What does Psalm 137:6 mean?
In the earliest verses, this psalm depicted musicians setting aside their instruments out of deep grief (Psalm 137:1–2). The psalmist has vowed that he would rather lose the ability to play his music than to forget what has happened to Israel and the city of Jerusalem (Psalm 137:5). Here, that extends to speech and singing. Even if music was vital in this person's life, he is setting the welfare of Jerusalem above even that. Upcoming verses will express a bitter version of this emotion: asking the Lord to mirror Israelite suffering back on those who hurt them (Psalm 137:7–9).Believers should think of God and His will as more important than any other aspect of life. The psalmist Asaph says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you" (Psalm 73:25). It is not wrong to feel joy when we overcome a struggle. Nor is it wrong to find joy in happy times and success. It is good to enjoy the presence of loving family and friends (John 15:12). Yet we are also warned not to prioritize things of this world over the Lord (1 John 2:15). Christians are citizens of heaven and their greatest joy should be tied to our eternity with God (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:10; 13–16).
Psalm 137:1–6 mourns for Israel's captivity in Babylon, identified with the Euphrates river system. Israel's new masters tease them, asking for songs about the Jewish homeland. But the people cannot sing while in such misery. Instead, they set their instruments aside and vow to remember what has happened to their people.
After being captured by Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21), the people of Israel are teased by their new masters. The Babylonians ask the Jews to perform songs from their homeland. But the Israelites cannot bring themselves to sing. They vow to remember what happened to their city and their people. The psalmist prays that God would bring harsh vengeance on Edom and Babylon. He hopes they suffer the same gruesome evils which they inflicted upon Israel.
