Overwhelming Sorrow

Psalm 137:1-2 ~ "By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres."

The greatest sorrow I have ever experienced is not the sorrow of unjust suffering or unexpected turmoil. The greatest depths of sorrow I've ever known as a believer is the sorrow that is born of sin. In our text above, the nation of Israel is taken captive into Babylon. Their continued sins and unrepentant ways had brought God's retribution against them and they were led away into slavery. The nation delivered from slavery in Egypt now was, once again, caught in the same condition. And isn't that the way sin defeats a believer? Sin brings a true Christian down to the lowest depths of despair and anguish of soul, as if you were simply back in the same condition where God had once rescued you.

​And so, there by the waters of Babylon, the people of God sat down and wept, remembering the land of their past--the land of promise. In this first statement of Psalm 137, the depth of grief and sorrow of loss was echoing down the river. In their captivity, they remembered. And so do we weep when we remember the lost land of our faithfulness, the lost opportunities to glorify and serve the LORD who rescued us and wants us to live under His gracious hand rather than His stern discipline. I knew a man who sat alone in a broken house, bereft and filled with sorrow. It was there, in his Babylon that he finally wept for the condition he experienced. It was there that his tears ran faster than the rivers. And it was there when he remembered all that he lost.

How precious are the tears of sorrow that comes flowing when we experience the bitterness of our sin. The nation of Israel did not weep against the LORD as if they were "weeping and gnashing their teeth" (see Luke 13:28). God had not abandoned His people, He sent them away into exile in order to drive from them a heart of rebellion and desire for sin. The people wept because they remembered. And does not the Scripture teach us to remember? Consider Revelation 2:5, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." Let the tears of sorrow for sin flow, and then let those tears be transformed into the tears of repentance. We find this grief unto repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:10, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."

In their despair, they had no song to sing. The people of God hung their lyres in the trees. How fitting it was this tree, a tree known by a different name: the weeping willow. No sturdy oak or bold cedar for their sadness to be hung--only upon the forlorn tree of sorrow was their instruments of praise retired. And when our sins have brought us into captivity, we lose the song of our heart--the song of joy that Jesus is LORD and that our Savior reigns. How many Christians remain silent when the songs of praise are raised? Oh, their mouths might offer the words, but their hearts will weep for the sadness of a broken fellowship with the LORD. And though the world might taunt the grieving Christian with a mocking desire to hear some song of joy, there will be none. 

But I don't want to leave you, dear reader, in a desperate state. God does send His people into times of discipline, to remove from them their rebellious ways. But that time is limited, will come to an end, and at the point of repentance, the LORD will bring the sorrowing soul back to the land of joy. Consider Psalm 126:1-3, "When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.' The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad." In the story of the man above, the ending was wonderful. He remembered and went seeking the LORD. He found his way back to the place of hope and there, in grace and mercy, the LORD Jesus received that man--and joy was restored.

There is hope and joy to be found in Christ. You may find yourself reading this today and seeing that you are again in a state much like before you were found by Christ, brought there because of unrepentant sins. The LORD had been amazingly patient with you and given you time to repent. And now you may fear that only sorrows and weeping are your expressions. You've hung up your praise in the willows, and no longer have a song of joy. Even now, look to the LORD and repent. He will lead you from exile and restore you by His grace. Psalm 130:7, "O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption."

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

---