Psalm 137 Devotional

Grief Handed to the Judge

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”Psalm 137:1 (BSB)

Psalm 137 is a song of exiles. Beside the rivers of Babylon, God's people sit and weep as they remember Zion (137:1). They have hung up their harps, because their tormentors demand cheerful songs of Zion (137:2-3). How can anyone sing the LORD's song in a foreign land (137:4)? The psalmist vows never to forget Jerusalem (137:5-6).

Then the psalm ends with words that are hard to read. The psalmist asks the LORD to remember how Edom cheered on Jerusalem's destruction, and he pronounces a blessing on whoever repays Babylon for what it has done, in terms that reach even its children (137:7-9). They are not a model for treating enemies but raw grief, spoken honestly and spoken to God. He takes no action himself; he asks the LORD to remember. Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), and Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). God's justice is certain. That is why deep wrongs can be handed to him rather than carried as revenge.

To think about: What grief or anger have you been carrying alone that you could speak honestly to God and leave in his hands?