An Experience of the Captivity.
137 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the [a]willows in the midst of it
We hung our [b]harps.
3 For there our captors [c]demanded of us [d]songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand [e]forget her skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not [f]exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.7 Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
8 O daughter of Babylon, you [g]devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With [h]the recompense with which you have repaid us.
9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.
Wow, that’s a psalm full of sadness, grief, and… revenge? It’s an odd contrast to Jesus teaching, though as I read through a commentary for more insight, it became apparent that I was forgetting the cultural landscape in which this psalm is set.
When first reading vv. 1-6, I thought this odd, since Paul (later) would tell the believers to rejoice always. Yet here, the pagan Babylonians are not interested in their captives rejoicing. The captors wish to be amused by the singing, and reducing songs of praise and worship to mere amusement would not be unlike Daniel and his friends partaking of food offered to idols. The act itself (eating or singing) seems innocent, even good, and yet the setting is wholly unholy.
Rather, it would be almost like blasphemy (perhaps ‘exactly’, it’s hard to know with the culture), an act punishable by death. So I think we can excuse the psalmist for refusing to sing, for wishing his hand would wither rather than do such a wicked thing as turning God’s worship into mere sport.
Hmmm, that’s a sobering thought too, and something I think our churches would do well to remember. Didn’t really see it coming, but there it is! When we worship today, are we really worshipping? Or are we merely being entertained? Or for those who lead, are we leading in worship, with hearts focused on God, or are we just putting on a good show?
For all of us, in whatever place we find ourselves, may we be as mindful of our heart as the psalmist. Don’t sing the songs just for fun. Let God move you and change your heart. Let Him do a new thing inside you, that would truly show His glory. More than a song, sing from the heart, to His heart.