Bringing in the Sheaves

This Sunday Psalm 126 is scheduled to be read, and is likely to be glossed over or not discussed at all in most sermons.

126 In convertendo

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.

3 Then they said among the nations, *
"The Lord has done great things for them."

4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.

5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.

6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.

7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

If the Psalm gets any mention at all, verses 6-7 will probably not be part of the commentary. These verses are critical to understanding the psalmist when he talks about going "out weeping carrying the seed".

The old song comes close, but makes the weeping personal and brings it into the present age,

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

Refrain:Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

Refrain:Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

Refrain...

Matthew Henry (1662 – 1714), in his commentary comes close as well, 

It was with reference to some great and surprising deliverance of the people of God out of bondage and distress that this psalm was penned, most likely their return out of Babylon in Ezra’s time. Though Babylon be not mentioned here (as it is, Ps. 137, ) yet their captivity there was the most remarkable captivity both in itself and as their return out of it was typical of our redemption by Christ. Probably this psalm was penned by Ezra, or some of the prophets that came up with the first. We read of singers of the children of Asaph, that famous psalmist, who returned then, Ezra. 2:41 . It being a song of ascents, in which the same things are twice repeated with advancement (v. 2, v. 3, and v. 4, v. 5), it is put here among the rest of the psalms that bear that title. I. Those that had returned out of captivity are here called upon to be thankful (v. 1-3). II. Those that were yet remaining in captivity are here prayed for (v. 4) and encouraged (v. 5, v. 6). It will be easy, in singing this psalm, to apply it either to any particular deliverance wrought for the church or our own land or to the great work of our salvation by Christ.A song of degrees.

Suffering saints have a seedness of tears. They are in tears often; they share in the calamities of human life, and commonly have a greater share in them than others. But they sow in tears; they do the duty of an afflicted state and so answer the intentions of the providences they are under. Weeping must not hinder sowing; when we suffer ill we must be doing well. Nay, as the ground is by the rain prepared for the seed, and the husbandman sometimes chooses to sow in the wet, so we must improve times of affliction, as disposing us to repentance, and prayer, and humiliation. Nay, there are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, our own and others, tears of sympathy with the afflicted church, and the tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word. These are precious seed, such as the husbandman sows when corn is dear and he has but little for his family, and therefore weeps to part with it, yet buries it under ground, in expectation of receiving it again with advantage. Thus does a good man sow in tears. (2.) They shall have a harvest of joy. The troubles of the saints will not last always, but, when they have done their work, shall have a happy period. The captives in Babylon were long sowing in tears, but at length they were brought forth with joy, and then they reaped the benefit of their patient suffering, and brought their sheaves with them to their own land, in their experiences of the goodness of God to them. Job, and Joseph, and David, and many others, had harvests of joy after a sorrowful seedness. Those that sow in the tears of godly sorrow shall reap in the joy of a sealed pardon and a settled peace. Those that sow to the spirit, in this vale of tears, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting, and that will be a joyful harvest indeed. Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be for ever comforted.

Close, but I think that the seed the weeping sowers are carrying out of Jerusalem and into captivity is the seed of the future generation that would eventually return to Jerusalem. The generation that was carried away weeping not only survived their captivity, they multiplied and returned a stronger people in many ways. The sheaves they were carrying included the history of the people Israel which was recorded and passed along to us in the form of the Old Testament.

The Psalm does speak to those of us today who are oppressed by personal or cultural enemies or enslaved by Sin, and we should be encouraged that our tears are not in vain, but we must remember that we should be working hard to sow the seeds of Christ's memory for the next generation so that His heritage will be a joyous burden to bring in at His coming again.