Psalm 137 (December 7th, 2025)
- Brian Lee
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Summary
“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.”
Psalm 137 opens with the raw grief of exiles carried to Babylon after Jerusalem’s fall. They hang their harps on the willows because songs of Zion cannot be sung in a foreign land (vv. 1–2). Their captors taunt them:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (v. 3).
But the psalmist refuses to treat holy worship as entertainment. Instead, he makes a vow:
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!” (vv. 5–6).
Jerusalem, known as God’s dwelling and the symbol of His covenant presence, must remain the heartbeat of their identity.
The psalm then turns toward justice. The psalmist calls God to remember the Edomites who cheered the destruction of Jerusalem (v. 7) and pronounces judgment on Babylon, the empire of cruelty and idolatry:
“O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!” (v. 8).
The final, shocking line is not a personal desire for revenge but an appeal for God to execute perfect justice on a wicked empire known for its own brutalities.
“Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (v. 9)
It is a cry from the powerless, entrusting ultimate justice to the Judge of all the earth.
Psalm 137 gives voice to the church in exile. Jesus Christ is the one who bears the world’s judgment and brings a kingdom where violence and tears will be no more.
Who is God?
God sees His people’s tears and remembers their suffering. Also, He is not indifferent to the injustice of the world. He is not passive in the face of cruelty.
The psalmist appeals to a God who remembers (v. 7). God does not forget covenant promises, covenant people, or covenant wrongs. Even in Babylonian exile, He remains the God who faithfully dwells (suffers) with His people, watching over them until the day of restoration.
God receives the prayers too painful to speak publicly, the wounds too deep for ordinary words, the longings that no earthly power can satisfy. He is the God who holds us in both our worship and our weeping.
What is our Guilt?
We often forget God before we ever set down our harps. The psalmist’s fear exposes our tendency to sideline God’s presence, promises, and kingdom when we are under pressure.
We are prone to let comfort redefine our priorities, to allow cynicism to mute our worship, and to let the world’s taunts shape our identity more than God’s Word. And when wounded or wronged, we often seek our own vengeance, nurturing bitterness rather than entrusting judgment to God. Our hearts drift, our loves divide, and our longing for justice can become distorted when we forget the God who remembers.
How does Grace Shine?
Grace shines in the One who entered our exile and bore our judgment. The cries of Psalm 137 ultimately point to Christ. At the cross, the Judge becomes the judged. The One who never forgot Jerusalem weeps over it, and the One who deserves no punishment absorbs the wrath that would otherwise fall on nations and empires. In Jesus, God answers the longing for justice not by unleashing vengeance through human hands, but by allowing justice and mercy to meet in His own body.
Grace teaches us that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19), and grace forms in us a patience and hope that look beyond exile to the New Jerusalem, where every tear will be wiped away.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You see the tears your people shed by the waters of their own "Babylon." You meet us when our lives are facing disappointment, loss, and even injustice. You know the wounds we carry and the longings we dare not speak.
Keep us from forgetting you in seasons of exile. Strengthen our love for your kingdom, your Word, and your presence. When we are wronged, guard us from bitterness and teach us to entrust justice into your hands.
Thank you that Jesus entered our exile and bore our judgment. We are grateful because you lead us toward the New Jerusalem, where sorrow and violence will cease forever.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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