John Calvin Commentary Psalms 123

I lift my eyes to thee, who dwellest in the heavens. It is uncertain at what time, or even by what Prophet, this Psalm was composed. I do not think it probable that David was its author; because, when he bewails the persecutions which he suffered in the time of Saul, it is usual with him to interpose some particular references to himself.

My opinion, then, is rather that this form of prayer was composed for all the godly by some Prophet, either when the Jews were captives in Babylon, or when Antiochus Epiphanes exercised towards them the most relentless cruelty. Be this as it may, the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration the Prophet delivered it to the people, calls upon us to have recourse to God, whenever wicked men unrighteously and proudly persecute, not one or two of the faithful only, but the whole body of the Church.

Moreover, God is here expressly called the God who dwelleth in the heavens, not simply to teach his people to estimate the divine power as it deserves, but also that, when no hope of aid is left for them on earth, or rather, when their condition is desperate, just as if they were laid in the grave, or as if they were lost in a labyrinth, they should then remember that the power of God remains in heaven in unimpaired and infinite perfection.

Thus these words seem to contain a tacit contrast between the troubled and confused state of this world and God’s heavenly kingdom, from where he so manages and governs all things, that whenever it pleases him, he calms all the agitations of the world, comes to the rescue of the desperate and the despairing, restores light by dispelling darkness, and raises up those who were cast down and laid prostrate on the ground.

This the Prophet confirms by the verb lift up; which suggests, that although all worldly resources fail us, we must raise our eyes upward to heaven, where God remains unchangeably the same, despite the mad impetuosity of men in turning all things here below upside down.

Behold as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters. This comparison is very suitable for the present case. It implies that without the protection of God, true believers have no comfort, are completely disarmed and exposed to all manner of wrongs, and have neither strength nor courage to resist; in short, their safety depends entirely on aid derived from another.

We know how shamefully servants were treated in ancient times, and what reproaches might be cast upon them, while they still dared not move a finger to repel the outrage. Therefore, being deprived of all means of defending themselves, the only thing that remained for them to do was, as is stated here, to crave the protection of their masters.

The same explanation is equally applicable to the case of handmaids. Their condition was indeed shameful and degrading; but there is no reason why we should be ashamed of, or offended at, being compared to slaves, provided God is our defender and takes our life under His guardianship; God, I say, who purposely disarms us and strips us of all worldly aid, that we may learn to rely upon His grace and be contented with it alone.

It having anciently been a capital crime for bondsmen to carry a sword or any other weapon, and as they were exposed to injuries of every kind, their masters were accustomed to defend them all the more spiritedly when anyone attacked them without cause. Nor can it be doubted that God, when He sees us placing an exclusive dependence upon His protection and renouncing all confidence in our own resources, will, as our defender, confront and shield us from all the hostile actions that may be directed against us.

It is, however, certain that we have here, properly, the description of a period in which the people of God were reduced to a state of extreme necessity and brought even to the brink of despair. As for the word hand, it is very well known to stand for help.

Have mercy upon us, O Jehovah! etc. The Psalmist expounds upon and confirms the preceding teaching. He had said that the godly, finding themselves utterly broken in spirit and cast down, intently directed their eyes to the hand of God; now he adds that they are filled with reproach. From this we learn that the wicked not only assaulted them by such ways of violence as came to their minds, but that by their mockery they, so to speak, trampled underfoot the children of God.

The repetition of the prayer, Have mercy upon us, which is a sign of strong and fervent desire, indicates that they were reduced to the utmost misery. When insult is added to wrongs, there is nothing which inflicts a deeper wound upon sound minds. The Prophet therefore complains chiefly of that, as if it were the culmination of all calamities.

He says that rich and proud men treated the Church with insolent triumph, for it commonly happens that those who are elevated in the world look down with contempt upon the people of God. The splendor of their honor and power dazzles their eyes, so that they disregard God’s spiritual kingdom. Indeed, the more the wicked prosper and are favored by fortune, the more their pride swells, and the more violently it foams.

This passage teaches us that it is nothing new for the Church to be held in contempt by the children of this world who abound in riches. The epithet proud is justly applied to the same persons who are described as rich, for wealth breeds pride of heart. Furthermore, as we see that in times past the Church of God was covered with reproaches and pointed at with the finger of scorn, we should not be discouraged if the world despises us, nor should we allow our faith to be shaken by the wicked when they assault us with their scoffs, indeed, even defame us with their injurious and insulting language.

We must always bear in mind what is recorded here: that the heart, not of one person only, or of a few, but of the whole Church, was filled not merely with the violence, cruelty, cunning, and other evil deeds of the wicked, but also with reproaches and mockery. It is also to be remembered that all the loftiness and pride existing in the world are here represented as in opposition to the Church, so that she is considered no better than the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things, as the Apostle Paul declares (1 Corinthians 4:13).

When the same thing happens to us today, let us leave the wicked to swell with their pride until they burst; and let it be enough for us to know that we are nevertheless precious in the sight of God. By the verb cloy, especially as it is emphatically repeated, the Prophet intended to express a long-continued oppression, which filled the hearts of the godly with weariness and sorrow.

It requires no lengthy discussion to demonstrate how necessary the lesson taught in this text is in our own time. We see the Church lacking all worldly protection and lying at the feet of her enemies, who abound in riches and are armed with dreadful power. We see the Papists boldly rising up and with all their might pouring out their mockeries against us and the whole service of God.

On the other hand, mingled among us and flying about everywhere are Epicureans, who deride our simplicity. There are also many giants who overwhelm us with reproaches; and this baseness has lasted from the time that the Gospel began to emerge from the corruptions of Popery even to this day.

What then remains to be done, but that, finding ourselves surrounded by darkness on all sides, we seek the light of life in heaven? And that our soul, although it may be filled to satiety with all kinds of reproaches, breathe forth prayers to God for deliverance with the persistence of the famished?