1By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!"
8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!"
8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
Ok, the primary question I have when I read this psalm is: what idiot put it the Devotional Book that George W. Bush was reading in 2003? If you would like to claim the War in Iraq as a fulfillment of this prophecy, please make note in the comment section. I disagree. And while I am sure that George W. was not making war decisions based on this psalm, I would not be at all surprised if there are people who supported the war because of verses like this. I am anti-war and using biblical justification for modern war makes me want to vomit, so let’s talk about it...
The psalms should be read as prayers, something like a hymn book with a variety of types and themes. This is what is called an imprecatory psalm, which means a psalm which calls down judgment or curses on one's enemies or those perceived as God's enemies… I love the psalms because of the raw emotion poured out before God, from spectacular joy and praise, to total misery, to rage and anger like in this one. I think that this is permission to be honest about our experience with God.
However, it is in "The Bible." Everything now becomes complicated because it is in "The Bible" - because Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Now there are a number of ways of understanding what inspired means, which may or may not include the word inerrency. However, for those who like the word inerrency and may even want to add the word verbal and plenary I think this psalm poses a problem. We talk about the authors of scripture being inspired by God. Some people believe that every word of scripture was dictated by God. But if we take these words out of the psalmist's mouth, that places them in God's mouth and now we suddenly have God declaring blessing, or happiness, on people killing children, which I hope is more than even those double predestinationists can handle. I think that one of many things to ponder when reading the bible is the nature of inspiration and how one understands it... and then based on that particular understanding, what does one expect from the text? Does the bible deliver on those expectations? Are the expectations fair? Is the understanding fair? Is it accurate? How does one determine accuracy?
This is an exilic psalm (written during the Babylonian exile) and asks the question, "How do we worship God when everything is shitty?" How do we worship God after bible college? How do we worship God when we're unemployed? How do we worship God when we're in debt? How do we worship God when we're sick? When friends die? When we are far from home and all alone? When we have been laid bare to our foundations? I know that theoretically we are supposed to and that some people do (while some just seem to) - but how? I praise God for this psalm because its existence acknowledges that it is difficult and something to wrestle with. And that wrestling can look like weeping and cursing and complaining but God can handle it and hopefully, with some time, bring us through to a place where we can not only tolerate difference but love our enemies. And if we love our enemies, how can we go to war?
If you choose to go to war go to page 109...
If you choose to eat donuts go to page 32...
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