April 14, 2024
From The Series: When
God Rebuilds…
Part 12 Confronting an
Evil World
Psalm 137
Mountain View
Evangelical Missionary Church
Good morning. I have titled this
morning’s message, “Confronting an Evil World” because I see that we can draw
valuable lessons from this scripture on how to deal with the hostile world that
we now find ourselves in. Christianity is no longer seen as a positive for
society by large numbers of our neighbors. We are seen as intolerant or bigoted
for standing up for God’s plan for marriage, sex, and the family unit. We are
not just living in a hostile world; we are living in a world where evil is
becoming increasingly accepted. We will find a strategy contained within the
Psalm on how to deal with the evil that we encounter in our day-to-day lives.
At the same time, you may be
asking yourself “How can Psalm 137, be part of the ‘When God Rebuilds…” series?
I’m glad you asked, Psalm 137 was written about 570 BC while the Israelites
were still in captivity under the Babylonians. This is when the faithful of
Jerusalem were at their lowest.
We will see in this Psalm that
the Israelites were being tormented by their captors. The Babylonians were
calling on their captives to entertain them and sing “their songs” not understanding
the sacredness and significance of the music. Not unlike some people today regarding
our hymns and worship music.
Five times in this Psalm the
words “remembered” and “forget” are used indicating the significance of not forgetting
our history. The Israelites did not resign themselves to their fate and just assimilated
with the surrounding cultures that had been thrown together in their new
surroundings. I mean, some did.
Some of the Israelites inter-married
and ignored Yahweh’s teachings on such matters. Some forgot their faith and
accepted culture. We see the same thing happening in today’s Christian churches,
with the softening of their stances on same-sex marriage, or just look at the
number of people who have not come back to church since COVID. Where are the
faithful Christians after COVID? I tell you; the faithful Christians are not
the ones staying at home on Sunday mornings. The faithful are the ones who are
observing the instructions from Hebrews 10:25 about not forsaking the gathering
of the saints. The faithful are the ones who gather to share each other’s
burdens and worship together and learn together and grow together in the Lord.
The faithful are the ones who observe the Great Commission and share their
faith with those whom the Lord puts in front of them and in whose hearts, He is
at work.
READ PSALM 137
Let’s dive into
this passage a little deeper, verse by verse, and try and determine together
what God is saying to us. First thing, we are not exactly sure who the author
was. If you notice in your Bible, the author of the Psalm is not identified near
the title like Psalm 138 is identified as a Psalm “of David”. The Septuagint
(which is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) attributes this
Psalm to Jeremiah. It certainly echoes the writings from one of Jeremiah’s
other books, Lamentations.
Verse 1, “1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we
remembered Zion.” A couple of historical notes here: first “the
rivers of Babylon” are unnamed here. The Babylonians were also known for
constructing canals to divert the waters from the two main rivers in the region;
the Euphrates and the Tigris to turn areas of the arid deserts into fertile
lands.
It is not clear from the Psalm if the Israelites were forced to make
their homes near the river, or if they simply went to the river to remember and
lament. It is important to recognize that these were tears of consideration
that were being spilled. They were not simply tears of self-pity, but they were
contemplating and purposefully remembering where they came from and what they
had lost. They were desperately clinging to their heritage and to their identity
as a chosen people of God.
Captivity barred them from fully participating in the rituals of
atonement that were associated with the Temple, but they were not going to
forget the relationship that they had with Yahweh. The term “Zion” came to represent
more than just an exact location. Jerusalem is located on top of Mount Zion.
Zion referred to the mountain, the city of Jerusalem, the Bible also uses the
term to refer to the region, the homeland of the Jewish people as well. The
word Zion also referred to the eschatological hope of God once again dwelling
with His people. Zion could also refer to the end times when God’s people would
finally peacefully dwell with Him for eternity.
The author makes a point of referring to “sitting” by the rivers. The
official position of one who was in mourning. Through the reference that they “sat and wept,” the author is making sure that
people recognized that this was an activity of mourning. Of dealing with the
loss of their homeland, their temple, and their ability to worship in the
manner that they were instructed to worship by God. The Israelites had lost the
ability to perform the atoning sacrifices for their sins. Think about what a
loss that would have been for them. They would have felt trapped in their sins
without forgiveness from God. I’m sure they felt the strain in the relationship
with Yahweh over this sin barrier that was between them.
By remembering all these things, they were keeping their focus on God
and not on their circumstances. The faithful Israelites were not allowing their
present circumstances to interfere with the bond that they had with their God.
The captivity was forcing the Israelites to increase their faith in the forgiving
attribute of Yahweh.
We know from the teachings of Jesus that the religious leaders had
strayed from the original intentions of God for the Law. We saw in the message
on Providence and the Law, how the religious leaders of the Hebrews had added
such a burden to the people of God through their additions because of their
interpretations. Men had warped what God had intended to reveal Himself to His
people. By the time of Jesus, a cult had grown up around the Temple sacrifices and
the duties associated with it. A cult that was so strong that the religious
leaders had failed to recognize the Messiah when He appeared among them.
God’s purpose of the Law was to set His people apart from the
surrounding cultures by teaching them a different way of living and worshipping
the One True God. Yahweh also used the Law to reveal His attributes to His
people so that they could grow closer to Him through worship.
Just like we should be doing today when we come to church. We should be
coming to eagerly worship our God, to learn from His Word, to discover His attributes
and what He is calling us to do. By doing these things we may grow in our
relationship with Him, and we will mature in our walk with Him.
So, the people in captivity remembered Zion, the area, the city, the
Temple, the rituals, the promises, but most of all, they remembered their God.
Even in this time of sorrow, the remnant maintained their faith. Their faith
had to grow. Especially their faith in the forgiving actions of God. This mercy
that God exhibits to us is known as Grace.
God exhibits two main types of Grace: there is general Grace and there
is specific Grace. General Grace is the grace that we see demonstrated through
the perseverance of creation. God gives all general grace through things like
rainfall and sunshine. Both are needed for us to grow our food. Specific Grace
is demonstrated through the salvation of the lost. We read last week how God shows
mercy on whom He chooses to give mercy.
The greatest mercy He could ever give to mankind is the mercy of
forgiveness for our sins. An unconditional mercy which is offered to the elect
due to the completed work of Jesus Christ on that Roman Cross.
During the time of Christ, the Jews still viewed the temple in Jerusalem
as the place where their sins were acknowledged and dealt with and where God
revealed his presence to his people in a unique way. Jesus is now where and how
we meet with God. This exclusivity is probably the most offensive thing about
the Gospel. I mean, it’s one thing to say that I cannot earn my way into the
presence of God, but it is a whole other kettle of fish when we tell people
that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ.
Our modern-day, multicultural sensibilities are sent into overdrive when
we hear that the temple won’t help, that Mohamed won’t help, that not one of
the hundreds of Hindu deities will help and that Buddha can't help. Jesus is
the only way to the Father. Why is that? Why only Jesus?
1 Timothy 2:5-6a gives us a primary reason, “5 For
there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ
Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” A
mediator is a person who intervenes between opposing parties to help reconcile
them. Without a mediator, there’s no hope of the two connecting or being
restored.
Most people haven’t spent much time considering their need for a
mediator in their relationship with God. That’s because we grossly
underestimate the gravity and offensiveness of our sin in light of God’s
infinite majesty, holiness, and justice.
Pastor and author C.J. Mahaney put it this way in his book, Living the
Cross-Centered Life, “When you tell non-Christians, “God loves you,” they
aren’t surprised, they aren’t perplexed, they aren’t stunned. Regrettably, the
same is true among most evangelicals, who simply assume this gracious
disposition of God—and therefore presume upon it. And we’ll continue to do this
until we learn to see our condition more fully from God’s perspective.”
God is gracious, to be sure. But not in the way most of us think. To us,
graciousness implies overlooking some petty offense. It means being polite when
we could be rude. Maybe we resist slamming on the horn when someone cuts us off
in traffic or hold the elevator door open for a frantic businessman. We view
graciousness from our perspective—one
sinner relating to another.
God’s perspective is different. He faces an infinitely more difficult
dilemma. How can he forgive those who have defied his good and holy laws without
compromising the integrity of his just and righteous character?
When we sin against God, and all sin is against God, we aren’t sinning
against someone like us. God is perfect. He is all-good, all-powerful,
sovereign, and holy. And with each sin, we raise our fists in defiance against
him. We assert our authority over his. Because God is holy and just, he must
punish sin. He can’t simply “sweep things under the rug” or “forgive and
forget.” The entire Bible reveals God’s unflinching commitment to the glory and
honor of his name. We make a mockery of it when we sin.
For that reason, we need to be saved from God’s justice. We need to be
protected from his fierce jealousy for his supreme and unique glory.
And what we need has been provided for us in Jesus Christ.
Jesus served as our mediator when he willingly endured God’s wrath
against our sins at the cross, even though he himself was completely innocent.
Jesus served as our mediator when he became our substitute to receive the
punishment we deserved, after which the Father raised him from the dead,
demonstrating the sufficiency of his sacrifice. Jesus was our mediator when he
embraced the torment of separation from God so we could live with God forever.
This is the good news of the gospel. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “18 For Christ also suffered once for sins,
the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in
the body but made alive in the Spirit.” This is not just “good news”,
this is great news. We have been reconciled to the Father because of the
mediatorial work of Jesus Christ.
May I just say something here? I don’t say these things to be offensive.
I don’t mean to be rude or upsetting. But adding to what Pastor Mahaney said in
his book, it is not just the evangelicals that are ignoring the wrath of God,
it is also the leadership in most evangelical churches, pastors included, who
refuse to risk offending someone by telling them the truth. It would be easier
for me if I didn’t have to preach that it was this exclusive. I wouldn’t be
called names or have quite so many phone calls if I was willing to simply be
quiet and preach a nice safe and cuddly Jesus. But I love you too much to keep
you comfortable on your way to Hell.
If you don’t yet know Jesus in a personal way, if you do not have a
loving relationship with Christ, if He is not your Lord and Savior then please
come and talk with me. Come and see me after the service, or I am here at the
church on Tuesdays now most of the day. If you see my car out front, I’m here.
Stop in and I’ll buy you a coffee and we can explore these thoughts further.
Don’t wait, be sure.
Remembering what Jesus did for us is the primary way in which we
can be focused on God. For the Israelites during the Babylonian exile, all that
they had to remember and hold fast to was the memory of the splendor of
Solomon’s Temple.
Look at the next couple of verses of Psalm 137. Starting at verse 2, “2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for
there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”” Now the NIV interprets
the type of tree as “poplar” trees, while other translations interpret the
Hebrew as “willow” trees. I think the willow tree is a more poetic translation,
especially if we think of a weeping willow. Can you think of a more appropriate
metaphor for the suffering and sorrow that the Israelites were feeling at their
displacement than the weeping willow?
Notice that the Israelites hung their harps in plain site as a constant
reminder. They did not hide their instruments away. Also, pay attention to the
language that the Psalmist is using to convey the emotions of those in disbursement.
“Captors, tormentors, demanded” these are all strong terms. They are expressing
the strong emotions and the shock that they are experiencing at the hands of
the Babylonians and those who have been put in charge of the local governments
over them. The Israelites are being prodded to sing “one of the songs of
Zion!”. This implies that the captors had no idea of the sacredness of these
worship songs that were performed in the Temple ceremonies.
The Israelites are holding on to the sacredness of their music by not carelessly
sharing it with those who would not understand. The emotions expressed in this
Psalm help to explain the reluctance of the leadership in Jerusalem to allow
others outside Judaism to participate in the reconstruction of the Temple. If
they felt tormented and demanded to share the music, we can see how they could
imagine how the outsiders would try to take over the worship and observance of
the Temple ceremonies.
The taunting of the tormentors is saying, “Where is your God? Why didn’t
He save you?” We see that the Israelites are willing to express their emotions
regarding the taunting. I wonder are we, as Christians willing to do the same
today? As we watch the steady decline in our culture, are we willing to speak
out against it, even if it might mean making some people upset with us?
Are we willing to be aware of the here and now? To pay attention to what
is happening in the world and not bury our heads in the sand? What about our
government leaders? When was the last time that you let your MP or MLA know
your displeasure at the direction that the government is allowing culture to go?
Maybe it’s not even a matter of allowing culture, the policies that are being
passed are actively promoting ungodliness. I’m not saying that the government
can control all these things, but things like legalizing cannabis are not
having the results that we were told would happen. The black-market cannabis is
even stronger today because of the permissiveness of smoking cannabis in
public. What I am saying is that not all of these policies have been beneficial
for society. Where were we, as Christians and as members of the public? Did we
make our opinions known, or do we think that we have no say in these matters?
You know the old expression, “separation of church and state”? The
separation of these powers was originally meant to only go in one direction.
The separation of these powers was to protect the church against the tyranny of
the government. The secular does not have authority over the sacred realm. But
the influence was always meant to have flowed from the church to the
state. The Bible is clear that God places the rulers over us, and these same
rulers are also governed by the Laws of God.
As Christians, are we willing to share our shock and dismay at the
direction that society is going in today? Church leaders need to constantly be
speaking biblical truth to the leaders of our communities and nation. Long ago,
the church abdicated its responsibility to speak God’s truth to power. Look at
the results. I think we need to stop feeling worried about speaking up to the
ruling class in this country. We need to bring back more biblical standards and
a greater emphasis on the family and protection for the family unit.
Look at verses 4 to 6 of Psalm 137, “4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? 5 If I forget
you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my
tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not
consider Jerusalem my highest joy.” Do we grasp the sacredness and high
regard that the Israelites held the worship songs to their God?
I wonder if we are too quick to share our sacred music. Have we lost
the sense of sacredness in our worship music today? Are we too quick to
share the hymns with non-believers without first explaining the history behind
the songs?
We often hear Amazing Grace played or sung at funerals of the Lost, and
I often wonder if those listening can even comprehend the marvelousness of the
gift that John Newton was writing about. “Twas grace that taught my heart to
fear. And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour
I first believed”. Do the lost understand what they are to fear? I
wonder if they understand that it is the very same Grace of God that causes one
to fear the wrath of God that also supplies the peace from that wrath by
opening our eyes to what Jesus did for us. It is this same Grace that allows us
to rest in the completed work of Jesus. This amazing grace appears at the hour
when we first believe. Are we cheapening our worship and the sacredness of the
hymns of the faith by singing them too quickly with others?
How many evangelical churches today, are taking the time to share the
theological significance of the songs, or are we more concerned with being
entertained or having our emotions bumped by a driving bass line and mindless
repetition? Are we quick to lose the joy in our worship because we have to
learn a new song? Are we too quick to be sour about a song selection because we
don’t like it while ignoring the obvious joy that it brings the person sitting
across from us? Do we think of the worship leader as a personal DJ?
Do we grumble about the lack of live music all while taking for granted
the access to the selection of songs that we have, never mind the freedom that
we enjoy gathering and worshiping as openly as we do? We have brothers and
sisters in Christ in countries like North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Sudan who
are being persecuted for their faith. Last year there were 4,998 Christians
killed around the world for faith-related offenses.
Look at the attitude of the Israelites while in captivity. They claimed
that they couldn’t even sing the songs while in a foreign land. They
pledged that if they forgot Jerusalem and the sacredness associated with the
Holy City they should have their hands forget the skills required to play the
instruments. Jerusalem was considered the “City of God”, thus indirectly the
name Jerusalem referred to God himself.
They claimed that they would rather have their tongues cling to the
roofs of their mouths if they forgot Jerusalem and their God. If they did not
consider Yahweh their highest joy. Do you consider Christ your highest joy? Are
there other things that you place first before Jesus or church attendance? Do
we consider it joy or a chore to gather and worship on the Lord’s Day? Most of
society doesn’t even consider Sunday to be the Lord’s Day anymore. It’s their
day and their day off.
This last section of the Psalm is the consideration of God’s Justice in
the whole matter.
Let’s read verses 7 to 9 of the Psalm. “7 Remember,
Lord, what the Edomites did on the
day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its
foundations!” 8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy
is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9 Happy
is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”
Well, let’s consider who the Edomites were first. The Edomites were the
descendants of Issac’s son Esau. The older son who sold his birthright for a
plate of stew. Esau married two Canaanite women for wives, so the Edomites were
also descendants of the Canaanites.
It is sad to think that the enemies of the Israelites shared common
ancestors in Issac and Abraham. The rivalry of Isaac’s two sons was still being
played out generations later in the Edomites holding the Israelites captive.
And it was a brutal captivity. Verse 7 describes the destruction of the Temple.
“Tear it down”, they cried, down to its very foundations! We are talking total
destruction of the Temple. That act alone speaks to the level of animosity
between the two groups. The Edomites and the Jewish people are still fighting
today. This is the struggle that lies behind the war in Gaza and the latest
attacks on Israel by Iran. Some of the Arabians in the region can trace their
lineage back to another son of Abraham, Ishmael.
Look at what verse 8 says, 8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,” There is a
prophecy located here, did you catch it? “Doomed to destruction”. The phrase
“Daughter Babylon” refers to the population, the people of Babylon, and their descendants.
We see the fulfillment of the prophecy when the Mede-Persian Empire conquered
the Babylonians in 539 BC.
Now, the next section of verses 8 and 9 the NIV translation falls a
little short here. They used the word happy to translate the Hebrew word ʾesher, and other English translations use the word
“blessed”. Even the word blessed has some translational issues. The use of ʾesher in this instance does not mean “happy”, or
“blessed by God”, but rather “morally justified”. Blessed are those who keep
justice is what Psalm 106:3 says. The Psalmist is asking for God’s justice to
be delivered to the enemies of Israel. The Israelites are asking for divine
retribution which is the equal measure of punishment to be carried out. The
people of God are asking Yahweh to do to their enemies exactly what was done to
them and no further. An “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” measure of
justice.
Here is
the psalmist’s perspective. God declares Himself through the words of Moses as
being in a covenant relationship with His people. Within the terms of the
relationship, He will act as Judge and Vindicator to uphold justice. It is
because God has promised the vindication of His people that the psalmist cries
out. Not as a presumption on his part, but rather it is faithfulness to God’s
word that motivates the writer of the psalm. Notice that the Israelites are
leaving the deliverance of justice up to God.
Those are
hard words to read and hear, the seizing of infants and dashing them against
rocks, but that was the brutal time that these people were living in. These
were common acts of war. The strategy was to reduce the numbers of the enemy so
that the next generation would not grow larger and come back to you seeking
revenge.
CONCLUSION
I hope that by reading and studying this Psalm we would grasp
a deeper understanding of the mindset of the people as they were returning to
Jerusalem and began the rebuilding process. This was why the Israelites were so
cautious about accepting outside help. This was why they were guarding against
syncretism so closely because they had been tormented while in captivity.
The Israelites struggled mightily to remain faithful to
their God, even while being separated from Him and under judgment from Him. Now,
what is the application for us in this day? Well, I feel that we are a nation
that is under God’s judgment also. We may not be experiencing the ravages of a
physical war and a hostile occupation, but it is clear to me that Christian
values no longer carry the same level of influence that they once did, and we
can see the cost to society for that.
I saw an interesting interview this week with the famous
atheist Richard Dawkins. You may be aware that the cultural landscape of
England has been shifting over the last several years, primarily due to the
massive immigration of people from a Muslim background and countries. As you
can imagine, this has caused some cultural shock for the natives, as these new
immigrants are no longer coming to a new country hoping to assimilate into the
host country’s culture. Rather, they are bringing their culture with them and
establishing cultural strongholds in the new country. Immigration is the new
method of invasion and colonizing.
Anyway, Dawkins is now claiming that England was a
“Culturally Christian” nation and it benefitted from the values that
Christianity taught. Dawkins even referred to himself as a “Cultural Christian”
even though he would never admit to the existence of God. In the past, I have
heard Dawkins and other atheists argue that man does need the existence of God
to be true in order to be morally good.
It seems Mr. Dawkins has had a change of heart. Now that he
is experiencing a different culture first-hand, Richard is claiming that those Christian-type
folks aren’t all that bad after all, and could we please have some more of that?
Dawkins is getting a taste of the evil that will exist in the world when we
eliminate Jesus Christ from it.
A question to ponder this week is “Does the presence of evil
in the World mean that God has abandoned us?” I would say that the biblical
example would indicate “No”. Yahweh did not abandon His people while under
Babylonian rule, Persian rule, or even Roman rule. As a matter of fact, it was
while under Roman rule that the Father sent the Son to deliver the world.
Can we hold the world to biblical standards? The short
answer is “yes”. We are starting to see what happens when we, as a society,
walk away from the biblical standards. We see the breakdown of the family unit,
the emergence of 648 genders, the denial of reality, and we no longer have an
arbiter of truth. What’s true for you is true and what’s true for me is true,
even if they both say the opposite of each other, they are equally true.
Finally, you may be thinking, “What can we do about it?
Shouldn’t we just pray about it?” Well, prayer is certainly the starting
point, but I think that we can do much more than just pray. I want to be
careful here because it is important how we handle this. We are to speak the truth,
but we are to do it with gentleness and respect. We are not to condemn out of
anger, for we are never to forget that we were once lost sinners as well. We
should never act superior or boast in our position in Christ, for the Bible
makes it clear that we have done nothing worthy of boasting.
We live in a democracy, and we are equal citizens with the
rest. We have as much right to have our opinions heard and our values respected
as anyone else. Even though Jesus makes exclusive claims about the path to the
Father, we do not see the Bible instructing us to tear down the structures of
other religions. We are to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit to remain
sensitive to the work of God in the lives of others and share the Gospel with
those that the Father puts in front of us.
Pastor
Paul’s Points:
1)
Be focused on God.
2)
Be willing to express your shock.
3)
Be aware of the here and now.
4)
Be sure to uphold God’s Justice and
Grace.
Questions
to meditate on this week:
1. Does the presence of evil in the world
mean that God has abandoned us?
2. Can we hold the world to biblical
standards?
3. Shouldn’t we just pray about
it?
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