137:7 The psalmist had previously said that he would remember Jerusalem. Now he called God to remember Jerusalem's destroyers. The Edomites had encouraged the Babylonians as they besieged and devastated the city (cf. Ezek. 25:12; Joel 3:19).
137:8-9 He also prayed that the Babylonians would experience a destruction similar to the one they had inflicted on the Israelites (cf. Isa. 13:16). Evidently during the destruction of Jerusalem the Babylonian soldiers mercilessly killed young Jewish children. Verse 8a should read, "O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction"(NIV). God had promised to curse those who cursed Abraham's descendents (Gen. 12:3). From the viewpoint of the victors over Babylon, the Persians, the fall of Babylon would be a blessing.
Believers who experience God's discipline for their sins may feel great sorrow. Sometimes discipline cuts us off from the blessings of corporate worship and the joy it brings. It is always appropriate to ask God to remain faithful to His promises.
