A lifetime of exile...

My best friend has been attending a bible study on the Psalter. [Yes, I am a tad jealous about that.] On Wednesday the 23rd, she posted about Psalm 137, which I am including here in my beloved NASB 1977, although that is not the translation she uses and quotes on her blog:

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormenters mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

How can we sing the Lord's song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill,
May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, "Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation,"
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

Before I reflect upon what my friend noted, I would like to say that I have heard, on several occasions, a pastor say that this is not an appropriate psalm to pray in church. Frankly, that very thought boggles my mind. This is Scripture. This is the prayerbook of the Bible. Jesus prays these for us. God gave these prayers for us to pray. And Scripture teaches that all of the Living Word is profitable for teaching, for training and that the Living Word will not return void and will accomplish its purpose.

Mostly, I think that folk only see the last line, or perhaps the last thought, and get no further. Dashing children against rocks. Uhm, what???

What I liked about Becky's post, for one, was a bit of the historical setting for when this psalm was penned. As she noted, really you ought to just go spend some time in Jeremiah, at least chapters 25-29. I broadened that "at least" part from her post, because her post made me go exploring a bit and I read of the contrasting prophesies—false and true—that are presented in chapter 28. The whole story, about how Judah was not much wanting to hear of the impending judgment for their lack of faith and so sought more ... positive ... prophets than Jeremiah.

In any case, during Becky's bible study, one of the most popular bible quotes from my evangelical days arose:

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." ~Jeremiah 29: 11-13

Since becoming a Lutheran, I have heard several times that few get this passage right. I rarely had any clarity on the matter, such as how it was wrongly presented and what would be more accurate. I just heard that it is not what most people think. I believe, now, I might know what was meant by such a comment.

For one, read it in the context of having just one more verse added to it:

For thus says the Lord, "When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (10-13)

And now read the final part to this paragraph:

For thus says the Lord, "When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord, "and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile." (10-14)

At this point, I shall make state a caveat that I do not know from where—from what doctrine—comes the Googling bit I found that gave me the most pause. So, perhaps, all my thoughts on the passage and the Psalm are in error. However, I think that the onion of Psalm 137 could have been peeled a tad more than what Becky learned in her bible study.

In this study reference, a few thoughts came to mind about Jeremiah, and then about Psalm 137, as I read and re-read Becky's post:

First, I found the difference in translation in Jeremiah 29:1 between Becky's and mind a bit interesting. Her's reads "...to the surviving elders...," whereas mine reads "...to the rest of the elders..." To me, that difference, in reading through Becky's post, gave me the impression that the exile was over...that this was written to those who survived it. So, when I first read through her post, I was reading with a wrong assumption.

Second, I found the emphasis on seventy years in the reference above an important note not to miss when thinking about the isolated verses of Jeremiah 29:11-13. As the authors of the study reference point out, seventy years represents the lifespan of a person. The judgment these folk faced was exile for their entire lives. Thus, to me, when you read about plans for a future and a hope, what ought to come to mind is the future and hope of what comes after our span of life ... eternal life, where there will be no captivity, no hardship, no grief, no loss, no pain, no suffering.

In a way, this thought alone shifted my perspective on my own life. I am, in a sense, living my entire life in exile, as Judah, because I live in a fallen world, a world suffering beneath the judgment of sin. And so the plans for prosperity, for a future and for a hope, are plans that will come true even for me, no matter what further trails of body, mind, and spirit I might face.

Third, both Becky and the authors pointed out that in Jeremiah 29, the Lord instructed Judah to build lives in captivity, to marry, have children, etc. Or, more specifically, the Lord charges the exiles:

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease." (4-6)

To me, however, I found what came after that more thought-provoking:

"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare." (7)

Wow! What passed through my mind, as I thought about Psalm 137, that that prayer really was a cry of anguish, a cry of pain and of frustration. I mean, really, dashing children upon the rocks is not actually seeking the welfare of your captives and the community in which you have been placed.

And I also thought, again, how very much I appreciate how what I have learned of the Scriptures from Lutheran doctrine is so connected. For example, you could use verse 7 to accompany Luther's teaching on the Seventh Commandment from the Large Catechism, in which he shows that the is not merely about refraining from stealing, but also to prevent others from stealing from your neighbors and to help your neighbor's increase their wealth. You could then circle from the Large Catechism to Matthew 5, in which Jesus gives several examples of spinning out the spirit of the Law (or its fullness), rather than its letter. Again, the letter of the Law in the Seventh Commandment is to not steal, but the fullness of keeping that commandment is also about protecting the possessions of our neighbors and helping them to prosper. In particular, you could read what Jesus teaches in verses 43-48:

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Love your enemies.
Pray for them.
Seek the welfare of your place of exile.
Pray for its welfare.

Of course, the confused and conflicted Myrtle could get hung up and become felled by that last bit about being perfect. However, I have come to the decision that unless someone who knows Greek tells me otherwise, I am going to take those instances where we are charged to be something as not a command, but rather a reminder of who we are in Christ. I do not have to make myself perfect. In Christ, I already am.

Am. Is. Are. Was. Were. Be. Being. Been. All those "be" verbs I learned in grammar are now all chunked in Christ.

Fourth, I thought it was also important, within context, to note (back in Jeremiah), the Lord moves from charging Judah to seek the welfare of its place of exile to charging them to remain vigilant to the truth.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them," declares the Lord. (8)

After the charge to build lives, to pray for prosperity, comes the reminder that even in life in exile—or perhaps most especially life in exile—one will encounter our foe, who ceaselessly works to draw us away from truth into the specious lies that play to our reason and our flesh.

So, having Jeremiah 29:11-13 isolated from context could lead one to think that this bit of Scripture is a promise of prosperity and well-being and futures and hopes and all sorts of what man would consider good things in this life.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

But, if you read this bit of Scripture in context, you read of a "promise" of an entire life lived in exile and for rescue to come after the period exile is completed.

Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to theLord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare." For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them," declares the Lord.

For thus says the Lord, "When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile." (1-14)

Think about it. How often do we mourn a life cut short, bemoaning all that lost promise of the life the child would have had, not realizing that the promise of that life is really what comes after? After death. The afterlife.

Fifth, what I did not find in Becky's reporting of what she learned (which very well may have been in the study) is an emphasis on the Lord. By this I mean, Babylon did not capture Judah so much as the Lord willed for the exile to happen and utilized Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish His purposes, His perfect plan for Judah for those seventy years.

Thus says the Lord.
I have. I have sent. I have not sent. I have plans.
I will. I will listen. I will be found. I will restore. I will bring.
Me. Call upon Me. Come and pray to Me. Seek Me. Find Me. Search for Me.

Judah's exile was not about the military genius of Nebuchadnezzar nor was it about the military might of the Babylonians. Judah's exile was about faith and repentance, about promise and restoration. And it was the work, plan, and promise of God.

Now return to the prayer of Psalm 137:

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormenters mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

How can we sing the Lord's song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill,
May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, "Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation,"
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

Lots of pain and agony. Mourning by the river, struggling to even fathom raising a voice in praise. Feeling the burden of captivity, seeing only the present, bleak circumstance. Thinking more of vengeance and recompense rather than of repentance for what lead to the exile.

Oh, how our Creator knows His created!

To me, this psalm tells us that it is okay to struggle, to wrestle with our circumstances. This psalm acknowledges human despair and how perspective can color and skew our whole being.

What I did not find in this psalm—as in so many of the despairing psalms—was a step away from darkness to remind one's self of the truth and the majesty/work/promises of God. And, to me, that is a precious, precious gift from God. That lack in our prayers, the times of being unable to muster up the courage and the clarity to proclaim promises in the midst of confusing and even crippling circumstances, is okay.

Not being a theologian, but merely a child who oft raises anguished cries for help, I read the dashing of children against the rocks prayed by Jesus as being the deserved wrath of God upon those who deny Him, deny the Rock that is Christ Crucified. And I read the dashing of children against the rock prayed by man who is broken by his captivity and longs, ultimately, for the conquering of his enemies. He, in is limits of human reason and human flesh, is not perfect and so is not praying for and loving his enemies, but praying his frustrations and fears, his weaknesses, to the One who will take those prayers to the Father as perfect a prayer to pray as, say, Psalm 104, that utterly beautiful celebration of our majestic Creator.

Thank you, Becky, for sharing what you learned that I might, too, delve into both Jeremiah and Psalm 137. Thank you, Marie, for letting me go on and on and on about Jeremiah, Psalm 137, and the ineffable depths and riches of the Psalter, whilst you cooked yesterday.


Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!