Psalms 126:1 - Meaning and Application

When Israel was captive in Babylon, their harps were hung on the willow trees. It was a time for weeping and mourning, and God called them to that sorrow. But now that their captivity has been turned, they take up their harps again. Providence, in a sense, now plays a different tune, and they dance. We must fit ourselves to all God’s ways and respond to them as we should. And harps are never sweeter than after they have been silent for so long. A long lack of mercy makes its return feel far richer.

Here we see, first, the deliverance God worked for them. He turned again the captivity of Zion. Zion, the holy hill where God’s tabernacle and dwelling place were, had been under judgment because of its sin. But its captivity would be turned back once God’s purpose in it was complete. Cyrus, the Persian king, acted for reasons of state when he proclaimed freedom for God’s captives, yet it was still the Lord’s doing, just as God had said many years earlier. God had sent them into captivity not like dross thrown into fire to be destroyed, but like gold placed in the furnace to be refined. The return of Israel is called the turning again of Zion’s captivity because the restoration of sacred worship and public religion was the greatest blessing of their return.

Second, there was the joyful surprise of it. It came so suddenly that at first they were confused and hardly knew what to make of it. They felt like people who were dreaming, as if the news were too good to be true. They could hardly believe they were really awake, or that this was not just a vision, as Peter at first thought his own rescue was (Acts 12:9). God sometimes brings his people into blessing before they even expect it. As Dr. Hammond reads it, they were like people who had been restored to health. It was such a happy change that it felt like life after death, or relief after severe pain. They felt as if they had stepped into a new world.

That surprise filled them with joy so strong they could barely hold it in. Their mouths were filled with laughter, and their tongues with singing. In this way they gave their joy an outlet, gave glory to God, and let everyone around them know what wonders he had done. Those who had once been mocked could now laugh, and a new song was in their mouths. It was laughter because of God’s goodness, not scorn toward their enemies.

Third, their neighbors noticed what had happened. Among the nations, people said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has done great things for them.” The heathen had watched Israel’s misery and had mocked them in it (Jeremiah 22:8-9; Psalm 137:7). Now they could not help seeing their deliverance and admiring it. This lifted up the reputation of a people who had been despised and made them look important again. It also brought honor to God, because even those who worshiped other gods were forced to admit his wisdom, power, and rule over all things.

Fourth, the people of God themselves acknowledged it (Psalm 126:3). The nations could only stand by and speak of it as news, but God’s people spoke as those who shared in the blessing. They said, “He has done great things for us,” meaning things that concerned them directly and brought them real good. It is a comfort to speak of Christ’s redemption in the same way, as something done for us. “He loved me and gave himself for me.” They also spoke with affection: “We are glad.” The nations were amazed, and some were angry, but God’s people rejoiced. When Israel turned away from God, joy was taken from them (Hosea 9:1). But now that their sin had been taken away through their captivity, God gave them joy again. The people who repent and turn from sin are the people who rejoice, and they are the ones who will rejoice.

We should notice three things here. God’s acts for his people are great things. God himself must be seen as the one who does all the great things for the church. And it is good to see how the church’s deliverances are for us, so that we may rejoice in them.