Subject: The Blessing of Remembering
Text: Psalm 137:1-6 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
Introduction: The words of our text are the words of a nation of people who have been vanquished by the armies of the Babylonian empire. Their beloved and holy city Jerusalem has been sacked and set aflame. The beautiful temple that was built by King Solomon has been desecrated and left in ruins. And the once proud nation of Israel has been placed in chains and marched away as slaves into a strange and foreign land. The very people who were known throughout the world for their beautiful temple, sacred rituals, songs of worship to the God, Jehovah, have been reduced to listening to the taunts and ridicules of their captors. The Babylonians had listened carefully to Israel’s songs of praise as they studied their enemy. They heard them as they sang one of the psalms of David. They listened as the Israelites sang: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”
The Babylonians remembered Israel’s rich history and in celebration of their great victory over Israel, they mocked the people of God with a cruel request. “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” And the people of God replied with a question; a question that I believe was directed more to themselves than to their captors: “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” Babylon was indeed a strange land! To experience harsh treatment in captivity should have been expected. Yet right here in America, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, it has become a strange land.
We know that trouble comes to all in this world, but when we find ourselves stuck and confused, it’s strange! It is a strange land when hard fought for civil rights legislation is being reversed. It is a strange land when we discover the unjust laws and law enforcement officers where we expect fairness. It is a strange land when we discover attending school may be hazardous to your health. It is a strange land when we discover a Sunday drive can turn into a nightmare of road rage. On top of all that, loved ones may die unexpectedly. It is a strange land when sorrow comes in the middle of the joys of life. It is a strange land when in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we are faced with bondage and fear. We expect honesty and fairness, but are met with injustice, It’s a strange land. It is a strange land where sorrow comes in the prime of life. When young people choose suicide over life in the richest nation on earth. It is a strange land when you try to whole on to joy and one another while your hearts are filled with grief. Yet be assured that God will not abandon us because we are in a strange land.
Psalms 137 gives a sad account of the people of God who had lost many loved ones killed in battle, their homes, their temple, and their homeland were in ruins. This is one of the lowest points in Israel’s rich history. I would like to suggest to you that there is a message of hope hidden in the text and a challenge for us to keep moving forward through our present sorrows believing that this too will pass. There are better days coming! The psalmist said: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song.” The psalmist asked the question: “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? Babylon was indeed a strange land. The word Babel, which the root of Babylon means confusion. These Jews find themselves confused, in unfamiliar territory. They were depressed, dismay and dysfunctional. Life has a way of carrying us all to Babylon at one time or another. Disappointments has a way of landing all of us in the middle of a strange land. Even in Babylon, in a strange land, there are some things that we must do, if we are going to get up. First, we are encouraged to Remember Zion! Remember the day of blessing and opportunities we had.
1. Remember Zion! The name Zion is often used to describe a place appointed by the Lord where his followers can live and serve God. Scripture refers to Zion as the “City of Holiness” and a “city of refuge” where the Lord protects his people from the evils in the world. There is Joy in Remembering. The bible tells us over 166 times to REMEMBER. It must mean, that as humans, we are forgetful and irresponsible creatures. Revelation 3:3 says: “Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.” And Isaiah 26:3 says: God promises to keep all in perfect peace who trust in Him, and all those whose thoughts are fixed on Him.”
When we allow sorrow to overwhelm us, we tend to forget even the good times. By neglecting to remember the good times, our many joys and wonderful experiences, we risk being depressed, overcome with grief and more vulnerable to our enemy who comes to kill, steal, and destroy us. The enemy will use our sorrow to destroy our confidence in God and His ability to keep us. Satan urges us to forget about it all – to lose focus and to turn our focus to ourselves. But God, in His grace, has given us a helper, his Holy Spirit is an excellent reminder. So, sit in grief awhile if you must, be sad awhile if you must, but remember the good times, the great joys you had experienced and remember the comfort of our great God. God is with us even in this strange land. There is value in remembering intentionally. Not only remember your blessings, remember God’s word and his promises, then hold fast to them. Remembering may lead to repentance for missed opportunities, or lead us to perfect peace because we did the best we could, or lead to more steadfastness and a greater trust in our Savior. The book of Psalms is a real story, about real people, both sinners and saints, who lived and loved, experienced failures and victories that apply to all. So, as we experience a different season in America, Remember! Go through the corridors of your mind and remember the victories we have experienced as a nation, as a people and as a family.
Reminds yourself of the progress we made economically, politically, and personally. Remember the little details, soak it in, and marinate in it. Why do this? Because there is a generation who don’t know our story. They don’t know the victories we have won. They know Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as just another figure in history. They only see things not being as it should be. We know things are not as good as they should be, but we also know things are not as bad as they were. In our whole story, you will find some smiles, some joys, and even some healing. After you remember the past victories, remember the God who is on our side. Remember that Jesus really loves us and is with us even in this strange land. We need to remember that this same Jesus, who came 2,000 years ago, is available to us now. He knows everything about each of us, the good, the bad, and the ugly. He chose to love us and to give His life that we might have and experience his very own kind of life. They remembered Zion!
2. Remember Your assignment! This is just a disruption. It’s a painful, disturbing disruption. Our world is reeling from the effects of Covid, inflation, January 6, and Trump. Yet, we must remember our assignment. Remember where you put your equipment? You and I are called servants of God. So, remember where you put your equipment for service. You will serve again. I need you to hear me, don’t wait for the climate to change. We have what we need to get up and keep serving. There are opportunities available even in Babylon. Daniel did not wait. The three Hebrew Boys did not wait. They soared in Babylon. Frederick Douglas did not wait. Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washinton and George Washington Carver did not wait. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not wait. They all seized the moment and soared in a strange land. We must seized the present moment and take advantage of every opportunity to grow, to learn, and to become wiser.
In verse 2 we read, “We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.” The words of the psalmist create for us a very visual image of weeping saints sitting by the edge of the river under weeping willow trees in defeat. Their heads were hung in sorrow and defeat, yet he says “there they hanged their harps.” It was there at the river’s edge among the willows, in a mood of emotional dejection and defiance that they decided to hang up their instruments of music and worship. Those who made this decision were the temple musicians. They had once provided a valuable service to people of God and the work of the Lord. Two things caught my attention in the text and they both speak of a future hope: (1) these captives brought their harps with them on their march into captivity. So somewhere in the back of their minds, even though loved ones had been killed, their city and their homes had been destroyed, the temple was left in ruins, even though they were now in chains being led away into a strange land, they remained hopeful that the time would come when they would be able to play the Lord’s songs once more. Even in times of sorrow and mourning God will give you a ray of hope. (2) even though their enemy verbally assaulted and insulted them daily, they did not destroy their harps or throw them away, they hung them up. Somewhere in the back of their minds was a flicker of hope that there would come a time that they would be able to pick up their harps and play the Lord’s songs once again.
As we grow older, sometimes we feel tired and less useful. Our direction may not be as clear as it once was, our health may be declining, and the devil has a way of saying, Well, you have done your part or no one appreciates you, just quit! Sometimes you lose a loved ones so dear, your heart so heavy that you feel like giving up on everything and everyone. Sometimes the church goes through changes and your initial reaction is to pack it in and quit – but don’t do it. These servants may have hung up their harps, but they never intended to stop serving. Their harps may have been silent for a season, but they left the door open for the time when they would be able to make music in the service of the Lord. God will always leave the door of opportunity open for service, so don’t allow the difficulties of the moment to cause you to stop serving. This is a different season in our lives, the Pandemic has not left, the flu virus has come, the political climate has worsened, and corruption can be found at every level of society. God is still right here in the place where we are! In this strange land, God is with us! Grieve for a while over the present condition, then pick up your instruments and get back in service.
Let’s encourage our people to come back to God and then come back to church. Remind them that God’s church is still relevant. Continue to encourage our people to register and to vote. Today’s leaders may not be as impressive as you would like, but they are all we have. The Church may not be as impressive or perfect as you like, but it is all we have. The political system may not be as perfect as you like, but it is all we have. The school system may not be perfect, but it is all we have. Don’t knock down all we have; take advantage of all we have. You will find that with your input and assistance, what we have is enough. So, if we want a better country, a better state, a better county, a better church, a better community made up of better families, you must become a better you. Take time to Remember Zion! Remember Your Assignment, pick up your harp and get back in the game. Be a witness that it’s true, things are not what they should be, but are better than they were. The good that we have is worth fighting for, working for, and building for. Yes remember Zion, your assignment and then remember Your Song!
3. Remember Your Song! Disappointments and sorrowful situations are hard and difficult to deal with, but we still have a song. We will sing again! We shall overcome, deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday.” In verse 4 we hear the words of the singers. They asked a question both of their captors and themselves. “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” The request of their captors was unreasonable and insulting. How could they expect those captives, reduced to slaves, and dragged in chains, kidnaped from their beautiful homeland to sing one of our sacred songs of victory for their entertainment? Why should they sing to please the enemies of God and Israel? And how could they expect laughter and entertainment from people in the state of sorrow, bondage, and depression? These songs were given by God, appointed by God, and anointed by God to be sung in His honor and for His glory. Our songs are the Lord’s songs. How could they expect them to sing in a strange land? How could they expect them to sing for the benefit of a strange people who were enemies of God? Like the temple musicians gazing at their harps, these gifted singers responded with silence. Although they refused to sing in a strange land, for the benefit of an unworthy audience, they knew they would sing again!
So often troubles and trials seem to steal your song. For the child of God, our song is an expression of our praise. Our song is the verbal testimony of our joy and connection to God. When you sing the Lord’s songs those around you are offered a glimpse into the relationship – our love between us and our Lord. Our song is on the inside and flows from our heart. Since it comes from our heart, even during times of sorrow and sadness, we have a choice. Trouble may knock at our door, but we still have a choice in the matter. We cannot choose the circumstances of life, but we can choose our response. We can choose to sing the Lord’s Song anytime. Because our songs may be sang in the presence of people, but they are sung to the glory of God. We can always bless the Lord! The story in this text is really the story of life. Troubles, trials, sorrows, and pain comes to all. When they come, all of us can expect our enemy to taunt us with the questions, “Where is your God now? What happened to your songs of praise?” “I thought you said, this joy I have the world can’t take it away, O Zion, what’s the matter now?”
I realize that Israel’s silence was a form of protest and passive resistance. But when we sing our enemy knows that the battle is not over. Sorrow has not destroyed our joy. So “remember the songs of Zion, don’t stop singing.” Israel could not sing because their joy had been destroyed. They could not sing because their hope was gone. They were captives in a strange land. Captivity has a way of paralyzing both our hands and our mouths. The musicians would not play, and the singers could not sing. But Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Singing stirs up the joy that is in you, the Lord’s joy! So “remember the songs of Zion and start singing again. Our God is a God who giveth songs in the night! Yes, Remember Zion, Remember Your Assignment, and Remember the Songs of Zion. Deep in my heart I do believe, We shall overcome some day! I will trust in the Lord until I die and the Lord will make a way somehow. Finally, remember God.
3. Remember God and Give Glory to Him! “May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.”
Today, I encourage you all to remember Zion because this world is not our home. We are all on our way home. Remember your assignment because we all will give account of our deeds done here in this strange land. Remember the songs of Zion because they inspire our faith and strengthens our joy. Start singing again! Finally, Remember your God and give glory to Him because that was God’s purpose for His creation. Revelations 4:11 says, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Listen again to the resolve of the Israelites. “May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.” They declared that although our harps temporarily idle and our voices are temporarily silent, we had not forgotten how to play, to sing and to serve and glorify God. Although Jerusalem has been sacked, and the temple is in ruin, we will not forget our God, and will give him glory!
In this strange Land of sorrow, calamity and suffering, Israel had the presence of mind to remember her God and His holy city, Jerusalem. Israel’s memory was intact, but a little out of order. She remembered her life in Zion, she remembered her positions of authority and her assignment of duty and her city and temple, she forgot about God. She remembered the right things, but in the wrong order. They should had remembered God first and foremost. They had forgotten the One Who had brought them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Now, they were in captivity because they violated their covenant relationship with God. Singing in the temple worship was a good thing; doing work in the temple was a good thing; acquiring a better education, living in better homes, driving better cars, enjoying the high life is great, but always remember God. We still need the Lord. Don’t forget that this world is not our home, we too are travelers in a strange land. Yes, we are foreigners and strangers; we are immigrants on our way to meet a holy, righteous, and just God. Jesus is coming again, and He is coming soon.
Remember Zion, Remember your Assignment, Remember your song, be sure you remember your God. In John 14: Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Do your best and give your service to benefit others and glorify God in this strange Land, enjoyed every day God gives you to live, be good to one another and help one another, but don’t forget the Savior! As we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all he did for the benefit of man and glory of God, I remember one of his sermons. In February 1968 while preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. concluded his sermon by imagining his own funeral. Urging the congregation not to dwell on his life’s achievements, including his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize, King asked to be remembered as one who “tried to give his life serving others”. He implored his congregation to remember his attempts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort prisoners. “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,” “Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter” (King, “The Drum Major,” 185–186).
We too live our lives for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. Many are looking for a ray of hope, they are listening for a song of Zion. Does anyone still believe we shall overcome? Does anyone still believe There is a better day a coming after a while? Remember our God and give glory to him. Remember what He accomplished on the cross at Calvary. Through it all, remember that He died a sacrificial and substitutionary death to cleanse us from our sins and redeemed us, purchased our freedom so we can live as children of God. Remember to work while it is day for night is coming when the workday is over! Let’s be about our Father’s business while we have time. Daylight is burning and night is approaching! The Father’s business is a kingdom enterprise! Saving souls, making disciples and kingdom building is His life changing business! Don’t get sidetracked in this strange land, keep your focus. Because of Israel’s sin and disobedience, they got sidetracked in Babylon. The Babylonians were allowed to defeat and enslave them. But I need you to remember that our Savior has already conquered and defeated our chief enemy, and we can all have victory in Jesus! Jesus said, Come unto me and I will give you rest!
Andre Crouch in His hymn said it this way, “I've had many tears and sorrow, I've had questions for tomorrow, There've been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation God gave me blessed consolation, That my trials come to only make me strong.
I've been a lot of places, And I've seen millions of faces. But there were times that I felt so all alone. But in my lonely hour, Yet those precious lonely hours Jesus lets me know that I was His own. Through it all, Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon His word.
So I thank God for the mountains, And I thank Him for the valleys. And I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through For if I'd never had a problem, I'd never know God could solve them, I'd never know what faith in His word could do. That's the reason I say that Through it all, through it all. I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all. Oh, I've learned to depend upon His word.”
Let me conclude by saying, don’t allow your present disillusionment and disappointment to cause you to forget the Church, hang up your harps and silence your voice. Too much progress has been made and there is too much to be done. You have a part to play and a job to do. Have you joined the Lord’s Army yet? Have you surrender your life to building the kingdom of God? How much longer will you wait? How much longer can you wait? The door of opportunity is upon us, and all doors will close at some point. Each season brings new opportunities. In the spring, take advantage, in Summer, protect and defend your crops from the bugs and weeds, in Fall, gather your harvest and in the winter, rest and prepare. Let’s work while it is day, for night is coming. The singing group Roots sang a freedom song, you might remember.
“Turn me round, turn me round, Ain't gonna let nobody, turn me round, I just keep on walking, keep on talking, Marching on to freedom land. Ain't gonna let no jailhouse, turn me round, Turn me round, turn me round, Ain't gonna let no jailhouse, turn me round, Oh, I, keep on walking, keep on talking, Marching on to freedom land.” They went on to say Ain’t gonna let no segregation, no dogs, or nobody turn me around, Oh, I, keep on walking, keep on talking, Marching on to freedom land.”
I encourage each of us to keep moving forward! Is there not a cause? Our cause is freedom, our difficulties are many. Discrimination is alive. Injustice abounds, but let’s keep moving. In Psalms Psalm 118:5-9, David said, “In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Amen.
