W.C. Handy is widely recognized as the “Father of the Blues.”[1] Handy was a bandleader and songwriter who performed throughout the South before continuing his career in New York. He came across the Delta blues in the late 1890s. His composition “Memphis Blues,” published in 1912, was the first to include the word “blues” in the title. A Memphis park was named after Handy in recognition of his contribution to blues music.
Even if you didn’t grow up in Memphis, the fact that you live here means you have a familiarity with the blues. It’s a style of music prompted by the challenges and difficulties of life. When someone’s down, when someone’s encountered injustice, they start “singin’ the blues.”
On Sunday mornings at Highland, we’ve been listening to the Psalms of Ascents, Psalms 120-134. These songs were sung by Jews when they travelled to Jerusalem for religious festivals. Some of them are like the blues. One of these ancient blues songs is Psalm 123: 1To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. (Psalm 123:1-4 ESV)
This is the first time in the Psalms of Ascents when the singer speaks directly to God.[2] Up to this point, these songs have been about God. This is the first song to God. And interestingly, the first Psalm of Ascents addressed to God is a blues song.
The song is prompted by injustice: for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. (Psalm 123:3b-4 ESV). Here is how The Message translates these blues: We’ve been kicked around long enough, kicked in the teeth by complacent rich men, kicked when we’re down by arrogant brutes. (Ps. 123:3b-4 The Message).
The song begins with one person lifting up the blues: To you I lift up my eyes… But it quickly becomes clear that he is speaking for a larger group: …so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. This move from “my” to “our” demonstrates how far this injustice has spread. It’s not only affected one. It’s affected many. The song points to the reality that many are victims of injustice. Specifically, the musician reveals that it’s touched men and women. The singer uses the image of a maidservant looking to the hand of her mistress. He uses this image because he wants us to know that this injustice has no gender barriers. It has impacted men and women.[3] Many are victims of injustice.
When David Ralston, Lawana Maxwell, and I travelled to the Philippines earlier this year, we saw this truth being lived out. Just blocks away from the middle class neighborhood where we stayed were men and women living in wooden and tin shacks with no electricity or water. The suffering and poverty were indiscriminate. It touched men and women, adults and children, young and old. What was true in the ancient times of this song is still true today: Many are victims of injustice.
The same is true in the Mid-South. Ron Wade is with us this morning. He’s the director of HopeWorks. HopeWorks exists because of the large number of men and women in Memphis who cannot find work and thus cannot support their families. David Jordan is with us this morning. He’s the director of Agape Child and Family Services which also partnered with Highland to begin Families in Transition (FIT). Agape exists because there are large numbers of children in Memphis who don’t have stable homes and there are large numbers of families being torn apart who need counseling. FIT exists because there wasn’t a single program in the city focused on serving homeless pregnant women. Especially in the Mid-South, many are victims of injustice.
But the song doesn’t dwell long on the problem. It turns quickly to the solution. The song holds out a vision of God. In part of the vision, we learn this: God is able to bring justice. The singer sees God “enthroned in the heavens.” The description of God as “enthroned in the heavens” points to the fact that God is the heavenly king whom no power can match.[4] Though the singer and his tribe have been kicked in the teeth by complacent rich men, kicked when we’re down by arrogant brutes, they see that God has a power that these brutes do not. As the one “enthroned in the heavens” God has power to take down those causing the injustice. God is able to bring justice.
Then, the singer’s vision narrows. At first he sees God enthroned in the heavens. Now, however, he sees just the hand of God: [5] 2Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.
The image of a servant/maidservant looking to the hand of the master/mistress suggests one who has no resources looking to the hand of one who has all the resources.[6] Ps. 145 uses this imagery to describe how all living things look to the hand of God: 15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The singer believes that God’s hand is large enough to provide what the unjust have taken. God is able to bring justice.
But the singer not only believes that God is able to bring justice. He also believes God is willing to bring justice. This confidence is seen in the prayer he prays. He begs God for “mercy.” This is the plea for one who is superior to act mercifully or graciously for those who are his dependents.[7] This was one of the fundamental pictures of God in the Old Testament. It is how God described himself to Moses: 6The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious…(Ex. 34:6 ESV). One of the things those in the Old Testament believed most about God was that he was merciful or gracious. He was not only able to bring justice. He was willing to bring justice. It was part of his nature to desire justice for those hurt by injustice.
But the question is how? How would God bring justice to those in this song so hurt by injustice? And how does God bring justice today?
I’ve invited two friends to join us this morning and help answer that question. David Jordan is the executive director of Agape Child and Family Services. Agape and Highland also helped start Families in Transition (FIT). Agape and FIT are partially supported through our Special Contribution for World and Urban Missions next Sunday. Ron Wade is the executive director of HopeWorks. Highland helped start HopeWorks and it is partially supported through our Special Contribution. I’ve asked them to share with us the story of a person or people caught up by injustice, but who experienced justice when God brought relief through his people.
David Jordan
Ron Wade
The reality is that many are victims of injustice. They live in Kiev, Ukraine and Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, where we support the Ukrainian Education Center and the Bila Tserkva Church of Christ. They live in Papua New Guinea where we support the Melanesian Bible College. They live in Memphis where we support Agape, FIT, HopeWorks, Memphis Urban Ministry, the Christian Student Center, Lifeline, and Home. But God is able to bring justice. There are no political, social, or spiritual powers able to stand against our God enthroned in the heavens. His hands are large enough to provide all that is needed. And, He is willing to bring justice. It is in his DNA to be merciful.
But that justice is most frequently brought through us. God often uses us to bring his justice. He uses us to answer the pleas of the needy and the hurting. That’s what our Special Contribution next Sunday is about. It’s about God using us and our funds to bring justice. We need to raise $133,000 on that Sunday for these ministries. That means we need to give about 5 times what we normally give on a Sunday morning. We need to increase our giving by a factor of 5 next Sunday. There are people in Memphis and around the world praying the prayer of Ps. 123, begging God for mercy. Next Sunday, God gets to answer that prayer through us.
[1] http://www.pbs.org/theblues/songsartists/songsbioalpha.html#whandy
[2] James L. Mays, Psalms Interpretation (John Knox, 1994), 394.
[3] Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms, kindle edition.
[4] Allen, 161.
[5] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150 Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (IVP, 1973), 435.
[6] Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 Word Biblical Commentary (Word, 1983), 160.
[7] Mays, 395.
