Rejoicing in God
Introduction: This Psalm expresses the heart of Christian experience of faith: Even during dark and trying times, believers can have hope in what God will do in the future, based on what He has done in the past.
1) How is Psalm 126 structured?
- What is the mood, and how does it flow?
2) What do you regard as the main theme?
- vv1-2: “…we were like those who dream“: What does that mean? Have you ever felt raving like that?
- What made the psalmist feel like that about God’s deliverance?
- By contrast, what was his mood when composing this song? =>
3) v3 could refer to any past deliverance. One to be remembered was Israel’s return from the Babylonian captivity [after 538 BC]. Why did that mean so much to the Israelites?
- The book of Nehemiah is very precise what their rejoicing was all about. Was it their regained political independence? Why not? Neh 9:36-38
- Nehemiah only mentions great rejoicing in Neh 8:16-18 and 8:12. What was that joy about, and why?
- How did the aim of their deliverance resemble the aim of what God has done for us? [joy in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit…]
4) v4: What was the experience of God’s people after their deliverance?
- Why wasn’t it “…and they lived happily ever after”?
- What was the effect of remembering their past deliverance?
5) vv5-6: What does it mean to ‘sow in tears’? cf Act 20:31
- What does it mean to ‘sow’? cf Gal 6:9
- Why in tears? cf Mt 23:37-39
- Should Christians always be shouting of joy? cf Ro 12:15 =>
- How will they also learn to weep?
- Read Heb 12:2. How do you picture Jesus inspired by ‘joy that was set before him’: Rejoicing, or rather weeping?
6) Personal & application
- What kind of music would you want to go with this Psalm?
- When do you expect the words of this Psalm to speak most to you: In the good times of life, or rather when you or loved ones go through hard times?
- Why do believers find joy in discovering the meaning of the Bible?
- Conversely, a joy kill for believers is when the Bible makes no sense or seems confusing: What do you do when that happens?
- How do God’s work in the past and his promises for the future influence how you pray? How so?
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