20150414 Tuesday, April 14 2015
Psalm 137: The Rivers Of Babylon Psalm

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof"

The Kingdom of Judah (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Kingdom Of Judah) existed for about 347 years, from 933 BC - a total that included about 135 years after the Kingdom of Israel had ceased to exist (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Lost Ten Tribes).

The LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God) also had Judah conquered and taken away into exile because they became just as unfaithful as Israel and the united kingdom before them (see How Many Kings Reigned In The United Kingdom? and When Will The United Kingdom Be Restored?).

The difference between the fate of Israel and Judah is that by the time that Judah fell in 586 BC, the Assyrian Empire that had conquered Israel had itself fallen to the Babylonian Empire - so it was Babylon, not Assyria, that destroyed Judah.

The other major difference is that, for the sake of the coming Messiah, Judah's exile lasted only 70 years - long enough to wipe out the corrupt generations that caused the destruction of Judah with their foolish and heathen liberalism (see also Iniquity In History And Prophecy).

The LORD, through His prophets (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Prophets and the Fact Finder question below), gave Judah every opportunity to be saved from their self-inflicted national tribulation. But they refused, so off to their destruction they went, until seventy years later, a Persian king (by then Babylon had fallen to Persia; see The Prophet Daniel: The Hand Writing On The Wall) had those people of Judah return home to a place that they had never been before.

"36:15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 36:17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 36:18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 36:19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

36:20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

36:22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

36:23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up." (2 Chronicles 36:15-23 KJV)

Most of the Psalms were written by King David (see David's Harp and David's Psalm For Solomon) or by others in the time of King David (see The Songs Of Asaph; also Asaph's Babylonian Prophecy). Psalm 137 is unique in that it was written later, after the fall of Judah to Babylon. Righteous King David never saw it - nor would he have ever let it happen.

" 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 137:2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 137:3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

137:4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? 137:5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 137:6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

137:7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

137:8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." (Psalm 137:1-9 KJV)

Fact Finder: When did the nation of Judah complete their prescribed 70 years exile in Babylon?
See The Prophecies Of Cyrus of Persia and Zerubbabel's Return; also Ezra's Journey From Babylon and The Arrival Of Nehemiah's Cavalry