Map of Ancient World Centuries Before Jesus | Ishtar Gate of Babylon | Model of Tower of Babel
Psalm 137:1-9
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
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How can we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.
Dear Friends,
This will be the last devotion. Early tomorrow morning we will leave Berlin for home.
We began our day at the Pergamon Museum. It is one of five museums on Museum Island and houses antiquities from Old Testament times along with an Islamic art collection.
One of the areas is filled with items from the Babylonian time period when the people of Israel were held in exile. The Ishtar Gate shows the extravagance and power of the Babylonian empire. There people wondered if God had left them as they believed God resided in the Temple.
Another area was devoted to the area which held the Tower of Babel. This ziggurat, with Temple on top was built in Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River.
These areas,along with others, helped to remind our travelers if their Disciple Bible studies. Along with the maps, lessons, recreated towns and cities, and artifacts; these displays helped to create a fuller understanding of the Bible and our faith history.
Throughout history, we have tried to understand God and God’s will. Humankind has also tried to go it in their own and seek their own welfare. We were reminded that the better path is with God and how faithful People through the centuries have tried to live.
Prayer. Eternal God, you connect us with your creation - with those who have gone before us and those who are with us. We trust in the ways we will make a path for those who follow. Continue to ground us and guide us as we seek to do your will. Amen.