After 70 years of exile in Babylon, a group of Jews returned to the land of Israel, as had been prophesied (e.g., in Jer 29:10-14). Psalm 126 begins by expressing the joy felt by those returning exiles (vv 1-3).
Life was not easy, though, for those who returned to the ruins of Jerusalem. They started the project of rebuilding the Temple, but the work soon stalled. Day-to-day life was difficult. And so they turned to God seeking further restoration (v 4).
We know some of the ways in which God answered those prayers. He sent prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to work on rebuilding the Temple. Haggai affirms God's faithfulness in Haggai 2:4-5:
"Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in the your midst. Fear not."
Psalm 126 ends with a note of confidence that God will be with those who step out in faith to follow him.
"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" (vv 5-6).
The midrash on Ps 126 identifies Jacob as an example of verse 6. Jacob left home for Haran with little more than the clothes on his back, and returned with substantial wealth and a large family. We can also think of Joseph, who was taken to Egypt as a slave and emerged from imprisonment 13 years later as one of the highest officials in Egypt.
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