28634062 psalm-123-commentary

PSALM 123 COMME TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number of

authors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.

Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I will

give credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to be

included in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have it

removed. My e-mail is [email protected]

I TRODUCTIO

1. Calvin, “In this Psalm, the faithful oppressed with the cruel tyranny of their

enemies, beseech God to deliver them, there being no other source of hope left for

them except in his protection.”

2. Barnes, “This psalm is entitled simply “Song of Degrees.” See the notes at the title

of Psa_120:1-7. othing is intimated in regard to the authorship of the psalm, or to

the occasion on which it was composed. The only circumstance which throws any

light on its origin is the statement in Psa_123:4, that the author and his friends - the

people of God referred to in the psalm - were exposed to derision and contempt for

their attachment to religion, especially the contempt and reproach of those who

were in circumstances of ease and affluence, or who were in the more elevated ranks

of life. This might accord well with the condition of the exiles returning from

Babylon, or with the condition of the returned captives when rebuilding the walls of

the city, and when they met with scorn and contempt from the Samaritans and the

Ammonites; from Sanballat and Tobiah; from the Arabians and the Ashdodites

eh_4:1-8; but there is no certain evidence that the psalm was composed on that

occasion. The pious Hebrews of antiquity - David and others - and the people of God

at all times have been too much exposed to this kind of treatment to make the mere

applicability of the psalm to that particular time a reason for concluding that it

must have been composed then; and it is now impossible to determine by whom, or

on what occasion it was composed. It refers to what may occur in any age of the

world; and it expresses the proper feelings of piety at all times when we are, on

account of our religion, exposed to “the scorning of those that are at ease, and to the

contempt of the proud.”

3. Spurgeon, “A Song of degrees. We are climbing. The first step (Ps. 120) saw us

lamenting our troublesome surroundings, and the next saw us lifting our eyes to the

hills and resting in assured security; from this we rose to delight in the house of the

Lord; but here we look to the Lord himself, and this is the highest ascent of all by

many degrees. The eyes are now looking above the hills, and above Jehovah's

footstool on earth, to his throne in the heavens. Let us know it as "the Psalm of the

eyes". Old authors call it Oculus "Sperans", or the eye of hope. It is a short Psalm,

written with singular art, containing one thought, and expressing it in a most

engaging manner. Doubtless it would be a favorite song among the people of God. It

has been conjectured that this brief song, or rather sigh, may have first been heard

in the days of ehemiah, or under the persecutions of Antiochus. It may be so, but

there is no evidence of it; it seems to us quite as probable that afflicted ones in all

periods after David's time found this psalm ready to their hand If it appears to

describe days remote from David, it is all the more evident that the Psalmist was

also a prophet, and sang what he saw in vision.”

4. Martin Luther, “This psalm (as ye see) is but short, and therefore a very fit

example to show the force of prayer not to consist in many words, but in fervency of

spirit. For great and weighty matters may be comprised in a few words, if they

proceed from the spirit and the unspeakable groanings of the heart, especially when

our necessity is such as will not suffer any long prayer. Every prayer is long enough

if it be fervent and proceed from a heart that understandeth the necessity of the

saints.”

5. I have written my own poetic paraphrase of this Psalm.

Unto you I lift my eyes

To your throne up in the skies.

Like the slaves of the land

look up to the master's hand.

Like the eyes of the maid

Are on her mistress's hand laid.

So our eyes to our Lord goes

Till he to us mercy shows.

Hear our pleading and our cry

As we for your mercy sigh.

We so need this prayer be heard

Due to countless evils we've endured.

1. I lift up my eyes to you,

to you whose throne is in heaven.

1. Calvin, “God is here expressly called the God who dwelleth in the heavens, not

simply to teach his people to estimate the divine power as it deserves, but also that,

when no hope of aid is left for them on earth, yea rather, when their condition is

desperate, just as if they were laid in the grave, or as if they were lost in a labyrinth,

they should then remember that the power of God remains in heaven in unimpaired

and infinite perfection. Thus these words seem to contain a tacit contrast between

the troubled and confused state of this world and God's heavenly kingdom, from

whence he so manages and governs all things, that whenever it pleases him, he calms

all the agitations of the world, comes to the rescue of the desperate and the

despairing, restores light by dispelling darkness, and raises up such as were cast

down and laid prostrate on the ground. This the Prophet confirms by the verb lift

up; which intimates, that although all worldly resources fail us, we must raise our

eyes upward to heaven, where God remains unchangeably the same, despite the

mad impetuosity of men in turning all things here below upside down.”

1B. If you want to lift your attitude, change your altitude and look up. Keep your

focus on that which is above all of the negatives of the world. Develop a heaven ward

look that focuses on that which is eternal, and ever positive. David had a life of

many battles and troubles, but he always knew the right way to look. David always

sought the Lord in his life and he said, “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He

shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15). When we look up to God that will

also be the focus of the direction we want to climb. As we lift our eyes to heaven we

are asking God to lift our whole life to higher ground. Charles H. Gabriel, wrote,

I’m pressing on the upward way,

ew heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,

By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,

A higher plane than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

1. My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where those abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

2. I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

3. I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

2. Spurgeon, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes. It is good to have some one to look up to.

The Psalmist looked so high that he could look no higher. ot to the hills, but to the

God of the hills he looked. He believed in a personal God, and knew nothing of that

modern pantheism which is nothing more than atheism wearing a fig leaf. The

uplifted eyes naturally and instinctively represent the state of heart which fixes

desire, hope, confidence, and expectation upon the Lord. God is everywhere, and yet

it is most natural to think of him as being above us, in that glory land which lies

beyond the skies. "O thou that dwellest in the heavens", just sets forth ,the

unsophisticated idea of a child of God in distress: God is, God is in heaven, God

resides in one place, and God is evermore the same, therefore will I look to him.

When we cannot look to any helper on a level with us, it is greatly wise to look above

us; in fact, if we have a thousand helpers, our eyes should still be toward the Lord.

The higher the Lord is the better for our faith, since that height represents power,

glory, and excellence, and these will be all engaged on our behalf. We ought to be

very thankful for spiritual eyes; the blind men of this world, however much of

human learning they may possess, cannot behold our God, for in heavenly matters

they are devoid of sight. Yet we must use our eyes with resolution, for they will not

go upward to the Lord of themselves, but they incline to look downward, or inward,

or anywhere but to the Lord: let it be our firm resolve that the heavenward glance

shall not be lacking. If we cannot see God, at least we will look towards him. God is

in heaven as a king in his palace; he is here revealed, adored, and glorified: thence

he looks down on the world and sends succors to his saints as their needs demand;

hence we look up, even when our sorrow is so great that we can do no more. It is a

blessed condescension on God's part that he permits us to lift up our eyes to his

glorious high throne; yea, more, that he invites and even commands us so to do.

When we are looking to the Lord in hope, it is well to tell him so in prayer: the

Psalmist uses his voice as well as his eye. We need not speak in prayer; a glance of

the eye will do it all; for - -

"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear,

The upward glancing of an eye

When none but God is near."

Still, it is helpful to the heart to use the tongue, and we do well to address ourselves

in words and sentences to the God who heareth his people. It is no small joy that our

God is always at home: he is not on a journey, like Baal, but he dwells in the

heavens. Let us think no hour of the day inopportune for waiting upon the Lord; no

watch of the night too dark for us to look to him.”

2B. Tom orvell, “Where do you look when you are tired of being picked on?

Where do you look when things are not going your way? Where do you look when

you are frustrated with life and feeling like you have been "kicked around long

enough?" You are ready to fight back. You are ready to get your revenge. You are

ready to set the record straight. The Psalmist probably felt the same things when he

said, "I lift my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven." Before he demanded

revenge, before he lashed out, and before he settled into a state of perpetual self-pity

he said, "I lift my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven."

3. isbet deals with the amazing contrast between the lowly human need, and the

heavenly supply of that need. “thee do I lift up mine eyes. You feel the greatness of

the contrast these words imply. Earth and heaven, dust and deity; the poor,

weeping, sinful children of mortality, the holy, ever blessed, eternal God: how wide

is the interval of separation between them! But over the awful chasm, broader than

ocean though it be, love and wisdom in the person of Jesus Christ, have thrown a

passage, by which the most sinful may repair unafraid to his presence, and find the

shame and the fears of guilt exchanged for the peace of forgiveness and the hope

that is full of immortality.”

4. Richard Holdsworth, “It is the testimony of an obedient heart. A man that lifts up

his eye to God, he acknowledgeth thus much, -- Lord, I am thy servant. It is the

testimony of a thankful heart; acknowledging that every good blessing, every perfect

gift, is from the hand of God. It is the testimony of a heavenly heart. He that lifts up

his eyes to heaven acknowledgeth that he is weary of the earth; his heart is not

there; his hope and desire is above. It is the testimony of a devout heart: there is no

part of the body besides the tongue that is so great an agent in prayer as the eye.”

5. Thomas Mandton, “The eye of faith is a clear, piercing, eagle eye: Moses

"endured, as seeing him who is invisible:" Hebrews 11:27. Faith seeth things afar

off in the promises (Hebrews 11:13), at a greater distance than the eye of nature can

reach to. Take it either for the eye of the body, or the mind, faith will draw comfort

not only from that which is invisible, but also from that which is future as well as

invisible; its supports lie in the other world, and in things which are yet to come.

6. “As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, etc. A traveler says,

"I have seen a fine illustration of this passage in a gentleman's house at Damascus.

The people of the East do not speak so much or so quick as those in the West, and a

sign of the hand is frequently the only instructions given to the servants in waiting.

As soon as we were introduced and seated on the divan, a wave of the master's hand

indicated that sherbet was to be served. Another wave brought coffee and pipes;

another brought sweetmeats. At another signal dinner was made ready. The

attendants watched their master's eye and hand, to know his will and do it

instantly." Such is the attention with which we ought to wait upon the Lord, anxious

to fulfill his holy pleasure, -- our great desire being, "Lord, what wilt thou have me

to do?" An equally pointed and more homely illustration may be seen any day, on

our own river Thames, or in any of our large seaport towns, where the call boy

watches attentively the hand of the captain of the boat, and conveys his will to the

engine men. --The Sunday at Home.

7. Warren Wiersbe, “If the outlook in your life is disturbing, try the uplook. That's

what the psalmist did. "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the

heavens" (v. 1). What does it mean to lift your eyes to the Lord? First, it means to

acknowledge His sovereignty. We lift our eyes because He is higher than we are.

Isaiah focused his eyes on the throne of God and saw Him "high and lifted up" in

the temple (Isa. 6:1). He is sovereign. He is the Master; we are the servants. He is the

Creator; we are the creatures. He is the Heavenly Father; we are the children.

Second, we admit His sufficiency. "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand

of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to

the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us" (v. 2). We look to Him because of His

sufficiency. Whatever we need, He is able to provide. "My God shall supply all your

need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Third, when we

lift up our eyes to the Lord, we can accept His generosity. "Have mercy on us, O

Lord, have mercy on us!" the psalmist prays in verse 3. God is generous, the Giver

of every good and perfect gift. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts

to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things

to those who ask Him!" (Matt. 7:11).”

8. Gill, “ ot only the eyes of his body, this being a prayer gesture; see Mat_14:19;

but the eyes of his mind and understanding, opened by the Spirit of God;

particularly the eye of faith, by which he looked for and expected help and salvation

from the Lord. The phrase is expressive of holy confidence in God, and a

comfortable hope of receiving good things from him; as, on the contrary, when

persons are ashamed and confounded with a sense of their sins, and the

aggravations of them, and of their own unworthiness and vileness; and, on account

of the same, almost out of all hope, cannot lift up their eyes to heaven, or their face

before God, Ezr_9:6;

O thou that dwellest in the heavens; the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, the

seat of angels and glorified saints; and though the Lord is everywhere, and fills

heaven and earth with his presence, and cannot be contained any where; yet here is

the more visible display of his glory; here he keeps his court; this is his palace, and

here his throne is prepared, and on it he sits (d); so some render the word here; as

the Judge of the whole earth, and takes a view of all men and their actions; and, as

the God of nature and providence, governs and orders all things after his own will;

and, as the God of grace, sits on a throne of grace, kindly inviting and encouraging

his people to come unto him: and therefore the psalmist addresses him as such; see

Ecc_5:2, Mat_6:9. The Targum is, "O thou that sittest on a throne of glory in

heaven!''

9. Henry, “We have here, The solemn profession which God's people make of faith

and hope in God, Psa_123:1, Psa_123:2. Observe, 1. The title here given to God: O

thou that dwellest in the heavens. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, in prayer, to have an

eye to God as our Father in heaven; not that he is confined there, but there

especially he manifests his glory, as the King in his court. Heaven is a place of

prospect and a place of power; he that dwells there beholds thence all the calamities

of his people and thence can send to save them. Sometimes God seems to have

forsaken the earth, and the enemies of God's people ask, Where is now your God?

But then they can say with comfort, Our God is in the heavens. O thou that sittest in

the heavens (so some), sittest as Judge there; for the Lord has prepared his throne in

the heavens, and to that throne injured innocency may appeal. 2. The regard here

had to God. The psalmist himself lifted up his eyes to him. The eyes of a good man

are ever towards the Lord, Psa_25:15. In every prayer we lift up our soul, the eye of

our soul, to God, especially in trouble, which was the case here. The eyes of the

people waited on the Lord, Psa_123:2. We find mercy coming towards a people when

the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, are towards the Lord, Zec_9:1. The eyes

of the body are heaven-ward. Os homini sublime dedit - To man he gave an erect

mien, to teach us which way to direct the eyes of the mind. Our eyes wait on the

Lord, the eye of desire and prayer, the begging eye, and the eye of dependence, hope,

and expectation, the longing eye. Our eyes must wait upon God as the Lord, and our

God, until that he have mercy upon us. We desire mercy from him, we hope he will

show us mercy, and we will continue our attendance on him till the mercy come.

This is illustrated (Psa_123:2) by a similitude:”

10. Sam Shamoun has put together a series of texts that stress God's reign on his

throne in heaven.

"And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting

on HIS throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and

on his left;’" 1 Kings 22:19

"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and

lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet,

and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the

LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the

thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with

smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I

dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the

LORD of hosts!’" Isaiah 6:1-5

"He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision." Psalm 2:4

"The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his

eyelids test, the children of man." Psalm 11:4

"The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over

all." Psalm 103:19

Even heaven itself is said to be his throne:

"Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is

the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these

things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD.

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and

trembles at my word.’" Isaiah 66:1-2

"At the end of the days I, ebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason

returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who

lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures

from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as

nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the

inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you

done?’" Daniel 4:34-35

11. Glenn Pease

I lift my eyes to see your light.

I lift my voice to sing your praise.

I lift my hands to do the right.

I lift my feet to walk your ways.

ow fill my eyes with glory bright.

ow hear my voice your honor raise.

ow take my hands, lead to the fight.

ow guide my feet through life's dark maze.

I lift my heart to feel your love.

I lift my mind to truth's delight.

I lift my light to yours above.

I lift my all to heaven's height.

ow fill my heart oh holy dove,

ow fill my mind, my soul excite.

ow fill my life, give gentle shove.

ow fill my all, with fire ignite.

2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their

master,

as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her

mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

1. Calvin, “This similitude is very suitable to the present case. It implies that without

the protection of God true believers have no comfort, are completely disarmed and

exposed to all manner of wrongs, have neither strength nor courage to resist; in

short, that their safety depends entirely upon aid derived from another. We know

how shamefully servants were treated in ancient times, and what reproaches might

be cast upon them, whilst yet they durst not move a finger to repel the outrage.

Being therefore deprived of all means of defending themselves, the only thing which

remained for them to do was, what is here stated, to crave the protection of their

masters. The same explanation is equally applicable to the case of handmaids. Their

condition was indeed shameful and degrading; but there is no reason why we should

be ashamed of, or offended at being compared to slaves, provided God is our

defender, and takes our life under his guardianship; God, I say, who purposely

disarms us and strips us of all worldly aid, that we may learn to rely upon his grace,

and to be contented 'with it alone. It having been anciently a capital crime for bond-

men to carry a sword or any other weapon about them, and as they were exposed to

injuries of every description, their masters were wont to defend them with so much

the more spirit, when any one causelessly did them violence. or can it be doubted

that God, when he sees us placing an exclusive dependence upon his protection, and

renouncing all confidence in our own resources, will as our defender encounter, and

shield us from all the molestation that shall be offered to us. It is, however, certain

that we have here properly the description of a period in which the people of God

were reduced to a state of extreme necessity, and brought even to the brink of

despair. As to the word hand, it is very well known to be put for help.”

2. Barnes, “- , are to the hands of their masters; or, regard the hands of their

masters. That is, we look to God with the same spirit of deference, dependence, and

readiness to mark the will of God, which is evinced by servants in regard to their

masters, and by maidens in regard to the will of a mistress. There has been some

difference of view in regard to the meaning of this comparison. Some have supposed

that the allusion is to the fact that servants, when in danger, look to their masters

for protection; others, that they look to them for the supply of their needs; others,

that when they have been guilty of an offense they look to them alone for pardon.

The true idea, however, seems to be, that they look to them with deference and

respect; that they attentively mark every expression of their will; that they are

ready to obey their commands on the slightest intimation of their wishes - standing

in a waiting posture, with no will of their own - their own wills absorbed in the will

of the master or the mistress.”

3. Samuel Cox, “In the first strophe the poet places himself before us as standing in

the presence of the Majesty of Heaven, with his eyes fixed on the hand of God,

absorbed in watchful expectation of some sign or gesture, however slight, which may

indicate the divine will. He is like a slave standing silent but alert, in the presence of

the Oriental "lord", with banns folded on his breast, and eyes fixed on his master,

seeking to read, and to anticipate, if possible, his every wish. He is like a maiden in

attendance on her mistress, anxiously striving to see her mind in her looks, to

discover and administer to her moods and wants. The grave, reserved Orientals, as

we know, seldom speak to their attendants, at least on public occasions. They

intimate their wishes and commands by a wave of the hand, by a glance of the eye,

by slight movements and gestures which might escape notice, were they not watched

for with eager attention. Their slaves "hang upon their faces; "they" fasten their

eyes" on the eyes of their master; they watch and obey every turn of his hand, every

movement of his finger. Thus the Psalmist conceives of himself as waiting on God,

looking to him alone, watching for the faintest signal, bent on catching and obeying

it.”

4. Jamison includes all the possibilities in his comments. “Deference, submission,

and trust, are all expressed by the figure. In the East, servants in attending on their

masters are almost wholly directed by signs,which require the closest observance of

the hands of the latter. The servants of God should look (1) to His directing hand, to

appoint them their work; (2) to His supplying hand (Psa_104:28), to give them their

portion in due season; (3) to His protecting hand, to right them when wronged; (4)

to His correcting hand (Isa_9:13; 1Pe_5:6; compare Gen_16:6); (5) to His rewarding

hand.”

5. Clarke, “the eyes of servants - now wait for thy commands, feeling the utmost

readiness to obey them when made known to us. The words may be understood as

the language of dependence also. As slaves expect their support from their masters

and mistresses, so do we ours from thee, O Lord! Or, As servants look to their

masters and mistresses, to see how they do their work, that they may do it in the

same way; so do we, O Lord, that we may learn of thee, and do thy work in thy own

Spirit, and after thy own method. Some think that there is a reference here to the

chastisement of slaves by their masters, who, during the time they are receiving it,

keep their eyes fixed on the hand that is inflicting punishment upon them,

professing deep sorrow, and entreating for mercy.”

6. Gill, “To direct them in their work and business, to point out unto them what they

shall do; which is often done by a motion of the hand of the master or mistress, or

rap of their fingers without speaking (e), which the servant observes: or to help and

assist them against their enemies, and protect them from them; servants unarmed,

and molested in their masters' service, have no other to flee to for protection but

them; so Aben Ezra: or to receive food and sustenance from them, as servants and

maidens do, from their masters and mistresses, in whose service they are; see

Pro_31:15; so Kimchi and Arama; the latter observes, that they have their food in a

way of mercy, and not justice; contrary to what the apostle says, Col_4:1; or in

order to receive their wages from them;

so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God; look unto him for direction in his service.

Saints are servants, not of sin, nor of Satan, nor of men, but of the Lord; and not on

the foot of creation only, but of redemption, and are made so by the grace of God;

and they are willing to work, and are desirous to know what they should do; they

inquire of God; they wait upon him, in his word and ordinances, for direction; and,

being informed, do it with all their might, and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes

or directs them: and they look unto him for strength to assist them therein, being

conscious of their own weakness; they apply to him, and wait upon him for strength,

and do all they do in his name and strength; they look unto him for protection from

all their enemies, which are many and mighty, and are stronger than they; and for

food, both temporal and spiritual, and for all the necessaries and comforts both of a

corporeal and spiritual life; and likewise for the recompense of reward, the reward

of the inheritance, which is of grace, and not of debt. Joseph Kimchi thinks that the

allusion is to servants, that look to the hand of their masters that correct and

chastise them, and bear it patiently; and look to the hand that smites, till it shall

have done, and mercy is shown them. And thus the saints look to the chastising hand

of God, and humble themselves under it, and patiently endure it, till the Lord shall

please to remove it from them; and this agrees with what follows: until that he have

mercy upon us; God is gracious and merciful; and he has his set time to have mercy

on his people: and it becomes them to continue praying to him, and waiting on him,

until he is pleased to show it to them; men should pray always, and not faint; they

will find mercy in due time, Luk_18:1.”

7. Spurgeon, “Behold -- for it is worthy of regard among men, and O that the

Majesty of heaven would also note it, and speedily send the mercy which our waiting

spirits seek. See, O Lord, how we look to thee, and in thy mercy look on us. This

Behold has, however, a call to us to observe and consider. Whenever saints of God

have waited upon the Lord their example has been worthy of earnest consideration.

Sanctification is a miracle of grace; therefore let us behold it. For God to have

wrought in men the spirit of service is a great marvel, and as such let all men turn

aside and see this great sight. "As the eyes of servants (or slaves) look unto the hand

of their masters." They stand at the end of the room with their hands folded

watching their lord's movements. Orientals speak less than we do, and prefer to

direct their slaves by movements of their hands: hence, the domestic must fix his

eyes on his master, or he might miss a sign, and so fail to obey it: even so, the

sanctified man lifts his eyes unto God, and endeavors to learn the divine will from

every one of the signs which the Lord is pleased to use. Creation, providence, grace;

these are all motions of Jehovah's hand, and from each of them a portion of our

duty is to be learned; therefore should we carefully study them, to discover the

divine will. "And as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress," this second

comparison may be used because Eastern women are even more thorough than the

men in the training of their servants. It is usually thought that women issue more

commands, and are more sensitive of disobedience, than the sterner sex. Among the

Roman matrons female slaves had a sorry time of it, and no doubt it was the same

among the generality of Eastern ladies. "Even so our eyes wait upon the Lord our

God." Believers desire to be attentive to each and all of the directions of the Lord;

even those which concern apparently little things are not little to us, for we know

that even for idle words we shall be called to account, and we are anxious to give in

that account with joy, and not with grief. True saints, like obedient servants, look to

the Lord their God reverentially: they have a holy awe and inward fear of the great

and glorious One. They watch, obediently, doing his commandments, guided by his

eye. Their constant gaze is fixed attentively on all that comes from the Most High;

they give earnest heed, and fear lest they should let anything slip through

inadvertence or drowsiness. They look continuously, for there never is a time when

they are off duty; at all times they delight to serve in all things: Upon the Lord they

fix their eyes expectantly, looking for supply, succor, and safety from his hands,

waiting that he may have mercy upon them. To him they look singly, they have no

other confidence, and they learn to look submissively, waiting patiently for the

Lord, seeking both in activity and suffering to glorify his name. When they are

smitten with the rod they turn their eyes imploringly to the hand which chastens,

hoping that mercy will soon abate the rigor of the affliction. There is much more in

the figure than we can display in this brief comment; perhaps it will be most

profitable to suggest the question. -- Are we thus trained to service? Though we are

sons, have we learned the full obedience of servants? Have we surrendered self, and

bowed our will before the heavenly Majesty? Do we desire in all things to be at the

Lord's disposal? If so, happy are we. Though we are made joint heirs with Christ,

yet for the present we differ little from servants, and may be well content to take

them for our model.

8. Richard Holdsworth, “Our eyes wait. Here the Psalmist uses another word: it is

the eye waiting. What is the reason of the second word? ow he leaves the similitude

in the first line; for in the first line it is thus, -- "As the eyes of servants look, and the

eyes of a maiden look"; here it is the eye waits. There is good reason: to wait is more

than to look: to wait is to look constantly, with patience and submission, by

subjecting our affections and wills and desires to God's will; that is to wait, David in

the second part, in the second line, gives a better word, he betters his copy. There is

the duty of a Christian, to better his example; the eyes of servants look, David's eyes

shall wait: "So our eyes wait". It is true, indeed this word is not in the original,

therefore you may observe it is in a small letter in your Bibles, to note that it is a

word of necessity, added for the supply of the sense, because the Holy Ghost left it

not imperfect, but more perfect, that lie put not in the verb; because it is left to

every man's heart to supply a verb to his own comfort, and a better he cannot than

this. And that this word must be added appears by the next words: "until that he

have mercy upon us". To look till he have mercy on us is to wait; so there is good

reason why this word is added. If we look to the thing begged -- "mercy" -- it is so

precious that we may wait for it. It was "servants" that he mentioned, and it is their

duty to wait upon their masters; they wait upon their trenchers at meat; they wait

when they go to bed and when they rise; they wait in every place. Therefore,

because he had mentioned the first word, he takes the proper duty; there is nothing

more proper to servants than waiting, and if we are the servants of God we must

wait. There is good reason in that respect, because it is a word so significant,

therefore the Spirit of God varies it; he keeps not exactly to the line, "So do our eyes

look," but he puts it, "So do our eyes wait.”

9. Martin Luther, “ ote how humbly the faithful think of themselves in the sight of

God. They are called and chosen to this dignity, to be the heirs and children of God,

and are exalted above the angels, and yet, notwithstanding, they count themselves

no better in God's sight than "servants." They say not here, Behold, like as children

look to the hand of their fathers, but "as servants" to the hand of their masters.

This is the humility and modesty of the godly, and it is so far off that hereby they

lose the dignity of God's children, to the which they are called, that by this means it

is made to them more sure and certain.”

10. Thomas Harmer, “As the eyes of servants, etc. The true explanation, I should

apprehend, is this: As a slave, ordered by a master or mistress to be chastised for a

fault, turns his or her imploring eyes to that superior, till that motion of the hand

appears that puts an end to the bitterness that is felt; so our eyes are up to thee, our

God, till thy hand shall give the signal for putting an end to our sorrows: for our

enemies, O Lord, we are sensible, are only executing thy orders, and chastening us

according to thy pleasure.”

11. Servants. "A Maiden". Consider that there be two sorts of servants set down

here, man servants and maid servants; and this is to let us know that both sexes may

be confident in God. ot only may men be confident in the power of God, but even

women also, who are more frail and feeble. ot only may women mourn to God for

wrongs done to them, and have repentance for sin, but they may be confident in

God also. And therefore see, in that rehearsal of believers and cloud of witnesses,

not only is the faith of men noted and commended by the Spirit of God, but also the

faith of women: and among the judges, Deborah, Jael, etc., are commended as

worthies, and courageous in God. And the women also in the ew Testament are

noted for their following of Christ -- even when all fled from him, then they followed

him.” --From a Sermon by Alexander Henderson, 1583-1646.

12. Henry, “Our eyes are to God as the eyes of a servant, and handmaid, to the hand

of their master and mistress. The eyes of a servant are, (1.) To his master's directing

hand, expecting that he will appoint him his work, and cut it out for him, and show

him how he must do it. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? (2.) To his supplying

hand. Servants look to their master, or their mistress, for their portion of meat in

due season, Pro_31:15. And to God must we look for daily bread, for grace

sufficient; from him we must receive it thankfully. (3.) To his assisting hand. If the

servant cannot do his work himself, where must he look for help but to his master?

And in the strength of the Lord God we must go forth and go on. (4.) To his

protecting hand. If the servant meet with opposition in his work, if he be questioned

for what he does, if he be wronged and injured, who should bear him out and right

him, but his master that set him on work? The people of God, when they are

persecuted, may appeal to their Master, We are thine; save us. (5.) To his correcting

hand. If the servant has provoked his master to beat him, he does not call for help

against his master, but looks at the hand that strikes him, till it shall say, “It is

enough; I will not contend for ever.” The people of God were now under his

rebukes; and whither should they turn but to him that smote them? Isa_9:13. To

whom should they make supplication but to their Judge? They will not do as Hagar

did, who ran away from her mistress when she put some hardships upon her

(Gen_16:6), but they submit themselves to and humble themselves under God's

mighty hand. (6.) To his rewarding hand. The servant expects his wages, his well-

done, from his master. Hypocrites have their eye to the world's hand; thence they

have their reward (Mat_6:2); but true Christians have their eye to God as their

rewarder.”

13. J. Scott Lindsay, “ the point of the image would seem to be that of helplessness

and utter dependence. That is, for both the slave and the maid, it is true that the

outcome of their lives — good, bad or otherwise — is entirely in the hands of the

ones whom they serve. If hardship comes their way, it will be at the hand of the

master or the mistress. If mercy comes their way, it will be by the same hand.

Whatever the outcome, both are in a position of utter dependence upon the one

whom they serve. And thus, the only one who has the power to change anything is

the master/mistress. This, it seems to me, is the point of the comparison. The

psalmist recognizes that, although he is the victim of the arrogant and proud people

around him, he is still not at their mercy, because they are not, ultimately, the ones

in charge. The psalmist recognizes that, just as for the slave and the maid, if

hardship continues to come his way, or if he experiences mercy and grace — both of

these things, ultimately, can only come with the sovereign permission of the Lord

and thus, it is to him that the psalmist appeals for mercy — not to someone else,

least of all his detractors. This, then, is the first “port of call” when it comes to the

godly person’s response to contempt and ridicule — to look to God, to pray to God

for his mercy to be shown in the circumstances of your life. You don’t become

obsessed with your enemies so that it then becomes the controlling factor in your

life. You become intensely focused on the person of God. He is our great obsession.”

3. Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,

for we have endured much contempt.

1. Barnes, “The language of earnest pleading, repeating with emphasis the object of

the prayer. The supplicants are represented as standing and urging this petition,

feeling that help could come only from God; looking only to him; and watching his

countenance, as servants do their master’s. For we are exceedingly filled - The

Hebrew word used here means to be saturated; to have the appetite fully satisfied -

as applied to one who is hungry or thirsty. Then it comes to mean to be entirely full,

and the idea here is, that as much contempt had been thrown upon them as could

be; they could experience no more. With contempt - Contempt has been shown us in

every possible way. We are thoroughly despised.”

2. In other words, we are fed up with all the contempt we are being fed. We are sick

and tired of all this abuse, and we cry out for relief. Have mercy upon us and deliver

us from this perpetual flood of verbal abuse. There is only so much negative that a

person can handle, and when they have their fill of it, the need to escape and be

refreshed by some positive feedback to have a healthy mind again. The self image

and self respect need some positive input or it can lead to depression. The Psalmist

and his people are on the border of depression, and they need God's positive

reinforcement to carry on their life of service for him. Believers can reach this

negative state where Satan and sinners have so attacked their person and

performance that they become drop outs in the race of obedience to God. They need

to be lifted by a helping hand to be restored as servants of the master, and that is

why they need to cry out for the mercy of God to rescue them. When the world is

pouring out misery, we need God to send showers of mercy on us to give us relief

from their burning scorn.

3. Gill, “Merit is not pleaded; for, though servants, they knew they were

unprofitable ones: but mercy is asked; whether by the awakened sinner, under first

convictions, or by the backsliding professor, for forgiveness of sins, under a sense of

them, or as under the correcting: and chastising hand of God for them: and which is

repeated, to show the state of their case, which requires mercy, and in haste; and the

eagerness of their spirit, and the earnestness of their suit, their prayer being the

effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man; for we are exceedingly filled with

contempt; by reason of meanness in outward circumstances, the common lot of

God's people; and therefore are reckoned the faith of the world, and the offscouring

of all things: and on account of their religion, which wicked men make a jest of;

reckon an engine of state, to keep people in awe of the civil magistrate; or a piece of

priestcraft, to serve the lucrative views of a set of men; or as mere cant and

enthusiasm, and a gloomy melancholy business, which none but fools will give into;

and particularly on account of peculiar doctrines embraced, which are branded as

novel, irrational, and licentious; and ordinances, which entirely depend on the

sovereign will of the institutor of them. For these things, and the like, contempt was

plentifully poured upon them; they had enough of it, and too much, so much that

they could not bear it; it was become intolerable and loathsome, and the more, as it

had been a long time continued on them. So Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret the

word, rendered "exceedingly", of a long time.”

4. Spurgeon, “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us. He hangs upon

the word "mercy," and embodies it in a vehement prayer: the very word seems to

hold him, and he harps upon it. It is well for us to pray about everything, and turn

everything into prayer; and especially when we are reminded of a great necessity we

should catch at it as a keynote, and pitch our tune to it. The reduplication of the

prayer before us is meant to express the eagerness of the Psalmist's spirit and his

urgent need: what he needed speedily he begs for importunately. ote that he has

left the first person singular for the plural. All the saints need mercy; they all seek

it; they shall all have it, therefore we pray - - "have mercy upon us". A slave when

corrected looks to his master's hand that the punishment may cease, and even so we

look to the Lord for mercy, and entreat for it with all our hearts. Our contemptuous

opponents will have no mercy upon us; let us not ask it at their hands, but turn to

the God of mercy, and seek his aid alone.

"For we are exceedingly filled with contempt," and this is an acid which eats into

the soul. Observe the emphatic words. Contempt is bitterness, wormwood mingled

with gall; he that feels it may well cry for mercy to his God. Filled with contempt, as

if the bitter wine had been poured in till it was up to the brim. This had become the

chief thought of their minds, the peculiar sorrow of their hearts. Excluding all other

feelings, a sense of scorn monopolized the soul and made it unutterably wretched.

Another word is added adverbially -- exceedingly filled. Filled even to running over,

as if pressed down and then heaped up. A little contempt they could bear, but now

they were satiated with it, and weary of it. Do we wonder at the threefold mention of

mercy when this master evil was in the ascendant? othing is more wounding,

embittering, festering than disdain. When our companions make little of us we are

far too apt to make little of ourselves and of the consolations prepared for us. Oh to

be filled with communion, and then contempt will run off from us, and never be able

to fill us with its biting vinegar.”

5. Robert isbet, “We are exceedingly filled with contempt. Men of the world

regard the Temple Pilgrims and their religion with the quiet smile of disdain,

wondering that those who have so much to engage them in a present life should be

weak enough to concern themselves about frames and feelings, about an unseen

God, and unknown eternity; and this is a trial they find it hard to bear. Their soul,

too, is filled exceedingly with the scorning of those that are at ease. The prosperous

of their neighbors declare that they have found the world a generous and happy

scene to all who deserve its gifts. Poverty and sorrow they attribute to unworthiness

alone. "Let them exert themselves" is the unfeeling cry; "let them bestir themselves

instead of praying, and with them as with us it will soon be well"; and these words

of harsh and unfeeling ignorance aye like poison to the wounds of the bleeding

heart. They have further "the contempt of the proud" to mourn; of those who give

expression to their fierce disdain by assailing them with words of contumely, and

who seek to draw them by reproaches both from peace and from piety. These are

still the trials of Zion's worshipers: silent contempt, open misrepresentation, fierce

opposition. Religion, their last comfort, is despised; peace, their first desire, is

denied. Anxious to devote themselves in the spirit of humble and earnest piety to the

duties of their appointed sphere, they find enemies in open outcry and array against

them. But God is their refuge, and to him they go.”

6. J. Scott Lindsay, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never

hurt me. Rubbish! I don’t know who first came up with that saying, but it was a

crazy person, whoever it was. obody in his right mind who has lived long enough

to be insulted or ridiculed by another person could say those words with any

integrity. The fact of the matter is, words can hurt and words do hurt. All of you

know exactly what I’m talking about........there is a choice that has to be made. The

issue is not whether we will experience rejection in this life. The issue is: whose

rejection will we choose?

The world doesn’t like God’s people very much. The experience described here is

one of being ridiculed, despised, looked down upon and generally regarded as being

insignificant. All of that comes from being identified as one of God’s special people.

As we saw in the study of Psalm 120, living faithfully as one of God’s people, has the

effect of setting you apart from your peers — not because you look or dress all that

differently, but because you have a different value system, a different life

orientation. This different orientation becomes evident in various ways: through the

choices you make; through the things you do and do not do; through the way you

speak; through the way you respond to success, failure, tragedy and hardship. The

collective result of all those things will distinguish you from the people around you.

That was as true in the psalmist’s day as it is in our own.

The fact of this difference is noticed by the parties on both sides. That is, just as you

are aware of the difference between yourself and those around you, so are they. And

because you are consistently choosing to go against the grain, to choose a position

other than the status quo, because you are unwilling to compromise on your beliefs,

you are perceived as being “difficult,” “holier-than-thou,” “elitist,” and all sort of

other things — things which may have never entered your mind. But the reality is

that you are perceived this way, whether it’s true or not, and whether you like it or

not.”

7. J. S. Smith, “ Jesus was ridiculed and crucified, the apostles were threatened,

imprisoned and martyred, and others before you have been the victims

of mockery and now it is your turn to claim a painful moral victory

over your adversary; “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil

work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18)

8. Henry, “

The humble address which God's people present to him in their calamitous

condition (Psa_123:3, Psa_123:4), wherein, 1. They sue for mercy, not prescribing to

God what he shall do for them, nor pleading any merit of their own why he should

do it for them, but, Have mercy upon us, O Lord! have mercy upon us. We find little

mercy with men; their tender mercies are cruel; there are cruel mockings. But this is

our comfort, that with the Lord there is mercy and we need desire no more to relieve

us, and make us easy, than the mercy of God. Whatever the troubles of the church

are, God's mercy is a sovereign remedy. 2. They set forth their grievances: We are

exceedingly filled with contempt. Reproach is the wound, the burden, they complain

of. Observe, (1.) Who were reproached: “We, who have our eyes up to thee.” Those

who are owned of God are often despised and trampled on by the world. Some

translate the words which we render, those that are at ease, and the proud, so as to

signify the persons that are scorned and contemned. “Our soul is troubled to see

how those that are at peace, and the excellent ones, are scorned and despised.” The

saints are a peaceable people and yet are abused (Psa_35:20), the excellent ones of

the earth and yet undervalued, Lam_4:1, Lam_4:2. (2.) Who did reproach them.

Taking the words as we read them, they were the epicures who lived at ease, carnal

sensual people, Job_12:5. The scoffers are such as walk after their own lusts and

serve their own bellies, and the proud such as set God himself at defiance and had a

high opinion of themselves; they trampled on God's people, thinking they magnified

themselves by vilifying them. (3.) To what degree they were reproached: “We are

filled, we are surfeited with it. Our soul is exceedingly filled with it.” The enemies

thought they could never jeer them enough, nor say enough to make them

despicable; and they could not but lay it to heart; it was a sword in their bones,

Psa_42:10. ote, [1.] Scorning and contempt have been, and are, and are likely to

be, the lot of God's people in this world. Ishmael mocked Isaac, which is called

persecuting him; and so it is now, Gal_4:29. [2.] In reference to the scorn and

contempt of men it is matter of comfort that there is mercy with God, mercy to our

good names when they are barbarously used. Hear, O our God! for we are despised.”

9. Peter J. Blackburn, ““Mercy” in this context is “relief.” The ridicule and

contempt aren’t God’s doing. The Psalmist is looking for the Lord’s gracious

intervention in the circumstances created by others who are proud and arrogant.

Any “attack” on the servant is an attack on his master. It is for the master to protect

his servant. For a whole range of factors and circumstances, we can find ourselves

“downcast.” How do we react? We can sink down in self-pity and discouragement –

never seeing beyond ourselves and our seemingly insoluble circumstances. Or we

can choose to “lift up our eyes” acknowledging the presence and grace of God in the

midst of our circumstances and seeking his mercy, his protection and relief.

Sometimes we will know his deliverance from those circumstances. At other times,

we will know his deliverance in the circumstances. Whatever happens, we will know

his presence and his help.Many times we find ourselves in the situation of needing to

bring encouragement to someone else who is “downcast.” We are best able to do this

when we ourselves have learned to lift up our eyes to the Lord. Sadness,

discouragement, depression… are very real. But so are the mercy and help that

come as we lift up our eyes to the Lord.

Be of Good Cheer

When I am pressed

on every side,

depressed,

discouraged,

inadequate,

frustrated,

not knowing

which way

to turn

or how to move,

be of good cheer –

the Lord is here!

When daily life

brings daily news

of daily strife,

a world

uncertain,

changing,

violent,

at a loose end

losing it,

be of good cheer –

the Lord is here!

When life is brown,

I won’t

look down!

Lift up my eyes!

Be of good cheer –

the Lord is here!

4. We have endured much ridicule from the

proud,

much contempt from the arrogant.

1. Calvin, “The Psalmist prosecutes and confirms the preceding doctrine. He had

said that the godly, finding themselves utterly broken in spirit and cast down,

intently directed their eyes to the hand of God: now he adds that they are filled with

reproach. From this we learn that the wicked not only assaulted them by such ways

of violence as suggested themselves to their minds, but that by their mockery they as

it were trampled under foot the children of God. The repetition of the prayer, Have

mercy upon us, which is a sign of vehement and ardent desire, indicates that they

were reduced to the last degree of misery. When insult is added to wrongs, there is

nothing which inflicts a deeper wound upon well constituted minds. The Prophet

therefore complains chiefly of that, as if it were the consummation of all calamities.

He says that rich and proud men treated the Church with insolent triumph; for it

commonly happens that those who are elevated in the world, look down with

contempt upon the people of God. The lustre of their hour and power dazzles their

eyes, so that they make no account of God's spiritual kingdom: yea, the more the

wicked prosper and are smiled on by fortune, to the greater extent does their pride

swell, and the more violently does it throw off its foam. This passage teaches us, that

it is no new thing for the Church to be held in contempt by the children of this

world who abound in riches. The epithet proud is justly applied to the same persons

who are described as rich; for wealth engenders pride of heart. Farther, as we see

that in old time the Church of God was covered with reproaches, and pointed at

with the finger of scorn, we ought not to be discouraged if the world despise us, nor

should we allow our faith to be shaken by the wicked when they assault us with their

scoffs, yea, even defame us with their injurious and insulting language. We must

always bear in mind what is here recorded, that the heart not of one man only, or of

a few, but of the whole Church, was filled not merely with the violence, cruelty,

craft, and other evil doings of the wicked, but also with reproaches and mockery. It

is also to be remembered, that all the loftiness and pride existing in the world are

here represented as in opposition to the Church, so that she is accounted as nothing

better than "the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things," as the Apostle

Paul declares in 1 Corinthians. 4:13. When the same thing happens to us at the

present day, let us leave the wicked to swell with their pride until they burst; and let

it suffice us to know, that we are notwithstanding precious in the sight of God.”

2. Barnes, “It is the scorn proceeding from those who are at ease; that is, the

frivolous, the affluent, the proud. The word scorning means derision, mockery. The

idea in the Hebrew is derived from stammering, which the word properly means;

and then, mockery, as repeating over the words of another, or imitating the voice of

one in derision. Compare Psa_2:4; Job_22:19. The phrase “those that are at ease”

properly refers to those who are tranquil or quiet, Job_12:5; Isa_32:18; Isa_33:20;

and then it is used of those who are living at ease; those who are living in self-

indulgence and luxury, Amo_6:1; Isa_32:9, Isa_32:11. Here it would seem to refer to

those who, in our language, are “in easy circumstances;” the affluent; those who are

not compelled to toil: then, the frivolous, the fashionable, those in the upper walks of

life. The contempt was aggravated by the fact that it came from that quarter; not

from the low, the ignorant, the common, but from those who claimed to be refined,

and who were distinguished in the world of gaiety, of rank, and of fashion. This,

even for good people (such is human nature), is much more hard to bear than

contempt is when it comes from those who are in the lower walks of life. In the latter

case, perhaps, we feel that we can meet contempt with contempt; in the former we

cannot. We disregard the opinions of those who are beneath us; there are few who

are not affected by the opinions entertained of them by those who are above them.

And with the contempt of the proud - Those who are lifted up; either in rank, in

condition, or in feeling. The essential idea is, that it was the contempt of those to

whom mankind look up. Religious people have always had much of this to

encounter, and often it is in fact a more severe test of the reality and power of

religion than the loss of goods, or than bodily pains and penalties. We can bear

much if we have the respect - the praise - of those above us; it is a very certain test of

the reality and the power of our religion when we can bear the scorn of the great,

the noble, the scientific, the frivolous, and the fashionable. Piety is more frequently

checked and obscured by this than it is by persecution. It is more rare that piety

shines brightly when the frivolous and the fashionable flown upon it than when

princes attempt to crush it by power. The church has performed its duty better in

the furnace of persecution than it has in the “happy” scenes of the world.”

3. In our day it would be the contempt shown by teachers, politicians, famous movie

stars, and people in the world of science and philosophy who would look down their

noses at Christians, and bring about negative feelings in the believers. It can be hard

to handle contempt from people who in other areas of life are admired for their gifts

and wisdom. It hurts when they are godless, and do what they can to pour their

contempt on what they feel is the folly of belief in God. Many a godless professor has

hurt the faith of believers, and has caused them to forsake the fellowship of the

church. Others have had to struggle with depression as they try to work their way

back into a state of faith. These are the ones who need to cry out for the mercy of

God to deliver them from this kind of attack on their faith.

4. Clarke sees this as pointing to those who captured the Israelites. “‘Those that are

at ease - Babylonians, who, having subdued all the people of the neighboring

nations, lived at ease, had none to contend with them, and now became luxurious,

indolent, and insolent: they were contemptuous and proud.”

5. Gill, “That are in easy and affluent circumstances; abound in the things of this

world, and have more than heart can wish; have no outward trouble, as other men,

or as the saints have; nor any uneasiness of mind, on account of sin and their eternal

state: they have been at ease from their youth; Satan, that has the possession of

them, keeps the goods in peace; and their consciences are seared as with a red hot

iron, and they are past feeling; though they are far from having any true solid peace

of mind: and such persons are generally scorners of the saints, and load them with

their gibes and jeers in a most insolent manner; which makes it very irksome and

grievous to bear; and the contempt of the proud: who are proud of their natural

abilities; of their wealth and riches, and of their honors and high places: and such

are generally scorners, and deal in proud wrath; and, through their pride, persecute

the poor saints with their reproaches, and by other ways; see Pro_21:24. Some

understand by these characters, "that are at ease", or "quiet" (f), and are "proud",

or "excellent" (g), as the phrases may be rendered, such described by them as are

the objects, and not the authors, of scorn and contempt; even the saints, who are the

quiet in the land, and the excellent in the earth; those precious sons of Zion, who are

disesteemed by the men of the world, Psa_35:20.”

6. Spurgeon, “Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at

ease. Knowing no troubles of their own, the easy ones grow cruel and deride the

people of the Lord. Having the godly already in secret contempt, they show it by

openly scorning them. ote those who do this: they are not the poor, the humble, the

troubled, but those who have a merry life of it, and are self content. They are in easy

circumstances; they are easy in heart through a deadened conscience, and so they

easily come to mock at holiness; they are easy from needing nothing, and from

having no severe toil exacted from them; they are easy as to any anxiety to improve,

for their conceit of themselves is boundless. Such men take things easily, and

therefore they scorn the holy carefulness of those who watch the hand of the Lord.

They say, Who is the Lord that we should obey his voice? and then they turn round

with a contemptuous look and sneer at those who fear the Lord. Woe unto them that

are at case in Zion; their contempt of the godly shall hasten and increase their

misery. The injurious effect of freedom from affliction is singularly evident here.

Place a man perfectly at case and he derides the suffering godly, and becomes

himself proud in heart and conduct. "And with the contempt of the proud". The

proud think so much of themselves that they must needs think all the less of those

who are better than themselves. Pride is both contemptible and contemptuous. The

contempt of the great ones of the earth is often peculiarly acrid: some of them, like a

well known statesman, are "masters of gibes and flouts and sneers", and never do

they seem so much at home in their acrimony as when a servant of the Lord is the

victim of their venom. It is easy enough to write upon this subject, but to be selected

as the target of contempt is quite another matter. Great hearts have been broken

and brave spirits have been withered beneath the accursed power of falsehood, and

the horrible blight of contempt. For our comfort we may remember that our divine

Lord was despised and rejected of men, yet he ceased not from his perfect service till

he was exalted to dwell in the heavens. Let us bear our share of this evil which still

rages under the sun, and let us firmly believe that the contempt of the ungodly shall

turn to our honour in the world to come: even now it serves as a certificate that we

are not of the world, for if we were of the world the world would love us as its own.”

7. Thomas Manton, “Riches and worldly greatness make men insolent and despisers

of others, and not to care what burdens they impose upon them; they are

entrenched within a mass of wealth and power and greatness, and so think none can

call them to an account.”

8. Wayne Shih, “The terms used to describe the unbelievers is instructive. They are

said to be “proud.” The word means “totally at ease.” They are self-sufficient. They

rely on themselves and seek their own welfare. They have no need of God. And they

look down on those who put their faith in God. You know, when our trust in God is

challenged like that, our own insecurities can really play into Satan’s hands. We

become envious of the self-made person. We begin to doubt God. We start

developing a victim mindset. Os Guinness reminds us that following Christ has

never been a popular thing. It has always gone against the culture and therefore

been the target of ridicule.

Followers of Christ will be called many names, but our identity comes only from the

One whose call reveals our names and natures. Followers of Christ may no more

like shouldering the cost of their commitments than followers of other ways, but no

one who knows what our Master bore can bear to shrug off the blame on others. In

reality, today’s brotherhood of the victimized ones is a twisted counterfeit of the

fellowship of the crucified one. All of us as followers of Christ will flinch at times

from the pain of wounds and the smart of slights, but that cost is in the contract of

calling and the way of the cross. Guinness concludes: When all is said and done, fool

bearing is simply faithfulness. Or better still, it is what Bernard of Clairvaux called

“the serious game” and Gregory of yssa “the sober inebriation” of those

transported by the heart of the good news of Jesus - the wonder of a crucified God.

As Austin Farrer, the Oxford philosopher, once stated: “If Jesus is willing to be in

us, and to let us show him to the world, it’s a small thing that we should endure

being fools for Christ’s sake, and be shown up by the part we have to play” (The

Call, 223).

The point is this: Those who want nothing to do with God will often get ahead in

life. They will think it foolish to trust in God. They will laugh at your hope in God as

a waste of time. Don’t be thrown off the path of discipleship by their derision. Don’t

stop following Christ because the road is harder. I plead with you to keep on looking

to God until he shows his mercy and vindicates your confidence in him. Look to

Jesus and wait for his gracious favor to come. I know that sometimes in our lives the

situations become almost unbearable. You have about all that you can handle. Cry

to God for his mercy. Lift your eyes to the One who reigns from heaven until you

receive mercy from the Lord. Watch and pray until you are delivered by God’s

grace.”

9. A poem based on Psalm 123

To You, O Lord, To You we lift our eyes,

To Him, Who sits enthroned upon the skies

Behold! my eyes attend to your Hand,

To cry for Grace and Mercy in this land.

Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

Oh Lord, we find such hatred in this land

And all around, contempt on every hand

To You, O Lord, to You we lift our eyes

Oh hear us, Heavenly Lord, oh hear our cries

Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

Until we see Your mercy from above

We serve and wait upon our God of love,

We wait among the hateful scorners here,

Until your work of mercy shall appear

Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

– Rev. Gordon Dickson

10. The lyrics below convey the spirit of both this Psalm and that of Psalm 121.

I WILL LIFT MY EYES

By Bebo orman

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now

God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let mercy sing

her melody over me

and God, right here all I bring

is all of me

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever

the Lover I need to save me

'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God

so hold me now

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now