In Psalm 123, the Psalmist emphasizes the importance of the believer’s eyes in his or her walk of faith by referring four times to “our eyes” (verses 1-2). The Psalmist refers to two human examples from the world who “look to the hand of their” employers (i.e., specifically “slaves to masters and maids to mistresses”). This applies to almost all of us – like slaves, or servants [i.e., employees] – who are completely dependent on their employers for everything, we look to our heavenly Master for His daily care, discipline, guidance, provisions, needs, and leadership. In the same way, the Psalmist says that “our eyes look to the LORD our God till He show us His mercy” (verse 2). Where we look (i.e., the direction of our sight), how we look (i.e., the intensity of our focus), and what we look at (i.e., the object of our vision) all exert a powerful effect on our walk and our relationship with the Lord. We are deeply in need of and seek God’s mercy (repeated three times in this short Psalm). For this reason, we must “look to the LORD” (verse 2), and not neglect this need. God is faithful, and He has promised to pour out His mercy on us abundantly. Thank God for this beautiful little Psalm!
In Ezekiel 20:45-22:22, we see several prophecies that God gave to Ezekiel. Here, we see the different ways God brought judgment upon the people for their sins. God told Ezekiel to prophesy against the southern forest, against the sanctuary, against the people of Israel, and against the city of Jerusalem. Burning the forest would devastate the land and leave the Israelites without a food source – contributing to famine and pestilence. This would be followed by “the sword – cutting off both the righteous and the wicked” (verse 4). For His reasons alone, God’s judgment does not discriminate, and good people sometimes go down with the wicked. It may seem unfair, but we recognize that fairness in life is by no means promised to us. God is all-wise, we are all-guilty, and we are all-undeserving of His mercy and His grace. If He chooses to spare us, that’s infinite mercy. God will judge Jerusalem and the sanctuary at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and the ruins “will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs,” a messianic reference to Christ (verse 27). In chapter 22, we recognize that these realities – fire, a sword, testing, the king of Babylon, and even captivity – are God’s appropriate instruments of judgment on the Israelites for their “detestable practices” (verse 2). God’s ultimate purpose is clear – to teach the Israelites to “know that He is the LORD” (verse 22).
Hebrews 10:19-39 further reminds us that we have the promises of a High Priest Who opened the way for us to enter “confidently” into God’s very presence (verse 19). Therefore, we should make every effort to “draw near” to Him and lay “hold” of our hope in Him. Earlier in chapter 6, we saw the fifth “Let us” statement of Hebrews – “Let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity” (cf., Hebrews 6:1). Here in chapter 10, we see three more “Let us” statements: [6] “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart” (verse 22); [7] “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (verse 23); and [8] “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (verse 24). To these statements, the writer adds more: he admonishes us to encourage one another, to persevere, to remember our sufferings and to endure in spite of them, and to avoid “shrinking back” (verse 38). Jesus, our High Priest, has identified with us in all our struggles, and He is “able to help us to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need” (cf., Hebrews 4:16).
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