I was, by divine grace, enabled to bring all my sins and all my sorrows and lay them at the feet of Jesus, and to receive the blessed assurance that He had accepted me, all sinful and polluted as I was. ~ Elijah Parish Lovejoy

https://ebible.com/esv/psalms/123

Psalm 121 began with eyes that looked to the hills. The Psalmist is referencing Jerusalem–a city set in the midst of Mount Zion and Mount Moriah. Psalm 123 goes beyond the hills and looks to the one whose throne is above every hilltop–our heavenly Father. Not only has the writer lifted his eyes heavenward, he gives us a beautiful word picture of what it means to depend entirely upon God for needed assistance and continually wait upon him until it comes.

“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.” Psalm 123:2.

The picture is of a servant standing in the corner of the dining hall watching for the slightest hand motion of his master. This attentive servant would act the instant he saw any gesture that indicated a need. But, our writer isn’t waiting on tables, he is the one needing attention. What is it that he needs? –mercy.

The specific Hebrew word for mercy used in this passage is chanan. It means to bestow favor. It has the connotation of someone who leans down over another who is considered inferior and grants them relief from their distress.

As a collective song sung by traveling Israelites, it would have served as a reminder of all the hardship Israel had walked through. We can see that in the words as the Psalm continues:

“Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.” Psalm 123:3-4.

The words contempt and scorn are synonymous with ridicule, belittlement, and dishonor.

In our American culture today, it is difficult for us to take hold of this principle of depending upon God to grant us favor in contemptuous and scornful situations. We are more apt to be armed with bombastic rhetoric that makes us feel as though we have stood up for ourselves. But Father has not called us to win battles by fighting fire with fire. All that will do is spread the flames of contempt in greater measure. No, we have been given one weapon to disarm the enemy’s tactics and prideful machinations. –the cross.

It is the cross where God’s wrath concerning sin and disobedience is satisfied.

It is the cross where Jesus was dishonored so that we might be accepted in the beloved.

It is the cross where Jesus bore our shame so that we might display the freedom he gives.

It is the cross where we received mercy from our own contemptuous and scornful ways.

And, it is the message of the cross that is needed in order to change the heart of a prideful, contemptuous nation. Israel knew that she couldn’t save herself from the powerful enemies that surrounded her and continually taunted her with impending demise. However, when this song was written, Israel’s Messiah had not yet come. But, their eyes were turned heavenward, looking for the slightest activity that would suggest their promised deliverer was coming with his mercy and favor.

Is that not what we are in need of today? The difference is, we live on this side of the promise. Heavenly mercy and favor is freely given to anyone who humbles themselves before God and embraces the way of the cross, whether that be individuals or nations. What would happen if God’s people understood that we are all in need of God’s deliverance and mercy in this hour; and that we are not going to save ourselves by our own might. There is only one thing that will set us on a trajectory of healing and restoration in America–God’s mercy.

And, the Bible is clear on who receives that mercy–those who repent of their own prideful and contemptuous ways and then in turn are merciful to those around them.

Who knew we would be writing our own story of needing the kind of deliverance that Israel needed from God. It certainly is tempting to say that we see the writing on the wall and that our future looks bleak. But fortunately for us, this story is not one that is written in stone. The beautiful thing about God’s redemptive nature is that his mercy can rewrite any narrative–but the instrument he uses is not a writing utensil, it is always the cross.