Psalms Reading – 4.28.2022
Psalm 123
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud.
Psalm 124
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters would have swept us away.
6 Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 123 declares they look to heaven as they march to Zion because they know that is God’s highest throne. The earthly throne of God’s presence may be in Jerusalem, but the temple cannot contain the infinite presence of God. As others, who are subjected to their earthly masters, look to them for mercy so the people of God keep looking up in faith until God shows His mercy to them.
These worshipers, not only look up, but ask for the Lord’s mercy because they have been ridiculed and shown dishonor over and over again from the unnamed proud and ungodly peoples who are attacking them.
Psalm 124 celebrates the Lord’s delivering his people from an enemy that could have destroyed them. It corresponds well with Psalm 123 because it recounts the deliverance that it asked for.
Verses 1-5 tell of the possible outcomes if the Lord had not defended his people. They would have been swallowed alive; the flood waters would have engulfed, swept over, and swept them away. Such flash floods are powerful and cannot be defended against on our own strength.
Verses 6-8 give praise for the Lord’s work in delivering them. He offers different images of salvation: they were not torn to pieces by the teeth of a vicious animal, they have escaped as a bird from a broken snare. God has accomplished this. So, David offers a positive faith declaration that their help is the name of the Lord who powerfully created the heaven and earth. There is no greater power to call upon. If God created the massive universe, then surely God can help us in our troubles.
Memory Verse: Psalm 121:1-2, I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Question(s) to Consider: Do you need God’s mercy? Can you declare faith in God’s ultimate power? Where are you seeking God’s mercy and help in your life today?