A PROMISE FOR THE SOWER
Psalm 126: 5 & 6
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. NIV
Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. NLT
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. AV
I. OUR SOWING MUST BE WITH COMPASSION
‘sow in tears’ - ‘that goeth forth and weepeth’
a. PRUDENT SOWING Quality of the seed
Luke 8:11 The seed is the word of God.
Isaiah 55:11 . . . my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. [NLT]
b. PRAYERFUL SOWING Watering the seed
Genesis 32:26 Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
c. PREPARED SOWING Prepared for seed
Luke 8:8 other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
An origin may be found for the thoughts of the psalm in the extreme difficulty of the work itself in many places. The soil is rocky, impracticable, overgrown with sharp thorns; and it costs much painful toil to break up and gather out the rock, cut and burn the briars, and to subdue the stubborn soil, especially with their feeble oxen and insignificant ploughs. {Spurgeon}
II. OUR SOWING MUST BE WITH CONFIDENCE
‘shall reap in joy’ - ‘shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him’
a. PURPOSEFUL SOWING A declared aim
I Corinthians 8:22 , I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. [NLT]
b. PERSISTENT SOWING A determined aim
Galatians 6:9 don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
c. PROMISED-BASED SOWING A delightful aim
Psalm 126:6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. [NIV]
Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed, will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest. [GNB]
The seed time follows the harvest, and that comes with joy. There be three degrees of the happiness of God’s children, in reaping of fruits. 1. In the first fruits. Even when they are enduring anything for the Gospel of Christ, it carries contentment and fruit with it. 2. After the first fruits, then come sheaves to refresh the husbandman, and to assure him that the full harvest is coming. The Lord now and then gives testimony of a full deliverance to his own people, especially of the deliverance of Zion, and lets them taste of the sheaves which they have reaped. 3. And lastly, they get the full harvest; and that is gotten at the great and last day. Then we get peace without trouble, joy without grief, profit without loss, pleasure without pain; and then we have a full sight of the face of God. {Alexander Henderson.}
