Read
A Prayer for Revenge
1Beside the rivers of Babylon
we thought about Jerusalem,
and we sat down and cried.
2We hung our small harps
on the willow trees.
3Our enemies had brought us here
as their prisoners;
now they wanted us to sing
and entertain them.
They insulted us and shouted,
“Sing about Zion!”
4Here in a foreign land,
how can we sing
about the Lord?
5Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand go limp.
6Let my tongue stick
to the roof of my mouth,
if I don't think about you
above all else.
7Our Lord, punish the Edomites!
On the day Jerusalem fell,
they shouted,
“Completely destroy the city!
Tear down every building!”
8 Babylon, you are doomed!
I pray the Lord's blessings
on anyone who punishes you
for what you did to us.
9May the Lord bless everyone
who beats your children
against the rocks!
Reflect
This Psalm is about two cities – Jerusalem and Babylon – the city of God and the city of Satan.
Jerusalem, yrw meaning ‘the city’ and salem meaning ‘of the god Shalem’, was, and will be, God’s capital of the world. It’s name is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18 as the city where King Mechizedek, the priest of God Most High, came from. It is the city where God placed his name, had a temple built, and took up residence on earth. ‘Shalem’ was understood as the Hebrew ‘shalom,’ meaning ‘peace.’
Babylon, bav-ilim, in the Akkadian language of the time, meant ‘Gate of the Gods’. It is aptly named. It is a source of pride and false religion. Idolatry was rife in Babylon and all biblical references to Babylon are unfavourable. This holds true for Psalm 137. The city is personified as a woman who is doomed to destruction and whose children will be savagely killed (v.9).
The tale of two cities converged when God banished the Jews to live in exile in Babylon because of their persistent flagrant idolatry and rebellion. Their misery was so great (v 1) that they no longer sang (v 2). But the saga didn’t end with them remembering Jerusalem (v 6). There’s a great reversal in the story. The Jews were cured of their idolatry in the capital of idolatry! And once cured, they returned to Jerusalem to worship God.
Back to the future: The ruins of Babylon are in present day Iraq where terrorist organizations like ISIS/ISIL and al-Qaeda perpetrate cold-blooded atrocities. But their days of lawlessness are numbered. Just as judgment was meted out to the Babylonians, the enemies of God will be judged for what they’ve done (see Revelation 20).
And what will happen to Jerusalem? It will one day welcome the return of King Jesus. Yes! The same Jesus who was rejected, crucified, buried and resurrected in Jerusalem, will return to a new Jerusalem, to inaugurate and rule a new kingdom in a new earth (see Revelation 21).
[Note: You can read about the return to Jerusalem and the hundred-year period that followed the exile, in Ezra and Nehemiah]
Respond
Lord, thank you that the city of Salem will one day be the Holy City; the city of Shalom where the Prince of Peace will reign (Isaiah 9:6-7). Amen.
Lawson Murray
Lawson is the President of Scripture Union Canada and the Managing Editor of theStory™. Lawson takes every opportunity to enthusiastically invite people of all ages to connect with Jesus and His Story. He says, “We have been given the greatest story ever - God's Story! Should we not, with all our might and energy immerse ourselves in it? I believe we should. For without the Story we really have nothing to offer the millions who hunger and thirst for something more. But, with God’s Story we have what everyone needs!” Publications: Bible Engagement Blog; Children’s Ministry Basics Blog, Bible Engagement Basics; Bible Beginners