PSALM 123
Looking to the LORD for mercy verse 1- 2
Unto YOU lift I up mine eyes – O YOU that dwell in the heavens
BEHOLD
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
Prayer for mercy of the LORD verse 3
Have mercy upon us – O LORD
have mercy upon us
FOR we are exceedingly filled with contempt
Reason for the prayer for mercy verse 4
Our soul is exceedingly filled
with the scorning of those that are at ease
and with the contempt of the proud
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Behold, as the eyes of the 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. (2603 “mercy” [chanan] means to be gracious, show favor, move to pity, or supplication.
DEVOTION: The psalmist is praying for the help of the LORD. Those who are proud and arrogant around them are presently holding him in contempt. The same people who hold him in contempt scorn him. The only place he looks for help is from the LORD.
In fact, his eyes are fixed on the LORD like servants to their masters. In the days in which the Psalmist lives, servants waited on their masters every wish. If they worked in the field all day and came to the house of the master he expected them to serve him a meal before they sat down. Being a slave or servant to a master was not an easy task. In fact, if the servant didn’t fulfill the master’s wishes they could be killed.
The Psalmist has the desire that the LORD his God to be moved to favor him. He is looking up to the LORD for deliverance. Most have learned that two words go together in the Bible: mercy and grace.
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy is NOT getting what we DO deserve. The psalmist is giving us an illustration of how we should look and wait on the LORD for HIS mercy.
As servants looked at their masters in his culture, we need to look to the LORD. The servants wanted to do everything they could to please their masters. One of the things that please God is for HIS people to look to HIM for guidance in their daily lives.
We are told in another place that “HIS mercies are new every morning, GREAT is THY faithfulness.” Every morning we receive new mercies from the LORD. Our walk with the LORD is a daily walk.
Our past is past. Our future is future. Our present needs to be concerned only with serving the LORD. Can we praise HIM for HIS mercy today? Let’s praise HIM this morning.
CHALLENGE: Look for the mercy the LORD has shown you this week. Write a list of how the LORD has shown you mercy and share it with someone else.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 “Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas
Nelson, 1982). (Mercy – 2603 חָנַן, חָנַן [chanan /khaw·nan/] v. A primitive root [compare 2583]; TWOT 694, 695; GK 2858 and 2859; 78 occurrences; AV translates as “mercy” 16 times, “gracious” 13 times, “merciful” 12 times, “supplication” 10 times, “favour” seven times, “besought” four times, “pity” four times, “fair” once, “favourable” once, “favoured” once, and translated miscellaneously nine times. 1 to be gracious, show favour, pity. 1A (Qal) to show favour, be gracious. 1B (Niphal) to be pitied. 1C (Piel) to make gracious, make favourable, be gracious. 1D (Poel) to direct favour to, have mercy on. 1E (Hophal) to be shown favour, be shown consideration. 1F (Hithpael) to seek favour, implore favour. 2 to be loathsome. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: Lifting up his eyes to God in heaven, the slave-pilgrim called for mercy because the people were filled with contempt from the scoffing of the proud. Perhaps the proud were the rich who had come early to the city and could afford to look down upon the poor who had to travel by foot to come to worship. In the Gospel of Luke a story is told of two individuals, one who is proud and one who does not lift up his eyes but cries out for mercy! One had much and the other very little but acknowledged his need for mercy. The one with little went away justified and exalted in the Lord’s sight! (Luke 18:9-14) As we recognize who is able to give mercy and call out to Him we receive so much in return.
CHALLENGE: May we as pilgrims not pompous in our approach to God’s throne.
(Dr. Brian Miller – board member
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.(937 “contempt” [buz] means despised, become a laughingstock, disrespect, put to shame or rejection.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever found that people look down on you? Have you had people say things bad about your because of your income level, race, or social standing?
Here we find that the Psalmist is looking to the LORD for assurance of his importance in the world. He wanted the LORD to look on him with mercy. He wanted the LORD to hold him in high regard.
He was tired of having people around him put him down. He might have been poor and those who are rich put him down. He might not have had an occupation that gave him prestige. He might have been of a different race from those around him. He might have just not been handsome like many around him. We are not sure of the reason but he needed and prayed for the mercy of the LORD to live his life in good standing with HIM.
If he had the LORD’S blessing it was enough to keep him going in his daily life. Sometimes that might be all that we have to keep us going in our daily lives.
HE will answer our prayer. HE will deal with those who mistreat others. HE will be the support of those who look to HIM for guidance and direction. HE knows what is going on in all of our lives. Nothing is out of HIS sight.
We need to fix our eyes on the LORD instead of looking at other people or things to give us value. We are more valuable to the LORD than the birds of the air. We have value in the LORD’S eyes because we are one of HIS children. The Psalmist realizes this fact and we should as well.
CHALLENGE: Remind yourself that you are valuable in the eyes of the LORD because of the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross for our sins. We are forgiven. We have a home waiting for us in heaven. Praise HIS name!! Share this with those who are downtrodden that know the LORD.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer for mercy verse 1- 4
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Lift up eyes to the LORD verse 1
Eyes wait upon the LORD verse 2
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Dwells in the heavens verse 1
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 3
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2
LORD our God verse 2
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Servants verse 2
Masters verse 2
Maiden verse 2
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Contempt verse 3, 4
Scorn verse 4
People at ease verse 4
Proud verse 4
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercy verse 2, 3
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Like the Psalter itself, these pilgrim songs preserve many moods, reflecting something of the turbulent history of Zion, a history which continues in the story of the church. This cry from the heart can still speak for our contemporaries under persecution, and give us words to pray in unison with them. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 471). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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123:1–4 See note on Ps 120:1–7. The author and situation are unknown.
I. Exalting God (123:1, 2)
II. Enlisting God’s Mercy (123:3, 4)
123:1 my eyes. The progression from Ps 121:1. enthroned in the heavens. Cf. Pss 11:4; 103:19; 113:5.
123:2 servants … master. The psalmist reasons from the lesser to the greater (human to the divine; earthly to the heavenly). One’s eyes should be on the Lord to mercifully meet one’s needs.
123:3, 4 contempt … scoffing. From unbelieving pagans, perhaps the Samaritans (cf. Ne 1:3; 2:19). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 123:1–3). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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123:1–2. The psalmist affirmed his trust in the Lord of heaven. I lift up my eyes means that he looked to the Lord in prayer for deliverance. He compared his trust to that of a slave waiting for a word from a master or a mistress. On behalf of the people, the psalmist continued to look to … God for help. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 883). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Of course, with our human eyes, we cannot see God on His throne, but with the eyes of faith we see Him as we believe the Word. “My eyes are toward the Lord” (25:15, nkjv). To look toward the Lord means to trust Him and turn our problems over to Him by faith. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2, nkjv). God’s throne is mentioned often in the book of Psalms (9:4, 7; 11:4; 45:6; 47:8; 93:2; 97:2; 103:9), and to believers today, His throne is a throne of grace (Heb. 4:14–16). The life of faith begins by looking to the Lord by faith and trusting Him for salvation (Isa. 45:22). The life of faith continues as we keep our eyes of faith on Jesus (Heb. 12:2), and it will climax with faith becoming sight and we’ll see Jesus in His glory (1 John 3:1–2). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 153–154). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 1. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, &c.] Not only the eyes of his body, this being a prayer-gesture; see Matt. 14:19; John 11:41 and 17:1 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, Ezra 9:6; Psal. 40:12; Luke 18:13. 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; 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 Eccl. 5:2; Matt. 6:9. The Targum is, “O thou that sittest on a throne of glory in heaven!” (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 248). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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1. “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. Not to the hills, but to the God of the hills he looked. He believed in a personal God, and knew nothing of that modern pantheism which is nothing more than atheism wearing a figleaf. 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 there revealed, adored, and glorified: thence he looks down on the world and sends succours 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 took to him. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, pp. 39–40). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Leviticus 19-21
The song by Sonicflood entitled Holiness, opens with these lyrics, “Holiness, holiness is what I long for, Holiness is what I need, Holiness, holiness is what You, want from me!” Those words would match what the Lord is saying to the people of Israel.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Throughout chapters 19 – 21, the Lord challenges the people of God to live out their holiness in a variety of ways. They are to demonstrate holiness by following the commands God had laid down for them. In a more conversational tone, these commands are similar to the ten commandments which the Lord had given the Israelites in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Their holiness was to be demonstrated through the interactions between neighbors and people they encountered. Their social and ethical decisions were meant to display their devotion to the Lord. The people were to regularly display their desire to be like God by following His commands in their daily activities which included areas such as agriculture, horticulture, and worship.
They were instructed particularly in what was not acceptable practices before a holy God. In 20:7, He reaffirms His command, “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.” Finally, Moses concludes this section on holiness with the regulations the priests were to follow in their priestly duties.
Believers today are called as well to live and conform themselves to the likeness of Christ. Peter as he instructed those who were facing extreme difficulties stated, “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:14-16). Holiness is what He wants from us. Is it what we want as well in our daily activities?
With an Expectant Hope, (Pastor Miller)
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Jesus teaches on the Beatitudes.
INSIGHT
Love is the fundamental factor of all meaningful relationships. Love is an action — the action of selflessness, of esteeming others above ourselves. All interpersonal problems could be solved with a faithful, mutual expression of love.
Imagine what the world would be like if everyone acted in love. No war. No divorce. No AIDS. No murder. No rape. No tears.
Though Jesus knew that sin presently prevents perfect love, He held believers to a high standard of showing His love in this world: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15
(Quiet Walk)
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A First-Century Hymn
“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
It has been noted that our text for the day is in poetic language and form. It probably consists of an early hymn that Timothy and the other readers of this epistle knew. It consists of a series of “if…then” statements, each an important conditional promise, two with negative connotations and two with positive.
“If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him.” Elsewhere we read, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).
“If we suffer [literally, ‘endure’], we shall also reign with him.” “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21).
“If we deny him, he also will deny us.” Christ said, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33).
“If we believe not [literally, are unfaithful], yet he abideth faithful.” His promises are sure whether they be warnings of judgment or promises of blessing. God promised Joshua: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:5-6).
Our text begins with the statement “It is a faithful saying,” and ends with “he cannot deny himself.” We can be sure that He will live up to His end of the bargain. His very nature demands it. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Christians should not exercise personal liberty if it destroys another Christian.
INSIGHT
We are a part of others; what we say and what we do affects others. This is especially true of Christians. We are a part of the body of Christ; we are a part of one another. Not only does God not want us to live isolated lives but He has made it so that we cannot make it alone. Therefore, we must always be alert to how our actions affect others. If something we do harms another person, we must take that into account. If our freedom causes hurt to a brother or sister in Christ, then love dictates that we limit our freedom.
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JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
John does not use the terms justification and sanctification; they are Paul’s great words. But, of course, John teaches exactly the same doctrine. Furthermore, I think that much of the trouble with regard to these matters has arisen because people will not see that fact. John, in his own pictorial way, is teaching precisely the same truth as the apostle Paul teaches in his more logical and legal manner by means of his terms justification and sanctification, righteousness and redemption, and so on.
What is meant by justification? Justification is the New Testament term that represents our standing in the presence of God. Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been dealt with and have been removed from us. Justification states that God regards us as righteous, as if we had not sinned. In other words, it is a stronger term than forgiveness; we may be forgiven, and yet our sins remain upon us. But what God does for us in justification is to remove the guilt altogether, to remove the sin. He does not punish us for it; He looks upon us as righteous, as if we had not sinned; our sin has been removed.
Sanctification, on the other hand, is that condition in which the sin principle is dealt with. Justification does not deal with the sin principle within us; it deals with the sins that we have committed. But after our sins have been forgiven, and sin and guilt have been removed from us, the sin principle will remain within us, and what the New Testament means by this doctrine of sanctification is the process whereby the very principle and the activity of sin within us is being taken out of us and removed.
A Thought to Ponder: Justification means not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also that our sins have been removed from us. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 137-138, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The New, Old Commandment
“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment. . . . Again, a new commandment I write unto you.” (1 John 2:7-8)
On the surface, this passage appears to be a real problem. The easily seen focus of the “commandment” is love for the brethren (vv. 9-11). The difficult wording lies in the “old” and the “new” side of the same thought.
The “old” sense of the command to love is as eternal as the very nature of God Himself. Whatever love we express in our human nature derives its source from God who is love (1 John 4:16). Even “from the beginning” (1 John 2:7) humanity was charged with the commitment of marital love (Genesis 2:24), which is the earthly example of God’s love for His church (Ephesians 5:25).
Then as God codified His “rules” for those who would submit to His authority, God insisted that we were to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). Centuries later as the apostle Paul commented on the Mosiac Law, it was noted that “love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).
The “new” side of the commandment has its “beginning” with the institution of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:13) and the commissioning of the apostolic leadership (John 13:34). The new focus would be on the spiritual kingdom rather than the earthly nation, and the “brethren” would not merely be genetically related but have a spiritual “new birth”(Acts 10:34-35; Galatians 3:28).
Since “the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth” (1 John 2:8), “he that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). This new command goes beyond marriage and nation to the entire family of God. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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