In The Word
Read: Psalm 137-138
An Experience of the Captivity.
137 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?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
6 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 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.
9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.
A Psalm of David.
138 I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the gods.
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He regards the lowly,
But the haughty He knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
What a contrast of two psalms: one written in the time of Babylonian captivity, and the second by David when he was threatened by his enemies but was delivered by God. Sometimes, I try to imagine our country overthrown as Israel was by Babylon. For the past few months, we have read in Jeremiah; now, we have read Ezekiel and how devastating it can be for a country to be annihilated by another nation. We who live America could never imagine such a thing; neither could Israel, a nation chosen by God. The second psalm is written to express thanksgiving for the continued protection from David’s enemies. David was fully aware of God’s protective hand upon him and gave thanks.
One thing we have learned in our reading of David’s psalms is his continued dependence on God. His continued prayer and relationship with God (Psalm 138:1-2), his thankfulness for past deliverance, and his prayer for future troubles all demonstrate his dependence on God. Many of us forget this when we are going through troubles. We get so wrapped up in the problem that we forget to ask for assistance from God. Sometimes, we know we’re there because of our own doing and are embarrassed to ask for help. That never stopped David; his whole life was a life of prayer. Even after his failure with Bathsheba, the confrontation with Nathan and God’s verdict, he continued to seek God’s face for repentance. Ask God to give you a heart like David’s, a heart after God. God is never troubled by our continued requests and problems. He is waiting to assist you in whatever situation you are in. Know this: that you are continually on God’s mind. Now, begin to thank Him for loving you!