seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Psalm 126 A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of[a] Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.[b]
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
we were like those who dreamed.[b]
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes,[c] Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
a. Psalm 126:1 Or Lord brought back the captives to
b. Psalm 126:1 Or those restored to health
c. Psalm 126:4 Or Bring back our captives
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves.... we will come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.....
This is from Bibletrack.org.
In Psalms 120-134, the introduction to each says "A Song of Degrees." We're not certain what these Hebrew superscriptions mean. The Hebrew word for degrees means "steps of ascent." The Mishnah (Jewish collection of writings on Jewish thought and tradition) assigns the collection of fifteen songs with the fifteen steps of the temple, suggesting that the Levites sang these songs of ascents. Perhaps, but it may rather be that the songs were so subtitled because they were sung in the three annual festival processions, as the participants "ascended" to Jerusalem. Those three annual festivals were Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Tabernacles.
Notice Psalm 126:1 "When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream." The author is not identified, but this Psalm undoubtedly belongs to the time of the returning exiles to Jerusalem. That puts verses 5-6 into perspective, "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." The "come again" surely references the return of the exiles to Jerusalem.
When I was in my teens.... I lived in Charlotte, NC with my grandmother and my grandfather for a while. My grandfather plowed up about a half acre and my grandmother and I worked all spring, summer and fall on that garden. I weeded.... and used a hoe..... and the crops we got..... well we canned and pickled and "put it up" in the freezer. My grandmother had been through the financial depression and she was not going to let her family go hungry.
We planted okra. Now my hubby will not eat okra... he claims it's slimy. It is slimy if it isn't cooked right... but when it's right... okra is delicious. It's an odd plant though. Okra has an itchy outside.... IMHO God put that itchy outside there as a sign this is worth the effort. My hands would itch for hours after harvesting the okra. I used a paring knife to harvest, and chop that raw okra.... after a few hours the tiny cuts in my thumbs would start to sing and itch too. Still.... every single time I have okra.... [and I don't get it all that often cause why cook what hubby won't eat]..... I think of my grandmother and my fingers still itch with joy.
IMHO.... this song is saying "bringing in the sheaves"..... but it's also saying "there's no place like home". Whether God was just awarding them with a great harvest or running an enemy off in terror..... it was good to be back "home" in Jerusalem.
