We Sat Down and Wept

Psalm 137:1

By the waters of Babylon,
    there we sat down and wept,
    when we remembered Zion.

Often time when we read the book of Daniel, we fail to put ourselves into the grievous situations  Daniel and the Jews were in.  If only we could put ourselves into their shoes, we would have fresh insights and new understanding of the book of Daniel.

Daniel, his 3 friends and the Jews often sat by the rivers of Babylon weeping.

They were not weeping because of the oppression and cruelties of Babylon.  They were not weeping for themselves.  They wept when they remembered Zion. 

They wept...

... the house of God was no more
... the temple of Jerusalem was burned
... the walls of Jerusalem were broken down

Zion is the place where God makes Himself known.
Yahweh God dwells in Zion.

They remembered Zion's former glory.
Their minds and thoughts were on Zion's desolations.

Can you capture their grief and sadness in their hearts?

Do we weep today?
What do we weep for?
For ourselves?
Or for Zion?
For the church?

:)