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In contrast to the jubilant and expectant tone of the previous song, this fourth of the songs of ascent, Psalm 123, is subdued and contemplative. It is a prayer to the Lord, a plaintive plea: I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shall be gracious to us. Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant. Is it not true that often we do not come to the point of bowing our knee to the Lord until we are in a dire situation? Then, humbled, we earnestly petition Him and look attentively for His answer. For Israel, this psalm prophetically describes the day when they look to Him for mercy because they are being severely denounced and isolated. In the series of songs of ascent, which chronicle Israel's procession from the present crisis through to the triumphant rule of the Messiah Jesus in Jerusalem, this psalm is a very critical point. For Israel, they are indeed in a dire situation, because of the contempt and ridicule that the nations are inflicting on them. But this time, instead of relying on themselves, or relying on the empty promises of those who speak peace but act violently, they look to the Lord.
In the next song of ascent, we will see that the Lord does indeed hear their prayer, and emphatically takes action to come to their aid.
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