The Bible Courseනියැදිය

Defeat, exile and Babylon – when darkness falls

Reflect:

When darkness falls, where do you run to?

It matters little who you are, what you do, or what your status is. Things go wrong, the bottom can fall out of life, darkness falls on us all. But when darkness fell on Israel, it should not have come as a surprise.

What was Israel like in the days before the exile?

The exile was not a random event in Israel’s history. As strange as it sounds, God made sure the people of Israel would be granted their desire to live without him as their ruler.

It’s OK to struggle with this, but the Bible is clear that God was just giving the people what they wanted. He was not quick to cast the people out of the land; rather, he sent messenger after messenger to warn them of the danger because he had ‘pity on his people’.

The prophets were like God’s lifebelt for Israel to take hold of so they could be pulled out of deadly waters. But they refused to listen. With all their might, they tried to stay afloat, but going our own way without God invariably ends up drowning us. The people of Israel were only in darkness because they’d turned away from God, who is light!

What does Psalm 137 teach us about the experience of exile? How can we have hope today?

Heartbroken and homesick, the psalmist invites us into the pain of exile. This is a psalm of lament, filled with a longing for home and a desire for God to enact justice, punishing the enemies of his people who gloated over their misery. From the place of darkness and pain, the psalmist turns to God for comfort, trusting that he will make things right.

God’s love is a loyal love. He doesn’t forget Israel, even when they forget him. He moves the heart of Cyrus, the new king of Persia (2 Chronicles 36.22), and orders the return of God’s people to their land.

Who would do that for a people who were so unfaithful? Only the God of the Bible. When we are unfaithful, he remains faithful to his promises – God always stays true to his character. When the storms come, it’s knowing where you’re headed (the end of the story) and who you belong to (you’re loved by God) that gets you through.

Respond

It is right to lament. Passages of lament in the Bible help us express our emotions to God when we’re hurting. Read Psalm 137 again and let yourself feel the pain of exile.