Psalm 137 - Remembering Zion in a Strange Land

Remembering Zion in a Strange Land

Psalm 137: A Song of Exile, Faith, and Hope

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.” — Psalm 137:1 (NASB)

A Psalm of Exile

Few psalms capture the depth of human sorrow and divine faithfulness quite like Psalm 137. It is one of the most poignant and haunting songs in all of Scripture, a psalm written in the aftermath of catastrophe, when the people of God were carried away into Babylonian exile.

The psalmist’s voice trembles with pain: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.” These are not words of mere nostalgia; they are the cry of covenant sorrow. The people of God had lost not only their homeland, but the visible symbol of God’s presence, the temple in Jerusalem, the dwelling place of His name.

In 586 B.C., Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian armies under King Nebuchadnezzar. The city walls were torn down, the temple was burned, and the people of Judah were carried off into captivity (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36). For generations, the prophets had warned that rebellion against God and idolatry would bring judgment and now, that day had come.

But even in judgment, God had not abandoned His covenant. Psalm 137 is proof that, though the people were far from Zion, God was near to their broken hearts.

This psalm teaches us that faithful remembrance is the lifeline of faith in exile and that remembering rightly means seeing our sorrow, steadfastness, and supplication all through the lens of God’s redeeming grace.

1. Remember with Sorrow (vv. 1–4)

“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 tormentors mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion. ’How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?”

The psalm opens not with rebellion, but with tears. The exiles do not curse God for their suffering; they weep before Him. This is not despair, it is repentance. They grieve because they remember what they have lost and the sin that led them there.

The “rivers of Babylon” were the canals where the exiles were forced to live and labor. They hung their harps on the trees, too heartsick to sing. The Babylonians mocked them, demanding, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” , not as an act of worship, but as entertainment. The psalmist’s question pierces the air: “How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?”

This question is not rebellion but reverence. The songs of Zion were holy, not for Babylon’s mockery, but for God’s glory. The psalmist refuses to cheapen what is sacred. There’s a deep truth here for us today: lament is not faithlessness , it is faith clinging to God through tears.

Sometimes, worship doesn’t sound like singing; it sounds like weeping. The silence of the harps is not spiritual death, it is spiritual honesty. When words fail and hearts ache, God still hears the cry of His people.

Even our tears can become worship when they are directed toward Him. And yet, for all their sorrow, there’s hope hidden in the act of remembering. The exiles remembered Zion, they remembered the promises of God, His dwelling place, His faithfulness in the past. In remembering, they began to hope again.

The same is true for us. When we find ourselves in seasons of exile, whether through grief, failure, or distance from God, our first step back is to remember who He is and what He has done.

As the psalmist wept beside Babylon’s rivers, God was already preparing the way home.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.” — Psalm 126:5

2. Remember with Steadfastness (vv. 5–6)

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill.May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you,If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.”

The psalm now turns from lament to loyalty. The one who wept in verse 1 now stands firm in verses 5 and 6, making a vow of faithfulness: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill.”

This is no poetic exaggeration, it’s a covenantal oath. The psalmist is pledging that no matter how long the exile lasts, he will not forget the Lord or the promises symbolized in Jerusalem.

The “right hand” represents strength, work, and purpose. To lose its skill would mean to lose meaning itself. The psalmist would rather lose his ability to play or to speak than lose remembrance of God’s dwelling place. This is steadfastness, the kind of faith that refuses to let the culture of Babylon shape the heart of Zion’s people.

We need that same faith today. We, too, live in a kind of Babylon, a world that tempts us daily to forget God, to blend in, to exchange holiness for comfort. Yet, the Lord calls us to steadfast remembrance. As Hebrews 13:14 reminds us, “Here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

For the Christian, “Jerusalem” points beyond the earthly city to the heavenly Zion, the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of God’s people (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:1–4).

We remember with steadfastness because we know the story isn’t over. Christ has already conquered sin and death, and He will bring His people home. Until then, we live faithfully, joyfully, and resolutely as citizens of another kingdom.

So, Christian, remember with steadfastness. In a world that constantly whispers, “Forget your God,” let your right hand, your labor, your strength, your purpose, remain faithful to Him. Let your tongue cling not to complaint but to praise. Let your joy be anchored not in the fleeting pleasures of Babylon, but in the enduring promise of Zion’s glory. For the one who remembers the Lord in exile will one day rejoice in His presence forever.

3. Remember with Supplication (vv. 7–9)

“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.”

The psalm now shifts from personal remembrance to prayer, a cry for justice. The one who remembered Zion now calls upon God to remember His covenant and to act.

Edom, Israel’s brother nation, had rejoiced when Jerusalem fell. They had said, “Tear it down!” Babylon had done the tearing. The psalmist, seeing such evil, cries out for God to remember — not to forget the pain of His people, nor to leave evil unpunished. These are hard words for modern ears: “How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock.”

But this is not an expression of human rage; it is a cry for divine justice. The psalmist longs for the complete end of wickedness — for a day when Babylon’s cruelty, its pride, and its violence will never rise again.

The “little ones” symbolize the future of evil itself. To “dash them against the rock” is to pray that sin and injustice will be utterly destroyed, that evil will not reproduce itself. This is a righteous longing, not a vindictive one.

And Scripture tells us that God Himself will fulfill it. In Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51, the prophets declared Babylon’s destruction as an act of divine justice. In Revelation 18, we see that pattern fulfilled, the fall of Babylon the Great, the end of the world’s rebellion against God.

But there is also mercy hidden in this cry. The God who judges also saves. He remembered His covenant and sent His Son into the world, into our Babylon, to bear the wrath we deserved and to bring us peace. At the cross, justice and mercy met. The Judge Himself bore the judgment so that sinners might go free.

The psalmist prayed, “Remember, O LORD.” And God did, at Calvary.

There, our exile ended. There, we were brought home.

4. The Gospel Fulfillment of Psalm 137

Psalm 137 ultimately points us to Christ, who entered the deepest exile, separation from the Father, so that we could be restored.

He is the true Israelite who wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), the faithful One who remembered the covenant perfectly, and the righteous Judge who will one day make all things new.

At the cross, Jesus endured the full measure of our Babylon. He was mocked, stripped, and crucified outside the city gates. He took the place of the exiled sinner and became the songless sufferer for us.

And through His resurrection, the silence of Psalm 137 was broken. The harps were lifted again. The songs of Zion began anew — the song of the redeemed.

That’s why the Book of Revelation pictures the saints standing before the throne, singing “a new song” (Revelation 14:3). It’s the song that began in exile but ends in glory, the song of those who have been brought home by grace.

5. The God Who Remembers

One of the most beautiful truths in Psalm 137 is the simple word: “Remember.”

The psalmist remembered Zion — the dwelling of God. He asked God to remember His people and His justice.

And the good news of the Gospel is that God does remember.

Not in the human sense of recalling what was forgotten, but in the covenantal sense — to remember means to act in faithfulness toward His promises.

When God “remembers” in Scripture, He moves.

• He remembered Noah and caused the flood to recede (Genesis 8:1).

• He remembered Abraham and rescued Lot (Genesis 19:29).

• He remembered His covenant and delivered Israel from Egypt (Exodus 2:24).

And in the fullness of time, He remembered His mercy and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. So when you cry, “Remember me, Lord,” you are praying to a God who delights to do just that.

6. From Babylon to Zion: The Christian Journey

Psalm 137 is more than ancient history; it’s our story. Every believer lives in tension between two cities, Babylon and Zion.

We live in Babylon when we feel the weight of sin, injustice, and spiritual exile. We long for Zion, the presence of God, the joy of worship, the peace of restoration. But even as we live here, we are called to live as citizens of there.

Our values, our worship, our hope, all belong to the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Until Christ returns, we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, trusting that the day will come when faith will give way to sight, and the songs of exile will become the songs of home.

7. A Gospel Invitation

Friend, if you find yourself feeling far from God, if you feel like an exile wandering in a strange land, the message of Psalm 137 is for you. Your tears are not wasted. Your longing is not unnoticed. The God who remembered His people in Babylon remembers you now.

But the truth is, we are all born in exile. Our sin has separated us from God. Like Israel, we have all rebelled, all forgotten, all wandered. But the Gospel declares that God did not leave us there. He came to us, in Jesus Christ.

At the cross, Jesus bore the exile we deserved. He took our sin, our shame, and our distance from God. And through His resurrection, He opened the way home.

You do not have to stay by the rivers of Babylon. You can come home to Zion, to forgiveness, peace, and the presence of God, through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.” — 1 Peter 3:18

If you have never trusted Christ, I urge you: Repent of your sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus. He remembers His covenant mercy, and He will remember you.

8. A Call to Worship and Engagement

Beloved, Psalm 137 teaches us that God is faithful even when we are faithless. He remembers His people, restores His promises, and renews His song in our hearts.

This Sunday, as we gather to worship, come ready to remember. Remember His mercy. Remember His steadfast love. Remember the cross that brought you home.

And when you come, sing the Lord’s song, even if it’s through tears, because the day is coming when every tear will turn to praise.

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Final Reflection

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.” — Psalm 126:5

The exiles of Psalm 137 sat down and wept, but the story didn’t end there. God remembered them. He brought them home. And one day, He will bring all His people home to the New Jerusalem, where sorrow will be no more and every song will be new.

Until that day, may we remember, with sorrow for sin, with steadfastness in faith, and with supplication for His kingdom to come.

For the Lord has not forgotten His people and He never will.

If this message has spoken to your heart, I invite you to watch the full sermon on our YouTube channel. Watch: “Remembering Zion in a Strange Land”

https://www.youtube.com/@faithfultotheword

In that sermon, we walk line by line through Psalm 137, exploring how sorrow, steadfastness, and supplication all point us to Christ, our faithful Redeemer.

Also, visit our website for more sermons, articles, and theological resources: https://faithfultotheword.com