Psalm 126; key verse, verse 3: The Lord has done great things for us, and we
are filled with joy. Psalm 126 is a song of joy for restoration to
Zion. If not composed for those who returned from Babylonian exile, the place
of exiles is not named; it surely served to voice the joy of the restored
community. The psalm divides into two stanzas of four Hebrew lines each with
their initial lines sharing a common theme. Thematic unity is further served by
repetition and other key words.
Psalm 126 – Amazed at God’s
Work
This
psalm is titled A Song of Ascents. It is the seventh in the series of 15 songs
for pilgrims coming to Jerusalem. This song likely was composed after the
exile, in wondrous gratitude for God’s restoration, and in prayer for a
furtherance of that work.
The LORD has done great
things for them: The sense of joyful amazement was not
confined to the people of God. On looking nations had to proclaim that the work
belonged to Yahweh, and that the work was truly great.
“The
liberty now granted was brought about in such an extraordinary way, that the
very heathens saw that the hand of the great Jehovah must have been in it.”
“These
foreigners were no dreamers; though they were only lookers-on, 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.”
The LORD has done great
things for us: The singer heard what the nations said,
agreed with it, emphasized it with repetition, and personalized it. It became
the declaration of what God had done for us.
“Their
[reluctant] acknowledgment is caught up triumphantly by the singer. He, as it
were, thanks the Gentiles for teaching him that word.”
One
commentator suggested four occasions where many experience great joy and the
sense that God has done great things in their Christian life:
· The joy of Christian fellowship.
· The joy of a new work for God.
And
we are glad: There is a joyful peace in the declaration. This is not a
worked-up, hyped-up enthusiasm. This was the confident joy in what God had
done, simply to declare we are glad.[1]
[2] Collect for Psalm 126, For All the Saints, a Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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