A Merciful Master (Psalm 123)

This sermon was preached to Ballymena Baptist Church on 4 January 2026. The manuscript for the sermon can be found below.

Well, there is no use denying it. Despite this recent sprinkling of snow, Christmas is well and truly behind us. The leftover turkey is finally finished. The last tin of Roses is now empty. The schools start back tomorrow. And if it isn’t already down, the Christmas tree will soon be back in its box for another year. Christmas is over, and the New Year is here, full of hope and promise for some, fear and anxiety for others, and probably a mixture of all those things for most of us. Who knows what lies in store for you in 2026, what joys you may experience, what trials you may encounter. As we sit here at the start of January, this new year stretches out before each one of us, with unknown possibilities and perils waiting for us as we journey along our path.

Which is why I decided to take the opportunity to turn to this particular portion of the Psalter, the book of Psalms. To a section known as The Songs of Ascent. If you aren’t familiar with this section of the Psalms, it runs from Psalm 120 to 134. And it is called ‘The Songs of Ascent’ because these 15 psalms were likely sung as God’s people went on their annual pilgrimages up to Jerusalem. As they ascended, travelled up, to the temple to celebrate the Jewish festivals and feasts each year, they would sing these 15 songs. Just as we might listen to a Spotify playlist when we are out for a walk, or to our favourite album in the car, God’s people would listen to these 15 songs as they travelled along the road. And it doesn’t take long to see why they did this, for if you read through them, you’ll realise that these 15 psalms cover almost every circumstance that you might find yourself in when you are on a long and dangerous journey. In this album, there is a song you can sing for when you are in need, and another for when you feel great fear. There is a song for when you are celebrating, and another for when you are grieving. This collection seems to have a psalm to sum up almost every experience or emotion that God’s people might face as they travel along their path. And I believe that that was not only true for those in the Old Testament, as they journeyed to the earthly Jerusalem each year, but it is also true for us today as we too journey towards the New Jerusalem, travel down the path that God lays before us, gradually ascend towards that eternal temple, we too can sing and pray through these same psalms on our journey. Friends, in this section of the Psalter, you can find a song for every season. That is, not the natural seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. But the spiritual seasons we pass through: times of need or fear, grief or thanksgiving.

This evening, we are looking at one of the shortest psalms within this collection, Psalm 123. Indeed, it is so short that Spurgeon quipped it is really more of a sigh than a song! It only has four verses, and we are going to see there are two truths entwined in it: (1) You have a master (123:1-2); and (2) he is merciful (123:3-4). And I trust we will see how this song, these two truths, can steady our hearts and satisfy our souls, as we journey on into 2026.

1.     YOU HAVE A MASTER (123:1-2)

Our psalm begins, ‘To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!’ Now, if you are familiar with the Psalms, you will know it is common for the psalmist to turn his eyes toward God. For example, Psalm 25:15 declares, ‘My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.’ However, here his gaze is said to be not just towards the Lord, but specifically upwards, toward God who is in the heavens. And if you are Christian, I’m sure at some point you’ve found yourself doing something similar. When facing difficulties or distress, it is natural for us to turn our eyes toward heaven. Perhaps when we are praying, crying out for God’s help, we even physically raise our chin, lift our eyes, look up! However, have you ever asked why we do this? What is it about God’s heavenly dwelling that draws our eyes? Why do we look toward heaven, when in distress on earth? Afterall if God is everywhere, we could look in any direction towards him! And yet, it still seems so natural for us to look up to the heavens, when crying out for help.

One of the things we’ve really enjoyed about moving back to the area is that generally wherever you are, you can see the same landmark on the horizon. We’ll be driving somewhere in the car as a family, and I will say, ‘Can anyone find Slemish?’ And after a few seconds one of us will inevitably spot it and shout out, ‘I see it, I see Slemish!’. Slemish is something that we are able to look up to wherever we are around Ballymena. However, I imagine that none of you, when facing a moment of crisis or trouble, have turned to Slemish and cried up to it or to someone on it for help. That would be silly, wouldn’t it? Just because something or someone is high doesn’t mean they are helpful! So, what is it about God being high up in heaven that draws us when in distress?

Well, as one commentator puts it, it is because the fact that God is in heaven must be understood not simply to be a statement of geography but also one of theology. It is far less about where God is, and far more about who God is. For God’s heavenly dwelling is meant to highlight certain aspects of his nature to us. For example, it shows God is different to us (he is not an earthy creature bound by this realm of time and space). It pictures his vision over us (he sees all things from this great height). It shows his vastness beyond us (the fact that this earth cannot contain him). And it stresses his separation from us (that he is both distanced from and undefiled by our sin). Those are just some of the many truths that can be deduced from, are illustrated by, God’s heavenly dwelling. And yet, here in Psalm 123, we are not left to guess which aspect the Psalmist is stressing, for he makes it perfectly clear. For there in 123:1, he tells us that he is lifting his eyes up not to the God who is in the heavens, but rather to the God who is enthronedin the heavens. [READ] It is the fact that God is reigning and ruling from a heavenly throne, that that is what causes this psalmist to look up, cry out. It is not merely that God is above all things, or can see all things, or is beyond all things, but rather that he is sovereign over all things. That, that is the truth that draws his, can draw our, eyes towards heaven. It is the fact that we know (to put it crassly) that there is a king in the clouds, a monarch up there who has all the ability and authority, might and right, power and permission, to do whatever, whenever, with whomever he pleases. That is how the psalmist puts it so clearly elsewhere in Psalm 115:3, ‘Our God is in the heavens; […] he does all that he pleases.’ Or in Psalm 103:19, ‘The LORD has established his throne in heaven, […] and his kingdom rules over all.’

This is a key theme that runs the whole way through the Psalter, indeed right at the very beginning, back in Psalm 2, we are given the first striking picture of it when we are told that the nations are raging and kings of the earth plotting against the Lord and his anointed. And yet, the psalmist responds to this by writing, ‘He who sits in the heaven laughs…’. The greatest opposition that this earth could ever muster is not considered to be anything other than a joke, a delusion, a matter for derision, in the throne room of heaven. When all the powers and principalities of this world come together against our God, it does not make him tremble; instead, it makes him chuckle. That is how utterly tremendous, entirely comprehensive, completely unshakeable, his sovereign rule really is. And that is why we turn our eyes to the heavens, when we find ourselves in distress on earth. For we know that there, up there is a king, who is seated on a throne, reigning and ruling over all.

And so brothers and sisters, as we cross over the threshold of another year, I’ll make the very obvious and yet no less important application for us. No matter what lies in store for us this year, we know that the Lord will remain enthroned in the heavens. I don’t many of you well, I don’t know the specific circumstances of your life. Maybe you are waiting for the hospital to come back to you with test results, or worried about the direction a loved one is going in, perhaps you are concerned that you won’t be able to make ends meet this year. Or maybe you are fine this evening, have no inkling at all that anything life changing may be coming your way in 2026. And yet, no matter what happens, we see here that God not only sees what is coming, but is sovereign over it, has planned and purposed it all. Friends, there are no rogue cells or random atoms, there are no misfortunes or accidents in this universe, for it is his universe. Yes, this may be a new year, but the same ruler is still seated on heaven’s throne. And how comforting it is to be able to cast our cares upon this king! The one whose arm is not too short to save, nor ear too dull to hear. Christian, if he is able to uphold the whole universe by the word of his power, what makes you think he won’t be able to carry you? Keep you through another year?

As one 19th century hymnwriter puts it, ‘This is my Father’s world; O let me ne’er forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns; let earth be glad.’

Our psalm begins in 123:1 by declaring that we can look to the Lord, that no matter what happens on earth, that there is still a king in heaven. However, it doesn’t stop there. For it moves on in 123:2 to explain that not only is he our monarch, but he is also our master. For there we read: [READ] Such is the importance of this illustration, the Psalmist says it twice, uses the masculine and then feminine version (servant and maidservant), to highlight the true nature of our relationship with this king.

That is actually a question I have to regularly consider at work: What is the true nature of this relationship? You see, I studied law at university and have went on to practice it as a solicitor, specialising in employment law. And when a company comes to me for help with a problem or a project, my first question is almost always the same: What is the nature of your relationship with this person or this group of people we are speaking about? Are they your employees? Are they engaged less formally as workers? Or are they independent self-employed contractors? For you see, the kind of legal relationship the client has with them will determine the responsibilities that they have for them and the obligations that they are owed in return. Unless you understand the true nature of that relationship, you won’t know how you should act, what you must do so as to stay on the right side of the law. And the same is true when we consider our relationship with the Lord, this king who is enthroned in the heavens. In 123:1 we learned that we are his subjects, for he reigns and rules over all. However, here the psalmist goes on to say that we are also his servants. That the Lord is not just this universe’s master, but that he also your master. And that should influence and impact all we do this year.

If you are here tonight and are not a Christian, not following Jesus as your king, serving this Lord as your master, I wonder if you can at least admit that there is something attractive about all this? That this faith that perhaps your parents have, or your friends have, has something appealing to it? In the end we all go through hard times. If you haven’t found yourself in distress at some point in life so far, you probably just haven’t lived long enough yet! For at some stage, you will be struggling or suffering, and in that moment where will you turn? Who will you look to for help? Your parents? Your friends? Yourself? What if there is someone else? One who is seated on a heavenly throne, with whom all things are possible? If there is such a God in heaven, would that not be a far better source of salvation than any you might find here on earth? Well, that is what Christianity offers. And not just that, for it not only tells you of someone you can look to, but also someone you can live for! A master, who we are about to hear, is merciful. The best boss you could ever have. Given that you are going to spend your life serving something, someone, why not this God? Is such a life not at least worth thinking about? Investigating further?

2.     AND HE IS MERCIFUL (123:3-4)

It is here that our psalm has something of a twist in it, goes in a different direction to what we might expect. For having highlighted the height of this heavenly throne, the majesty of this monarch, the authority of this king, and of how we stand in a relationship of servitude to him, you might expect the psalm to go on to speak of such service. To call us to carry out our king’s commands, obey his orders, extend his heavenly kingdom here on earth. And yet, the rest of the psalm goes in a different direction, focuses on something else entirely.

Now, of course, if we read the first half of the psalm closely, we see that the psalmist was preparing for this turn all along. For example, did you notice that 1:2 speaks not of how we are servants listening for what God will say, but rather we are watching for what God will do. Did you notice that? Is that not strange to you when you think about it? You would expect servants to be listening to or at least looking at the mouth of their master, waiting to hear his orders and instructions. And yet, instead in 1:2 we are told that we are looking not to the mouth, but to the hand of this master. That it is his work for us, not our work for him, that is to receive our greatest attention. I wonder if that is a timely reminder for you at the start of this year, as you get ready to busy yourself once again in the work of the Lord, as the rotas for church activities return and your calendar is filled up with all kinds of good deeds. For in all of our busyness, we must take care not to be so focused on looking at our hands and what we are doing for this king, that we forget to look at his hands and see what he is doing for us. Yes, we are to be servants, busy in the work of the Lord, but we are to be servants who also look to the hands of their master, to see what he is doing too. And what we are looking for is made explicit at the very end of 1:2, when we are told that what we are watching for his mercy. This is then taken up in the rest of the psalm, where the psalmist leads us to cry together: [READ]

We have already learnt that this monarch, this master, is mighty. That he is enthroned in the heavens, reigning and ruling over all. However, now we learn that he is also merciful. That, as the puritan Stephen Charnock puts it, ‘though his throne be high, his bowels are tender.’ Or to paraphrase it differently, here we see that this king is not just absolute in power, but also abundant in mercy. And his mercy is essential, for above all else it is this mercy that we need most.

Firstly, we need mercy for our sin. If you are here tonight and are not a Christian, that is what you need most. Yes, you need someone to look to. You need someone to live for. But even more than that, you need someone to love you. Someone to love you so much that they would be willing to pay the price of sin on your behalf. To suffer the punishment you deserve for all the wrong things that you have done, all the ways you have defied this monarch, rebelled against this master. And that love, that mercy, is what we have just celebrated at Christmas. For Christmas is the story of how we find the master of the universe lying in a manager. Of how this king was not content merely to have servants, but decided to become a servant. Not to just live as a man, but to die as a man. In mercy, Jesus Christ went to the cross so that all who would turn from their sin and trust in him are forgiven, washed and cleansed, brought into his kingdom as servants and citizens of God. Friends, the greatest triumph of this heavenly throne was on a earthly cross. Because our King is not just mighty, but also merciful, we can be saved. You can be saved, if you would only lift your eyes and cry out for him to have mercy upon you this evening. For if you would only lift your eyes in faith and look to the hands of this master, you would see the nail prints on his palm, declaring that there is mercy for you.

First, we need mercy for our sin. And yet, secondly, here in Psalm 123, we see that we also need mercy for the sins of others. Or to put it differently, one of the reasons we need mercy from God in heaven is because we so rarely get it from anyone here on earth. That is what the psalmist speaks of, is what prompts his prayer: [READ]

That analogy of having ‘more than enough’ is one that we are probably all too familiar with this side of Christmas. It is a Hebrew figure of speech that speaks of overindulging, overeating, being so satiated with something that the thought of it now makes us sick. If I have another mince pie, if I see another slice of turkey, taste another chocolate! And yet, what the psalmist is sick of is not what he has eaten, but how he has been treated. Namely, how he has been mistreated by the powerful and popular, the well-off and wealthy, those who are proud and living an easy life in this world. We don’t know the historical context that caused this psalm to be composed, the exact situation it speaks of. Most suggest that it was penned when Israel returned from exile, and Nehemiah and his workers were receiving such abuse and mockery from the surrounding nations for trying to rebuild the city. That’s possible. And yet, when we step back, we can see that this is a common situation for God’s people to be in. Long before the exile, Joseph was mocked and mistreated by his brothers. Israel was enslaved and incarcerated in Egypt. And when we turn to the New Testament, it is even more prominent. Paul speaks of the apostles being treated as the scum of the earth. Acts records how the early church was hated and persecuted by those around them. And such persecution continues down to this day, as Christians around the world continue to suffer scorn and contempt.

Earlier we heard how the Songs of Ascent provide with prayers that we can use in different situations in life, that within this collection we can find a song for every season we may go through. This psalm speaks of a season when you have been battered and bruised by life, feel thoroughly fed up with the whole thing. If you want to put it in plain old Ulster-Scots, here we see that Psalm 123 is a song for when you are scundered. When you feel fed up with how things are, how life is going, how people treat you. You are sick of it, sick of them, you’ve had enough.

I wonder if you were really honest, you would say that that is how you feel tonight. For all of the bright lights and distraction of Christmas, nothing has really changed. Tomorrow morning you will be back to work again with that difficult colleague who keeps making snide remarks, or at school where your classmates make fun of your faith, perhaps even you have a teacher who looks down at you for being a Christian. Maybe it is your family who give you a hard time. A sibling who thinks you need to stop taking your faith thing so seriously. A spouse who resents how church disrupts your Sundays. Children who are embarrassed at what they say are your intolerant and bigoted views. I wonder if we sometimes feel like this in our churches? We feel a bit fed up with each other, but even more than that with how this world treats us. It is striking, isn’t it, that this psalm isn’t just a personal prayer. It starts that way in 123:1, but from 123:2 it seems the psalmist is leading a whole group of people in crying out to God to have mercy upon ‘us’. As churches, we can sometimes feel fed up like this, feel that we are misunderstood, misquoted, misrepresented in our culture. That Stephen Nolan never seems to give Christians on his radio show the space to actually articulate their view, but he always makes us sound like we are some nutters, extreme fanatics, dangerous hypocrites. And frankly, you feel fed up with it all. Fed up with being laughed at and looked down on. And you reckon 2026 isn’t going to be any better than 2025 was, indeed, it could well be worse! Well, if you feel like that tonight, then you need to know that this, this is the song, the psalm for you. And that like those Old Testament pilgrims singing this song as they walked along their path, you too need to be bringing these two truths to mind as you journey through this year ahead.

For you could well be right. 2026 could be worse than 2025. This world could continue to look down at you, treat you with contempt, with scorn. And yet, even if that is the case, we see here in Psalm 123, that when the world looks down at us, we can always look up to God, the one who is enthroned in the heavens.

Brothers and sisters, none of us know all that 2026 will bring, and yet there is one thing that I can guarantee is coming your way. For if you are serving this master, following this king, I can promise you that there something you will receive from his hand this year. You will not get what your sins deserve. You will not get what your enemies desire. But instead, you will receive mercy. For this Psalm reminds us that you have a master, a mighty master, a God who even now is enthrone in the heavens, reigning and ruling over all, and that he is merciful.