Devotional Short Note to Psalm 123: Calvin felt that the Psalm speaks to the church of all ages. Luther thought that it is the strong sigh of a pained heart, which look round on all sides and seeks friends, protectors and comforters (see Hengstenberg). The psalmist lift up his eyes but not to mountains only, but higher, to God Who are enthroned in the heavens. The rule of God is cardinal (123:1).

Then it seems as if David, if he is the author, cited a well-known Phoenician poem since two Phoenician loanwords popped up during the citation. It is the relative pronoun /š/ in Phoenician.

The citation consists of an image of a servant and his master but also a servant female and her mistress. We may go off on slavery and further discussions on that issue here but focus first on the role of Women or the Female in David’s day. She is a mistress “gebirtah”. Normally the noun is used to indicate “strong man” but with the feminine suffix one has to say “strong women”. Powerful woman. Woman in power. Empowered woman. Where is the Woman Ordination lament that the Old Testament cannot be our example in the modern day since females were only cooking and not in managerial positions? Where are the attempts of feministic liberation theologians to “rewrite” the Old Testament with “her” instead of “him”? Solomon wrote in Proverbs 31 (probably a nickname for Solomon = Lemuel) that his mother taught him about females: “She considers the field and buys it” (Proverbs 31:16). Business persons! The female oppression that we experience in our own days are out of step with practices of the time of the Bible. Despite females’ role almost equal to men in those days, woman ordination was only practiced among the heathen religions, not in Israelite religion. Thus, Israel was not “verkramp” or “narrow-minded” or “uncivilized” when they did not ordain females.

“Behold, as the eyes of servants unto the hand of their masters, as the eyes, that [Phoenician] are looking unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are unto the Lord our God, until that [Phoenician] He is gracious to us” (123:2). I grew up in Apartheid years South Africa as a child. We had many black workers working for us. They could come and go if they so please. One lady, Anna, a Xhosa who also spoke Sesuto and Afrikaans, worked for us for over 25 years. I did not see Anna as a slave and Anna did not see us as masters and mistresses. There were days when she read us the rules regarding her clean floors or dropping the clothing just on the floor and so forth. She was the general and we were the soldiers. Slavery will be relative in houses that are not Christian as opposed those who are. We were Adventists fairly early in my life.

The focus is not slavery here but like a slave would watch the hand of the person explaining the work program, so we are watching for grace from the Lord (123:3a). “For fully sated are we with contempt”. This word contempt is buz in Hebrew and not used many times. Moses used it 3x in Job and 1x in Genesis. It is used 5x in Psalms and one of David’s psalms as well, Psalm 31:19. It is used the most in the works of Solomon: Proverbs 10x and Canticles 3x. It is seen one time in Nehemiah and also in Zechariah. Is this psalm of David? Most likely although many commentaries want to make it after the exile. The scarcity of this word for the exile makes me opt for the time of David and Solomon when this word was very popular. “Contempt”.

“Fully sated to it, is our soul” (123:4a). We are in calm amid scorning “of those who are at ease” and with the contempt of “the proud oppressors”. Attitude plays a big part in relations with workers and those who are subordinate. Self-concepts and a baggage of minority complexes and other problems can distort the attitude in relationships and create miscommunication and misunderstandings. Overseers can “oppress” without even thinking about it. Sometimes workers have also complexes and problems and they easily are tripwire for reaction. The ideal relationship is when the worker and employer are Christians. Let me tell you this how the hand of the Lord worked. I was working in Japan when my mother died. Father was alone. My studyloan amounted to an amount of over $10 000. My father’s debt for purchasing their house and land from the same bank was over $7000. The bank stepped in when they considered my mother’s trust and wanted bankruptcy and grabbing. The week came when my father announced that they are coming to take everything. My boss in Japan was a secular Buddhist. Mr. Kobayashi asked me in the office why I looked so sad. After pressing me I told him my situation. He disappeared. Three hours later he asked me to come and see him. He offered to pay both my loan and my father’s debt in one payment on condition that I stay working for him until it is paid back. The next day our bank in South Africa received the full amount of $17 000 in Japanese Yen. My father and I were in tears and on our knees in two countries. Three years later my debt was paid. By a secular Buddhist? God uses anyone He sees fit to use. Even non-Christians. The hand of the One you really working for, keep looking.