Psalm 126: Experience and Proverbs

Verse 6: Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

Israel didn't know they would be liberated. Even when a father's life was cut off, his son continued to live as a captive. Who would care for a ruined nation? They were only allowed to swallow their tears. They might have even needed selective memory loss.

One day, suddenly, they were freed from that time when even prayers seemed meaningless. Israel learned that their dried-up tears could turn to laughter, and that streams of water could flow in the wilderness. Their perception entered a new dimension. They began to interpret the past while standing in the present, and with that interpretation, they started to look into the future. As a result, a proverb naturally emerged: "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy" (verse 6).