Psalm 137:1-6 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.… The psalm expresses the feelings of an exile who has but just returned from the land of his captivity. I. THE LOSS OF LIBERTY TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL. 1. Brings after it the most despondent sorrow. They hung their harps on the willows, and sat down and wept. 2. Blights the exercise of the highest gifts. They could not sing the joyful songs of Zion - the songs of the Lord. An enslaved people lose the power, as a rule, which they had when they were free. 3. Converts the world into a place of exile. Home is lost, and the world becomes a "strange," mysterious place. II. FIDELITY TO THE HOLIEST MEMORIES AND HOPES. "If I forget thee." We cannot blot out from the heart the holiest things, however much they may be mutilated and injured by ourselves or by others. The most eloquent writings in all languages have been pleas for liberty and religion, when nations have been struggling to recover or attain their liberty. - S. Parallel Verses KJV: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.WEB: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion. |
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