SPIRITUAL DIARY
FOR 11/19/2012 11:10:02 AM
My Worship Focus: Psalm 137
PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 137:1-4
Message of
the verses: Today we will begin to look at Psalm 137 by
looking at several introductions from different Bible Commentators.
“This plaintive ode is one of the
most charming compositions in the whole Book of Psalms for its poetic power. If
it were not inspired it would nevertheless occupy a high place in poesy,
especially the former portion of it, which is tender and patriotic to the
highest degree. In the later verses (#Ps 137:7-9), we have utterances of
burning indignation against the chief adversaries of Israel, — an indignation
as righteous as it was fervent. Let those find fault with it who have never
seen their temple burned, their city ruined, their wives ravished, and after
children slain; they might not, perhaps, be quite so velvet mouthed if they had
suffered after this fashion. It is one thing to talk of the bitter feeling
which moved captive Israelites in Babylon, and quite another thing to be
captives ourselves under a savage and remorseless power, which knew not how to
show mercy, but delighted in barbarities to the defenseless. The song is such
as might fitly be sung in the Jews’ wailing place. It is a fruit of the
Captivity in Babylon, and often has it furnished expression for sorrows which
else had been unutterable. It is an opalesque Psalm within whose mild radiance
there glows afire which strikes the beholder with wonder.” (Charles H. Spurgeon) I am not sure what the meaning of word
“opalesque” is but perhaps it means that the psalm is opal like.
“Remember and forget are used a
total of five times in these nine verses.
The American humorist Elbert Hubbard said, ‘A retentive memory may be a
good thing, but the ability to forget is the true token of greatness.’ Sometimes we must remember to forget. A Jew, probably a Levite, wrote this psalm
after he had returned home from Babylon with the remnant in 536 B. C. Twenty
years later Babylon was destroyed. The
psalmist was with a group of former exiles (note the ‘we’ and ‘us’ in vv 1-4),
recalling some of their experiences, and from this encounter with the pat, he
learned some lessons about the human memory, himself, and the Lord.” (Dr. Warren Wiersbe)
Memory Can Open Wounds (vv. 1-4): “1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat
down and wept, When we remembered Zion. 2 Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps. 3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our
tormentors mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion." 4 How
can we sing the LORD’S song In a foreign land?”
We see the Jews in Babylon because
they had disobeyed the Lord and now the Lord had to discipline them by allowing
the Babylonians to capture their city of Jerusalem and to trash the temple and
the entire city. To smash their babies
against the walls in order to stop the growth of the children of Israel, and
then they remembered that they were transported to the city of Babylon away
from all that was dear to them. They
were now asked by their captors to sing songs for their entertainment, but they
refused to do so. Dr. Wiersbe states “How
tragic it is today when music stars use ‘Amazing Grace’ or ‘The Lord’s Prayer’
to entertain pagan crowds that know neither the Lord nor His grace. What did Jesus say about throwing valuables
to dogs and pigs (Matthew 7:6)?” The
songs that they wanted to hear were their religious songs for after all they
had brought their harps with them. The
Jews did not have it in their heart to sing their songs away from their homes
in Israel. As I think back on the
history of the children of Israel and how long they were away from their land I
remember what they used to say when they sat down to eat their Passover meal
and they would say “next year in Jerusalem.”
That next year came in 1948 when Israel was made a nation again in one
day as Isaiah 66:8 predicted. Today they
are again in a fight for their lives as the terrorists are once again trying to
kill all the Jews, but God has promised to protect His people and in the end
all Israel will be saved.
I am sure that all of us have had
memories that we have a hard time remembering like the psalmist writes about,
but the best thing to do is not to bury them.
Dr. Wiersbe gives this advice, “Denial usually makes things worse. But the fact that the exiles could talk about
these painful things indicates that they were facing them honestly and learning
how to process this pain in a mature way.
It takes time for broken hearts to heal, and Jesus can heal them if we
give Him all the pieces (Ps. 147:3; Luke 4:18).”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: Giving
our painful memories to the Lord is sometimes hard to do as for some strange
reason we want to hold on to them.
Perhaps we want to nurture a grudge about our memories and not want the
Lord to handle our pain, but want the person to suffer who wronged us. This will probably hurt us more than it does
the person who did us wrong. We must
remember that God can heal all of our hurts and bring peace to our troubled
hearts if we give our troubles to Him.
God is just and will one day right all the wrongs that have happened to
His children.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Contentment
in the Lord to handle all the wrongs that people have done to me is something
that I still need to learn. I suppose it
is a lifelong process. I desire to have
my mind transformed from the inside out through the living Word of God.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 130:1-5
1 Out of the debts I cried to You, O
LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my
supplications. 3 If You, LORD, should
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul does
wait, and in His Word do I hope.
11/19/2012 12:34:52
PM
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