Psa 126:3 | KingComments | STEP | When the two tribes will be restored in the land, both the remnant that fled from Jerusalem and the remnant in the city that is redeemed, the people will not yet be complete. The ten tribes must be back in the land. Twelve tribes must be restored in the land. This is presented again in the next three psalms, Psalms 126-128. God makes the captives return to the land ( ). Those who return will experience it as a dream come true ( ). Tears have flowed because of the fate of the two and the ten tribes. Now God is bringing a turn in the captivity of the ten tribes. Then the new covenant is established. New life is sown. Now they can finally laugh and rejoice. This is possible because the Lord Jesus has wept tears ( ), He has sown the grain of wheat and returns with a shout of joy, bringing His twelve sheaves with Him. He is gathering His people into one. That is the basis for the return of the ten tribes. In this “Song of Ascents”, the seventh, the psalmist, and in him the elect who were scattered outside the land, sings of the return of “the captive ones of Zion” ( ). The captivity was a bitter time for all whose heart remained connected to Jerusalem. They solely can blame themselves for the thousands of years of exile ( ); they owed their restoration solely to the LORD ( ). It was too good to be true, it seemed like a beautiful dream. Slowly reality dawns on them: it is not a dream, it is true. They pinch themselves in the arm, as it were, to make sure they are not dreaming, but it is really true: they are back in the land. They are free! They are so happy that they can no longer stop laughing … When they come to themselves, as it were, and realize that they are not dreaming, but that they are really free, their mouth is “filled with laughter” and their “tongue with joyful shouting” ( ; cf. ). Gone is the shadow of night, gone is all suffering. Instead of mourning and sorrow there is laughter, and instead of lamentation there is joyful shouting. The people who have returned are full of joy. Their return to the land is a testimony to the power of the LORD over the nations. They acknowledge with undisguised reverence and awe: “The LORD has done great things for them.” This testimony is immediately taken up by the remnant ( ). They say: “The LORD has done great things for us, we are glad” (cf. ). The God-fearing can find joy in nothing else but in God and in His works. We also have every reason to rejoice because God gave His Son for us to do for us what we could not do: to bring about reconciliation between God and us.

‏ Psalms 126:3

Introduction

When the two tribes will be restored in the land, both the remnant that fled from Jerusalem and the remnant in the city that is redeemed, the people will not yet be complete. The ten tribes must be back in the land. Twelve tribes must be restored in the land. This is presented again in the next three psalms, Psalms 126-128.

God makes the captives return to the land (Deu 30:3). Those who return will experience it as a dream come true (Psa 126:1). Tears have flowed because of the fate of the two and the ten tribes. Now God is bringing a turn in the captivity of the ten tribes. Then the new covenant is established. New life is sown. Now they can finally laugh and rejoice.

This is possible because the Lord Jesus has wept tears (Psa 126:6), He has sown the grain of wheat and returns with a shout of joy, bringing His twelve sheaves with Him. He is gathering His people into one. That is the basis for the return of the ten tribes.

Song of Thanksgiving After the Exile

In this “Song of Ascents”, the seventh, the psalmist, and in him the elect who were scattered outside the land, sings of the return of “the captive ones of Zion” (Psa 126:1). The captivity was a bitter time for all whose heart remained connected to Jerusalem. They solely can blame themselves for the thousands of years of exile (Deu 28:15-19); they owed their restoration solely to the LORD (Deu 30:4-10).

It was too good to be true, it seemed like a beautiful dream. Slowly reality dawns on them: it is not a dream, it is true. They pinch themselves in the arm, as it were, to make sure they are not dreaming, but it is really true: they are back in the land. They are free! They are so happy that they can no longer stop laughing … When they come to themselves, as it were, and realize that they are not dreaming, but that they are really free, their mouth is “filled with laughter” and their “tongue with joyful shouting” (Psa 126:2; cf. Job 8:21).

Gone is the shadow of night, gone is all suffering. Instead of mourning and sorrow there is laughter, and instead of lamentation there is joyful shouting. The people who have returned are full of joy.

Their return to the land is a testimony to the power of the LORD over the nations. They acknowledge with undisguised reverence and awe: “The LORD has done great things for them.”

This testimony is immediately taken up by the remnant (Psa 126:3). They say: “The LORD has done great things for us, we are glad” (cf. Joel 2:21). The God-fearing can find joy in nothing else but in God and in His works. We also have every reason to rejoice because God gave His Son for us to do for us what we could not do: to bring about reconciliation between God and us.