Psalm 122 — 124
We Look by Faith to God's Hand (v. 2) In Eastern countries, masters often commanded their servants by means of hand signals, so the servants kept their eyes on the master's hand. This is what gave them direction for their work. But the master's hand was also the source of their provision, what they needed for their daily sustenance. Finally, the master's hand protected them in times of danger. The New Jewish Publication Society translation reads "they follow their master's hand." So it is with God's people today: our direction, provision, and protection all come from our Master's hand, and His hand never fails. Even the heart of a king is in the hands of the Lord (Prov. 21:1), so God's feeble remnant in Jerusalem did not have to fear the nations around them.
other. We must pray for peace within and among the churches. We must pray for the needs of "our brothers and friends," and surely we must pray for the lost.
A heart for God will surely be a heart filled with praise and prayer.
PSALM 123
It is not until we read verse 4 that we discover the burden of the writer: the constant persecution of the people of Israel, being treated with scorn and contempt. In Psalm 124, Israel was almost swallowed up, drowned, and imprisoned in a trap. Captivity is the theme of 126, and 129 compares their suffering to a farmer plowing their backs. Has any nation ever suffered the way Israel has suffered? Of course, God's people today are also suffering because of their commitment to Christ (John 16:30). According to missiologists, more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all the previous centuries combined! Some students assign this psalm to the time of King Hezekiah, when the Assyrians were attacking Jerusalem and making humiliating speeches about the Jews (Isa. 36–37). But during the postexilic years, Israel also suffered the ridicule and scorn of their Gentile neighbors (Neh. 2:19; 4:1–4, 7ff.). This psalm speaks about the God who is enthroned in heaven, whose hand would work for His people, and you find both of these themes in Ezra and Nehemiah. The "hand of God" is found in Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31 and Nehemiah 2:8, 18. "The God of heaven" is mentioned in Ezra 1:2; 5:11–12; 6:9–10; 7:12, 21, 23 and Nehemiah 1:4; 2:4. The psalm begins in the first person singular (I, my), but then changes to the plural (we, our, us). Perhaps this was a communal prayer, begun by a priest or Levite (v. 1), continued by a choir (v. 2), and closed by the congregation (vv. 3–4).
We Look for God's Mercy and Grace (vv. 3–4) The exiles from Israel had spent seventy years in Babylon. Most of the older ones died, and at least two new generations were born. Now, about fifty thousand of these people were trying to rebuild their temple, restore their city, and revitalize their nation. This was not an easy task, and the nations around them did not want Israel back on the scene again. The Persian rulers who had promised to help them did not always keep their promises, or the local Persian officers interfered with the announced plans. It was another evidence of the hatred the Gentiles had for the Jews. "We have endured much contempt" (v. 3). (See 31:11, 18; 44:13; 119:22, 141; Neh. 2:19; 4:1–4, 7ff.; Lam. 3:15, 30.) But God chooses and uses the despised things of this world (1 Cor. 1:28). After all, our salvation was purchased by One who was "despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3).
We are not only subjects of the King (v. 1) and servants of the Master (vv. 2–3), we are also the children of a gracious Father who hears the cries of His children and comes to their aid. He has grace and mercy for each situation. In those post-exilic times, God's chosen people were being maligned, ridiculed, and opposed, but God gave them the grace they needed to finish the temple and restore the worship. The enemy was smug and complacent, but God was not at work in their midst. The nation of Israel continued, and one very special day, the promised Messiah was born into the human race in the little town of Bethlehem. If you find yourself laughed at and criticized because you belong to Jesus Christ, you are part of a very elite group, and you do not have to be embarrassed or start looking for a place to hide! There is grace available at the throne of grace from the God of all grace, so lift your eyes of faith to Him.
When we find ourselves among the slandered, ridiculed, and persecuted, where do we turn for help? The psalm gives three answers to that question.
We Look by Faith to God's Throne (v. 1) 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).