 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 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. 3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. Meditation Christians are called to run the race God has marked out for us. Pilgrims on the path to Jerusalem sang this psalm journeying for worship, sacrifices, and feasts. Endurance and enjoyment for the journey had (at least) two key ingredients: Fixing eyes of faith upon the Lord and casting off contempt. Pilgrims see the Lord enthroned in heaven, as our master, and the One who gives mercy (1-2). Pilgrims cast off contempt, the disdain or disrespect or scorn of others. Mercy moves the matter (3) as the pilgrim’s weary soul cries for help (4). The Lord is the pilgrim’s only hope! Contempt cuts two ways. Towards the object, “Contempt is cold steel, going deeper than any other form of rejection.” Sarah had contempt for Hagar and sent her off (Genesis 16:4). For the bearer, contempt kills. Nabal’s contempt for David’s servants serves as proof (1 Samuel 25:10-11). Contempt harms the object as it hurts the one who carries it, a pain of hell (Daniel 12:2). Eyes of faith see how Jesus redeems contempt. Jesus bore the contempt of the wicked (Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 27:29) so His disciples would be able to count contempt a blessing (Acts 5:41). Eyes fixed on the Lord cast off contempt and celebrate the honor of receiving contempt in the name of Jesus. Like pilgrims, Christian endurance has (at least) two key ingredients: Casting off sin and fixing eyes of faith on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Contempt must be cast off and faith focused on Jesus. Richly Dwelling -Are you enduring the race the Lord has marked out for you? Why or why not? -How can fixing your eyes on the Lord and casting off contempt give you joy in the journey? -Jesus redeems contempt, taking it’s sting so we can not only cast if off but welcome it when we receive it in His name. Ask Jesus to redeem contempt in your life, freeing you to love others from a pure heart. Key Verses 3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Comments are closed.
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