Do Not Hang Your Harp on a Willow

Do Not Hang Your Harp on a Willow

Psalm 137:2-4 state,” We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.  For there they that carried us a way captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing unto us one of the songs of Zion.  How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?”

       The Israelites had been taken captive into the country of Babylon.  Their situation was less than desirable. So, they quit musicing unto Jehovah.  Many times the very emotional Christian musician decides that singing songs that tell the whole truth about Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection will not be accepted by the post modern generation.  So, they hang their harps on a willow and refuse to sing “the songs of Zion”.  These Christian musicians erroneously conclude that if this generation does not like the way I music unto God, I’ll just hang my banjo up on the back porch.  They believe that the current minister of music has carried them away captive musically speaking.  As a matter of fact he doesn’t understand the way we used to make music in our old praise band.

       This problem is much like that which existed in Babylon with these Jewish musicians.  Because they were so depressed with the way things were going, they hung their harps upon the branches of the willow trees and decided that they could not music unto Jehovah in this atmosphere in Babylon.  So, rather than play the “songs of Zion” which told the story of the only true God, with music that was God honoring, they decided to sit down and weep and remember the good ole days.

      These musicians refused to utilize music which was a God given means of grace to their heats.  They failed to do the only thing that would have lifted them out of their despair.  They forgot that musicing unto God would bring them spiritual joy and bring honor to Jehovah.

       There is another lesson to be learned in verse five.  “If I forget thee o Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.”  As we mentioned earlier, they had the wonderful opportunity to music the story of the only true God to people who had probably never heard the true story of Jehovah.  However because they were so disappointed and depressed emotionally, they lost the opportunity to minister to the Babylonians.