Dreams, Labor, and Blessing: Psalms of Ascent (Part 4)
Psalms of Ascent (126-128)
The worshipper turns a corner in Psalm 126. The journey of leaving, looking, and arriving, the journey of authentic worship in the presence of the Lord continues, now with a looser structure. The next three psalms are not as neatly connected as Psalms 123–125.
Dreams (Psalm 126)
Psalm 126 is a joyful song of thanksgiving. It celebrates a time when the Lord restored the fortunes of His people, a restoration so fantastic that it seemed like a dream (1), a restoration so amazing that even the nations proclaimed that the Lord did great things for His people (2). When God restores His people, joy and laughter follow (2). One sentence captures it all: the Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad (3).
But the song pivots — a twist, a pause, a cry: restore our fortunes, O Lord (4).
Even as God's people draw near to the Lord to sing joyful songs of thanksgiving for His restoring work in the past, they still need His restoring work in the present. How does remembering the past help us in the crisis of the moment?
The Lord has done great things for us, and the Lord will do great things for us.
In a song of thanksgiving, the worshipper proclaims a great word of hope: those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy (5).
Walter Brueggemann classifies the psalms into three categories: songs of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. Some psalms dwell entirely in disorientation, like the laments. Some songs are pure orientation, like songs of praise. But some songs contain all three at once. We are oriented to God's work, disoriented by present pain, yet confident that God's grace will reorient us.
Is it possible to sing with joy and gladness while also sowing in tears? Authentic worship holds both without apology.
Labor (Psalm 127)
The perfect song for Mother's Day or Father's Day! Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (1). Children are a heritage from the Lord (3). Blessed is the man who has a quiver full of children (5).
But, instead of ripping this song from the Psalms of Ascent, what if we put it back into its context?
Psalm 122 introduced us to house, city, and throne, three things intricately connected to Jerusalem. These things meant one thing to the Jews of the old covenant, but they certainly mean something different to those of us in Christ. God now dwells within the believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit. King Jesus sits on the throne of David. And the city of Jerusalem now stretches across all nations, welcoming Gentiles into God's eternal Kingdom.
So, when Psalm 127 mentions house (1) and city (1), perhaps we shouldn't be too quick to assume the worshipper is talking about the nuclear family. What if this prayer is about the dwelling place of God (house) and the Kingdom of God (city)? Unless the Lord builds His dwelling place and His Kingdom, our labor is in vain.
Of course, the blessing of children as a heritage from the Lord (3) does seem to speak of genuine blessings in everyday life. Further, the promise of blessings that reach the things most important to us continues in the next song.
Blessing (Psalm 128)
The journey of worship leads into the presence of the living God. Getting there, as we have seen, is never simple. Sometimes we need mercy, other times we need words to help us celebrate God's help and restoring power. Often, we need to be reminded that those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved.
But this song calls us to something else: to count the manifold blessings of fearing the Lord. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord (1).
Remarkably, the blessings that flow down from the Creator of all things touch the most basic elements of our daily lives: the work of our hands (2), spouses and children (3), prosperity of our community (5), even long life (6).
While we reject a "health and wealth prosperity gospel" which promises good health and riches on this earth for all who have enough faith, we do embrace a loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign God who has compassion on those who become His children through Christ. Pain and hardship will find us, as the next song honestly admits, but we can say with confidence: we shall be blessed and it shall be well with us (2).
Stay tuned for Part 5 as we explore Psalm 129-131