The Blessing of God's Judgment

Happy is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks. —Psalm 137:9

It’s hard for us to read a verse like the one above and understand it. We get that the people of God were crying out on behalf of the victims of Babylon’s cruelty. Yet how could the psalmist say “happy is he” who would do something so terrible?

I can’t say entirely, but as I’ve meditated on this psalm, I think it gives us a big picture of God’s ways. The destruction of Babylon’s evil empire
is certain. The Scripture is saying they will be judged. Those who were involved in executing God’s justice and overthrowing Babylon would have a sense of satisfaction in this righteous judgment taking place.

This passage also anticipates the day prophesied in Revelation 18 when the anti-God world system symbolized by ancient Babylon comes under God’s final cataclysmic, crushing judgment. And then God’s people, who’ve been under the thumb of this anti-God system, will rejoice in the vindication of God’s righteous justice.

You see, God has triumphed. Heaven rules, and that gives us a sense of joy and blessing.