Ps 126 The Lord our Restorer
This Psalm is a reflection on God’s deliverance and restoration of his people from captivity to their homeland and the great celebration of the people for what God had done in their life. It also is a confession of them wondering away from God and the need for a renewed restoration in their life.
Restoration Remembered
The Reason for Restoration 1 the fortunes of Zion The children of Israel had been taken into captivity because of their sinful rebellion toward God. Their fortunes had been carried off to Babylon. Everything precious to them God removed from them in hopes of getting them to recognize their disobedience and repent to whole heartedly return to him. They did and God retuned them to their homeland and restored them.
The Remembrance of Restoration 1 When the LORD restored
Here they remembered the great deliverance of God out of captivity. As they did, we too must remember what God did to redeem us. Remember then, that first moment our eyes began to see Christ as he really is, remember that moment our closed and hostile mind was illuminated to the things of God and where the cross had once been foolish and offensive, it now seemed most beautiful. Remember that moment when your dead, lifeless, Christ hating heart was brought to life and suddenly you were overwhelmed with love for the Son of God who gave himself for you. Israel could claim no credit for the restoration. They were in captivity, powerless, utterly unable to help themselves. So too were we, captive to our own flesh, dead in our own sin, blind to our own wretchedness and scrambling around in the darkness. And then God intervened and enacted a plan which had been formulated before the foundation of the world. Through sheer grace and loving kindness he rescued us and adopted us, but with an end purpose in view, that we would be ‘to the praise of his glorious grace’. In other words, we would see how hopeless our situation was and how undeserving we are and that this would cause us to celebrate the sheer grace of God, We are saved that we might become worshippers of King Jesus. We are saved that we might lead many to become worshippers of Christ Jesus. The unbelieving nations witnessed the mighty hand of God at work in restoring Israel. Christ calls us to live out the gospel so that our unbelieving neighbours might see something of the love, mercy and transforming power of Christ at work in our lives. (Evans)
The Resource for restoration 1 the LORD restored Heb Shiybah This word is only found here. It means: restoration, to bring back (Calvin). It literally means When the Lord returned home the returning ones, or, restoration,(Whedon). It is similar to the phrase "return to your former estate" (Job 42:10, Ezek 16:53, 56) (Bullinger) They could not restore themselves, they were helpless slaves, but God could and did. He is the “source” of change. We might like the Israelites, fall into sin. Sin is against God, so he is the only on that can forgive us and restore us before himself. Others can advise us, comfort us and challenge us, but only God can change us. He alone can take what is broken and fix it. He alone can take what is torn and mend it. He alone can take what has wonder off and bring it back. He is the great restorer.
The Response to restoration
Saints1 we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; 3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad
The people were so over joyed and overwhelmed by their release from captivity that they though it was a dream from which they hoped they would never wake up. “It seemed like a dream; they could hardly realize that it was so; it was so marvelous, so good, so full of joy, that they could scarcely believe it was real.” (Barnes) “A restoration so complete, so strange and unlooked for, brought about at once, without any endeavors used on the side of Israel, seemed, in all these respects, as a dream; and the parties concerned, when they saw and heard such things, could scarcely believe themselves to be awake.” (Benson). They said to themselves “What just Happened?” It was an unbelievable work of God. They couldn’t contain themselves and begin to praise God with expressions of gladness and joy. Their joy was so intense that it turned into uncontrollable laughter. What delight and what praise should spring form our hearts when a wonderer returns or a wayward one is restored. Those that are restored are the miraculous work of a magnificent God. He did it and we can’t help but praise him for it. The surprise of it put them into such an ecstasy and transport of joy that they could scarcely contain themselves within the bounds of decency in the expressions of it: Our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with singing. Thus they gave vent to their joy, gave glory to their God, and gave notice to all about them what wonders God had wrought for them. Those that were laughed at now laugh and a new song is put into their mouths. (Henry).
Sinners -Nations then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." Jer. 22:8, Jer. 22:9 ; Ps. 137:7 .Here is evangelism at its true essence. Every nonbeliever is watching us as we seek to reflect the image of God. They are looking to see if God really does transform lives. They ask, “Is he really alive?” We know the answer is true, but when they see God act as he did to release them from captivity, they have the opportunity to see that he is alive. They declare that the Lord, our God, has done great things, and for many they embrace him as their Lord and savior. When people who don’t know the Lord see what the Lord does, they are more open to embrace a living God then a dead one. The nations were only on lookers, and not partakers in the surprising mercy, they plainly saw what had been done, and rightly ascribed it to the great Giver of all good. It is a blessed thing when saints set sinners talking about the lovingkindness of the Lord: (Spurgeon). So, the question is, are we by the way we live out our Christian faith, causing non-believers to pursue and praise our God? Do they see God alive, dormant or dead in us?
Restoration Requested
Problem with Restoration 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb! God restores us in Christ and this redemption is permeant. It is God’s work through Christ on our behalf nit our work to gain his favor. Even though we receive this permeant restoration, we still have times and seasons of dryness, where we wonder off in sin or we become disheartened, disillusioned and discouraged because our stalled or stale walk with God. It seems like the joy and gladness of our original salvation experience has evaporated in the heat of our troubles (Ps 51:8,12). It has dried up like a stream in the desert. The Psalmist situation equates to that of the dry waterbeds of the Negeb. Where, at the restoration, there was joy, fruitfulness and life, now there is only barrenness. (Firwood) The people with many of us is that we don’t see that we are in a desert or we don’t want to get out it. We become content in our discontent.
Plea for restoration 4 Restore our fortunes The Psalmists recognizes what has happened as he recounts the former joys of his restoration. Now he pleads with the Lord to restore him again, to bring back the gladness of his intimacy with the Lord, like a stream in the desert flowing with water again. Even as the Lord sends floods down on the dry beds . . . after long droughts, so can he fill our wasted and wearied spirits with floods of holy delight.(Spurgeon) Pray beckons the creator to bring the drenching rain of his presence to our dry and weary soul. It is our manner of seeking relief from the drought in our soul, but as the Psalmist cries out earnestly seeking the Lord to bring water in a dry and thirst land so must we. (Ps 63:1). Are you ready to be restored? then cry out to him to restore your fortunes!!
The Repentance that brings restoration
Path to restoration. 5 Those who sow in tears 6 He who goes out weeping
Here there is brokenness.. Repentance always precedes restoration.. The proud will never let tears fall, but those broken by their sinfulness and a since of abandonment form God will humbly bow before the Lord seeking restoration. (1 Pet 5:16, James 4:6-10, Matt 26:75, Luke 22:62). The path to restoration is humility. A broken and contrite heart God will not despise (Ps 51:17) Brokenness precedes blessing. Here it is not just referring to tears of remorse that make one sorry that they sinned and lead to temporary change, but tears of repentance that produce a godly sorrow over sin and lead to true lasting change.(2 Cor 7:9-10) Tears bring transformation (Ezek 24:16). There are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, . . . and the tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word. (Henry). If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. God returns to His people when they return to Him (Deut 4:30-31; 30:1-3; 9-10; Neh 1:9; Job 42:10; Ps 145:18-19; Is 10:21-22; 55:7; 59:20; Jer 31:8-9; James 4:8) (Exell) God lead them into captivity to humble them to repent, He lead them back to the promise land to honor them to rejoice. We see the benefit of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God; we have now a sweet return for our bitter tears. We have sown in tears; now we reap in joy. We are restored after a long and afflicting captivity to our own country, to peace, and to happiness. (Clarke) Painful work often finds pleasant reward. The way through the Red Sea and the howling wilderness leads to a fair and fruitful land flowing with milk and honey. God is bringing us into a good land (Excell) All life is a sowing (Gal 6:9-10). Some sow to the lusts of the flesh, some sow to the spirit. These who sow to the flesh will reap of the flesh spiritual defeat and devastation (Hosea 8:7). Those who sow to the spirit often sow in sadness, for such sowing involves self-denial and struggling against the flesh. But their reaping will compensate them. (Excell)
Promise of restoration
5 shall reap with shouts of joy 6 shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. God promises that those who sow in humility will reap “Shouts of joy”. Is the Joy of the Lord allusive in your life? Have your “shouts of joy” in the Lord been silenced? Has your worship become cold and callus? Are you singing from your head but not your heart? Have you lost the joy of being in His presence? Are you going through the motions of the Christian life without the motivation to live for Christ? He promises to you that if you will humbly tearfully surrender to him and he will restore you and you will once again praise him with shouts of JOY! (Ps 51:11, Joel 2:12). He will restore you!!
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