2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Key Verse:
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
Key Observation:
Matthew Henry: “There are divers psalms which are thought to have been penned in the latter days of the Jewish church, when prophecy was near expiring and the canon of the Old Testament ready to be closed up, but none of them appears so plainly to be of a late date as this, which was penned when the people of God were captives in Babylon, and there insulted over by these proud oppressors; probably it was towards the latter end of their captivity; for now they saw the destruction of Babylon hastening on apace (Ps. 137:8), which would be their discharge. It is a mournful psalm, a lamentation; and the Septuagint makes it one of the lamentations of Jeremiah, naming him for the author of it.”
Devotion:
McGee: “As we come to this psalm we find that it is designated an imprecatory psalm. Somebody says, “Well, a flare with that word on it wouldn’t make me stop because I wouldn’t know what it meant anyway.” May I say to you that imprecatory simply means that it is a psalm that pronounces a curse. It is a psalm that voices a prayer or a wish for vengeance. Listen to this concluding verse: “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones”!”
This psalm is perhaps the most startling psalm of all. Some commentators would even reject it from the list of psalms. McGee does a very sound job of telling us how the Israelites came to look at their captors. Remember that their captors had taken them into slavery, and had destroyed their way of life and the temple itself. The psalm says that they hung their harps up; they could not find it in themselves to sing.
With every fiber of their being they resented their captors. Look at verse eight: Babylon is prophesied to be destroyed. The vengeance of God himself was prophesied, and God indeed used a wicked nation to destroy Babylon. Israelites, not agents of grace from the New Testament, but rather under the law, saw the whole event as the simple justice of God. It also must have brought a sweet smell to the Israelites, to know that their God would wreak vengeance.
Let me just finish with the thoughts of McGee, for he has labored long to explain these verses that we might understand: “Someone still protests, But this isn’t like the New Testament. What do you mean it isn’t like the New Testament? I read this in Revelation 6:9–10: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” A cry for vengeance is not contrary, you see, to the New Testament. My friend, justice must prevail. Our God is just. Things must be made right.”
One day God will bring vengeance upon the earth; those who have for thousands of years persecuted Christians and Jews will be brought to bloody account. That is because we do serve a just God. Praise Him for His mercy endures through this age, that whosoever will confess Him will in no wise be cast out. Try Him and see; His mercy is rich.
McGee, J. Vernon (1990-01-30). Thru the Bible 1-5 (5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 51674-51679). Grupo Nelson. Kindle Edition.
McGee, J. Vernon (1990-01-30). Thru the Bible 1-5 (5 Volume Set) (Kindle Locations 51519-51522). Grupo Nelson. Kindle Edition.
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
1. He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
2. He's got the wind and the rain in His hands.
He's got the wind and the rain in His hands.
He's got the wind and the rain in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
3. He's got the little tiny baby in His hands.
He's got the little tiny baby in His hands.
He's got the little tiny bay in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
4. He's got ev'rybody here in His hands.
He's got ev'rybody here in His hands.
He's got ev'rybody here in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
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