Psalms

Psalms 137: Remember Zion and seek righteous judgment

Begin in prayer

Before the captives remember Zion beside Babylon's rivers, let us bring God the grief and cruelty we struggle to speak about. Ask Him to lead us to Jesus and teach us faithful worship under His righteous judgment.

Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, where is Yahweh your God? Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.

Micah 7:10

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that the Lord's exiled people remember Zion and call upon Him to judge the cruelty done to them. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

By Babylon's rivers the captives weep as they remember Zion. They hang their harps on the willows while their tormentors demand joyful songs of Zion. The question of singing the Lord's song in a foreign land leads to a solemn promise never to forget Jerusalem. The singer would lose his hand's skill and his voice before giving up Jerusalem as his chief joy. He asks the Lord to remember Edom's call to destroy the city completely. Babylon is doomed to destruction, and the final blessing names the conqueror who repays its cruelty, with judgment reaching even its children.

As you read Psalms 137, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD is just, and His grieving people may ask Him to remember and repay cruelty.

The riverside tears belong to captives whose home has been destroyed and whose songs are demanded for their tormentors' pleasure. Hanging the harps on willows gives their grief a visible place. Their question about singing in a foreign land guards the honour of the Lord's song amid that humiliation. The oath about hand and tongue makes forgetting Jerusalem more dreadful than losing the ability to play or sing. Edom is named for urging the city's destruction down to its foundations. Babylon's coming destruction is announced as repayment for the way it treated God's people. The captives bring their cry to the Lord and leave the repayment to Him, as verse 7 shows by asking Him to remember. Verse 9 blesses the one who takes Babylon's little ones and dashes them against the rock, naming the dreadful judgment of conquest. The ending keeps God's justice before the hearer as the captives ask Him to remember what their enemies have done.

How does Psalm 137 show us that the LORD is just, and His grieving people may ask Him to remember and repay cruelty?

The LORD's people remember Zion with tears amid their captivity.

The captives weep by Babylon's rivers and hang up their harps. Their tormentors demand joyful songs. The question about singing the Lord's song keeps their worship and their grief together.

The LORD's city is treasured above the singer's own skill and voice.

The singer refuses to forget Jerusalem. He calls judgment upon his own hand and tongue if he gives up that remembrance. The city remains his chief joy even while he lives far away.

The LORD is asked to remember cruelty and repay the destroyers.

Edom urged Jerusalem's complete destruction. Babylon is doomed and will receive repayment for its cruelty. The final blessing names the conqueror carrying out that dreadful judgment against the oppressor's household.

Memorise

Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!”

Psalm 137:7

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what loyalty to the Lord Jesus am I tempted to trade for approval?

The captives ask, “How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land?” Tears and silenced harps accompany their remembrance of Zion. Their prayer asks the Lord to remember cruelty and bring righteous repayment.

Our own sins also deserve God's judgment, and no wounded history can erase our guilt before Him. Jesus died for His people and accepted God's righteous judgment against their sins. He rose again. His finished sacrifice provides everything needed for their forgiveness, answering the debt no sufferer's loyalty could pay.

Turn from your sin and take refuge in Jesus. All who come to Him in faith receive forgiveness. Bring Him the grief others mock and ask for faithfulness when obedience costs approval. The LORD is just, and His grieving people leave the repaying of cruelty to Him.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God remembers His people and judges the cruelty done to them. Verse 9 names violent judgment upon Babylon's little ones, keeping the dreadful cost of the conqueror's repayment plain. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus for forgiveness. A Christian home cannot give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Bring grief before God, ask for faithfulness and seek His righteous judgment against cruelty. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

John 15:20

Righteous Lord, You know the grief of Your people and every cruelty done against them. Please forgive our sins and bring us to Jesus for the peace His completed sacrifice secures. Sustain those whose worship is mocked, keep our children faithful to You and judge oppression with perfect justice. Teach us to bring our tears before You without forgetting Your holy name. Amen.