God’s Word for You
Psalm 137:1-6 By the rivers of Babylon (Part 1)
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, June 28, 2025
This is one of the only psalms that can be dated to the period of the exile or later with certainty. Perhaps it was one of the very last psalms written in the Bible. Its author is not named, and it carries no superscription of any kind, yet anyone who reads it can hear the grief in the text.
The “rivers of Babylon” would include the Tigris and Euphrates, the great rivers of Mesopotamia, and also the many tributary streams and canals which the Assyrians and Babylonians dug to irrigate their wonderful fertile crescent. The Jews were exiled to some of those canals to be put to work as laborers in the fields and vineyards: the Ahava canal (Ezra 8:21), the Ulai canal where Daniel saw his visions (Daniel 8:2-6), and the Kebar, where Ezekiel was called to be a prophet (Ezekiel 1:1-3). It was probably at or near one of these spots that our Psalm takes place.
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the willows
we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for the words of a song,
our tormentors demanded happy songs.
They said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
One of the hardest times to be far away from home is during Christmas. For a sailor, a soldier, and especially for a prisoner, all that one can think about is what they’re missing: the faces and voices of family, the smells of Mom’s kitchen, the sounds of Christmas songs, the thrill of church on Christmas Eve to see the children’s program or a special choir service—even the taste of snowflakes for those of us in the northern hemisphere (I have it on good authority from a friend from Chile that grilling burgers or barbecue and a day at the beach are part of Christmas in the south).
For the captives in Babylon, the approach of one of the great Jewish festivals led to the same kind of longing. Worship was centered around the Temple, and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But now, so far away in Babylon, what could they do? The Babylonian captors demanded songs, but how choked up would we get if we were far away and in prison and an unbelieving guard demanded with howls of laughter that we sing Silent Night or Away in a Manger?
God had promised through Jeremiah that the people would be safe in Babylon, and that the captivity would eventually end, but that didn’t mean that every single day would be a piece of cake. When troubles come, God is with us. He doesn’t abandon us even when our health is gone, our possessions are taken away, our hope is drained—he is still there. He always cares for us.
4 How can we sing a song of the LORD on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget how to play music.
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my highest joy.
Our author was not one of the many Jews who had rejected God. He shows that he was a believer, and that his faith wasn’t shaken by the exile to Babylon. He defiantly and proudly defended his faith. He held Jerusalem in high honor because it had been the location of the Temple. Even though the Temple was destroyed, it had been his “highest joy,” the place where Israel was able to worship God and sacrifice to him.
His grief at the beginning of the Psalm was turning around. He was accepting his new home. Most of the Jews who went into the exile were not the ones who returned seventy years later; their children and grand-children were for the most part the ones who went back.
When we find ourselves in a tight spot because of someone else’s sin—whether it’s as mild as detention or as severe as exile or prison—we still put our trust in the Lord. His forgiveness covers over the guilt of our sins, and his righteousness covers us when we are falsely accused or condemned. How we react to injustice is just as important as how we react to success or victory. Jesus’ example was to remain silent and stick to his purpose. Our Psalmist’s example was to become even more vocal about his faith. What will your example be for someone else to see?
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.