Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 123:1 and following. Indeed, this prayer teaches us dependence: The faithful raise their eyes to their God in the feeling that all resources are in Him (2 Ch 20:10-13). He has no rights to it; everything is grace. From men, what should he expect? He may be overly satiated with the contempt and insults of those who are at ease here on earth (1 Cor 4:9-13). But if He is able to endure these things, it is because He directs the gaze of His faith to His Savior in heaven (Ps 141:5-10). Soon this faith will be changed in sight. Today satiated with opprobrium, tomorrow he will be satisfied with His image (Ps 17:14-15).
“I look up at you, who sit in heaven.” This form of prayer was composed for all the pious by some prophet, either when the Jews were captive in Babylon or when Antiochus Epiphanius exercised the most implacable cruelty towards them. Be that as it may, the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration the Prophet delivered him to the people, calls us to have recourse to God, whenever wicked men unjustly and proudly persecute, not just one or two faithful, but the whole body of the Church. Moreover, God is here expressly called “the God who sits in heaven,” not simply to teach his people to value divine power as they deserve, but also when no hope of help is left for them on earth; yes rather, when their condition is desperate, as if they were buried in the grave, or as if they were lost in a labyrinth, then they should remember that God’s power remains in heaven in untouched and infinite perfection.
Thus, these words seem to contain a tacit contrast between the troubled and confused state of this world and the celestial kingdom of God, from where he manages and governs so much all things, that whenever he pleases him, he calms all the agitations of the world, comes to the rescue of the desperate, restores the light by dissipating the darkness, and lifts up those who have been thrown and laid on the ground. This is what the Prophet confirms by the verb “to rise”; which suggests that, although we lack all the resources of the world, we must look up to heaven, where God remains unchanging, despite the foolish impetuosity of men to overthrow all things here on earth.
“Have mercy on us, Eternal.” The psalmist continues and confirms the previous doctrine. He had said that the stakes, finding themselves completely broken in spirit and dejected, intensely directed their eyes to the hand of God: now he adds that they are filled with reproach. From there, we learn that the wicked not only assaulted them by ways of violence as suggested to their minds, but that by their mockery they somehow trampled on God’s children. The repetition of the prayer, “Have mercy on us,” which is a sign of vehement and ardent desire, indicates that they have been reduced to the last degree of misery. When insult is added to wrong, there is nothing that inflicts a deeper wound on well-constituted minds. The Prophet therefore complains mainly about this, as if it were the consummation of all calamities. He says that haughty and proud men have treated the Church with insolent triumph; for it is common for those who are raised up in the world to despise God’s people. The brilliance of their ego and the power dazzle their eyes, so that they take no account of the spiritual kingdom of God: yes, the more the wicked prosper and make themselves smile by fortune, the more their pride swells.
This passage teaches us that it is not new that the Church is despised by the children of this world who are full of riches. As we see that in ancient times the Church of God was covered with reproach and pointed out with contempt, we must not be discouraged if the world despises us, nor should we allow our faith to be shaken by the wicked when they assault us with their taunts, or defame us even with their insulting language. We must always keep in mind what is recorded here, that the heart not of one man, or of a few, but of the whole Church, was not simply filled with violence, cruelty, profession and other evil acts of the wicked, but also with reproaches and mockery. It must also be remembered that all the height and pride existing in the world are represented here as in opposition to the Church, so that she is considered nothing better than “the filth of the world and the washing up of all things” (1 Cor 4:13). When the same thing happens to us today, let the wicked swell with their pride until they burst; and that it is enough for us to know that we are not yet precious in the eyes of God.
Thus, the lesson taught in this text is necessary in our time, it does not require any prolonged discussion to demonstrate it: We see the Church devoid of any material protection and lying under the feet of her enemies, who are full of wealth and are armed with terrible power. On the other hand, there are mixed among us, epicureans, who mock our simplicity. There are also many giants who overwhelm us with reproaches; and this baseness has lasted from the moment the gospel began to emerge from corruption to the present day. What remains to be done, then, if not that, finding ourselves surrounded by darkness on all sides, we seek the light of life in heaven? and that our soul, though it may be filled to the fullest with all kinds of reproaches, exhale prayers to God for deliverance with the importunity of the hungry?
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The expectation of the humiliated:
· Expectation of the righteous
Ps 62:6 Yes, my soul, trust in God! For from him comes my hope. Pr 24:14 Likewise, know wisdom for your soul; If you find it, there is a future, and your hope will not be destroyed. Phil 1:20 according to my firm expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed of anything, but that now as always Christ will be glorified in my body with full assurance, either by my life or by my death;
· Hope in God, commanded
Ps 25:5 Lead me into your truth, and teach me; For you are the God of my salvation, You are always my hope. Ps 27:14 Hope in the Lord! Strengthen yourself and let your heart strengthen! Hope in the Lord! Ps 62:6 Yes, my soul, trust in God! For from him comes my hope. Ps 123:2 He swore to the Lord, He made this vow to the powerful of Jacob: Pr 20:22 Do not say: I will return evil. Hope in the Lord, and He will deliver you. Isaiah 8:17 I hope in the Lord, Who hides his face in the house of Jacob; I place my trust in him. Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the Lord renew their strength. They take flight like eagles; They run, and do not tire, They walk, and do not tire. Hos 12:7 And you, return to your God, Keep piety and righteousness, and always hope in your God.
· False peace
Ps 123:4 Our soul is quite satiated with the mockery of the proud, the contempt of the haughty. Jer 6:14 They lightly heal the wound of the daughter of my people: Peace! peace! they say; And there is no peace; Ez 13:10 These things will happen because they lead my people astray, saying: Peace! when there is no peace. And my people build a wall, and they cover it with plaster. Am 6:1 Woe to those who live quietly in Zion, And safely on the mountain of Samaria, To those great of the first of the nations, To whom the house of Israel goes!…
· The proud
Ps 40:5 Blessed is the man who places his trust in the Lord, and who does not turn to haughty and liars! Ps 119:78, 85 Let them be confused, the proud ones who oppress me without cause! I meditate on your prescriptions. 85 Proud people dig pits before me; They do not act according to your law. Ps 123:4 Our soul is quite satiated with the mockery of the proud, the contempt of the haughty. Ps 138:6 The Lord is lifted up: He sees the humble, and He recognizes from afar the proud. Ml 3:15:19 Now we esteem the haughty ones happy; Yes, the wicked prosper; Yes, they tempt God, and they escape! 19 For behold, the day comes, Ardent as a furnace. All the haughty and all the wicked will be like stubble; The day that comes will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, He will leave them neither root nor branch. 1 Tim 6:4 he is swollen with pride, he knows nothing, and he has the sickness of idle questions and disputes of words, from which arise envy, quarrels, slander, bad suspicions, Jas 4:6 He grants, on the contrary, a more excellent grace; that is why Scripture says: God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
From all the above, we note that within the opprobrium that plagues his adversaries, begging him looks to Jehovah in heaven. He takes the happy attitude of a servant, who can expect care and protection from the hand of the one he serves. For verse 2 expresses a sense of trust, not subjection — although obviously subjection is implied. And whoever takes this attitude of subjection can count on protection: Language appropriate to the captives, at the moment when they set out on their long and dreary journey; those who were then “comfortable” in Babylon overwhelming them with insults and contempt. The “proud” of that time looked at them as a troop of poor pilgrims, the perfect objects of their taunts. They experience the same disdain in their present scattering among the nations or the Gentiles (Jer 30:17). They are always singled out. The vivified soul, which begins to turn to Jesus, can expect to be treated in the same way. For, in spirit, this psalm is the language of every believer who must know the opprobrium of the proud, and bear it joyfully. “You’re crazy, Paul! Your great knowledge makes you unreasonable” (Acts 26:24). Here we return to the pains of the residue, and what constitutes its resource. The blessing did not come completely; the residue looks to the Lord in heaven; but looking to him as the God of Israel, he now says, “Our God!” However, he is still overwhelmed by the insults of those who are at ease and by the contempt of the proud. May the Lord strengthen all of them in our walk in His footsteps.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” the faithful, returning from deportation, rejoices to have seen his homeland again.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.