Day 170

1 Kings 20:1–21:29; Acts 12:24–13:15; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 17:16

TODAY WE READ Psalm 137. But before we get into that —a little refresher. The ancient Israel we are reading about in 1 Kings was divided into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah) after Solomon’s reign. Neither of these kingdoms endured. Eventually, the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, and later, the kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonian Empire.

When empires invaded and conquered new territory, they began a process of systematically destroying the underlying cultures in these captured lands. One of the primary ways of achieving this goal was exile. Subjugated people were taken from their homeland and resettled in other conquered lands mixed with natives and other exiles. There were many reasons for this, but the primary one was assimilation into the empire. Over generations, people would forget their history and allegiances to anything but the empire, because there was nothing else. It was from the perspective of exile that Psalm 137 was written:

Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a pagan land?

When we read these words through the lens of exile, they become dramatically more meaningful. The people had been displaced —hauled from their homes and forcibly resettled in faraway lands. Families had been torn apart, some going one place and others another, never to be seen again. Loved ones had been killed, property had been pillaged. Where once had been life and laughter was now lament.

Have you ever felt like you were in exile? As if the life with which you were once familiar is gone, and you now live in a world you don’t recognize? We’ve all faced these seasons —whether through death, betrayal, or some other form of soul-crushing loss. Psalm 137 allows us to see that we’re not alone. We’re not the only ones who have ever felt this way. And Psalm 137 doesn’t put a nice bow on the situation as we are often prone (or compelled) to do. It just sits there being honest.

If you feel like you’re in exile, be honest with yourself —and be honest with God. You may be closer to both than you’ve ever been. And it’s not your honesty that God would rather avoid (no matter what it looks like). No, the dishonesty we shroud ourselves in is the problem.

Exile was not the end of the story for these ancient people —we’ll get to that part a little later in the Bible. It’s not the end of your story either. Hiding and denying what is really going on in your soul won’t help, however. Be honest with God about it, and feel the embrace of a Father consoling His child. This will not last forever.

MEDITATION:

A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.