KJV · Chapter 123/150
1Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
2Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
3Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
A short and humble 'Song of Degrees' comparing the people's dependence on God to a servant's attentiveness to their master's hand, pleading for mercy amid the contempt and mockery of the proud.
This small psalm uses an image drawn straight from ancient household life: male and female servants watched their masters' hands closely so they could respond instantly to any signal or command — and with this, the psalmist describes the ideal posture of total, attentive dependence on God. The repeated plea for 'mercy' (v.3) reflects the intensity of the suffering caused by the social contempt the community was experiencing. The application for today is to cultivate a constant, humble attentiveness to God's leading, especially in moments of humiliation or others' scorn.
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