Psalms 123:1-4

Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes.

The prayer of the eyes

The prayer of the eyes. Have you never seen it in the eyes of patient poverty, of distress, of oppression, of the sick child? This prayer recognizes God’s glory (verse 1) and God’s graciousness (verse 3). It is the prayer of silence, of deference, of reverence, of trustfulness. It is beseeching, waiting, observant prayer. All this is implied in verses 1, 2. It is the prayers of eyes that watch carefully the signs of “the hands” of the King.

I. That watch for His directing hand.

1. In things temporal.

2. To spiritual service.

II. That watch for His delivering and vindicating hand. He will avenge His people for the sorrow produced by the “scorn of easeful souls,” and by the “spite of the proud” (verse 4). No law acts more surely than the law of retribution.

III. That watch for His supplying hand. What ministers wait on maul Even God becomes man’s minister; and employs all natural forces and all angelic beings, and all the agencies of grace on man’s behalf.

IV. That watch for His correcting hand. The contempt and scorn of the enemy are often His discipline, bitter disciplines that “exceedingly fill” the soul of the humble people of God with shame and grief. But eyes of prayer look beyond the disciplines to the glory which they forecast, and are patient.

V. That watch for His rewarding hand. Alsted has called this psalm “The Eye of Hope.” And an upward glancing expectant hopefulness is the very spirit of it. The prayer of the eyes is the prayer of expectation; and the vision of the King shall yet broaden into the vision of the inheritance which awaits His true people, who now have few friends and comforters. (R. Corlett Cowell.)

The devout suffering soul

I. The attitude of a devout soul.

1. Up-looking (verse 1). Physically, man is the only being on earth upon whom the Creator has conferred an erect countenance, as if his very physical formation were intended to teach him that his eyes should be raised towards the skies, and that he should hold intercourse with Him who dwells in heaven. Other animals look down upon the ground, their faces are bent towards the earth. Man is God-like, erect, with native honour clad. The heathen themselves recognized this seal of divinity on the brow of man, and, in the beautiful language of the Greek, the word “man” describes him as a being whose honour it is to look up. But mentally so conscious are we of dependence on God, that even the worst of men are forced at times to look up to Him in the heavens. “From Him alone cometh our help.” This is the regular attitude of a devout soul, looking up to the Infinite. Is there a more sublime mood of being than this? The millions are looking down to worldly things and worldly pleasures, and the highest objects on which most look are the little social magnates of the hour. But the true soul looks up to the Infinite Father.

2. Up-looking for a practical purpose (verse 2). The hand is the symbol of power, by the slave’s eyes being turned towards his master’s hand is meant that he watches carefully for the least intimation of his will. Or the hand may be taken as the instrument of giving, and the reference may be to the slave’s absolute dependence on his master. Or it may be the chastising hand that is meant: as the slave looks with entreaty to his master’s deprecating punishment (Isaiah 9:13), so the psalmist’s eyes are turned wistfully to God, until He have pity. The tone of the psalm, however, indicates hopeful trust rather than humble submission. The future of His people is entirely in His hands: He will be sure some day to have mercy on His own.

II. The need of a suffering soul (verse 3). Some suggest the circumstances narrated in Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 4:1, as suitable to the composition of this psalm: others prefer the times of persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes: others, again, suggest, on the grounds of similarity of language, common authorship with Psalms 120:1. What is the need of a suffering soul? Mercy--to calm, succour, strengthen, guide, and deliver. IV conclusion:--.This psalm is a lesson of meekness. When we ere fancying ourselves scorned or forgotten, what have we to do but to look up to God and entreat His favour? It is pity for ourselves, and not vengeance on our foes, that we should seek. At the same time, we must be ready to obey like slaves waiting for some token of their master’s will. (Homilist.)

The habit of looking upward

Dr. Culross told of a Spanish fable about a family that had nothing very remarkable about them, but there was this which seemed to signalize them from other families in the neighbourhood--every member of the family had a peculiar habit of looking upward. They became scattered in the course of years, hut wherever one of them went, somehow or other they were always known by their neighbours and friends by this one peculiar habit. That is a very good family to belong to, and I trust that all here to-night do belong to it, and live looking upward. You know that story about Michael Angelo. He was so accustomed to look up at the fresco ceilings of the various churches and cathedrals upon which he worked, that he actually got into the habit of looking up. His head seemed to get that peculiar direction given to it, so that even when he was walking along the streets of Rome, there he was, looking upward. Let us remember, then, this first thing that we are called upon to do in the motto--“Look up, not down.” (J. S. Poulton.)