To You I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to Jehovah our God,
Until He is gracious to us.
Be gracious to us, O Jehovah, be gracious to us,
For we are greatly filled with contempt.
Our soul is greatly filled
With the scoffing of those who are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud.
— Psalm 123
The statement, “We are greatly filled with contempt” (v. 3b) is very meaningful. When we love the Lord, the Lord disciplines us. When the Lord disciplines us, we are brought into a situation of contempt. We become what seems to be an unfortunate and unlucky person. It seems that everyone else is doing fine, but we are in a contemptible situation.
For example, a young brother among us graduated as valedictorian from a large high school. But when he applied to the local university to get a scholarship, they turned him down. They were so foolish, turning down a student with such great potential. Yet actually the Lord was using this university to discipline that dear brother. This was something of the Lord’s hand. When the brother graduated from high school at the top of his class, surely he was proud. He expected a scholarship from the local university. Meanwhile, all of his friends were receiving scholarships from one school after another, and this brother alone was rejected. He was in a situation of contempt.
When we don’t love the Lord, people respect us. Once we love the Lord, nothing goes smoothly. Isn’t this our experience? Before we love the Lord, we can be a “star.” Once we love the Lord, we are under everyone’s feet. This is why the psalmist says, “Be gracious to us, O Jehovah, be gracious to us; for we are greatly filled with contempt.” People despise us. Why? Because we are looking at the Lord’s hand. The Lord’s disciplinary hand is upon us. We experience many things that no one else understands.What can we do in such a situation? We can only pray, “Lord, be gracious to me. I need Your mercy.”
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 41-42.
Tomorrow: “Filled with Contempt”