The Bible Course Muestra

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 exile?  

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 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 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. And yet they refused to listen. With all their might they tried to stay afloat, but going our own way always ends up drowning us. Israel is only in darkness because they’ve done away with 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 longings for home – and yet we see somehow that God can bring comfort even in the darkness. God reminds the exiles that one day he will bring justice, and bring them home.  

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

Who could do that to a people who were so unfaithful? Only the God of the Bible. When we are unfaithful, He is faithful and He remains the same today. When the storms come it’s knowing where you’re headed (the end of the story) and whose you are (you are 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.