123 A Song of Ascents.
123:1 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Section Overview
This is a community lament, as the references to “we” and “us” show. As a Song of Ascents (cf. Section Overview of Psalm 120), it envisions a situation in which the faithful pilgrims feel themselves to be the objects of scorn and contempt—whether from the unfaithful in Israel or from unbelieving Gentiles among whom they must pass the psalm does not say, which means that the words are general enough to apply to both. The psalm goes beyond simply asking for a safe journey to seeking relief from the scorn—a visible sign of God’s mercy, which might even benefit those showing scorn. Christians should have no difficulty in praying the same way.
The first two verses repeat the word “eyes” and end by awaiting God’s “mercy”; the next two verses begin with the prayer for “mercy” and repeat the expression “had more than enough” and the word “contempt.”
Section Outline
I. Our Eyes Look to You, O Lord (123:1–2)
II. Have Mercy on Us at Last, O Lord (123:3–4)
Response
Psalm 123 has been gathered into the Songs of Ascents and thereby connected with the “ascent” to the central sanctuary. In Israel and Judah before the Judean exile this would have been applicable, since the journey could take the worshipers from their homes through territory under the influence of greedy Israelite aristocrats (for whom “those who are at ease” and “the proud” were fit designations) or even, at times, through lands ruled by unsympathetic Gentiles. After the exile the latter would have been especially possible. The psalm enables the pilgrims to pray for safety and for relief; it also sharpens their commitment to the journey, costly and dangerous as it might at times have been.
Many Christians live in places where analogous dangers of travel to public worship are evident, especially from persecutors; their use of this prayer is quite straightforward. Those who do not live in such places should expressly join their brethren by singing this psalm on their behalf.Psalm 123
Psalm 124