Sunday Devotional: Psalm 137:9

Blessed is he who seizes and smashes your children against the rock.

Psalm 137 is, perhaps, one of the most difficult psalms in the psalter, not so much for its theology, but for the emotion expressed. How can we be edified by such a depressing psalm? And the angry tone of its final verses seem hard to reconcile with the idea that it was inspired by a loving and merciful God.

It might be helpful if we remember the circumstances surrounding the psalm. When Manasseh became king of Judah, we are told he “did abominations in the sight of the Lord”–the same kinds of abominations that brought the wrath of God upon the surrounding nations. Through the prophets, the Lord exhorted Manasseh and Judah to turn back to Him, but they didn’t listen. So God promised destruction to Jerusalem, and the deliverance of Judah into the hands of her enemies (see 2 Kings 21). What God promised came to pass through the Babylonians. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was laid waste, and the people of Judah taken captive.

What we read in psalm 137 is the song of a humbled people. They had taken their favored standing with the Lord for granted, and wandered from Him. They showed the ultimate disrespect by violating His Law, assuming His mercy would trump His justice. As the prophets warn Manasseh, you can almost see him bowing at his Baal altar and saying, “No, no, no–a loving God wouldn’t do that!”

As Judah laments their situation, hear the underlying respect for their Lord they have gained in their experience. If they know their history, they know that God will not be mocked. The kingdom of Israel went through something very similar not long before, when the Lord sent the Assyrians against them because of their wickedness. And yet God punished Assyria for this (see Isaiah 10). It was God’s will for Assyria to capture Israel, but Assyria needed no persuasion. By going after God’s people so willingly, Assyria demonstrated the depths of her depravity. The same is true for Babylon, and also for Pilate and the Jews with regard to the crucifixion of Christ. God used the sinful hearts of wicked men to accomplish His purpose. But He will not let the wicked go unpunished.

The final verses of the psalm recognize that God will vindicate His name. Babylon will answer to the Lord for what she has done. And the penalty will be against this and the next generation. The words of the psalmist are not merely the human cry of anger and frustration; they are also the prophetic voice of a holy and just God who will not be mocked.

It’s interesting to consider that not all of Judah were party to the sins of Judah. Many “innocent” people were caught up in the Babylonian exile. But while God promised removal of His favor, we know He had already laid the foundations for the redemption of His people–His true people–through the blood of Christ, the Messiah.

In our day, we see our society–especially in the US and Europe–drift further away from the Lord. Principles of ethics and morality that were once revered are no longer esteemed. Respect for God’s people, even among unbelievers, is an artifact of history. We need to remember: God will not be mocked. There will be a day of reckoning for the sins committed against God and against His people.

May we continue to be in prayer, that by His mercy God will turn our culture back to Him. That He will bring repentance to our lands. And that He will strengthen His church in her proclamation of the gospel.

Have a great week!