This short psalm pictures prayer through a single, carefully chosen image — not shouting for attention, not making demands, but the quiet, attentive watching of a servant who has learned to read even the smallest movement of a master’s hand.
A study in Psalm 123 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 8 min read
Unto Thee Lift I Up Mine Eyes
“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.”
Psalm 123:1
This opens exactly where I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes Unto The Hills left off, but shifts the destination — not the hills anymore, but heaven itself, the writer looking straight past every intermediate landmark to the actual source.
The Eyes Of Servants Look Unto The Hand
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.”
Psalm 123:2
A household servant watches a master’s hand specifically, not the face or the voice, because the hand is where instructions actually show up first, a small gesture often enough to direct the next task — the psalm pictures prayer as this same kind of practiced, attentive readiness.
We Are Exceedingly Filled With Contempt
“Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.”
Psalm 123:3-4
“Those that are at ease” names a specific, familiar sting — scorn from people whose own comfortable circumstances have made them careless toward anyone struggling, mockery that costs the mocker nothing at all.
