Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little
ones against the stones [Ps. 137:9].
This Israelite, sitting yonder by the canals of Babylon,
dejected, despondent, being jeered and taunted to sing, says, “I can’t
sing.” His mind goes back to the destruction of his beloved city and of
God’s temple. He thinks again of what took place. He can see that Edomite in
the cheering section, urging the Babylonians on. He sees how the Babylonians
had destroyed his city. And then happened that frightful, awful thing. His
wife was holding their precious little one. That great big brutal Babylonian
soldier came to her, wrested the baby out of her arms, took it by the heels,
and—with her screaming—hit its head across the rock, dashing its brains out!
Remembering that, he says, “Because there is a just God in heaven, somebody
will do that to the Babylonians.”
Whether you and I like it or not, it is already a matter
of history that Cyrus the Great through his general did exactly to the
Babylonians what the Babylonians had done to the people of Jerusalem.
Is this psalm for the Dark Ages? Is it outmoded in this
enlightened day? Has man grown more civilized and loving so that this psalm
is no longer relevant?
Today on every continent strife is being fomented. And
the most tragic casualties are the children. Man’s inhumanity to man makes
this psalm very up-to-date. And there is coming a day when all hell will
break loose in this world. I thank God there is a God in heaven who is a God
of justice and righteousness, and He is going to put an end to sin. Also I
am thankful that He is a God of mercy, that He is not like men, but is
merciful. The cross yonder reveals His love; it reveals His holiness. My
Savior took upon Himself my sin. God so loved me that He gave His Son to die
in my place, because He must judge sin.
Oh, today, in this day of grace He is merciful. But don’t
let it deceive you—He is also holy, and He is righteous. Those who will not
receive the Savior, those who will spurn His grace, those who will turn
their backs on His mercy, will be judged. He makes no apologies to us in the
twentieth century for doing that, because He has been patient with us. He
has been gracious so long.
Have you availed yourself of His mercy?
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 2:869-870