When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
This Psalm appears to be one of praise but is also a lament. It seems to have been written when the Jews returned to Jerusalem following their exile in Babylon, around the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Psalmist rejoices because like all of his neighbors returning from captivity, he could hardly imagine what had occurred. Many had lived and died believing it would happen as promised by the Lord but they had not experienced it. But now their descendants embraced it as the promise return was finally happening. It was a dream come true, the answer to all their prayers. Despite their sins and the sins of their forbears, the Lord was very good to them. He showed mercy and granted forgiveness.
Yet there is also cause for lament, for sadness. Though they are in the land again, things are not the same. The Kingdom of David, the Kingdom of God has not been reinstated. The Psalmist uses the streams in the southern desert, the Negev as examples of what he desires. During most of the year they are dry but during the rainy season they become raging torrents providing blessing for the people who needed the water to survive. The Psalmist wants the showers of God’s blessing to fall again on Israel. Once that happens, then even though life will be marked by toil and suffering it it will also be filled with joy. To them, agricultural prosperity was a sure sign of God’s blessing and of His peace. But to us, who live in an urban electronic world, financial prosperity and freedom from trouble and sickness are not necessarily signs of a blessing. By faith we know that God is with us in such times. That is our blessing!