Psalm 123
Looking for God’s Favor
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes to you,
the one enthroned in heaven. n
2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the LORD our God
until he shows us favor. o
3 Show us favor, LORD, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt. p
4 We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud. q
Psalm 123. In this, the second of only two psalms in the Psalter in which the psalmist lifts his eyes (cf. 121:1), the author focuses his attention on the God of heaven (123:1), never taking his eyes off him (123:2). Fully committed to doing God’s will, the psalmist pleads for God’s favor until both he and God’s people receive it (123:2–3). They need God’s help because those at ease (the proud)—the self-lifted-up ones (the arrogant)—deride them (123:3–4). The psalmist knows that the only way he and God’s people will endure their enemies’ attacks is to direct their eyes to the truly exalted one.