As we zero in on the second half of the psalm, what specific reason did the psalmist give for requesting mercy? "They had endured much contempt."
Surely we all know what it's like to be treated disrespectfully. Meditate on the word for a moment. Offer your own general definition of disrespect; then give two examples.
Definition – "to treat as beneath oneself and unworthy of basic social appropriateness"
Examples –
1. "speaking rudely instead of politely"
2. "ignoring boundaries of space or property ownership"
Fill in the following blank according to the Amplified Bible's version of Psalm 123:3 in your previous lesson: 'Have mercy on us, oh Lord, have mercy on and loving kindness for us, for we are "exceedingly satiated with contempt."'
List another example when some expression of ongoing disrespect can lead a person to feel like he or she has had 'more than enough'
"Delving into the word 'disrespect' took my thoughts to black Americans, and all they have had to endure, especially in the South. I found it interesting to reread Psalm 123 while trying to imagine their perspective."
How about you? For what could others fairly readily ridicule you?
"I get kidded about wearing purple or even not wearing it; I suppose I could get kidding about my water bottle; but the truly observant bully should ridicule me for my oral fixations: my fondness for cuticle skin between my teeth or scabs, my excessive eye juice seeking, and my habit of cleaning under my nails with teeth after digging in my ears or at my scalp."
Have you ever seen a person harshly ridiculed? If so, how? "More times than I can count as a child/teen."
What did you do or wish you could have done?
"Sometimes I have spoken up and suggested that the person should stop (drawing their fire). More often, though, I have only wished I were brave enough and have just tried to help the targeted person ignore it or recover from it."
Why would the favor, kindness, and grace of God be effective remedies when we feel disrespected or ridiculed? Explain briefly.
"When we focus on how important God thinks we are and how much He loves us, we can more easily ignore our frail human attackers."
Dearest Rachel -
We've all seen people who are bullied, honey, and have been afraid to stand up for them because, as you put it, you would "draw [the bullies'] fire." Worse yet, I can recall more than one person from my high school that I recognized as being lower on the social pecking order than myself (imagine that!), and not intervening on their behalf because of that. Granted, I think I recall that at least one of them had certain views that, even then (let alone now) would have been recognizable as racist, but still… "are they not a member of the human race?" as the Ghost of Christmas Present might have said.
As for the things that might have gotten you bullied, I have to confess to not having been all that observant, apparently. There was the hoarding, of course, and I think I may have teased you about spinning yourself backwards every time your path described a semicircular route (like going around the car to get in, or turning about on a stairwell landing), but the stuff you describe leaves me drawing a blank. Perhaps this was the stuff of your childhood that you outgrew, or maybe I just overlooked it completely. Then again, I wouldn't be the sort to regard you with contempt, regardless of whatever you might do.
In any event, there's little more I can add to your conclusion that, when we take into account God's love for us, there's no reason for us to get worked up about what other people – who are so much smaller than God – think about us.
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