Study Guide for

Tunes for the Road

Get ‘em God - Psalm 137

August 30, 2009

Open Up

Share with your group one of the most not-your-normal-self things you’ve ever said, perhaps as a child or adolescent. For example, a time when you were angry enough to say, “I’m going to kill you for that!” or depressed enough to say, “I’m going to kill myself.” TRANSITION-BACKGROUND: Psalm 137 is a depressingly sad song of Jewish war refugees in Babylon weeping for the good old days in Israel, but its filled with anger, too. Imprecatory songs or prayers ask God to violently punish enemies. This Psalm and others show that when you have something tough, you don’t deny it, bury it, or pretty it up.  You take it to God. And then you leave vengeance to the Lord.

Dig In

1) Read Psalm 137. Though the people in your small group may not have ever been prisoners of war, have they ever been as mocked and hurt as this songwriter? Have you ever been as angry as verses 8-9? Were you surprised to read this kind of raw emotion in the Bible? BACKGROUND The writer of Psalm 137 may not have lived to see the Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem, but after seventy years they returned to their land, and eventually rebuilt the temple. The Babylonian civilization was destroyed by the invading army of another pagan kingdom, even before the Jews returned to Israel.

2) Read Matthew 5:43-45 and Luke 9:51-56. What do you think is Jesus' attitude about individual revenge? OPTIONAL: Read Acts 20:28-32 and 1 Peter 5:1-11. Though these verse are specifically addressed to elders as leaders of the church, what insight to they give about the need for Christians to distinguish between individual revenge and actively protecting the people God places in our care?

3) Read Romans 12:17-21. Ask your group for examples of God eventually (perhaps years) bringing justice to a heart-rending situation. OPTIONAL: Read Romans 8:26-28. The early Christian leader Paul wrote about God working "all things together for good" from the personal experience of repeated abuse and persecution. Share a personal example of feeling impatient while waiting for God's goodness.

Work On

Anger in response to injustice is right,  and telling God about our anger is right, and working against injustice is right, but revenge belongs to God.  One of the ways that we release our revenge to God is by praying honestly with God about our anger at others and at Him. If this is challenge for you or someone in your group, talk honestly about how the your group can help.

Lift Up

Reflect on Psalm 89:14-15 as your group prepares to pray about submitting to God’s plan for justice amidst the injustice that sometimes darkens our lives.

Another Step – Advanced Study

Read Psalm 13 and choose one of the following to also read: Psalm 69:13-28, or Psalm 79, or Psalm 109:1-15. All of these are written in times of personal or national disaster and trouble that depressed and shattered God’s people. How does today's study help you share Jesus with someone who thinks Christianity is a crutch for "weak" people?