Psalm 126: Sowing in Sorrow, Reaping in Joy

Lectionary Cycle Year B: Third Sunday in Advent
Psalm 126 (Read it on Bible Gateway)
Sowing in Sorrow, Reaping in Joy
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This Psalm proclaims "those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." It's a beautiful image that sums up the powerful and profound message of this Psalm, one that was truly felt by the people of the time when it was composed and, hopefully, one that still sings to us today.

First, let's establish some context for the passage. While the Psalm itself is vague, it was most likely composed in response to the restoration following the Babylonian exile. It may have been composed shortly after, as part of the official celebrations, or later, to sum up and express in worship the collective joy of the people who had lived to see it come to pass.

As a brief reminder, when Babylon expanded into an empire they utilized a tactic of enforced exile as one way to maintain order in those lands they conquered. By uprooting people, scattering them, forcing them to live among strangers in a strange land, the empire effectively undermined organized uprisings or rebellions. For the Jewish people, the exile almost broke their spirit. They had come through so much to claim the land given to them by God, then worked so hard to build that land into a kingdom. Then, with overpowering force, it seemed they were losing everything. The Temple was destroyed, homes shattered, families often separated, the kingdom of Judah was literally broken, and the exile began.

Many saw the exile as punishment from God for their failing to remain faithful. There were also surely those who, faced with such utter decimation on so many levels, lost their faith altogether. However, there were also those who held on to their faith. Indeed, for some, who lost home and family, it may have been all they had left. We have the writings of some of those who did, who cried out to God, who begged for relief, who begged for the restoration and who waited, if not patiently, at least faithfully, for God to answer. We've explored some of the Psalms written during the exile in this series as well as various prophets who addressed it, such as Ezekiel.

This Psalm however speaks to the joy when at long last those prayers were answered. The Persian ruler Cyrus who allowed the people to return to their homeland and to rebuild ended the exile. So, when the Psalmist here refers to "those who sow in tears," they are speaking of those who remained faithful, who held on and persevered in their hope of God's deliverance, through even the darkest times of the exile. They didn't give up, but continued to believe. Now, finally, those prayers were answered, and those seeds sown in sorrow were now a harvest full of joy.

In this we find a powerful and important message about perseverance. We all face our own personal times of exile. From challenges to health and well-being, to loss of a loved one, family, home or job, or just the growing insecurity we all no doubt feel in this time of growing instability. As we face those times we may also find our faith on shaky ground. We may question God's very existence, or at the least find ourselves angry with God over the situation we face and God's apparent lack of response to our prayers to alleviate it.

When it comes to those times, this Psalm may be an important passage for us to revisit. Here is a reminder to us that no matter what we may face now, the decisions we make, the faith we keep, the prayers we continue to lift up, the cry we make to God does not fall on deaf ears. God does hear us and God is with us in the midst of the challenges, the trials and suffering.

Perhaps, like many believed about the exile, there is some reason for our situation. Perhaps God has something for us to learn, or something we need to lose in life that has become a stumbling block to us. Perhaps we need to be where we are, that we might reach out a hand to someone even more desperate who needs it. Perhaps the tempering we experience in this will enable us to face a greater challenge in our future.

Or, perhaps God isn't responsible for the situation. Perhaps others created the issues we face and we are simply caught up in the resulting problems. Perhaps the issues we face are ones we can't blame anyone but ourselves for. Perhaps they come from bad decisions on our part, or simple failure to do what was needed before and now we face the consequences.

Whatever the situation and whatever the cause, we can still hold onto our faith. We can still call out to God in prayer and know that God is listening. We can also remember that many times in the past, when the challenges were overwhelming, the odds impossible, and the spirit of the faithful was on the edge of breaking, that God often chosen those exact moments to break into human lives and provide a miracle.

For the Jewish people, that miracle came in the form of Cyrus of Persia who broke the Babylonian Empire and allowed the Jews to return home. Who knows what form it may take in our own life, or who knows when, but we should never lose faith that that miracle can happen.

For the complete listing of our Devotions, see our Devotions Archive