This recovered transcript is displayed exactly as preserved. Original page design, type styles, and images were not retained by the source archive.
SINGING THE LORD'S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND Ps. 137:1-4 TONY LLOYD LEWIS � � This morning I want to preach on the matter, SINGING THE LORD'S SONG IN A STRANGE LAND.� In the text, the people of Israel had just suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Babylonians.� The leaders of the people, the well-educated and the well-to-do had been carried away as captives unto Babylon, while the poor were left to dwell in the land of Israel.� � They were left to try and maintain a city where the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and burned with fire and torn down. They were left to try and maintain a city where the people were in disarray. The poets, artisans, builders, scholars those who were physically fit were taken into captivity to serve in the courts of Babylon. Among the captives were Daniel, his three friends Sharack, MeShack and Abednego and others who had skills or displayed the capability of learning. � Among that group in Babylon were those who were prophesying an optimistic forecast of an immediate return to Israel.� They were prophets of false hope.� A prophet named Hananiah predicted that within the space of two years, Israel would be restored and the yoke of Babylon would be broken from the neck of all nations.� His prophecy did not come from God. � The Lord's prophet confronted him and the people with the true word from Jehovah!� Babylon's yoke would not be broken immediately and the people would best benefit themselves by preparing for an extended period away from their native land!� In the text, the Psalmist delivers to Israel God's prescription as to how they were to deal with that profound question, "How shall we Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land?� ������� The first thing he wants them to do is to face reality:� It had happened to them.� The people of God, the chosen ones were in captivity and they had been deported from the Land of Promise.� � For years the prophets had warned them to turn from their sins and turn back to God.� But they had ignored the prophetic voices,� believing that God would not destroy His own people no matter what they did.� They viewed God as a God of love, while ignoring that He is also a God of justice.� Oh! My brothers and sisters, God is slow to anger, but He does get angry!� Don't you think that just because retribution does not come immediately that it is not coming at all!� It's true what the Bible says; "Your sins will find you out.'� God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap!" You may think that you're getting by, but you won't get away!� Israel's chickens had come home to roost. � Sometimes I think we need to be reminded of� the apostle Paul's admonition, to not shun, but declare the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:27) Notwithstanding, Paul's admonition we are more apt to declare a God who pities us, a God who understands our suffering and our weakness.� We want to preach about, teach about and experience a God who showers us with blessings from on high.� And certainly, without a doubt, he is that kind of God.� He is a God that comforts the afflicted, a God who, offers clemency for the condemned, and salvation for the lost.� We are contented and unperturbed with this profound truth about God's attributes. � But God also judges.� Not that there is a dichotomy in� his Divinity.� He is not split into equal halves.� He is as fully a God of wrath, as he is a God of love.� He is as fully a God of Judgment, as he is a God of mercy. We who are finite worshipers of the Infinite can only view him through our limitedness.� Hence, we see the gracious God who exacts retribution on His people.� �Not only is he the eleemosynary Elohim, he is also Jehovoah� Saboath, "The Lord of Hosts" The commander of the angelic host and the armies of God.- angels�� whose only task is to wait and ready themselves to do the Lord's Will.�� He is even a God, as our text will bear witness to, who will visit his wrath and righteous ire upon men and the children of men.�� Each of us can testify to the fact that he is a God who chastises� the rebellious.� He will discipline the delinquent and the defiant. He will handle the headstrong and� correct the contrary. In the Living Bible Paraphrase, the writer to the Hebrews puts it this way, (Hebrews 12:8). "If God doesn't punish you when you need it, as other fathers punish their sons, then it means that you aren't really God's son at all-that you don't really belong in his family."� God disciplines his children out of love.� � Although they had been warned, they just couldn't believe that God would have allowed this to happen to them! And so, they were in a state of shock, disbelief and depression.� Listen to what they 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; 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?"� (137:1-4) � The first thing they had to accomplish was to accept the fact of their captivity and to realize it was the Lord who had allowed them to be captured because of their sins.� It wasn't the fact that Babylon was so mighty, it was because Israel had brought this upon themselves by being disobedient to the Lord. � Although they were captured by the Babylonians, it was the Lord who caused it to happen and He was ultimately in control!� No matter what happens in your life, even when it seems like it's out of control, God is in control! � In handling your Babylon situation, you must realize that even the riverside experience has a purpose in God's providence.� Israel's in the Babylonian experience in the text served basically two purposes.� First, it served to show them that even the people of God will not go unpunished for their sins.� And the Babylonian Captivity ultimately purged the people of Israel of the sin of idolatry. � The first thing you need to do is bBuild yourselves houses, and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. In other words: Work! There was nothing they could do about their houses and vineyards that had been destroyed in Jerusalem, but while they were in Babylon, they needed some houses to live in and food to eat while they were in captivity. � In your "Babylonian Situation" you must still provide for your basic substance.� One of the best ways to deal with your "Babylonian Situation" is to work!� Redeem the time,� Don't just sit there twiddling your thumbs, waiting for deliverance from your captivity: Work!� Do something productive!� If you can't do what you really want to do; do the next best thing.� If you can't work with your hands like you were accustomed to, work with you mind. � Don't waste too much time grieving over what you have lost, learn how to best use what you have left.� Build houses, plant gardens; yesterday is a memory and tomorrow is a dream, you can only live in your present situation: You must provide for right now. ������� The next thing to do is�to, "Take to yourselves wives, and begat sons and daughters. . . . " Don't stop living.� Oh!� My brothers and sisters.� Somebody needs to hear this.� So many people have had setbacks and have been captured by adverse situations in life.� � Their captivity is so devastating that they have given up on life!� Loss of a job, loss of a career, loss of a spouse, loss of a house or a vehicle; these are all devastating events; but you can't stop living.� We all like the mountain-top experiences, but to get from one mountain-top to the next, you must go down to the valley.� Life cannot be lived on a high note all the time.� Sometimes you got to dwell by the rivers of Babylon.� In order to make it in life you've got to lean how to survive by the rivers of Babylon. Not only survive but also how to sing.� Israel's survival depended upon the people being replenished. �In order to replenish they had to take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there and not diminished.� Note: It is possible to replenish while you are in captivity.� During the Babylonian Captivity, many of the Jews gained wealth and influence in Babylon.� � THE SETTING FOR THOSE EVENTS WAS DURING THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY! Not only were they to sing in Babylon but they were also called to pray for the peace of Babylon. to� The Lord said, "Seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it." Seek the peace and pray for Babylon?� Yes!� Pray for the ones who slaughtered our loved-ones and burned our beloved Jerusalem?� Yes! � But why Lord?� Because in Babylon"s peace, you shall have peace.� Your welfare is dependent upon their welfare.� In the midst of your Babylonian situation it is quite easy to become so preoccupied with your own personal situation that you may forget about theirs. �Don't forget to pray for others.� You may be down right now, but in the while your are down pray up! Pray for others who are down also!� You see, God has fixed this thing so that we're all inter-dependent upon one another.� I need you and you need me.� None of us can make it by ourselves. � My peace is tied into your peace and your peace is tied into my peace.� That's why it is important that we learn to pray for one another.� Well, I think I need to close now.� I don't want to worry you too long.� But I thought it was important that we learn how to Sing in our Babylonian situation. � Job said, "Man that is born of a woman is of a few days and (those days are) full of trouble." (Job 14:1 KJV)� We didn't come here to stay. Jesus said, "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."� (John 14:2-3) This Babylonian Situation is only for a while.� Jesus is coming back again!� But until I hear His voice, I am going to sing. If you have lost of your job Sing until have found another one. If you are waiting for the doctor's test results; Sing until the results come in. If you are waiting for the traffic light to turn green; Sing until the red becomes green If you are waiting for that important phone call; Sing until� the bell rings. � Moses spent forty years on the back side of a mountain tending sheep that was his time to Sing the Lord's Song.� � � Because of his deceitful ways, Jacob had to leave home for nearly twenty years before his name was changed to "Israel." That was his time to Sing the Lord's Song. � Joseph spent years in prison before he was finally elevated to the position of prime minister of Egypt.� That was his time to Sing the Lord Song. � Somebody is looking at me right now. You have been carried away captive, you are in a strange land, you are by the rivers of Babylon. I want to challenge you to, SING! SING! SING!