Context No. 2631 of 4322 · Psalms

Psalms 123:1-4: in context

1I lift up my eyes to you, you who sit in the heavens. 2Behold, 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 has mercy on us. 3Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. 4Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

This short psalm is a picture of patient dependence. To you I lift up my eyes, it begins, you who are enthroned in the heavens. And then the image: 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 has mercy on us. The prayer rises out of contempt endured, the scorn of the proud and the scoffing of those at ease.

Watch what a servant's eyes do. They stay fixed on the master's hand, alert for the smallest signal, waiting for the next cue, ready to move at a gesture. That, the psalm says, is how we are to look to God, eyes trained on his hand, attentive and waiting, until he shows mercy. It is a posture of both dependence and patience. Not glancing around for other help, not demanding mercy on our schedule, but keeping our gaze on him and waiting for his hand to move. Especially when we are worn down by scorn, the temptation is to look everywhere else. The psalm keeps the eyes on one place: the hand of God.

Are my eyes fixed on God's hand, attentive and waiting for his mercy, or darting elsewhere for help when I am worn down by contempt?

Sources

Psalm 123:2: as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master... so our eyes look to the LORD, our God, until he has mercy on us.
Psalm 123:1: I lift up my eyes to you, you who sit in the heavens.
Psalm 123:3: Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.