Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
    as we thought of Jerusalem.
We put away our harps,
    hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.
For our captors demanded a song from us.
    Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:
    “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”
But how can we sing the songs of the LORD
    while in a pagan land?

Psalm 137:1-4

“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.
Ezekiel 33:7-9

• Psalm 137 is a song of communal lament written by a Jewish exile in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. 
• The Jewish people were forcibly deported to Babylon after the conquest of their city by King Nebuchadnezzar II. 
• They were a people ripped from their homes, their land, and most significantly, their temple, the very place of God's presence.  
• The psalmist is expressing the deep grief and disorientation of a people who have lost everything. 
• The "rivers of Babylon" likely refers to the canals and waterways that were a defining feature of the region. 
• It's a vivid picture of the exiles gathering in a strange, foreign land, sitting by the waters and weeping as they remember what they have lost.
• A Place of Weeping: The setting is crucial. The exiles sit by the rivers of Babylon, not in a place of joy, but of deep sorrow. The rivers, which provided life and commerce for the Babylonians, are for the Israelites a backdrop for their tears.
• The Impossible Song: The Babylonian captors, in their cruelty and mockery, demand a "song of Zion." They want the Israelites to entertain them with the sacred songs of their homeland. This request is a mockery of the deepest kind; it's like asking a mourner at a funeral to sing a joyful wedding song.
• The Refusal to Forget: The psalmist's response is a powerful refusal. "How can we sing the songs of the LORD in a foreign land?" It's a statement of loyalty and commitment. They vow to never forget Jerusalem. Forgetting Jerusalem would be a betrayal of God's covenant and their identity as God's people. 
• Symbolic Harps: The harps, the instruments of worship, are hung on the trees. This symbolizes the silence of their worship. They are literally unable to make music because their hearts are broken. They cannot offer praise in a place of exile and oppression.
• This psalm gives us permission to be honest with God about our pain and grief. 
• We can bring our sorrow, anger, and feelings of displacement to him without having to pretend everything is okay.
• We too can be "exiles" in a spiritual sense—living in a world that is not our true home and that may mock our faith. 
• The psalm challenges us to consider what it means to worship God faithfully when we feel displaced or when our faith is ridiculed.
• Just as the Israelites remembered Jerusalem, we are called to remember our true spiritual home and the promises of God. This remembrance helps us to stay faithful and not get lost in the distractions and temptations of a "foreign land."

Babylon is not our home. Remembering God's promises and our ultimate home in Him sustains us in times of difficulty and spiritual exile. His promises are true. Our true home awaits.