The Seed of Hope (Psalm 126)

The Seed of Hope (Psalm 126)

The gospel of Jesus creates:
1.       A captivated people
The return of the people of God to Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon seemed to be too good to be true. The psalmist says, “We were like those who dream,” those who were captivated with joy and thanksgiving. Israel wasn’t the only people who recognized the significance of this return; the nations that witnessed this restoration knew that the God of Israel had blessed his people. Though the work of the restoration of Jerusalem had only just begun, the people of God were rejoicing in the graciousness of Yahweh. As Christians, our joy and praise toward God should be so visible in our lives that even the world must admit that we are blessed.

2.       A dependent people
In response to the wonderful joy of their return, the psalmist sings a prayer. He pleads with the Lord to bring back the captivity of Jerusalem as the streams of the Negeb (Southern Judea), the streams of a desert. There are no waters in Southern Judea, but they are asking for a source of living water, a fountain. The psalmist is asking for a miracle, and that is exactly what the “regeneration” of God’s people is, a miracle.

3.       A hopeful people
A life of sowing seeds is a life of hard work and faith in the hope of reward. The return of Israel to Jerusalem means a new beginning, a regeneration of Israel’s life. Rebuilding the city and building a new people is always hard work with little immediate reward. Christian life is exactly like this. These new lives we have been given in Christ are to be improved upon through love and good works for the sake of the Kingdom, and a sower of seed must trust for the seed to take root and grow. But we have a secure hope, a hope founded in the death, resurrection, and ascension of the King of kings. We have a promise that our good works are not in vain.