wept until his head felt like a pool of water. That is because from the prophet’s perspective, he could not see the purpose of God. But that purpose was completed when God brought again the captivity of Israel. So much about the Lord will never be understood without seeing His restoration, His rebuilding, His harvest.

As you prepare to worship the Lord, His purpose in chastening is something to keep in mind. God is a god of restoration. So much about His nature and His dealings with us can only be understood by experiencing His regathering and His regeneration. If we bail out of our relationship with the Lord without experiencing the eighth note, much of our understanding of Him will not be resolved. In fact, the ancient songbook could not be complete without Psalm 126!

Awake in a Dream World

“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.” Ps 126:1

The song recalls the sheer ecstasy of being delivered from bondage. That day began like any other day. For the old man, Canaan was just a vague memory of a happy childhood that had blown away like a leaf in a cold February wind. For the young man, the Promised Land was a story the ancient ones shared in hushed and whimsical tones after all the children were sent off to bed. But this day was different! This day brought news of the king’s decree allowing whoever desired from among the Jews to return to that magical land. This was the day the Lord God plucked the string to complete the bittersweet notes of a minor scale. The cycle was complete. Restoration! Deliverance! Renewal!

The Jews were awake in a dream world. It was a day of hilarious singing and rejoicing.

“Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing…” Ps 126:2

Those of you who have experienced the Lord’s chastening, do you remember what it was like when the cycle was completed? It is almost surreal to experience restoration to God’s favor after a time of chastening. Only those who have experienced the complete cycle can know and fully appreciate the Lord’s mercy. Unfortunately many bail out of the process before ever returning to the beginning point. Many throw in the towel before experiencing restoration and renewal. And by so doing, they never begin to understand God’s purpose in chastening. There are many songs in this ancient songbook that are written in minor keys, the song of judgment and restoration is one of them. But what a sweet resolve it has!

Note the testimony of the restored:

“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.” Ps 126:2

The heathen around the People of God took notice due to the commotion the Jews caused with their praise and laughter. Do you have a song to sing? If God has done great things for you, your mouth should be filled with laughter and your tongue with singing! Our praise should cause the unbelievers around us to acknowledge the power of God at work in our lives.

However real praise of God is not for show only. It is the genuine expression of a thankful heart.

“The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” Ps 126:3

As the Southern Streams

“Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.” Ps 126:4

But not all the Jews took advantage of their freedom and returned to the land. Why? Why wouldn’t a people once enslaved but now officially freed not want to return to the land of their inheritance? Why do many insist upon remaining in sin?

I’m sure there are a variety of reasons. Some had grown accustomed to life in Babylon and had become quite comfortable. Some had made too many allegiances with the people of Babylon. Others had found ways to profit from their association with the nation that enslaved them. And perhaps most of these people for whatever reason had come to believe that returning to Jerusalem would be more of a hardship than a blessing.

And such is the curse of a backsliding people - many never return. And only those who do return truly understand God’s purpose in chastening and live to see the cycle completed in their lives.

The streams in the southern region of the Negev, or dry place, dried up most every summer. It was when the autumn rains swept the mountains that these streams would return. Just as the blessing of the good Lord fell in the form of rain to reconstitute the streams in the south, so the Spirit of the Almighty is able to restore a dry and thirsty soul.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:5-6

This song that began with a bittersweet note, ends the same way. The cycle of chastening and restoration is compared to the law of sowing and reaping. Perhaps you will recall that the first mention of seedtime and harvest in the Bible was during another bittersweet time at the end of a cycle. It was when Noah and family disembarked from the ark after the flood and God made a covenant of restoration with mankind.

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen 8:22

And so the cycle of sowing and reaping is forever linked to the cycle of constriction and deliverance. It was after the constriction of the ark that a new age could begin for man on the earth. It was after the constriction of captivity in Babylon that a new age free from idolatry could begin for Israel. God does things through the cycle of chastening and restoration that cannot be accomplished any other way. He delivers us from the past and allows us to start a new life with Him.

The cycle of sowing and reaping is bittersweet, because it brings about the death of the old. But only through the death of the old, can the new spring forth into life.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” John 12:24-25

The New Birth is bittersweet because the cycle begins with the death of the old. One may not be born again until one dies out to self. The old must die that the new might spring into life.

Psalm 126 expresses this truth. The seed is absorbed into the soil and is transformed under cover of darkness. Hidden from view and in a “secret place,” the transformation takes place. God works under cover of darkness and in a “tight” place where man’s options are severely limited.

“And I will give thee the treasures of darkness , and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” Isa 45:3

Conclusion:

The effect of the final note in a musical scale may not be appreciated without the other notes in the progression. A minor scale has an even stronger sense of resolution than other scales when the final note sounds. Psalm 126 is the final note of a minor progression.

It is a song of praise to the God of restoration. But restoration cannot be fully appreciated without experiencing captivity. Captivity is that “tight place” where under the cover of darkness God does His best work.

Many of the vestiges of carnality may only be removed through such a process. It is bittersweet because many never return to hear the last note and see the final resolve of the process. For those who do, this experience becomes yet another reason to praise God. As we enter the house of God to have fellowship with the Creator, let us remember that we worship a God of restoration.

© 2008 Nevin Bass. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced for the purpose of resale without written permission.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Ascending to Worship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.