HOW CAN WE SING THE LORD'S SONG?

Passage: Psalms 137:1-9

Key verse: 137:4

NIV

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
    when we remembered Zion.(C)
2 There on the poplars(D)
    we hung our harps,(E)
3 for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
    while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
    if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
    my highest joy.

7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them(R) against the rocks.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

How Shall We Sing the Lord's Song?

137 By the waters of Babylon,
    there we sat down and wept,
    when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows[a] there
    we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
    required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 (A)How shall we sing the Lord's song
    in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    (B)let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my (C)tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy!

7 Remember, O Lord, against the (D)Edomites
    (E)the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, (F)“Lay it bare, lay it bare,
    down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, (G)doomed to be destroyed,
    blessed shall he be who (H)repays you
    with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
    and (I)dashes them against the rock!

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 137:2 Or poplars
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

First, we remember Zion (1-4). The Jews were carried off to Babylon to live there in exile for 7

years. This was God's discipline for their unfaithfulness. It was a sorrowful time. They knew they had sinned; they longed for home. Their Babylonian captors were superficial, proud and bent on pleasure-seeking. They enjoyed listening to the singing of the Israelite captives. But the exiles had no song in their hearts, for they were far from home and God seemed far away. Their highest joy was remembering Jerusalem and the temple in its glory. Second, remember, O Lord (5-9). They could not sing; they could not retaliate; but they could pray. Their prayer sounds bitter and cruel--and indeed it was. It was very different from Jesus' prayer from the cross, 'Father, forgive them...' But it was real--they laid their feelings before God. Their hope was in God alone.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse me of sin and rule my heart so that I can sing your songs during my earthly pilgrimage.

One Word: Sing the Lord's song