Response to John’s blog, “The Ritual of Remembrance”

I really enjoyed John’s blog and also am intrigued by the idea of return in the Bible. When we read Psalm 137 on Thursday, I was amazed to see the violent verse at the end of the beautiful psalm that talks about dashing infants against the rock. I feel sick to my stomach when I read that line. I decided to look into the background of the Psalm to see if I could find more answers. I found out that this psalm is a lament remembering the Babylonian captivity. The returned exiles are affirming their loyalty to God, and asking that he would deliver justice to their oppressors.

Deuteronomy 32:35 To me [God] belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

The Lord does promise to avenge his people and to fight for them, and this is what the psalmist is asking him to do. Paul reminds his followers of this command to let the Lord deliver justice in Romans 12:19 as well. The picture of the infants is… gruesome to say the least. Apparently, the Babylonians had smashed Israelite infants’ heads against rocks during their captivity, and thus this psalmist is asking that their punishment would match their crime (Genesis 9:6 and Exodus 21:23-24). God’s people are not permitted to perform this act of violence, but essentially the writer is asking God to bring justice, which would have to include punishment for anyone who has oppressed his people. So, is God an angry God? I know there is an excessive amount of violence in the OT, and sometimes it seems like he is cruel, but he loves his chosen people, the Israelites, and fight for them. God’s purpose is always to bring his people back to himself when they wander away (the concept of return), an idea that carries on into the New Testament as well.

For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children [shall find] compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God [is] gracious and merciful, and will not turn away [his] face from you, if ye return unto him. 2 Chronicles 30:9

The Bible is all about return. When Jesus comes to save the world, He invites ALL people, Jew and Gentile, to turn back to him for new life. The “church word,” repentance involves recognition of sin, turning away from it, and returning to the Lord. Ultimately, God’s people are waiting for heaven or Christ’s return for the restoration of our bodies to what they were before sin (perfect) and a returning to the Lord… forever. The “dust to dust” idea reminds us that our life on earth is fleeting; our bodies will go back into the ground. The question is… what happens to our spirits after this inevitable failure of our flesh?

I find myself asking/praying the psalmist’s prayer, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!”