Psalm 123
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
[READING - Psalm 123]
A Song of Ascents. 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 maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He is gracious to us. 3 Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us, For we are greatly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is greatly filled With the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.
Since Psalm 120 we have been traveling with this pilgrim as he makes his way up to Jerusalem for one of the annual pilgrim festivals.
Psalm 120 highlights the trials of the Jewish as a stranger in a strange land.
Psalm 121 emphasizes the hazards of his travel as he makes his way to the holy city.
In Psalm 122 he arrives in Jerusalem and rejoices in His God.
Charles Spurgeon said…
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.
In order to understand Psalm 123 in mind we have to understanding the end of the psalm from the beginning.
In other words, we have to understand the need of vv. 3-4 before we can clearly grasp the reason for the look in vv. 1-2.
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Our Need (vv. 3-4)
Our Need (vv. 3-4)
3 Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us, For we are greatly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is greatly filled With the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.
Q. How do you typically respond when you have “had it up to here” with someone’s snide remarks or insults?
We might get quiet.
We might get angry.
We might get quiet angry or loud angry.
We might dwell on it.
We might make a joke in the moment.
We might talk to someone about it.
We might respond to it or ignore it.
We should turn to the Lord.
That’s what the psalmist does here.
Most translations = “be gracious” or “have mercy”; the CSB has “Show us favor”
It is repeated for emphasis. He needs a lot of mercy, a lot of favor, a lot of grace.
“Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us.”
NASB = “For we are greatly (exceedingly - KJV, NKJV) filled with contempt”
ESV, CSB = “for we have had more than enough of contempt”
NLT = “for we have had our fill of contempt”
NIV = “for we have endured much contempt”
This too is repeated for emphasis.
“For we are greatly filled with contempt (v. 3b). Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing (v. 4a)”
The word ‘filled’ refers to be satiated or eating and drinking one’s fill. So here the idea is that this pilgrim and his people have been force-fed scoffing and contempt. They’ve had more than enough.
They are asking God for relief.
Q. What does being scoffed at or being treated with contempt look like? How does it feel?
To be scoffed at is to be deride, ridicule, mock, reproach; to express contempt in language.
To be treated with contempt is to be despised; to be considered vile and worthless; to be treated with disdain and hatred.
Noah Webster said, “This word is one of the strongest expressions of a mean opinion which the (English) language affords.,” (1828 Dictionary).
Those treating the pilgrim and others like him with contempt are described in the NASB as “those who are at ease” and “the proud.”
Some translations says the arrogant and the proud or the self-confident and the proud or the prosperous and the proud.
I think it refers to those who haven’t experienced the pilgrim’s struggle (i.e., they’ve been at ease), but look on the pilgrim’s struggle with arrogance (i.e., they say, “I’m sure he deserves it,” or “I would never let that happen to me,”).
These people are found inside and outside the church.
Let’s not be one of them.
Scoffing may come from the mouth and contempt may even come from fists, but the effects are felt in the soul.
This word ‘soul’ in most cases refers to the person, the life of the person, or to the inner-life of a person (i.e., the soul).
Some translations think the psalmist wasn’t referring to the his inner-life being affected, so they don’t translate v. 4 using the word ‘soul.’
4 We’ve had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.
4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.
Q. Do you think being treated scornfully or with contempt affects your soul? If so, how so?
It is certainly possible to have our soul affected when we are treated with contempt.
I think of Psalm 42:5…
5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.
I think of the hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus...
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
[TS] That’s what the beginning of Psalm 123 tells us to do from the beginning…
Our Look (vv. 1-2)
Our Look (vv. 1-2)
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 maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He is gracious to us.
The pilgrim’s eyes look not to the hills in general or even to the hills of Jerusalem specifically, but his eyes look farther above, all the way to heaven to behold God on His throne.
Most translations = “enthroned in the heavens” (or “who throne is in heaven” NIV)
KJV/NKJV = “dwell(est) in the heavens”
Q. As we suffer scorn and contempt, what encouragement can we draw from think of God as dwelling in heaven or seated upon His throne in Heaven?
That God dwells in Heaven doesn’t mean that He is isolated from the plight of His people. No, He is intimately aware, and He has the eternal view of our problems.
That God sits on the throne of Heaven means that He has the sovereign power to bring relief to His people.
It will help us here to remember, however, that God doesn’t always bring relief to His people when they ask but in His time.
Here maybe that line from In His Time is an encouragement to us…
In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
We might like it to be…
When I ask, when I ask, He makes all things beautiful when I ask.
But that’s not how it work, and we should be grateful.
In v. 2 the pilgrim gives us two examples of how he looks to God.
One, the example of servant and master = “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master…”
Two, the example of maid and mistress = “As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress...”
What is meant by servants and maids looking to the hands of their masters and mistresses? And how does it relate to our looking to God?
Punishment - some think these servants and maids fear receiving punishment and therefore ask for mercy
While it is true that God’s punishes the wicked, this isn’t what this psalm is referring to.
Command - some think these servants and maids are waiting for commands; as soon as the master or mistress gestures with the hand they will be quick to follow the command
While it is true that God’s people should be quick to follow His commands, this isn’t what the psalm refers to.
Because we understand in vv. 3-4 that the pilgrim and his people have experienced scorn and contempt, we know that he looks to God’s hand to provide relief, help, mercy, grace, favor.
In the ancient world, when a servant or a maid was in trouble, they looked to their master or mistress for help.
This is what the eyes of the pilgrim look to God for; they look for help.
“So our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He is gracious to us.”
Q. Looking to the Lord seems like something we should obviously do, but what may stop us from looking to Him?
Perhaps we blame Him.
Perhaps we look to some other help that seems more immediate.
Notice the end of v. 2 again, “So our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He is gracious to us.”
Q. What do you think is the most challenging word in this verse, and what make it so challenging to you?
I think it’s the word until.
The pilgrim is looking to the Lord for relief but the relief hasn’t come yet, so he must keep looking until the help comes.
Sometimes that waiting—that looking until—is a challenge because we can begin to believe that the relief isn’t coming; we can even begin to believe that God doesn’t care.
Q. How do we fight against those thoughts?
With the Bible
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
With biblical example
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
[TS]…
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we make our way to the New Jerusalem, we are sure to experience scorn and contempt. Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble.
As we do, we set our eyes on Him until He has mercy on us.
[PRAYER]