Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Psalm 123:3
A Prayer for Mercy
Psalm 123, an individual psalm of lament, is the 4th song of ascent. This brief poem has 2 sections, as follows: (1) an affirmation that the people’s eyes are fixed on the Lord (vv. 1,2); (2) a petition for the Lord to direct His attention to His people (vv. 3, 4).
123:1, 2 who dwell in the heavens: The temple was considered God’s dwelling place; yet the Israelites also knew that the One who made the heavens did not live in buildings made by hands. As the eyes: True servants fix their eyes on their masters; similarly, our eyes should be fixed on God. The more we look to the Lord, the more we become like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). Not being distracted by the other things of this life causes us to win in the race of life (Heb. 12:1, 2).
1 A Song of Ascents. Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 2 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.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrew 12:1, 2
123:3 The people who prayed for God’s mercy had to endure the contempt of their neighbors. Perhaps they were being mocked for their resolute faith in God at a time when it seemed that God was not answering their prayers.
3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
** This psalm teaches us to look up. Both of our eyes looking up and waiting until, our Savior who is our help comes down to take us away. We mustn’t look down. If we look down, we may see a gaping hole of darkness way down there and get terrified. If we look back, we will see Sodom and Gomorrah burning. No need for that. No need to be terrified nor fascinated by the works of darkness. It may reach out its evil hands and get us if we give it our attention. It’s important what we let our eyes to see.
123 1 A Song of Ascents. Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 2 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. 3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.
