March 03 2024

Sunday March 03

Remembering the LORD and Jerusalem

Psalm 1371:1-6

1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion.

2 We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it.

3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested 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 If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth-- If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Today we had the opportunity to worship at the Nazarene Church here in Amman. It was a wonderful and blessed experience with great music and a wonderful message from the Pastor. He preached on Jesus having compassion on those who are ignorant from Hebrews 5:2. When he gave the invitation and asked people to stand if they needed the compassion of Jesus and desired to repent it appeared to me that at least 20 people immediately stood up and prayed with him.

The service was in Arabic and the pastor’s wife translated both the worship music and the message into English for us. She did an awesome job and we understood everything that was going on. Afterwards we were privileged to go the pastor’s office with him and his wife and spend about an hour with them over some tea and pastries. I can’t tell you how encouraging that meeting was as they shared their vision of ministry and Kingdom work with our team! Already they are very engaged with Grace Church and the ministry to refugees and have a genuine heart to make a difference in this part of the world and beyond as a missionary sending church! We were truly blessed!

Afterwards we spent a couple hour with Pastor Wasim and Lillian in their apartment! We ate a awesome Egyptian meal with them and had a great time of fellowship hopefully encouraging them as much as they did us!

It is amazing that Psalm 137 fits so well into our current time here in Amman. It is about the people of Israel who have been displaced from their homeland and currently living in a strange and foreign place where they have been taken as captives. They are hurting and have painful memories. The unknown psalmist is expressing both his thoughts and feelings about his memories of Jerusalem and how they are being treated by their captors.

Music was also one way of expressing their grief and seeking the help of the Lord "who gives songs in the night" (Job 35:10). These former exiles remembered the times their guards demanded that they entertain them by singing one of the "songs of Zion." What biting sarcasm! The Babylonians knew how the Jews honored Mount Zion and the city of Jerusalem, and how they boasted of Zion's strength and security (46:5, 7, 10, 11; 48; 76:1-3; 87), but now, the city and temple were in ruins. In their sarcasm, the guards were asking, "Where is your God? Why did He not deliver you?" (See 42:3, 10; 79:10; 115:2.)

The exiles had refused to obey; they did not sing for their captors. Why? For one thing, the Babylonians wanted "the Lord's song" (v. 4), and the Jewish people were not about to use sacred temple hymns to entertain the pagans. Their captors wanted "songs of mirth," and the exiles had no joy. They had lost everything but God and their lives, and being normal people, they were deeply pained in their hearts. Their city, temple, and homes had been destroyed, their people had been deported, and the throne of David had been cast to the ground. But even worse, they had seen the Babylonian soldiers get great glee out of throwing Jewish babies against the walls and smashing their heads (v. 9). It was one way the Babylonians could limit the future generation of their enemies.

Yes, memories can bring pain, and the pain does not go away when we try to "bury" the memories. Denial usually makes things worse. But the fact that the exiles could talk about these painful things indicates that they were facing them honestly and learning how to process this pain in a mature way. It takes time for broken hearts to heal, and Jesus can heal them if we give Him all the pieces (147:3; Luke 4:18).

Again, I remind you that we are ministering to precious refugees here in Amman this week who have tragic memories and a very painful past for the most part. Please keep us in your prayers as we share God’s love and His Son with them!

God bless!