“How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her cunning]. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” (Ps 137:4-6 AV)
The writer is expressing the situation in which Israel found themselves while in captivity in Babylon. Their captives enjoyed the songs of Israel and wanted them to continue in mirth, even though they were in adversity. Quite unreasonable, if you ask me. That is exactly how they felt. However, the songs of Israel did remind them of the temple and if they ceased to sing because of adversity, they would soon forget the promised land. It was a double-edged sword. If they refused to sing because of adversity, then they would forget that which made them glad. If they did sing of the temple and Jerusalem, they would be in remorse because they were far removed from it. The question the psalmist asks is a good one. If they don't sing, they will forget. If they forget, their joy will cease. So, it is better to sing of something they cannot see, than risk never keeping it in mind in the first place.
There are even more important consequences of ceasing to sing of Jerusalem. Note the end of the passage. If they cease to sing even though it is sad to do so, then what was once their joy will cease to be their joy. If what they desire, yet cannot be seen ceases to be their joy, something else will become their chief joy. It may seem cruel for the adversary to require joy in the midst of trials, but joy is exactly how we get through it. Having our desire in the right place is the key. The psalmist knows their situation will not change for a while. The psalmist would be reasonable to resent his captors for demanding joy when joy seemed to be taken away. The intensity of the psalmist’s vow is telling. If he cannot sing of Jerusalem as his chief joy, then he prays he cannot sing or speak at all. That is very dramatic! The writer would rather be mute than to forget his chief joy. If he could not remember, or keep in mind, the source of what his joy should be, he hopes he loses the ability to speak or sing ever again.
As a New Testament saint, our chief joy is not Jerusalem. Jesus came and died on Calvary so that we can have a home in heaven. Our chief joy should be the presence of God. Our chief joy is not Jerusalem, but New Jerusalem. Our chief joy is more of a person than it is a place. We live in a world that is averse to God and His people. They hate God and they hate God’s people. It will always be this way. Even when Jesus returns, there will be those who love God and those who hate Him. Until the new heaven and new Earth, this will never change. Where our chief joy resides will go a long way in giving us strength to endure. It is sad when I listen to a group of believers gripe about the condition of our world and country. It is right to be concerned and seek to change it. That is the ethical and biblical thing to do. But our hearts should be more focused on eternity. This world will fall away from God more and more. It matters not how much the people of God do to stem that tide (and we should to all that we can do). The world will still go down a path of utter wickedness. This is the pattern of man. Every dispensation proves no matter the circumstances, man will move further from God than he was at the start. This world is not where our joy should reside. If we forget the chief joy of heaven and the person of Christ, may God strike us with silence! If we cannot sing of hope, then what do we have worth sharing? If we cannot speak of the joy that lies ahead, then why say anything at all? That is the message of the psalmist. Better to speak and sing of what our joy should be than to forget it and grow silent.
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