Psalm 123: The Servant Song

For Meditation

This past month, we have lived daily with the experience of contempt, the key complaint of Psalm 123. Contempt is when people are treated without dignity or worth. When someone’s value is demeaned, or when they are scorned by others, they have been shown contempt. Contempt is also a disregard for law and structure established to maintain justice. So when people are treated unevenly, unfairly and when their rights are stepped on, they are experiencing contempt. Many in our country are crying out what this Psalm bleeds, “We have had enough contempt!”

This Psalm gives us wisdom on what to do with the contempt we experience, what to do when we are fed up. It starts with how we view God, then how we see ourselves. The Psalm calls us to see ourselves as servants of a merciful Master who helps us journey in a life full of contempt. Read Psalm 123 over several times slowly. Ask God to help you hear what it conveys. Then meditate on the following questions:

  • How does the Psalm view God differently than I usually think of him?

  • How does viewing myself as a servant change the way I talk to God and relate to him?

  • Think about a time you experienced contempt. How did you react? What did you do with it? What does the Psalm call you to do when you have had enough of contempt?

  • How does seeing yourself as servant of a merciful master help you in this life filled with contempt?

Read over the Psalm again and then speak to God about your own situation with the same approach as this Psalm.

Psalm 123 (ESV)

1 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

Play along from home this week!

We’ve created parts for band and orchestral instruments, so you can play along to some of our worship songs this week! Find the parts here.

Lead your own Home Worship Service

We are currently encouraging small gatherings with Parish Groups, home groups, or several households for worship. You can watch the online worship service on Sunday morning together, or lead your own worship service using the home worship resources we provide. The home worship service guide follows the same rhythms of that week’s live service. Sing along to prerecorded music, bring a guitar, or sing unaccompanied! We will also provide resources to lead a Bible study as an alternative to watching the sermon.

SermonBecca PayneSongs for the Journey, Ed Satterfield