1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
5-6 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it
to its very foundation.”
8-9 O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us. How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.
Message: Waiting for Justice
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
One of the many complaints I hear about God is why has not justice occurred with "X" situation. In this life, people are accustomed to seeing wrong-doers paying an immediate penalty or seeing a consequence for their actions. This Psalm is a good encouragement regarding awaiting justice in a particular situation.
In the beginning, in verses 1-4, we should expect things to be uncomfortable ("we sat down and wept") as we wait. The psalmist did not forget Jerusalem when the people were in exile (5-6); similarly, we should not forget the city of God as we go about as strangers in this world. If we forget the Lord’s kingdom, we will be tempted to compromise so that we do not feel like strangers, and we will lose our expectation for our Creator to set things right.
Here it is asked that the sons of Edom experience the same hurt and devastation they experienced, namely, "dashes your little ones against the rock." We can pray that people would experience justice from God in the same way we have experienced justice. Today, we can pray that the cross of Christ that paid for our sins would hit hard in everyone's lives.
Promise: Sin is so serious that it must be repaid in kind. The cross of Christ did this for us.
to its very foundation.”
8-9 O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us. How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.
Message: Waiting for Justice
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
One of the many complaints I hear about God is why has not justice occurred with "X" situation. In this life, people are accustomed to seeing wrong-doers paying an immediate penalty or seeing a consequence for their actions. This Psalm is a good encouragement regarding awaiting justice in a particular situation.
In the beginning, in verses 1-4, we should expect things to be uncomfortable ("we sat down and wept") as we wait. The psalmist did not forget Jerusalem when the people were in exile (5-6); similarly, we should not forget the city of God as we go about as strangers in this world. If we forget the Lord’s kingdom, we will be tempted to compromise so that we do not feel like strangers, and we will lose our expectation for our Creator to set things right.
Here it is asked that the sons of Edom experience the same hurt and devastation they experienced, namely, "dashes your little ones against the rock." We can pray that people would experience justice from God in the same way we have experienced justice. Today, we can pray that the cross of Christ that paid for our sins would hit hard in everyone's lives.
Promise: Sin is so serious that it must be repaid in kind. The cross of Christ did this for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment