Psalm 129:6-7

Psalm 129:6-7

Grassy roofs

My wife and I recently indulged ourselves and went on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. For many reasons it was a trip that was meant to be, and we were able to experience what it feels like to be waited on for a whole week! One of the things that intrigued me was the number of houses in the mountains and rural areas of Norway that had grass on their roofs. Grass that had been deliberately planted and that was growing healthily in what is obviously a damp and cooler climate than the fluctuations we experience in the UK. This is unthinkable in Israel where rainfall is negligible in the summer months and the temperatures are very warm. No sensible person would ever try growing grass on the flat, sunbaked roofs of any Middle Eastern country, it’s not even feasible in the fields in high summer! 

To compare one’s enemies with grassy roofs may seem extreme but we need to remember just how brutal and demeaning the Babylonians and others had been in their treatment of the Jews. The psalmist wants to wish these protagonists away even before they have taken root, he desires that they be worthless so that not one blade of them is of any use to the reaper or hay gatherer. His anger is vented in a prayer to the Lord and what better way to relieve vengeful thoughts? They say that a problem shared is a problem halved, surely those fractions are way understated when we bring our problems to the Lord our God? That the prayer was heard is beyond doubt, Babylon was wasted, as were the empires of Assyria, Greece and Rome who all treated the Jews abominably. And where is Hitler and his Third Reich today? God knows about our suffering, and He also takes care of our enemies. Hallelujah! 

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