Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill .

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.

7 Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
"Tear it down," they cried,
"tear it down to its foundations!"

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us-

9 he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

I think the context of the psalm was that the Israelites were being exiled to a foreign land - Babylon. They were driven out of their homeland, Jerusalem. The psalmist's deep longing for Jerusalem was evident in the whole of Psalm 137.

Recently, I had a little taste of how it feels to be in foreign land. In order to do a medical checkup (for reservist purposes), I had to spent a number of hours in a military camp. It has been 6 years since I've set foot into such a place.

The whole place just felt so foreign to me (even though I'm still in Singapore). There was this spirit of fear and oppression in the air. Even right at the gates of the camp, I was 'welcomed' with someone shouting vulgarities. In my spirit, I was furious. How can someone just verbally abused me like this?

But thankfully, while waiting for my turn in the medical centre, I managed to take out my Bible and read. Despite being in 'hostile' (I perceived it to be) land, I took comfort in God's Word. I even managed to memorize Psalm 133.


I know that there will be a time when I would be placed in a foreign and hostile environment. Perhaps then, I would have to spend long periods of time there. But my prayer is that I would look towards God. Even if I can't sing songs of praise, at least I can read God's Word and take comfort in Him. Then maybe, my songs of praise will arise. Hope will fill my heart.


Things to ponder
1. Are there places that you've been in and you perceived them to be foreign and hostile to Christians?
2. Describe your experience at one of those places.
3. Pray for a heart to always seek comfort and refuge in God when in those places.