Calvin, “In this Psalm, the faithful oppressed with the cruel tyranny of theirenemies, beseech God to deliver them, there being no other source of hope left forthem except in his protection.”

1. PSALM 123 COMME
TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number of
authors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.
Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I will
give credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to be
included in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have it
removed. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
I
TRODUCTIO
1. Calvin, “In this Psalm, the faithful oppressed with the cruel tyranny of their
enemies, beseech God to deliver them, there being no other source of hope left for
them except in his protection.”
2. Barnes, “This psalm is entitled simply “Song of Degrees.” See the notes at the title
of Psa_120:1-7.
othing is intimated in regard to the authorship of the psalm, or to
the occasion on which it was composed. The only circumstance which throws any
light on its origin is the statement in Psa_123:4, that the author and his friends - the
people of God referred to in the psalm - were exposed to derision and contempt for
their attachment to religion, especially the contempt and reproach of those who
were in circumstances of ease and affluence, or who were in the more elevated ranks
of life. This might accord well with the condition of the exiles returning from
Babylon, or with the condition of the returned captives when rebuilding the walls of
the city, and when they met with scorn and contempt from the Samaritans and the
Ammonites; from Sanballat and Tobiah; from the Arabians and the Ashdodites
eh_4:1-8; but there is no certain evidence that the psalm was composed on that
occasion. The pious Hebrews of antiquity - David and others - and the people of God
at all times have been too much exposed to this kind of treatment to make the mere
applicability of the psalm to that particular time a reason for concluding that it
must have been composed then; and it is now impossible to determine by whom, or
on what occasion it was composed. It refers to what may occur in any age of the
world; and it expresses the proper feelings of piety at all times when we are, on
account of our religion, exposed to “the scorning of those that are at ease, and to the
contempt of the proud.”
3. Spurgeon, “A Song of degrees. We are climbing. The first step (Ps. 120) saw us
lamenting our troublesome surroundings, and the next saw us lifting our eyes to the

2. 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. Let us know it as "the Psalm of the
eyes". Old authors call it Oculus "Sperans", or the eye of hope. It is a short Psalm,
written with singular art, containing one thought, and expressing it in a most
engaging manner. Doubtless it would be a favorite song among the people of God. It
has been conjectured that this brief song, or rather sigh, may have first been heard
in the days of
ehemiah, or under the persecutions of Antiochus. It may be so, but
there is no evidence of it; it seems to us quite as probable that afflicted ones in all
periods after David's time found this psalm ready to their hand If it appears to
describe days remote from David, it is all the more evident that the Psalmist was
also a prophet, and sang what he saw in vision.”
4. Martin Luther, “This psalm (as ye see) is but short, and therefore a very fit
example to show the force of prayer not to consist in many words, but in fervency of
spirit. For great and weighty matters may be comprised in a few words, if they
proceed from the spirit and the unspeakable groanings of the heart, especially when
our necessity is such as will not suffer any long prayer. Every prayer is long enough
if it be fervent and proceed from a heart that understandeth the necessity of the
saints.”
5. I have written my own poetic paraphrase of this Psalm.
Unto you I lift my eyes
To your throne up in the skies.
Like the slaves of the land
look up to the master's hand.
Like the eyes of the maid
Are on her mistress's hand laid.
So our eyes to our Lord goes
Till he to us mercy shows.
Hear our pleading and our cry
As we for your mercy sigh.
We so need this prayer be heard
Due to countless evils we've endured.
1. I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.
1. Calvin, “God is here expressly called the God who dwelleth in the heavens, not
simply to teach his people to estimate the divine power as it deserves, but also that,
when no hope of aid is left for them on earth, yea rather, when their condition is
desperate, just as if they were laid in the grave, or as if they were lost in a labyrinth,

3. they should then remember that the power of God remains in heaven in unimpaired
and infinite perfection. Thus these words seem to contain a tacit contrast between
the troubled and confused state of this world and God's heavenly kingdom, from
whence he so manages and governs all things, that whenever it pleases him, he calms
all the agitations of the world, comes to the rescue of the desperate and the
despairing, restores light by dispelling darkness, and raises up such as were cast
down and laid prostrate on the ground. This the Prophet confirms by the verb lift
up; which intimates, that although all worldly resources fail us, we must raise our
eyes upward to heaven, where God remains unchangeably the same, despite the
mad impetuosity of men in turning all things here below upside down.”
1B. If you want to lift your attitude, change your altitude and look up. Keep your
focus on that which is above all of the negatives of the world. Develop a heaven ward
look that focuses on that which is eternal, and ever positive. David had a life of
many battles and troubles, but he always knew the right way to look. David always
sought the Lord in his life and he said, “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He
shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15). When we look up to God that will
also be the focus of the direction we want to climb. As we lift our eyes to heaven we
are asking God to lift our whole life to higher ground. Charles H. Gabriel, wrote,
I’m pressing on the upward way,
ew heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
1. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
2. I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
3. I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
2. Spurgeon, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes. It is good to have some one to look up to.
The Psalmist looked so high that he could look no higher.
ot to the hills, but to the
God of the hills he looked. He believed in a personal God, and knew nothing of that

4. modern pantheism which is nothing more than atheism wearing a fig leaf. The
uplifted eyes naturally and instinctively represent the state of heart which fixes
desire, hope, confidence, and expectation upon the Lord. God is everywhere, and yet
it is most natural to think of him as being above us, in that glory land which lies
beyond the skies. "O thou that dwellest in the heavens", just sets forth ,the
unsophisticated idea of a child of God in distress: God is, God is in heaven, God
resides in one place, and God is evermore the same, therefore will I look to him.
When we cannot look to any helper on a level with us, it is greatly wise to look above
us; in fact, if we have a thousand helpers, our eyes should still be toward the Lord.
The higher the Lord is the better for our faith, since that height represents power,
glory, and excellence, and these will be all engaged on our behalf. We ought to be
very thankful for spiritual eyes; the blind men of this world, however much of
human learning they may possess, cannot behold our God, for in heavenly matters
they are devoid of sight. Yet we must use our eyes with resolution, for they will not
go upward to the Lord of themselves, but they incline to look downward, or inward,
or anywhere but to the Lord: let it be our firm resolve that the heavenward glance
shall not be lacking. If we cannot see God, at least we will look towards him. God is
in heaven as a king in his palace; he is here revealed, adored, and glorified: thence
he looks down on the world and sends succors to his saints as their needs demand;
hence we look up, even when our sorrow is so great that we can do no more. It is a
blessed condescension on God's part that he permits us to lift up our eyes to his
glorious high throne; yea, more, that he invites and even commands us so to do.
When we are looking to the Lord in hope, it is well to tell him so in prayer: the
Psalmist uses his voice as well as his eye. We need not speak in prayer; a glance of
the eye will do it all; for - -
"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near."
Still, it is helpful to the heart to use the tongue, and we do well to address ourselves
in words and sentences to the God who heareth his people. It is no small joy that our
God is always at home: he is not on a journey, like Baal, but he dwells in the
heavens. Let us think no hour of the day inopportune for waiting upon the Lord; no
watch of the night too dark for us to look to him.”
2B. Tom
orvell, “Where do you look when you are tired of being picked on?
Where do you look when things are not going your way? Where do you look when
you are frustrated with life and feeling like you have been "kicked around long
enough?" You are ready to fight back. You are ready to get your revenge. You are
ready to set the record straight. The Psalmist probably felt the same things when he
said, "I lift my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven." Before he demanded
revenge, before he lashed out, and before he settled into a state of perpetual self-pity
he said, "I lift my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven."

5. 3.
isbet deals with the amazing contrast between the lowly human need, and the
heavenly supply of that need. “thee do I lift up mine eyes. You feel the greatness of
the contrast these words imply. Earth and heaven, dust and deity; the poor,
weeping, sinful children of mortality, the holy, ever blessed, eternal God: how wide
is the interval of separation between them! But over the awful chasm, broader than
ocean though it be, love and wisdom in the person of Jesus Christ, have thrown a
passage, by which the most sinful may repair unafraid to his presence, and find the
shame and the fears of guilt exchanged for the peace of forgiveness and the hope
that is full of immortality.”
4. Richard Holdsworth, “It is the testimony of an obedient heart. A man that lifts up
his eye to God, he acknowledgeth thus much, -- Lord, I am thy servant. It is the
testimony of a thankful heart; acknowledging that every good blessing, every perfect
gift, is from the hand of God. It is the testimony of a heavenly heart. He that lifts up
his eyes to heaven acknowledgeth that he is weary of the earth; his heart is not
there; his hope and desire is above. It is the testimony of a devout heart: there is no
part of the body besides the tongue that is so great an agent in prayer as the eye.”
5. Thomas Mandton, “The eye of faith is a clear, piercing, eagle eye: Moses
"endured, as seeing him who is invisible:" Hebrews 11:27. Faith seeth things afar
off in the promises (Hebrews 11:13), at a greater distance than the eye of nature can
reach to. Take it either for the eye of the body, or the mind, faith will draw comfort
not only from that which is invisible, but also from that which is future as well as
invisible; its supports lie in the other world, and in things which are yet to come.
6. “As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, etc. A traveler says,
"I have seen a fine illustration of this passage in a gentleman's house at Damascus.
The people of the East do not speak so much or so quick as those in the West, and a
sign of the hand is frequently the only instructions given to the servants in waiting.
As soon as we were introduced and seated on the divan, a wave of the master's hand
indicated that sherbet was to be served. Another wave brought coffee and pipes;
another brought sweetmeats. At another signal dinner was made ready. The
attendants watched their master's eye and hand, to know his will and do it
instantly." Such is the attention with which we ought to wait upon the Lord, anxious
to fulfill his holy pleasure, -- our great desire being, "Lord, what wilt thou have me
to do?" An equally pointed and more homely illustration may be seen any day, on
our own river Thames, or in any of our large seaport towns, where the call boy
watches attentively the hand of the captain of the boat, and conveys his will to the
engine men. --The Sunday at Home.
7. Warren Wiersbe, “If the outlook in your life is disturbing, try the uplook. That's
what the psalmist did. "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the
heavens" (v. 1). What does it mean to lift your eyes to the Lord? First, it means to

6. acknowledge His sovereignty. We lift our eyes because He is higher than we are.
Isaiah focused his eyes on the throne of God and saw Him "high and lifted up" in
the temple (Isa. 6:1). He is sovereign. He is the Master; we are the servants. He is the
Creator; we are the creatures. He is the Heavenly Father; we are the children.
Second, we admit His sufficiency. "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" (v. 2). We look to Him because of His
sufficiency. Whatever we need, He is able to provide. "My God shall supply all your
need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Third, when we
lift up our eyes to the Lord, we can accept His generosity. "Have mercy on us, O
Lord, have mercy on us!" the psalmist prays in verse 3. God is generous, the Giver
of every good and perfect gift. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things
to those who ask Him!" (Matt. 7:11).”
8. Gill, “
ot only the eyes of his body, this being a prayer gesture; see Mat_14:19;
but the eyes of his mind and understanding, opened by the Spirit of God;
particularly the eye of faith, by which he looked for and expected help and salvation
from the Lord. The phrase is expressive of holy confidence in God, and a
comfortable hope of receiving good things from him; as, on the contrary, when
persons are ashamed and confounded with a sense of their sins, and the
aggravations of them, and of their own unworthiness and vileness; and, on account
of the same, almost out of all hope, cannot lift up their eyes to heaven, or their face
before God, Ezr_9:6;
O thou that dwellest in the heavens; the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, the
seat of angels and glorified saints; and though the Lord is everywhere, and fills
heaven and earth with his presence, and cannot be contained any where; yet here is
the more visible display of his glory; here he keeps his court; this is his palace, and
here his throne is prepared, and on it he sits (d); so some render the word here; as
the Judge of the whole earth, and takes a view of all men and their actions; and, as
the God of nature and providence, governs and orders all things after his own will;
and, as the God of grace, sits on a throne of grace, kindly inviting and encouraging
his people to come unto him: and therefore the psalmist addresses him as such; see
Ecc_5:2, Mat_6:9. The Targum is, "O thou that sittest on a throne of glory in
heaven!''
9. Henry, “We have here, The solemn profession which God's people make of faith
and hope in God, Psa_123:1, Psa_123:2. Observe, 1. The title here given to God: O
thou that dwellest in the heavens. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, in prayer, to have an
eye to God as our Father in heaven; not that he is confined there, but there
especially he manifests his glory, as the King in his court. Heaven is a place of
prospect and a place of power; he that dwells there beholds thence all the calamities
of his people and thence can send to save them. Sometimes God seems to have

7. forsaken the earth, and the enemies of God's people ask, Where is now your God?
But then they can say with comfort, Our God is in the heavens. O thou that sittest in
the heavens (so some), sittest as Judge there; for the Lord has prepared his throne in
the heavens, and to that throne injured innocency may appeal. 2. The regard here
had to God. The psalmist himself lifted up his eyes to him. The eyes of a good man
are ever towards the Lord, Psa_25:15. In every prayer we lift up our soul, the eye of
our soul, to God, especially in trouble, which was the case here. The eyes of the
people waited on the Lord, Psa_123:2. We find mercy coming towards a people when
the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, are towards the Lord, Zec_9:1. The eyes
of the body are heaven-ward. Os homini sublime dedit - To man he gave an erect
mien, to teach us which way to direct the eyes of the mind. Our eyes wait on the
Lord, the eye of desire and prayer, the begging eye, and the eye of dependence, hope,
and expectation, the longing eye. Our eyes must wait upon God as the Lord, and our
God, until that he have mercy upon us. We desire mercy from him, we hope he will
show us mercy, and we will continue our attendance on him till the mercy come.
This is illustrated (Psa_123:2) by a similitude:”
10. Sam Shamoun has put together a series of texts that stress God's reign on his
throne in heaven.
"And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting
on HIS throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and
on his left;’" 1 Kings 22:19
"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim.
Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet,
and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the
LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the
thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with
smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the
LORD of hosts!’" Isaiah 6:1-5
"He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision." Psalm 2:4
"The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his
eyelids test, the children of man." Psalm 11:4
"The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over
all." Psalm 103:19
Even heaven itself is said to be his throne:
"Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is
the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these
things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD.

8. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and
trembles at my word.’" Isaiah 66:1-2
"At the end of the days I,
ebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason
returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who
lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures
from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as
nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you
done?’" Daniel 4:34-35
11. Glenn Pease
I lift my eyes to see your light.
I lift my voice to sing your praise.
I lift my hands to do the right.
I lift my feet to walk your ways.
ow fill my eyes with glory bright.
ow hear my voice your honor raise.
ow take my hands, lead to the fight.
ow guide my feet through life's dark maze.
I lift my heart to feel your love.
I lift my mind to truth's delight.
I lift my light to yours above.
I lift my all to heaven's height.
ow fill my heart oh holy dove,
ow fill my mind, my soul excite.
ow fill my life, give gentle shove.
ow fill my all, with fire ignite.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their
master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her
mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
1. Calvin, “This similitude is very suitable to the present case. It implies that without

9. the protection of God true believers have no comfort, are completely disarmed and
exposed to all manner of wrongs, have neither strength nor courage to resist; in
short, that their safety depends entirely upon aid derived from another. We know
how shamefully servants were treated in ancient times, and what reproaches might
be cast upon them, whilst yet they durst not move a finger to repel the outrage.
Being therefore deprived of all means of defending themselves, the only thing which
remained for them to do was, what is here stated, to crave the protection of their
masters. The same explanation is equally applicable to the case of handmaids. Their
condition was indeed shameful and degrading; but there is no reason why we should
be ashamed of, or offended at being compared to slaves, provided God is our
defender, and takes our life under his guardianship; God, I say, who purposely
disarms us and strips us of all worldly aid, that we may learn to rely upon his grace,
and to be contented 'with it alone. It having been anciently a capital crime for bond-men
to carry a sword or any other weapon about them, and as they were exposed to
injuries of every description, their masters were wont to defend them with so much
the more spirit, when any one causelessly did them violence.
or can it be doubted
that God, when he sees us placing an exclusive dependence upon his protection, and
renouncing all confidence in our own resources, will as our defender encounter, and
shield us from all the molestation that shall be offered to us. It is, however, certain
that we have here properly the description of a period in which the people of God
were reduced to a state of extreme necessity, and brought even to the brink of
despair. As to the word hand, it is very well known to be put for help.”
2. Barnes, “- , are to the hands of their masters; or, regard the hands of their
masters. That is, we look to God with the same spirit of deference, dependence, and
readiness to mark the will of God, which is evinced by servants in regard to their
masters, and by maidens in regard to the will of a mistress. There has been some
difference of view in regard to the meaning of this comparison. Some have supposed
that the allusion is to the fact that servants, when in danger, look to their masters
for protection; others, that they look to them for the supply of their needs; others,
that when they have been guilty of an offense they look to them alone for pardon.
The true idea, however, seems to be, that they look to them with deference and
respect; that they attentively mark every expression of their will; that they are
ready to obey their commands on the slightest intimation of their wishes - standing
in a waiting posture, with no will of their own - their own wills absorbed in the will
of the master or the mistress.”
3. Samuel Cox, “In the first strophe the poet places himself before us as standing in
the presence of the Majesty of Heaven, with his eyes fixed on the hand of God,
absorbed in watchful expectation of some sign or gesture, however slight, which may
indicate the divine will. He is like a slave standing silent but alert, in the presence of
the Oriental "lord", with banns folded on his breast, and eyes fixed on his master,
seeking to read, and to anticipate, if possible, his every wish. He is like a maiden in
attendance on her mistress, anxiously striving to see her mind in her looks, to
discover and administer to her moods and wants. The grave, reserved Orientals, as
we know, seldom speak to their attendants, at least on public occasions. They

10. intimate their wishes and commands by a wave of the hand, by a glance of the eye,
by slight movements and gestures which might escape notice, were they not watched
for with eager attention. Their slaves "hang upon their faces; "they" fasten their
eyes" on the eyes of their master; they watch and obey every turn of his hand, every
movement of his finger. Thus the Psalmist conceives of himself as waiting on God,
looking to him alone, watching for the faintest signal, bent on catching and obeying
it.”
4. Jamison includes all the possibilities in his comments. “Deference, submission,
and trust, are all expressed by the figure. In the East, servants in attending on their
masters are almost wholly directed by signs,which require the closest observance of
the hands of the latter. The servants of God should look (1) to His directing hand, to
appoint them their work; (2) to His supplying hand (Psa_104:28), to give them their
portion in due season; (3) to His protecting hand, to right them when wronged; (4)
to His correcting hand (Isa_9:13; 1Pe_5:6; compare Gen_16:6); (5) to His rewarding
hand.”
5. Clarke, “the eyes of servants - now wait for thy commands, feeling the utmost
readiness to obey them when made known to us. The words may be understood as
the language of dependence also. As slaves expect their support from their masters
and mistresses, so do we ours from thee, O Lord! Or, As servants look to their
masters and mistresses, to see how they do their work, that they may do it in the
same way; so do we, O Lord, that we may learn of thee, and do thy work in thy own
Spirit, and after thy own method. Some think that there is a reference here to the
chastisement of slaves by their masters, who, during the time they are receiving it,
keep their eyes fixed on the hand that is inflicting punishment upon them,
professing deep sorrow, and entreating for mercy.”
6. Gill, “To direct them in their work and business, to point out unto them what they
shall do; which is often done by a motion of the hand of the master or mistress, or
rap of their fingers without speaking (e), which the servant observes: or to help and
assist them against their enemies, and protect them from them; servants unarmed,
and molested in their masters' service, have no other to flee to for protection but
them; so Aben Ezra: or to receive food and sustenance from them, as servants and
maidens do, from their masters and mistresses, in whose service they are; see
Pro_31:15; so Kimchi and Arama; the latter observes, that they have their food in a
way of mercy, and not justice; contrary to what the apostle says, Col_4:1; or in
order to receive their wages from them;
so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God; look unto him for direction in his service.
Saints are servants, not of sin, nor of Satan, nor of men, but of the Lord; and not on
the foot of creation only, but of redemption, and are made so by the grace of God;
and they are willing to work, and are desirous to know what they should do; they
inquire of God; they wait upon him, in his word and ordinances, for direction; and,
being informed, do it with all their might, and follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes
or directs them: and they look unto him for strength to assist them therein, being

11. conscious of their own weakness; they apply to him, and wait upon him for strength,
and do all they do in his name and strength; they look unto him for protection from
all their enemies, which are many and mighty, and are stronger than they; and for
food, both temporal and spiritual, and for all the necessaries and comforts both of a
corporeal and spiritual life; and likewise for the recompense of reward, the reward
of the inheritance, which is of grace, and not of debt. Joseph Kimchi thinks that the
allusion is to servants, that look to the hand of their masters that correct and
chastise them, and bear it patiently; and look to the hand that smites, till it shall
have done, and mercy is shown them. And thus the saints look to the chastising hand
of God, and humble themselves under it, and patiently endure it, till the Lord shall
please to remove it from them; and this agrees with what follows: until that he have
mercy upon us; God is gracious and merciful; and he has his set time to have mercy
on his people: and it becomes them to continue praying to him, and waiting on him,
until he is pleased to show it to them; men should pray always, and not faint; they
will find mercy in due time, Luk_18:1.”
7. Spurgeon, “Behold -- for it is worthy of regard among men, and O that the
Majesty of heaven would also note it, and speedily send the mercy which our waiting
spirits seek. See, O Lord, how we look to thee, and in thy mercy look on us. This
Behold has, however, a call to us to observe and consider. Whenever saints of God
have waited upon the Lord their example has been worthy of earnest consideration.
Sanctification is a miracle of grace; therefore let us behold it. For God to have
wrought in men the spirit of service is a great marvel, and as such let all men turn
aside and see this great sight. "As the eyes of servants (or slaves) look unto the hand
of their masters." They stand at the end of the room with their hands folded
watching their lord's movements. Orientals speak less than we do, and prefer to
direct their slaves by movements of their hands: hence, the domestic must fix his
eyes on his master, or he might miss a sign, and so fail to obey it: even so, the
sanctified man lifts his eyes unto God, and endeavors to learn the divine will from
every one of the signs which the Lord is pleased to use. Creation, providence, grace;
these are all motions of Jehovah's hand, and from each of them a portion of our
duty is to be learned; therefore should we carefully study them, to discover the
divine will. "And as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress," this second
comparison may be used because Eastern women are even more thorough than the
men in the training of their servants. It is usually thought that women issue more
commands, and are more sensitive of disobedience, than the sterner sex. Among the
Roman matrons female slaves had a sorry time of it, and no doubt it was the same
among the generality of Eastern ladies. "Even so our eyes wait upon the Lord our
God." Believers desire to be attentive to each and all of the directions of the Lord;
even those which concern apparently little things are not little to us, for we know
that even for idle words we shall be called to account, and we are anxious to give in
that account with joy, and not with grief. True saints, like obedient servants, look to
the Lord their God reverentially: they have a holy awe and inward fear of the great
and glorious One. They watch, obediently, doing his commandments, guided by his
eye. Their constant gaze is fixed attentively on all that comes from the Most High;

12. they give earnest heed, and fear lest they should let anything slip through
inadvertence or drowsiness. They look continuously, for there never is a time when
they are off duty; at all times they delight to serve in all things: Upon the Lord they
fix their eyes expectantly, looking for supply, succor, and safety from his hands,
waiting that he may have mercy upon them. To him they look singly, they have no
other confidence, and they learn to look submissively, waiting patiently for the
Lord, seeking both in activity and suffering to glorify his name. When they are
smitten with the rod they turn their eyes imploringly to the hand which chastens,
hoping that mercy will soon abate the rigor of the affliction. There is much more in
the figure than we can display in this brief comment; perhaps it will be most
profitable to suggest the question. -- Are we thus trained to service? Though we are
sons, have we learned the full obedience of servants? Have we surrendered self, and
bowed our will before the heavenly Majesty? Do we desire in all things to be at the
Lord's disposal? If so, happy are we. Though we are made joint heirs with Christ,
yet for the present we differ little from servants, and may be well content to take
them for our model.
8. Richard Holdsworth, “Our eyes wait. Here the Psalmist uses another word: it is
the eye waiting. What is the reason of the second word?
ow he leaves the similitude
in the first line; for in the first line it is thus, -- "As the eyes of servants look, and the
eyes of a maiden look"; here it is the eye waits. There is good reason: to wait is more
than to look: to wait is to look constantly, with patience and submission, by
subjecting our affections and wills and desires to God's will; that is to wait, David in
the second part, in the second line, gives a better word, he betters his copy. There is
the duty of a Christian, to better his example; the eyes of servants look, David's eyes
shall wait: "So our eyes wait". It is true, indeed this word is not in the original,
therefore you may observe it is in a small letter in your Bibles, to note that it is a
word of necessity, added for the supply of the sense, because the Holy Ghost left it
not imperfect, but more perfect, that lie put not in the verb; because it is left to
every man's heart to supply a verb to his own comfort, and a better he cannot than
this. And that this word must be added appears by the next words: "until that he
have mercy upon us". To look till he have mercy on us is to wait; so there is good
reason why this word is added. If we look to the thing begged -- "mercy" -- it is so
precious that we may wait for it. It was "servants" that he mentioned, and it is their
duty to wait upon their masters; they wait upon their trenchers at meat; they wait
when they go to bed and when they rise; they wait in every place. Therefore,
because he had mentioned the first word, he takes the proper duty; there is nothing
more proper to servants than waiting, and if we are the servants of God we must
wait. There is good reason in that respect, because it is a word so significant,
therefore the Spirit of God varies it; he keeps not exactly to the line, "So do our eyes
look," but he puts it, "So do our eyes wait.”
9. Martin Luther, “
ote how humbly the faithful think of themselves in the sight of
God. They are called and chosen to this dignity, to be the heirs and children of God,

13. and are exalted above the angels, and yet, notwithstanding, they count themselves
no better in God's sight than "servants." They say not here, Behold, like as children
look to the hand of their fathers, but "as servants" to the hand of their masters.
This is the humility and modesty of the godly, and it is so far off that hereby they
lose the dignity of God's children, to the which they are called, that by this means it
is made to them more sure and certain.”
10. Thomas Harmer, “As the eyes of servants, etc. The true explanation, I should
apprehend, is this: As a slave, ordered by a master or mistress to be chastised for a
fault, turns his or her imploring eyes to that superior, till that motion of the hand
appears that puts an end to the bitterness that is felt; so our eyes are up to thee, our
God, till thy hand shall give the signal for putting an end to our sorrows: for our
enemies, O Lord, we are sensible, are only executing thy orders, and chastening us
according to thy pleasure.”
11. Servants. "A Maiden". Consider that there be two sorts of servants set down
here, man servants and maid servants; and this is to let us know that both sexes may
be confident in God.
ot only may men be confident in the power of God, but even
women also, who are more frail and feeble.
ot only may women mourn to God for
wrongs done to them, and have repentance for sin, but they may be confident in
God also. And therefore see, in that rehearsal of believers and cloud of witnesses,
not only is the faith of men noted and commended by the Spirit of God, but also the
faith of women: and among the judges, Deborah, Jael, etc., are commended as
worthies, and courageous in God. And the women also in the
ew Testament are
noted for their following of Christ -- even when all fled from him, then they followed
him.” --From a Sermon by Alexander Henderson, 1583-1646.
12. Henry, “Our eyes are to God as the eyes of a servant, and handmaid, to the hand
of their master and mistress. The eyes of a servant are, (1.) To his master's directing
hand, expecting that he will appoint him his work, and cut it out for him, and show
him how he must do it. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? (2.) To his supplying
hand. Servants look to their master, or their mistress, for their portion of meat in
due season, Pro_31:15. And to God must we look for daily bread, for grace
sufficient; from him we must receive it thankfully. (3.) To his assisting hand. If the
servant cannot do his work himself, where must he look for help but to his master?
And in the strength of the Lord God we must go forth and go on. (4.) To his
protecting hand. If the servant meet with opposition in his work, if he be questioned
for what he does, if he be wronged and injured, who should bear him out and right
him, but his master that set him on work? The people of God, when they are
persecuted, may appeal to their Master, We are thine; save us. (5.) To his correcting
hand. If the servant has provoked his master to beat him, he does not call for help
against his master, but looks at the hand that strikes him, till it shall say, “It is
enough; I will not contend for ever.” The people of God were now under his
rebukes; and whither should they turn but to him that smote them? Isa_9:13. To

14. whom should they make supplication but to their Judge? They will not do as Hagar
did, who ran away from her mistress when she put some hardships upon her
(Gen_16:6), but they submit themselves to and humble themselves under God's
mighty hand. (6.) To his rewarding hand. The servant expects his wages, his well-done,
from his master. Hypocrites have their eye to the world's hand; thence they
have their reward (Mat_6:2); but true Christians have their eye to God as their
rewarder.”
13. J. Scott Lindsay, “ the point of the image would seem to be that of helplessness
and utter dependence. That is, for both the slave and the maid, it is true that the
outcome of their lives — good, bad or otherwise — is entirely in the hands of the
ones whom they serve. If hardship comes their way, it will be at the hand of the
master or the mistress. If mercy comes their way, it will be by the same hand.
Whatever the outcome, both are in a position of utter dependence upon the one
whom they serve. And thus, the only one who has the power to change anything is
the master/mistress. This, it seems to me, is the point of the comparison. The
psalmist recognizes that, although he is the victim of the arrogant and proud people
around him, he is still not at their mercy, because they are not, ultimately, the ones
in charge. The psalmist recognizes that, just as for the slave and the maid, if
hardship continues to come his way, or if he experiences mercy and grace — both of
these things, ultimately, can only come with the sovereign permission of the Lord
and thus, it is to him that the psalmist appeals for mercy — not to someone else,
least of all his detractors. This, then, is the first “port of call” when it comes to the
godly person’s response to contempt and ridicule — to look to God, to pray to God
for his mercy to be shown in the circumstances of your life. You don’t become
obsessed with your enemies so that it then becomes the controlling factor in your
life. You become intensely focused on the person of God. He is our great obsession.”
3. Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.
1. Barnes, “The language of earnest pleading, repeating with emphasis the object of
the prayer. The supplicants are represented as standing and urging this petition,
feeling that help could come only from God; looking only to him; and watching his
countenance, as servants do their master’s. For we are exceedingly filled - The
Hebrew word used here means to be saturated; to have the appetite fully satisfied -
as applied to one who is hungry or thirsty. Then it comes to mean to be entirely full,
and the idea here is, that as much contempt had been thrown upon them as could
be; they could experience no more. With contempt - Contempt has been shown us in
every possible way. We are thoroughly despised.”

15. 2. In other words, we are fed up with all the contempt we are being fed. We are sick
and tired of all this abuse, and we cry out for relief. Have mercy upon us and deliver
us from this perpetual flood of verbal abuse. There is only so much negative that a
person can handle, and when they have their fill of it, the need to escape and be
refreshed by some positive feedback to have a healthy mind again. The self image
and self respect need some positive input or it can lead to depression. The Psalmist
and his people are on the border of depression, and they need God's positive
reinforcement to carry on their life of service for him. Believers can reach this
negative state where Satan and sinners have so attacked their person and
performance that they become drop outs in the race of obedience to God. They need
to be lifted by a helping hand to be restored as servants of the master, and that is
why they need to cry out for the mercy of God to rescue them. When the world is
pouring out misery, we need God to send showers of mercy on us to give us relief
from their burning scorn.
3. Gill, “Merit is not pleaded; for, though servants, they knew they were
unprofitable ones: but mercy is asked; whether by the awakened sinner, under first
convictions, or by the backsliding professor, for forgiveness of sins, under a sense of
them, or as under the correcting: and chastising hand of God for them: and which is
repeated, to show the state of their case, which requires mercy, and in haste; and the
eagerness of their spirit, and the earnestness of their suit, their prayer being the
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man; for we are exceedingly filled with
contempt; by reason of meanness in outward circumstances, the common lot of
God's people; and therefore are reckoned the faith of the world, and the offscouring
of all things: and on account of their religion, which wicked men make a jest of;
reckon an engine of state, to keep people in awe of the civil magistrate; or a piece of
priestcraft, to serve the lucrative views of a set of men; or as mere cant and
enthusiasm, and a gloomy melancholy business, which none but fools will give into;
and particularly on account of peculiar doctrines embraced, which are branded as
novel, irrational, and licentious; and ordinances, which entirely depend on the
sovereign will of the institutor of them. For these things, and the like, contempt was
plentifully poured upon them; they had enough of it, and too much, so much that
they could not bear it; it was become intolerable and loathsome, and the more, as it
had been a long time continued on them. So Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret the
word, rendered "exceedingly", of a long time.”
4. Spurgeon, “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us. He hangs upon
the word "mercy," and embodies it in a vehement prayer: the very word seems to
hold him, and he harps upon it. It is well for us to pray about everything, and turn
everything into prayer; and especially when we are reminded of a great necessity we
should catch at it as a keynote, and pitch our tune to it. The reduplication of the
prayer before us is meant to express the eagerness of the Psalmist's spirit and his
urgent need: what he needed speedily he begs for importunately.
ote that he has
left the first person singular for the plural. All the saints need mercy; they all seek
it; they shall all have it, therefore we pray - - "have mercy upon us". A slave when
corrected looks to his master's hand that the punishment may cease, and even so we

16. look to the Lord for mercy, and entreat for it with all our hearts. Our contemptuous
opponents will have no mercy upon us; let us not ask it at their hands, but turn to
the God of mercy, and seek his aid alone.
"For we are exceedingly filled with contempt," and this is an acid which eats into
the soul. Observe the emphatic words. Contempt is bitterness, wormwood mingled
with gall; he that feels it may well cry for mercy to his God. Filled with contempt, as
if the bitter wine had been poured in till it was up to the brim. This had become the
chief thought of their minds, the peculiar sorrow of their hearts. Excluding all other
feelings, a sense of scorn monopolized the soul and made it unutterably wretched.
Another word is added adverbially -- exceedingly filled. Filled even to running over,
as if pressed down and then heaped up. A little contempt they could bear, but now
they were satiated with it, and weary of it. Do we wonder at the threefold mention of
mercy when this master evil was in the ascendant?
othing is more wounding,
embittering, festering than disdain. When our companions make little of us we are
far too apt to make little of ourselves and of the consolations prepared for us. Oh to
be filled with communion, and then contempt will run off from us, and never be able
to fill us with its biting vinegar.”
5. Robert
isbet, “We are exceedingly filled with contempt. Men of the world
regard the Temple Pilgrims and their religion with the quiet smile of disdain,
wondering that those who have so much to engage them in a present life should be
weak enough to concern themselves about frames and feelings, about an unseen
God, and unknown eternity; and this is a trial they find it hard to bear. Their soul,
too, is filled exceedingly with the scorning of those that are at ease. The prosperous
of their neighbors declare that they have found the world a generous and happy
scene to all who deserve its gifts. Poverty and sorrow they attribute to unworthiness
alone. "Let them exert themselves" is the unfeeling cry; "let them bestir themselves
instead of praying, and with them as with us it will soon be well"; and these words
of harsh and unfeeling ignorance aye like poison to the wounds of the bleeding
heart. They have further "the contempt of the proud" to mourn; of those who give
expression to their fierce disdain by assailing them with words of contumely, and
who seek to draw them by reproaches both from peace and from piety. These are
still the trials of Zion's worshipers: silent contempt, open misrepresentation, fierce
opposition. Religion, their last comfort, is despised; peace, their first desire, is
denied. Anxious to devote themselves in the spirit of humble and earnest piety to the
duties of their appointed sphere, they find enemies in open outcry and array against
them. But God is their refuge, and to him they go.”
6. J. Scott Lindsay, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never
hurt me. Rubbish! I don’t know who first came up with that saying, but it was a
crazy person, whoever it was.
obody in his right mind who has lived long enough
to be insulted or ridiculed by another person could say those words with any
integrity. The fact of the matter is, words can hurt and words do hurt. All of you

17. know exactly what I’m talking about........there is a choice that has to be made. The
issue is not whether we will experience rejection in this life. The issue is: whose
rejection will we choose?
The world doesn’t like God’s people very much. The experience described here is
one of being ridiculed, despised, looked down upon and generally regarded as being
insignificant. All of that comes from being identified as one of God’s special people.
As we saw in the study of Psalm 120, living faithfully as one of God’s people, has the
effect of setting you apart from your peers — not because you look or dress all that
differently, but because you have a different value system, a different life
orientation. This different orientation becomes evident in various ways: through the
choices you make; through the things you do and do not do; through the way you
speak; through the way you respond to success, failure, tragedy and hardship. The
collective result of all those things will distinguish you from the people around you.
That was as true in the psalmist’s day as it is in our own.
The fact of this difference is noticed by the parties on both sides. That is, just as you
are aware of the difference between yourself and those around you, so are they. And
because you are consistently choosing to go against the grain, to choose a position
other than the status quo, because you are unwilling to compromise on your beliefs,
you are perceived as being “difficult,” “holier-than-thou,” “elitist,” and all sort of
other things — things which may have never entered your mind. But the reality is
that you are perceived this way, whether it’s true or not, and whether you like it or
not.”
7. J. S. Smith, “ Jesus was ridiculed and crucified, the apostles were threatened,
imprisoned and martyred, and others before you have been the victims
of mockery and now it is your turn to claim a painful moral victory
over your adversary; “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil
work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18)
8. Henry, “
The humble address which God's people present to him in their calamitous
condition (Psa_123:3, Psa_123:4), wherein, 1. They sue for mercy, not prescribing to
God what he shall do for them, nor pleading any merit of their own why he should
do it for them, but, Have mercy upon us, O Lord! have mercy upon us. We find little
mercy with men; their tender mercies are cruel; there are cruel mockings. But this is
our comfort, that with the Lord there is mercy and we need desire no more to relieve
us, and make us easy, than the mercy of God. Whatever the troubles of the church
are, God's mercy is a sovereign remedy. 2. They set forth their grievances: We are
exceedingly filled with contempt. Reproach is the wound, the burden, they complain
of. Observe, (1.) Who were reproached: “We, who have our eyes up to thee.” Those
who are owned of God are often despised and trampled on by the world. Some
translate the words which we render, those that are at ease, and the proud, so as to
signify the persons that are scorned and contemned. “Our soul is troubled to see

18. how those that are at peace, and the excellent ones, are scorned and despised.” The
saints are a peaceable people and yet are abused (Psa_35:20), the excellent ones of
the earth and yet undervalued, Lam_4:1, Lam_4:2. (2.) Who did reproach them.
Taking the words as we read them, they were the epicures who lived at ease, carnal
sensual people, Job_12:5. The scoffers are such as walk after their own lusts and
serve their own bellies, and the proud such as set God himself at defiance and had a
high opinion of themselves; they trampled on God's people, thinking they magnified
themselves by vilifying them. (3.) To what degree they were reproached: “We are
filled, we are surfeited with it. Our soul is exceedingly filled with it.” The enemies
thought they could never jeer them enough, nor say enough to make them
despicable; and they could not but lay it to heart; it was a sword in their bones,
Psa_42:10.
ote, [1.] Scorning and contempt have been, and are, and are likely to
be, the lot of God's people in this world. Ishmael mocked Isaac, which is called
persecuting him; and so it is now, Gal_4:29. [2.] In reference to the scorn and
contempt of men it is matter of comfort that there is mercy with God, mercy to our
good names when they are barbarously used. Hear, O our God! for we are despised.”
9. Peter J. Blackburn, ““Mercy” in this context is “relief.” The ridicule and
contempt aren’t God’s doing. The Psalmist is looking for the Lord’s gracious
intervention in the circumstances created by others who are proud and arrogant.
Any “attack” on the servant is an attack on his master. It is for the master to protect
his servant. For a whole range of factors and circumstances, we can find ourselves
“downcast.” How do we react? We can sink down in self-pity and discouragement –
never seeing beyond ourselves and our seemingly insoluble circumstances. Or we
can choose to “lift up our eyes” acknowledging the presence and grace of God in the
midst of our circumstances and seeking his mercy, his protection and relief.
Sometimes we will know his deliverance from those circumstances. At other times,
we will know his deliverance in the circumstances. Whatever happens, we will know
his presence and his help.Many times we find ourselves in the situation of needing to
bring encouragement to someone else who is “downcast.” We are best able to do this
when we ourselves have learned to lift up our eyes to the Lord. Sadness,
discouragement, depression… are very real. But so are the mercy and help that
come as we lift up our eyes to the Lord.
Be of Good Cheer
When I am pressed
on every side,
depressed,
discouraged,
inadequate,
frustrated,
not knowing
which way
to turn
or how to move,

19. be of good cheer –
the Lord is here!
When daily life
brings daily news
of daily strife,
a world
uncertain,
changing,
violent,
at a loose end
losing it,
be of good cheer –
the Lord is here!
When life is brown,
I won’t
look down!
Lift up my eyes!
Be of good cheer –
the Lord is here!
4. We have endured much ridicule from the
proud,
much contempt from the arrogant.
1. Calvin, “The Psalmist prosecutes and confirms the preceding doctrine. He had
said that the godly, finding themselves utterly broken in spirit and cast down,
intently directed their eyes to the hand of God: now he adds that they are filled with
reproach. From this we learn that the wicked not only assaulted them by such ways
of violence as suggested themselves to their minds, but that by their mockery they as
it were trampled under foot the children of God. The repetition of the prayer, Have
mercy upon us, which is a sign of vehement and ardent desire, indicates that they
were reduced to the last degree of misery. When insult is added to wrongs, there is
nothing which inflicts a deeper wound upon well constituted minds. The Prophet
therefore complains chiefly of that, as if it were the consummation of all calamities.
He says that rich and proud men treated the Church with insolent triumph; for it
commonly happens that those who are elevated in the world, look down with
contempt upon the people of God. The lustre of their hour and power dazzles their
eyes, so that they make no account of God's spiritual kingdom: yea, the more the

20. wicked prosper and are smiled on by fortune, to the greater extent does their pride
swell, and the more violently does it throw off its foam. This passage teaches us, that
it is no new thing for the Church to be held in contempt by the children of this
world who abound in riches. The epithet proud is justly applied to the same persons
who are described as rich; for wealth engenders pride of heart. Farther, as we see
that in old time the Church of God was covered with reproaches, and pointed at
with the finger of scorn, we ought not to be discouraged if the world despise us, nor
should we allow our faith to be shaken by the wicked when they assault us with their
scoffs, yea, even defame us with their injurious and insulting language. We must
always bear in mind what is here recorded, that the heart not of one man only, or of
a few, but of the whole Church, was filled not merely with the violence, cruelty,
craft, and other evil doings of the wicked, but also with reproaches and mockery. It
is also to be remembered, that all the loftiness and pride existing in the world are
here represented as in opposition to the Church, so that she is accounted as nothing
better than "the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things," as the Apostle
Paul declares in 1 Corinthians. 4:13. When the same thing happens to us at the
present day, let us leave the wicked to swell with their pride until they burst; and let
it suffice us to know, that we are notwithstanding precious in the sight of God.”
2. Barnes, “It is the scorn proceeding from those who are at ease; that is, the
frivolous, the affluent, the proud. The word scorning means derision, mockery. The
idea in the Hebrew is derived from stammering, which the word properly means;
and then, mockery, as repeating over the words of another, or imitating the voice of
one in derision. Compare Psa_2:4; Job_22:19. The phrase “those that are at ease”
properly refers to those who are tranquil or quiet, Job_12:5; Isa_32:18; Isa_33:20;
and then it is used of those who are living at ease; those who are living in self-indulgence
and luxury, Amo_6:1; Isa_32:9, Isa_32:11. Here it would seem to refer to
those who, in our language, are “in easy circumstances;” the affluent; those who are
not compelled to toil: then, the frivolous, the fashionable, those in the upper walks of
life. The contempt was aggravated by the fact that it came from that quarter; not
from the low, the ignorant, the common, but from those who claimed to be refined,
and who were distinguished in the world of gaiety, of rank, and of fashion. This,
even for good people (such is human nature), is much more hard to bear than
contempt is when it comes from those who are in the lower walks of life. In the latter
case, perhaps, we feel that we can meet contempt with contempt; in the former we
cannot. We disregard the opinions of those who are beneath us; there are few who
are not affected by the opinions entertained of them by those who are above them.
And with the contempt of the proud - Those who are lifted up; either in rank, in
condition, or in feeling. The essential idea is, that it was the contempt of those to
whom mankind look up. Religious people have always had much of this to
encounter, and often it is in fact a more severe test of the reality and power of
religion than the loss of goods, or than bodily pains and penalties. We can bear
much if we have the respect - the praise - of those above us; it is a very certain test of
the reality and the power of our religion when we can bear the scorn of the great,
the noble, the scientific, the frivolous, and the fashionable. Piety is more frequently

21. checked and obscured by this than it is by persecution. It is more rare that piety
shines brightly when the frivolous and the fashionable flown upon it than when
princes attempt to crush it by power. The church has performed its duty better in
the furnace of persecution than it has in the “happy” scenes of the world.”
3. In our day it would be the contempt shown by teachers, politicians, famous movie
stars, and people in the world of science and philosophy who would look down their
noses at Christians, and bring about negative feelings in the believers. It can be hard
to handle contempt from people who in other areas of life are admired for their gifts
and wisdom. It hurts when they are godless, and do what they can to pour their
contempt on what they feel is the folly of belief in God. Many a godless professor has
hurt the faith of believers, and has caused them to forsake the fellowship of the
church. Others have had to struggle with depression as they try to work their way
back into a state of faith. These are the ones who need to cry out for the mercy of
God to deliver them from this kind of attack on their faith.
4. Clarke sees this as pointing to those who captured the Israelites. “‘Those that are
at ease - Babylonians, who, having subdued all the people of the neighboring
nations, lived at ease, had none to contend with them, and now became luxurious,
indolent, and insolent: they were contemptuous and proud.”
5. Gill, “That are in easy and affluent circumstances; abound in the things of this
world, and have more than heart can wish; have no outward trouble, as other men,
or as the saints have; nor any uneasiness of mind, on account of sin and their eternal
state: they have been at ease from their youth; Satan, that has the possession of
them, keeps the goods in peace; and their consciences are seared as with a red hot
iron, and they are past feeling; though they are far from having any true solid peace
of mind: and such persons are generally scorners of the saints, and load them with
their gibes and jeers in a most insolent manner; which makes it very irksome and
grievous to bear; and the contempt of the proud: who are proud of their natural
abilities; of their wealth and riches, and of their honors and high places: and such
are generally scorners, and deal in proud wrath; and, through their pride, persecute
the poor saints with their reproaches, and by other ways; see Pro_21:24. Some
understand by these characters, "that are at ease", or "quiet" (f), and are "proud",
or "excellent" (g), as the phrases may be rendered, such described by them as are
the objects, and not the authors, of scorn and contempt; even the saints, who are the
quiet in the land, and the excellent in the earth; those precious sons of Zion, who are
disesteemed by the men of the world, Psa_35:20.”
6. Spurgeon, “Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at
ease. Knowing no troubles of their own, the easy ones grow cruel and deride the
people of the Lord. Having the godly already in secret contempt, they show it by
openly scorning them.
ote those who do this: they are not the poor, the humble, the
troubled, but those who have a merry life of it, and are self content. They are in easy

22. circumstances; they are easy in heart through a deadened conscience, and so they
easily come to mock at holiness; they are easy from needing nothing, and from
having no severe toil exacted from them; they are easy as to any anxiety to improve,
for their conceit of themselves is boundless. Such men take things easily, and
therefore they scorn the holy carefulness of those who watch the hand of the Lord.
They say, Who is the Lord that we should obey his voice? and then they turn round
with a contemptuous look and sneer at those who fear the Lord. Woe unto them that
are at case in Zion; their contempt of the godly shall hasten and increase their
misery. The injurious effect of freedom from affliction is singularly evident here.
Place a man perfectly at case and he derides the suffering godly, and becomes
himself proud in heart and conduct. "And with the contempt of the proud". The
proud think so much of themselves that they must needs think all the less of those
who are better than themselves. Pride is both contemptible and contemptuous. The
contempt of the great ones of the earth is often peculiarly acrid: some of them, like a
well known statesman, are "masters of gibes and flouts and sneers", and never do
they seem so much at home in their acrimony as when a servant of the Lord is the
victim of their venom. It is easy enough to write upon this subject, but to be selected
as the target of contempt is quite another matter. Great hearts have been broken
and brave spirits have been withered beneath the accursed power of falsehood, and
the horrible blight of contempt. For our comfort we may remember that our divine
Lord was despised and rejected of men, yet he ceased not from his perfect service till
he was exalted to dwell in the heavens. Let us bear our share of this evil which still
rages under the sun, and let us firmly believe that the contempt of the ungodly shall
turn to our honour in the world to come: even now it serves as a certificate that we
are not of the world, for if we were of the world the world would love us as its own.”
7. Thomas Manton, “Riches and worldly greatness make men insolent and despisers
of others, and not to care what burdens they impose upon them; they are
entrenched within a mass of wealth and power and greatness, and so think none can
call them to an account.”
8. Wayne Shih, “The terms used to describe the unbelievers is instructive. They are
said to be “proud.” The word means “totally at ease.” They are self-sufficient. They
rely on themselves and seek their own welfare. They have no need of God. And they
look down on those who put their faith in God. You know, when our trust in God is
challenged like that, our own insecurities can really play into Satan’s hands. We
become envious of the self-made person. We begin to doubt God. We start
developing a victim mindset. Os Guinness reminds us that following Christ has
never been a popular thing. It has always gone against the culture and therefore
been the target of ridicule.
Followers of Christ will be called many names, but our identity comes only from the
One whose call reveals our names and natures. Followers of Christ may no more
like shouldering the cost of their commitments than followers of other ways, but no

23. one who knows what our Master bore can bear to shrug off the blame on others. In
reality, today’s brotherhood of the victimized ones is a twisted counterfeit of the
fellowship of the crucified one. All of us as followers of Christ will flinch at times
from the pain of wounds and the smart of slights, but that cost is in the contract of
calling and the way of the cross. Guinness concludes: When all is said and done, fool
bearing is simply faithfulness. Or better still, it is what Bernard of Clairvaux called
“the serious game” and Gregory of
yssa “the sober inebriation” of those
transported by the heart of the good news of Jesus - the wonder of a crucified God.
As Austin Farrer, the Oxford philosopher, once stated: “If Jesus is willing to be in
us, and to let us show him to the world, it’s a small thing that we should endure
being fools for Christ’s sake, and be shown up by the part we have to play” (The
Call, 223).
The point is this: Those who want nothing to do with God will often get ahead in
life. They will think it foolish to trust in God. They will laugh at your hope in God as
a waste of time. Don’t be thrown off the path of discipleship by their derision. Don’t
stop following Christ because the road is harder. I plead with you to keep on looking
to God until he shows his mercy and vindicates your confidence in him. Look to
Jesus and wait for his gracious favor to come. I know that sometimes in our lives the
situations become almost unbearable. You have about all that you can handle. Cry
to God for his mercy. Lift your eyes to the One who reigns from heaven until you
receive mercy from the Lord. Watch and pray until you are delivered by God’s
grace.”
9. A poem based on Psalm 123
To You, O Lord, To You we lift our eyes,
To Him, Who sits enthroned upon the skies
Behold! my eyes attend to your Hand,
To cry for Grace and Mercy in this land.
Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,
we wait upon your mercy in this place!
Oh Lord, we find such hatred in this land
And all around, contempt on every hand
To You, O Lord, to You we lift our eyes
Oh hear us, Heavenly Lord, oh hear our cries
Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,
we wait upon your mercy in this place!

24. Until we see Your mercy from above
We serve and wait upon our God of love,
We wait among the hateful scorners here,
Until your work of mercy shall appear
Give Grace! Give Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,
we wait upon your mercy in this place!
– Rev. Gordon Dickson
10. The lyrics below convey the spirit of both this Psalm and that of Psalm 121.
I WILL LIFT MY EYES
By Bebo
orman
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, let mercy sing
her melody over me
and God, right here all I bring
is all of me
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer

25. of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
the Lover I need to save me
'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
so hold me now
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now