Psalm 137:1-9 Mocked But Remembered

Our psalmist’s heart is broken as his people and the Lord are mocked by their captors. Even in his pain though he KNOWS they are remembered by the Lord.

I hear pain and anger in the voice of this psalm. Some of it justified and some of it pried shorn. Israel is in captivity. It is a direct result of her continued sin. God has used Babylon to bring her low but Babylon is taking MUCH pride in crushing Israel’s spirit. TOO much pride.

When my children were little we had many lessons on being a ‘good winner’ and a ‘good loser’. A ‘good winner’ does not rub his victory into the face of the others. He can be proud of his/her accomplishment but does not gloat or belittle the other participants. The ‘good loser’ does not cry, throw a fit, or pout. BOTH have to understand that if circumstances changed they could be in the place of the other. They show empathy for one another and stay open to future opportunities to engage in competition.

Babylon is gloating. She is rubbing Israel’s face in the dirt. “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (verse 3b). They are pouring salt in the wound and mocking God at the same time. “Sing us a song about your great and powerful God while we see you in chains.” Israel is justly heartbroken and angered at their behavior.

The psalmist was looking to the future when he KNOWS Israel’s God will repay them for their attitudes. “O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall He be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall He be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (verses 8-9).

But what if the words of the Babylonians were taken a different way. What if “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (verse 3b) was meant as a plea for them to tell their captors about their God. The One who rules the universe. The One who even has power to save Babylon. Would Israel have gladly sang the songs or would they be too deep in their own pain to recognize the searching soul?

And what would have happened to Israel if they had sung the songs of Zion? Would they have been buoyed by them? Instead of having their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth, they could have praised God even in the dark places and let His praise raise them from their despair. This brings to mind the song My Deliverer is coming; supposedly sung by the children of Israel while in Egypt. How much more poignant if also sung by the children of God while in Babylon.

DON’T LET ADVERSITY STOP YOUR SONGS!!! They may be the testimony you need to climb out of the pit of despair. They may speak volumes to those around you. At the very least they turn your heart towards God; the very One who is reaching out to you in love.

I KNOW this first hand. While in my darkest times I stopped singing. I couldn’t seem to find the music in my heart any longer and the longer I stayed in that place the quieter the music became. I prayed, read my bible, and journaled in the dark place but nothing broke the bondage, until I started to sing again. At first it was songs of pain centered on where I was. With time they turned to songs of hope and finally songs of joy. With each new song came a lightening of the load until one day it broke into pieces and lay shattered at my feet.

I cannot imagine my life now without music; the songs of my God. I KNOW He poured them into me when I was empty. Yes, I still have days when it’s hard to sing and days when I pick up the old shell that lay shattered and try fitting it back into place. These are the days when I need His songs the MOST. And that too is a revelation from the Holy Spirit for my life! My Deliverer lives within me and is calling me to stand up and show it! No matter what the world thinks.

Father God, THANK YOU for the music! Remind me of this moment during my ‘bad’ times. Help me reach past the pain and grab hold of praise instead. Make me Your instrument of praise!