Are you righteous?

 Psalm 143:1–12 (ESV):  

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord; 

give ear to my pleas for mercy! 

In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! 

 2  Enter not into judgment with your servant, 

for no one living is righteous before you. 

 3  For the enemy has pursued my soul; 

he has crushed my life to the ground; 

he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. 

 4  Therefore my spirit faints within me; 

my heart within me is appalled. 

 5  I remember the days of old; 

I meditate on all that you have done; 

I ponder the work of your hands. 

 6  I stretch out my hands to you; 

my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 

 7  Answer me quickly, O Lord! 

My spirit fails! 

  Hide not your face from me, 

lest I be like those who go down to the pit. 

 8  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, 

for in you I trust. 

  Make me know the way I should go, 

for to you I lift up my soul. 

 9  Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! 

I have fled to you for refuge. 

 10  Teach me to do your will, 

for you are my God! 

  Let your good Spirit lead me 

on level ground! 

 11  For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! 

In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! 

 12  And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, 

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, 

for I am your servant. 

‘in your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! Enter not into judgement with your servant for no one living is righteous before you’. No-one is good, righteous or perfect when compared to God. Even the best, most just, kind, loving, well behaved person you know is; wicked, corrupt and flawed when compared to God. Even if you try to be good, follow the rules, you are never going to be good enough to reach the standard of being pure and holy. If your actions don’t let you down, your inactions, words or thoughts will. You are not perfect and you will never be completely righteous. Only one person that ever lived was, and his name is Jesus. 

The standard of righteousness that God has is impossible for you to reach, without accepting the love and sacrifice that Jesus made for you. He did live a perfect, holy life. Even though tempted, he never sinned. He too underwent peer pressure, had family expectations, encountered difficulties, had desires, wanted to do his own thing, but not once did he sin. The only way that you can be made righteous, like Jesus, is to accept that because he lived a perfect life and died a sinners death, all of your unrighteousness died with him. 

Unlike the writer of this psalm, David, you can know that you are made righteous. You are not going to be judged by God for all your sin, because when you accept Jesus life, death and resurrection and choose to live your life in submission to him, God sees only His perfect son, Jesus. He attributes to you the perfect ways, decisions, words and actions that Jesus did. If you accept that your life is in him, then you are pure, holy and righteous as Jesus is. You can know freedom from feeling less than good. You do not have to fear the final judgement when you have put your life into God’s hands through Jesus. Jesus put to death sin and judgement, so that you do not have to live in guilt and shame any more. Have you accepted this freedom? 

For ‘no one living is righteous’. In your own will and power you cannot reach the standards of goodness and purity that the Law of God requires. There is only one way. That is through dying to yourself and letting Jesus take charge of your life by accepting his sacrifice for you, and choosing to put God first for the rest of your life. Then, when God looks at you, He does not see that you are corrupt, evil or wicked. Thankfully, He sees the perfectly holy and good reflection of His son, Jesus! You cannot attain that standard by yourself no matter how hard you try.

David who wrote this psalm lived in the time before Jesus came, so he did not know that he could be made righteous, he knew that he tried but could never reach the standard of perfection required. He pleaded for mercy, he felt crushed and concerned about the weight of ungodliness in him and around him. He says, 'my spirit faints within me’ and ‘In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble’. You now live in a time when you can be free from that! Are you? Have you accepted that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has made you holy? Are you living with your life dead to self and dedicated to following him? Jesus has done the work that David longed for. David pleads, ‘bring my soul out of trouble!’ God has done that through Jesus. Your soul no longer needs to be conflicted or in despair, you can have hope and joy again when you give your life to God because of all Jesus has done and modelled. You can be made new, given new life, hope and righteousness. Have you accepted it?

You have God

 Psalm 142:1–7 (ESV):  

1  With my voice I cry out to the Lord; 

with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 

 2  I pour out my complaint before him; 

I tell my trouble before him. 

 3  When my spirit faints within me, 

you know my way! 

  In the path where I walk 

they have hidden a trap for me. 

 4  Look to the right and see: 

there is none who takes notice of me; 

  no refuge remains to me; 

no one cares for my soul. 

 5  I cry to you, O Lord; 

I say, “You are my refuge, 

my portion in the land of the living.” 

 6  Attend to my cry, 

for I am brought very low! 

  Deliver me from my persecutors, 

for they are too strong for me! 

 7  Bring me out of prison, 

that I may give thanks to your name! 

  The righteous will surround me, 

for you will deal bountifully with me. 

You can turn to God when you have nowhere left to turn. When no-one will listen to you, you have God. When no-one else will help, you have God. When there is no place of safety left, you have God. This was David’s reflection when he was terrified, confused, and in hiding because he was being persecuted. So scared and alone was he that he had taken to hiding in a cave, he didn’t know where else to go, everywhere he looked he could only see traps and danger. So in the darkness of the cave, David calls out to God for help for, ‘there is none who takes notice of me’ and 'no one cares for my soul’. All alone, no support, unnoticed, uncared for. 

As David realises that human help is non-existent, no one wants to be associated with him or acknowledge him, he turns to the One that never leaves or forsakes him. He acknowledges to God that, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living’. David is confident that God can provide all that he needs. God is his safety, provider, companion and supporter even when it seems as if the whole world is against him. David knows that he lives only because God wills it, and he has faith that God wants him to keep living. Although he is desperate, concerned for his physical safety and is ‘brought very low’, he knows that he is only breathing and surviving because God is providing life and refuge. Therefore David asks God for a miracle, ‘Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me’. His conclusion is that because there are enemies all around that haven’t yet found or harmed him, and that he still breathes, God has a purpose and a rescue mission in mind for him. Yet David knows he cannot come through this situation alone, he is not strong enough, and there is literally no other person to help, only God. That is all he needs, so he asks God for help. David is not strong enough, he cannot keep safe by himself and he cannot even breathe without God, so who else can he rely on?!

Have you ever got to that point of desperation or loneliness? Maybe you try to keep going, thinking that you can work things out or handle the persecution and difficulty. Yet there comes a point when you have to admit, ‘they are too strong for me’. You do not need to keep battling alone, God can be your refuge just like he was David’s. If you are a believer in God, you have Him on your side. You are not strong enough to deliver yourself, to change the hearts and minds of the enemies pursuing you, and you are not clever enough to outsmart them, but do you know who is? God. He wants to be your refuge, deliverer, strength and guide, are you inviting Him to be? God will bring you out of situations that feel like caves and prisons when you call out to Him. You too can be assured that ‘you will deal bountifully with me’. This was David’s recognition once he had poured out his fears. He remembered that he was not really alone, that he had a fierce protector, a great comforter, a wise guide, and the most powerful King in the universe on his side! Therefore he did not need to trust in the cave, or his own ideas, but he could trust in the One who would deal bountifully with him, and who is keeping him alive and safe right now. 

What is your realisation about God when things are tough in your life? What truth do you hold onto? 

Remember that in all circumstances of life, you have God, When you feel most desperate and alone, you have God, when you need safety and reassurance, you have God. Speak to Him. Trust Him. Listen to Him. For, ‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed”’ (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Reverence of Prayer

 Psalm 141:1–10 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! 

Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 

 2  Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, 

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 

 3  Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; 

keep watch over the door of my lips! 

 4  Do not let my heart incline to any evil, 

to busy myself with wicked deeds 

  in company with men who work iniquity, 

and let me not eat of their delicacies! 

 5  Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; 

let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; 

let my head not refuse it. 

  Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. 

 6  When their judges are thrown over the cliff, 

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. 

 7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth, 

so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 

 8  But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; 

in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenceless! 

 9  Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me 

and from the snares of evildoers! 

 10  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, 

while I pass by safely. 

‘Let my prayer be counted as incense before you’. 

In Old Testament times, there was an altar of incense in the temple between the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies being where the presence of God rested between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:2), and the High Priest was only allowed to enter that place once a year. The place where this altar rests therefore is holy. reverent, and represents proximity to God. Yet He is still separate. His presence is behind the veil within the Holy of Holies, the place unreachable for most people all of the time. The burning of the incense right outside God’s dwelling place is significant as it acts as a bridge between the people and The Lord God. As the High Priest lit the incense both morning and twilight, the fragrance would emanate into the Holy of Holies, through The Holy Place and the Outer Court. So the aroma could be smelt by the priests, High Priest, everyday people and God. It was a reminder to God’s people of God’s holy presence, right there in their midst, and the connection they have with Him. They would of recognised the great privilege of being so close to God’s presence, yet still aware that they are separate. The fragrance of the incense connected both God and man. So, as this psalmist requests that his prayers are like incense, he is asking that they are an enjoyable aroma to The Almighty, that the words he speaks may be be holy, pure and pleasing to God, and he is remembering the great gift of connection he has to The Holy One. No wonder he later asks that God sets a guard over his mouth and watches over his lips! He realises that his prayers, using his words could either be a pleasant, perfumed fragrance, or become a stench to God, and he is concerned about that - how can he, a mere man, approach a holy awesome God?! The psalmists clearly considers with reverence the One he is approaching when he prays. He understands the value, privilege and power of being connected to God through prayer, and wants to honour the privilege that he has in approaching The Awesome and Almighty, Pure and Holy God. How do you approach prayer? Do you realise the privilege of the connection you have with God?

The psalmists also asks that his prayers are like ‘the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!’ 

The evening sacrifice was the second of the daily sacrificial offerings (the first being in the morning), and displays the constant need we as people have for forgiveness and atonement. At the start of the day we can ask for forgiveness, yet by the end of the day we need atonement again! These temple sacrifices required a spotless lamb, a year old. Nothing short of perfect innocence could be suitable to cleanse the nation of sin. This sacrificial system reminds us that we are dependent on God to absolve our sin multiple times a day, and that sin deserves death. This altar was located at the entrance, so completely different to the altar of incense. It is a stark reminder as you enter the temple that you are sinful, that sin deserves death, and nothing but a perfect sacrificial lamb can atone for sin. You would have to walk past this as you went in, you would smell the burning flesh and see the splattered blood before you entered the court where you were allowed to go. You could worship or glorify God before you first face up to your sin and God's great forgiveness. This altar was right as you enter, no getting away with it, no sneaking past, to be anywhere near God, you need to face the fact that sin has been dealt with, by and advocate - someone else acting on yuor behalf, because you'd only mess up again. How kind of God, thaty He always had prepared a method for people to be forgiven and have an opportunity to get closer to Him. For in reality, not one of us deserves to be anywhere near God’s presence. We cannot lift holy hands to Him as we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Without atonement, you cannot praise God, approach Him in prayer, let alone enjoy His presence. Sin must be dealt with first. Thank God, that He knew this and catered for this even when the temple and tent of meeting were being designed! 

Today as we approach God, we do so because the ultimate, perfect, spotless lamb has been sacrificed through the death of God’s own son, The Lamb of God, Jesus. No longer are morning and evening sacrifices required, because Jesus died once and for all. You now have the right and permission to enter God’s presence by accepting that your sins have been atoned for through Jesus. Once you confess  your sins, and your faith in him, you are forgiven. Then you can enter the presence of God, you can worship, talk to Him, and sit with Him wherever and whenever you want! What an incredible gift to us is the sacrifice of Jesus! 

You now get to enjoy the wonderful promise of God, when He gave instructions for this altar to be built that, “I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (Exodus 29:37-39). You now have the privilege of meeting God and hearing from Him when you accept that your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. You do not have to undergo sanctification, give a perfect lamb as sacrifice, or be one particular man allowed once a year into God’s presence. God promises that He will meet you and speak with you! All because Jesus has atoned for you, so you can now meet with God and speak with Him! What a great privilege! You can enter into God’s presence, and have a relationship with Him because God has always been making a way for His people to get close to Him. So when you next pray and ask God about something, think about how you are approaching Him, what you say, and what God has done to allow you to be in His presence. 

Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked

 Psalm 140:1–13 (ESV):  

1  Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; 

preserve me from violent men, 

 2  who plan evil things in their heart 

and stir up wars continually. 

 3  They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, 

and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah 

 4  Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; 

preserve me from violent men, 

who have planned to trip up my feet. 

 5  The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, 

and with cords they have spread a net; 

beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah 

 6  I say to the Lord, You are my God; 

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord! 

 7  O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, 

you have covered my head in the day of battle. 

 8  Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; 

do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah 

 9  As for the head of those who surround me, 

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 

 10  Let burning coals fall upon them! 

Let them be cast into fire, 

into miry pits, no more to rise! 

 11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land; 

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily! 

 12  I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, 

and will execute justice for the needy. 

 13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; 

the upright shall dwell in your presence. 

Evil people plan your demise. They may not seem wicked, in fact they may be friends walking right next to you, planning to trip you up, hiding traps, snares and nets for you to get entangled in. For how can someone you don’t know be so well acquainted with your paths and ways? Some of the people you are living life with may turn out to be arrogant, violent and wicked. Yet do not concern yourself, or get worried or overwhelmed by this. For you have The Lord your God on your side. Look at David, Isaiah, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Stephen as examples - they were well known for being men of God. Through their lives they suffered and were persecuted, often by people they knew. Yet that did not stop them! Instead of giving into fear and turning away from what God had called them to, they turned to God in their discomfort and desperation. 

In this psalm David recounts his concerns about the ways the wicked are trying to get him. He calls out to God saying, ‘You are my God….my Lord, the strength of my salvation….Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked’. When you see wickedness, when you hear of the plots of evil and see unholiness, recognise it for what it is, do not be afraid to name it and appeal to God to stop it. Righteousness and wickedness hate each other. This means men and women will battle against the will of God, even unknowingly, because it causes them discomfort in their wicked ways, and so they seek to end it. When you see this, do as David did and implore God to not let evil prevail. Then remember that He is ‘the strength of my salvation’. You can depend upon God to bring salvation to His people, to end evil and to be your strength. You will suffer, yet, you can also be assured that God has a purpose and salvation in mind through what is happening.

Followed by David’s outpouring of fury and pain, he concludes his prayer in confidence saying ‘Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name’ because God ‘will execute justice’. When you know who God is and what His character is like, you can rest in confidence even when surrounded by enemies, persecuted, trapped and hunted. In the end, God’s people will have reason to worship as God ‘will execute justice’. There will be nothing anyone can do about it, God will not be held back, He WILL have His way. So you can be confident that anything and anyone that comes against Him will be dealt with. So, bring your concerns and fears to God, your emotional response to whatever is going on, and remember just who God is. learn to depend upon His mercy, strength and judgement. Be sure to acknowledge that God is in charge even when wickedness seems to be winning. God is your salvation, your hope, the bringer of justice, He will ‘maintain the cause of the afflicted’, and He will prove, once again, that He is worthy of praise. The day will come when the suffering stops, evil exists no more, and wickedness wanes. You can guarantee that because God reigns. 

Search me O God

Psalm 139:1–24 (ESV):  

1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 

 2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; 

you discern my thoughts from afar. 

 3  You search out my path and my lying down 

and are acquainted with all my ways. 

 4  Even before a word is on my tongue, 

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 

 5  You hem me in, behind and before, 

and lay your hand upon me. 

 6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 

it is high; I cannot attain it. 

 7  Where shall I go from your Spirit? 

Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

 8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! 

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 

 9  If I take the wings of the morning 

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 

 10  even there your hand shall lead me, 

and your right hand shall hold me. 

 11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, 

and the light about me be night,” 

 12  even the darkness is not dark to you; 

the night is bright as the day, 

for darkness is as light with you. 

 13  For you formed my inward parts; 

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 

 14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

  Wonderful are your works; 

my soul knows it very well. 

 15  My frame was not hidden from you, 

  when I was being made in secret, 

intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

 16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; 

  in your book were written, every one of them, 

the days that were formed for me, 

when as yet there was none of them. 

 17  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 

How vast is the sum of them! 

 18  If I would count them, they are more than the sand. 

I awake, and I am still with you. 

 19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! 

O men of blood, depart from me! 

 20  They speak against you with malicious intent; 

your enemies take your name in vain. 

 21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? 

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 

 22  I hate them with complete hatred; 

I count them my enemies. 

 23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! 

Try me and know my thoughts! 

 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting! 

Have you ever asked God to ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!’? Or does that idea terrify you? David must have been completely confident in his righteousness as he wrote this psalm. He asked God to search him, and he was prepared to act on anything that God would highlight as ‘grievous’ - What faith! David clearly had confidence to approach God like this, and totally trusted in the goodness, righteousness and mercy of the One he spoke to. He understood that God is holy and pure, and so who better to search and know him, and point out any wrongdoing than someone who is purely good. This demonstrates David’s deep desire to live a life in line with God’s ways and precepts. He is prepared to allow God to pinpoint where he is going wrong, because he knows it is better for him. Plus it will benefit those he loves and leads as he becomes a better follower of God. So he completely trusts and even asks God to have a critical look at his whole life. This would mean his; actions, inactions, thought processes and decisions. David knows that God can ‘discern my thoughts from afar…. and are acquainted with all my ways’. David knows he can trust God and invites Him to show him what He sees. Often we are not very good at judging ourselves, either being too critical or too lenient in our self-assessments, so much better to ask Father God who intimately knows and loves you, He will give you a real and just appraisal!

David knows that because God really knows him; his design, thoughts, speech, heart, desires, ways, patterns of work and rest, God can truly judge. God knows all of these things, and still loves David. The same is true for you. David knows that God sees where he goes whether near or far, in the open or hidden, in darkness or daytime - God knows all of it! The same is true for you. Nothing is hidden or unknown to Him. God knows, loves and understands you better than you even know yourself. So who better to ask to search and know you? Who better to ask what you should do, say, or if you are thinking right? 

When you find things confusing or are unsure whether you should have said or done something, go to God. Ask Him about it. Ask Him to, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts'. For He will tell you the truth. God is good and pure, and He knows and loves you. His response will be upright and just, He will lead and guide you, admonish and uplift you so that you can learn to follow Him better. Other people can give you ideas, opinions, correction and affirmation, but there is only One who knows you well enough to really understand and see beyond the surface. It should not be a scary thing to go to God asking Him to search you, know your heart, and your thoughts. He loves you and has invited you to live for eternity with Him. So you can confidently ask Him to reveal things in you because He will do it with kindness and love. He does not seek to hurt or harm you - look at all the times He has protected and fought for you. Instead God will listen, speak to you, and give you good direction. He will heal your heart and your mind if you ask Him to, and will lead you into ‘the way everlasting’. Is that where you want to go? Are you willing for God to search your heart and mind so that you can live as a better follower?

Where and when do you worship?

 Psalm 138:1–8 (ESV):  

1  I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; 

before the gods I sing your praise; 

 2  I bow down toward your holy temple 

and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, 

for you have exalted above all things 

your name and your word. 

 3  On the day I called, you answered me; 

my strength of soul you increased. 

 4  All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, 

for they have heard the words of your mouth, 

 5  and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, 

for great is the glory of the Lord. 

 6  For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, 

but the haughty he knows from afar. 

 7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 

you preserve my life; 

  you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, 

and your right hand delivers me. 

 8  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; 

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. 

Do not forsake the work of your hands. 

Where and when do you worship?

King David, the author of this psalm worships in the face of other religions, in the temple, when he needs help, when he is desperate, and when he is grateful. He is not bound by a set routine as his life overflows with worship to God. He even lifts God up ‘before the gods’! In the face of idols and other things with supposed power, David praises The Lord! Are you so aware of God’s love, power and presence everywhere, that you worship Him in the midst of darkness and depravity, when surrounded by other things that people extol?

It is not just in these places and at these times that David worships though. He also does so in the house of God, recognising the significance and privilege of being able to join with God’s people in His presence to honour, love and worship together. 

Also, David understands that worship is not just through singing and listening, but through submission to Him as he also bows down. He humbles himself before God. For even as a mighty and powerful king, David acknowledges and accepts that there is a higher authority than himself. David knows what it is like to be exalted as a man; once a shepherd, now a king, through the hand of God. He knows firsthand how God exalts, and so he exalts God in return as he acknowledges God as in greater authority and power than he is. David could deem himself powerful, strong and faithful, but he knows these are merely attributes bestowed by God. He couldn’t do what he is doing without God as he admits, ‘On the day i called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased’. David depends on the strength of God in his life to live the life God has given him. When David’s internal strength had been knocked, he felt weak and incapable, so where did he turn? Not to drink, women, money, work or friends, but to the only One who truly understands the internal state of man. He went to The Lord. Where do you go? Do you call to God and allow Him to strengthen your soul? Is He the source of your wonder and worship even when you feel low and weak? Do you approach The Lord in humility, with your body and mind bowed down to Him? This is real worship.

Putting God first in your life and making Him the first One you go for strength, peace, restoration, hope, and joy is how you live a life of worship as David did. It is not about the songs you sing, the way you dance or music you make, it is about how you live your life, what you trust in and bow down to. David made God the most important One in his life when he had the capacity and opportunity to do and extol many other things, even himself. David knew that only God can give what he needed; materially, physically and internally. Therefore, it did not matter where David was, who he was with, or what he was doing. If he was with other kings or the lowly, at the temple or not, before God or idols, when he felt weak or strong, sad or joyful, David worshipped and sought God. He desired and searched for God’s presence in every aspect and moment of his life, do you? Does how or if you praise Him depend upon where you are, what you are doing, or who you are with? It shouldn’t. God is the same wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whatever you are doing. If you truly want to live a life of praise and honour to God worship Him wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whatever you are doing. Then you will be living a life of worship far more beautiful than any song.

Do not forget

 Psalm 137:1–9 (ESV): 

By the waters of Babylon, 

there we sat down and wept, 

when we remembered Zion. 

 2  On the willows there 

we hung up our lyres. 

 3  For there our captors 

required of us songs, 

  and our tormentors, mirth, saying, 

“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 

 4  How shall we sing the Lord’s song 

in a foreign land? 

 5  If I forget you, O Jerusalem, 

let my right hand forget its skill! 

 6  Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, 

if I do not remember you, 

  if I do not set Jerusalem 

above my highest joy! 

 7  Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites 

the day of Jerusalem, 

  how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, 

down to its foundations!” 

 8  O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, 

blessed shall he be who repays you 

with what you have done to us! 

 9  Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones 

and dashes them against the rock! 

The people of God have a sorrow that no-one else understands. The things that are lost when people and nations turn away from the truth of Scripture is heartbreaking. Throwing away teaching the principles and stories of the Bible in favour of 'new' thinking, or because some truths are uncomfortable as society accepts ways that the Bible does not. These things cause the people of God to lament. 

I think of how in my lifetime England has changed. Hymns, prayer and biblical teaching were an everyday part of primary school life. Teaching Biblical stories and principles commonplace in the home and community, like; treating others as you want to be treated, honouring your parents and those in authority. These were unwritten rules that you were expected to abide by, it was the same for everyone, and even unknowingly, communities and families were embedding principles and guidance from Scripture into their children's lives, in the workplace, and wider community. Alongside this culture, the laws of this land once reflected the truths of the Gospel, just like in Israel before this exile. Then men started to be persuaded that God’s way wasn’t as good as other ways. Other nations lived differently and had new ideas and ideals, so the law of the land changed to deviate from the truth of God. Kings desired divorce, men desired men, and women, women. Lying is acceptable if you are a politician or salesperson, sex before marriage no longer outrageous but expected. Children not expected to be in submission to parents or authority, instead expected and supported to rebel. Free speech is no longer free, even people who silently pray can be arrested. What has happened?! As a person of God, does this not cause your heart to grieve? 

Such recollections must have caused the grief that penned this psalm. For Israel, their nation had not only deviated from Scripture, but as a result they had been kicked out! Their nation was defeated and the people captured by the Babylonian empire. Yet even through the taunts of their enemy, Israel remembered the joy of Jerusalem, and the privilege of singing praise and making music to their God. They could no longer do this as grief had replaced joy because they were away from the centre of God’s presence (Jerusalem), so their hearts were heavy. They could not even pick up their instruments. As they were dragged into exile ‘we hung up our lyres’ and ‘sat down and wept’ demonstrating the level of grief they experienced. Is your heart aggrieved for the condition of your nation? 

Although the Israelites grieved what was lost, and lamented it, they did not conform, but they continued as best as they could to live as Israelites in this foreign land. Their God was still their God, they remembered the storied of deliverance, the commands, followed the laws, and taught each generation about The God of Israel. They made an effort to remember, to recall the songs, the teachings, the joy of Jerusalem, and they prayed for deliverance. Are you doing the same? 

When Christianity was the main religion of England, schools and hospitals were created, and charities founded. It is because of christians putting their faith into action through caring for others that these institutions exist. How much have those sectors deviated from their roots and the truth! How sad that their history is hidden, and the truth of God removed from those settings. It is like being in a foreign land where God is not known. How can the beautiful truth be forgotten? (v5-6). As people of God, let us not forget. Let us not forget the foundations of faith, the importance of the values of the Kingdom of God. For even if it feels that we are in a foreign land like the Israelites were, we can still live by and apply the truths and laws of the Kingdom of God. For though the Israelites were taken into exile, it did not stop them being Israelites! They knew they were still the people of God, no matter where they were. They still carried songs of praise in their hearts and poured out their hearts in grief to Him. They still remembered the goodness of God and the greatness of worship, and so can you. The Israelites said, ‘Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if i do not remember you’. Therefore recall the goodness of God. Remember the times when God was made known and extolled where you live, and teach the younger generation. Show them what God has done and teach them to hold onto the truth even in a foreign land and era. Do not forget ‘my highest joy’!

Even though times, culture, and laws have changed, and expectations, behaviours and language may seem foreign to you, do not forget. God is still God, even if you feel like a stranger or an exile as the Israelites did. They felt downhearted and distraught, but they could not forget the truth of God. They did not forget the songs of joy, hymns of faith, or the praise and worship of the temple. They would remind each other and encourage one another to remember and pray. They knew that one day, the situation would change, so they had to remember and teach their young ones what to look forward to. One day, like Babylon, this godless age is ‘doomed to be destroyed’. God’s people and His kingdom will once again ‘sing the Lord’s song’ in joy and unity! So remember, wait, and seek the return of God’s reign wherever you are right now. God will repay evil, and He will also repay righteousness. So are you remembering who He is and what life with God is like for yourself, your community and nation? Are you teaching the generation to come about God and how to worship Him? For they will need to know, and they need to be prepared. Even in a dark and disparate nation, people need to be told and encouraged that better times are coming, that there is joy beyond a nation, a situation and beyond this life! The highest joy is that there is a God that loves and cares, who is powerful and kind, who is King and who deserves to be remembered and honoured. Are you remembering Him, and sharing that joy with those around you?