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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