By the Rivers of Babylon – Part 2 Adversary to Yisrael’s Restoration

Shalom Kol Yisrael,

The Ruach has lead me to do a short follow-up to last week’s letter. A brother this week reminded me of a song called “By the Rivers of Babylon”. This song is from Tehillim (Psalm) 137:

1 By the rivers of Babel, there we sat down and we wept as we remembered Tsiyon. 2 We hung our lyres upon the willows in the midst of it. 3 For there our captors asked us for the words of a song, and our plunderers for rejoicing, saying, “Sing to us a song of Tsiyon!” 4 How could we sing the song of YHWH on foreign soil? 5 If I forget you, O Yerushalayim, let my right hand forget. 6 Let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Yerushalayim above my chief joy. 7 Remember O YHWH, against the sons of Edom the day of Yerushalayim, who said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, to its foundation!” 8 O daughter of Babel, who are to be destroyed, blessed is He who repays you your deed, what you did to us! 9 Blessed is He who shall take and dash your little ones against the rock.

What is Babel or Babylon? Was King David there? Could it be that Babylon is not only a place, but also a way one thinks? Perhaps, this is why King David wrote about it. Babylon means confusion and comes from the Hebrew root balal meaning to mix. Where did all of the people of Babylon who were building the tower go? They were “mixed” into all the world. Consequently, the attitude and the spirit of Nimrod prevails in all the societies of the world. In other words, if you are on foreign soil (i.e. any soil other than Yisrael) you are in Babylon. This spirit of Nimrod wants to be served instead of to serve. As a result, we are taught and programmed to forget our chief joy. The religious institutions of men want to take captive the minds of those who choose to be subservient to it. Their desire is that there would be no memory of Yisrael or Yerushalayim.

In Verse 7 we see the sons of Edom. They desire to wipe out the memory of Yisrael and Yerushalayim. In Hebrew, Edom means red. Sometimes the pictographic meaning of a Paleo Hebrew (Ancient Hebrew text) word can give a greater revelation to a word. Pictographically Edom means “leader of a pathway to chaos”.

O Abba, we thank you for Yeshua our Mighty King who leads us in this spiritual war. Strengthen us O Yah that we would never bow down to man. Put away the sons of chaos (Edom) who war against the sons of Yisrael in our midst. May it be that the sons of Yisrael, demonstrate their faith in these last days and that we will never weary to do battle with the spirit of Nimrod as King Yeshua goes before us and YHWH is our rear guard.

Shavua tov,
—
Tzefanyah Pappas
Chazak Chazak v’nitchazek
Let us be strong, let us be strong and let us
strengthen (encourage) one another!
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