Psalms 123:3. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us:
The longing soul does not wait in utter silence without expressing its desires. I have heard of some who have said that their will was so fully conformed to God’s will that they had left off praying to him, but surely that was a satanic delusion, for the will of Christ was perfectly conformed to that of his Father, yet for that very reason he abounded in prayer. We must be in an evil case if we leave off praying. The psalmist says that he and those who were like-minded with him waited until the Lord had mercy upon them, and then he began a sort of litany, "Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us." He uses the same words twice as if to express the greatness of his need, the clearness of his perception of what he needed, the earnestness of his desire, and his expectation that his need would be supplied. In this verse and the previous one, we have the petition, "Have mercy upon us," presented no less than three times, for mercy is the greatest need of the best man who ever lived.
Psalms 123:3. For we are exceedingly filed with contempt.
That is a sharp cutting thing, most trying to the soul that has to endure it; and many have been greatly depressed in spirit by the contempt that has been poured upon them. But, Lord, thy mercy is a cure for man’s want of mercy; thy thoughtfulness of us will take off the edge from man’s contempt of us.
Psalms 123:3. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us:
The longing soul does not wait in utter silence without expressing its desires. I have heard of some who have said that their will was so fully conformed to God’s will that they had left off praying to him, but surely that was a satanic delusion, for the will of Christ was perfectly conformed to that of his Father, yet for that very reason he abounded in prayer. We must be in an evil case if we leave off praying. The psalmist says that he and those who were like-minded with him waited until the Lord had mercy upon them, and then he began a sort of litany, "Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us." He uses the same words twice as if to express the greatness of his need, the clearness of his perception of what he needed, the earnestness of his desire, and his expectation that his need would be supplied. In this verse and the previous one, we have the petition, "Have mercy upon us," presented no less than three times, for mercy is the greatest need of the best man who ever lived.
Psalms 123:3. For we are exceedingly filed with contempt.
That is a sharp cutting thing, most trying to the soul that has to endure it; and many have been greatly depressed in spirit by the contempt that has been poured upon them. But, Lord, thy mercy is a cure for man’s want of mercy; thy thoughtfulness of us will take off the edge from man’s contempt of us.