Useful Bible Studies > Songs of Ascent Commentary

Last part: The prayer in Psalm 126

 

Psalm 126

A lesson about seeds and the harvest

The poet prayed, and he trusted God. The poet believed that God would help, perhaps not immediately, but at the right time. The poet was sad now because of his troubles. But when God helped him, the poet would have joy again. He would be as happy as farmers are at the time of the harvest.

It seems that this idea brought comfort to the poet. So he gave more thought to it. When people leave their towns to sow seed, they may be very sad. That seed would usually be grain seed, for example, wheat. The poorest farmers must take the wheat out of their own cupboard to sow it. If the farmer did not sow the seed, he and his family could eat it, for example, as bread. Perhaps, because the farmer sows it, he and his family will be hungry. He takes the precious seed and he sows it. He may weep because no food remains in his cupboard. But he must sow it. Unless he sows, there cannot be a harvest. So he sows. And he prays. And he trusts God for the harvest.

But when the harvest is ready, the farmer will be very happy. God has ‘turned round’ the farmer’s situation. In other words, he has changed the situation completely. The harvest brings much more grain than he sowed! When the farmer sowed the seed, he had hardly any food in his cupboard. But when he returns with the harvest, he has plenty. His cupboard is full! In fact, his whole house is full of food! And he will sing because his joy is so great.

The poet repeats his lesson. It is a good lesson, because God often acts in such a manner:

(1) When a person believes God, his faith (belief and trust in God) is like a seed. Jesus said that it may be like the seed called mustard (Matthew 17:20). That was the smallest seed that people sowed in their gardens. To us, that may seem like not much faith. And often the person with faith does not see any results immediately. But God will do great things if a person has even that small amount of faith.

(2) When a person declares God’s message, God’s word is also like a seed. Again, that person may not see any results immediately. But God is working in the hearts and minds of the people who heard his message. And the results that God brings about are like a wonderful harvest (Mark 4:1-20).

(3) When a person gives to God, God gives much more back to that person (Malachi 3:10-11; Mark 9:41).

In all these situations, there is the same principle. People do something small that shows their trust in God. Then God does a great thing on behalf of that person.

Sometimes people say, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ But that idea is wrong. In fact, God helps us when we cannot help ourselves. A farmer cannot be sure that his harvest will be successful. He can only do a small thing, for example, plant his seeds. Only God can make the harvest successful. Only God can save a person’s life or a person’s spirit. And he does not do these things for people who try to help themselves. He does if for people who trust him completely. They realise that they need him. They know that they will certainly fail without his help. So they trust God and they wait for his help.

It brings God great delight to help such people. They know that they need his help again and again. They pray on every occasion when they need help. And God acts on their behalf.

Next part: Psalm 126 as poetry

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© 2015, Keith Simons.