Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
To lift the eyes to the One who dwells in the heavens is to turn in trust beyond all earthly powers and shrines to the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He dwells in heaven in a definite place of habitation, the Father's house of many mansions, the city of God above where places are being prepared for His people, which shows He is a real person and not an imaginary being. Such looking up is the proper position of servants watching their Master's hand and waiting for mercy, attentive and ready to do faithfully and cheerfully whatever work He assigns, and crying to Him for help to purify the heart and keep it clean. It expresses human need, longing and insufficiency set against the all-sufficiency of God, ending gloomy thoughts and dim faith and making the heart strong and restful in His tender parental compassion and guiding hand until all labor is done. It is turning in love to the King of kings upon His glory-throne, who bears long with the unworthy, hears from heaven and rejoices to redeem and free His people, and it calls for turning love away from earth to the Father on His throne, the believer's native home.
Setting and Background
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes was composed by Asaph, Ethan, and others during the latter part of the Babylonian captivity under the reign of Belshazzar, when the persecution and distress of the Jews were greatest. The lifting of the eyes to Him that dwells in the heavens expresses the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives, mingled with exhortation and encouragement and assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors.
It is one of the Psalms of Ascent sung joyfully by companies of pilgrims, with flute accompaniment, as they neared Jerusalem and the marble and gold temple. That singing awakened their souls to the true spirit of worship and stirred the fountains of spiritual truth in the hearts of the devout to their depths at the sight of the Holy City. It belongs to the Psalm of Degrees, which was chanted while ascending the fifteen steps to the inner court of the temple. It stands with Psalms 123 to 135, a set that includes psalms of the restoration from the Babylonian captivity, and is read together with Psalm 124 and Revelation 5.
God Dwells in Heaven
God dwells in the heavens in a definite place of habitation, and heaven as His dwelling stands set in contrast to the earth. That He has such a dwelling place proves He is a real person of form and not an imaginary being. That heavenly dwelling is the Father's house with many mansions, which is the city of God, the New Jerusalem or Zion above. There mansions are being prepared for God's people.
The lifting of the eyes to God who dwells in heaven turns the worshiper away from looking to earthly high places for help. It directs the eyes upward above earthly places of worship and human shrines. It directs trust beyond human powers to the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Looking Up in Trust
Lifting the eyes to the One who dwells in the heavens was done by Asaph, Ethan, and others during the latter part of the Babylonian captivity under the reign of Belshazzar, when the persecution and distress of the Jews were greatest. That lifting of the eyes expresses the sorrows and afflictions of Hebrew captives, mingled with exhortation and encouragement and assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors. It is one of the inspired songs of Zion that expresses human need, human longing, and human insufficiency and the all-sufficiency of God, and it is uplifting and inspiring. Looking to the Lord is the proper position of those who serve God, like servants watching their masters' hands and waiting for mercy, meaning remaining attentive and ready to do whatever work He assigns, faithfully and cheerfully.
The verse expresses a prayerful turning of the eyes toward God and a cry for help, fixing the eyes on Him and asking Him to wash and purify the heart and then keep it clean, since this cannot be done alone. Lifting the eyes to Him who dwells in the heavens in trust ends gloomy thoughts and dim faith and makes the heart strong and restful. This looking to Him rests on knowing His tender compassion like a parent toward a willing child, His counting imperfect work done in love as perfect, His crowning willing service with divine approval, and His hand guiding and holding till all labor is done.
Looking up to the One who dwells in the heavens means turning in love to the King of kings on His glory-throne, who has long patience with those unworthy to serve as friend or be close by, who hears from heaven and owns and accepts finite human love. He is satisfied with finite offerings and rejoices in grateful joy because His love sought, redeemed, and set His people free. Lifting the eyes to Him includes humble desire to anoint His feet with tears or to have some lowly seat within His gate, and the ransomed soul will have still greater happiness in dwelling in heaven forevermore with Him. It means turning love away from earth after it has held love too long and directing the eyes upward to the Father on His throne in the heavens, which is the believer's native skies and home, as something it is time to do now.
To lift the eyes to the One who dwells in the heavens is to turn in trust beyond all earthly powers and shrines to the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He dwells in heaven in a definite place of habitation, the Father's house of many mansions, the city of God above where places are being prepared for His people, which shows He is a real person and not an imaginary being. Such looking up is the proper position of servants watching their Master's hand and waiting for mercy, attentive and ready to do faithfully and cheerfully whatever work He assigns, and crying to Him for help to purify the heart and keep it clean. It expresses human need, longing and insufficiency set against the all-sufficiency of God, ending gloomy thoughts and dim faith and making the heart strong and restful in His tender parental compassion and guiding hand until all labor is done. It is turning in love to the King of kings upon His glory-throne, who bears long with the unworthy, hears from heaven and rejoices to redeem and free His people, and it calls for turning love away from earth to the Father on His throne, the believer's native home.
Setting and Background
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes was composed by Asaph, Ethan, and others during the latter part of the Babylonian captivity under the reign of Belshazzar, when the persecution and distress of the Jews were greatest. The lifting of the eyes to Him that dwells in the heavens expresses the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives, mingled with exhortation and encouragement and assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors.
It is one of the Psalms of Ascent sung joyfully by companies of pilgrims, with flute accompaniment, as they neared Jerusalem and the marble and gold temple. That singing awakened their souls to the true spirit of worship and stirred the fountains of spiritual truth in the hearts of the devout to their depths at the sight of the Holy City. It belongs to the Psalm of Degrees, which was chanted while ascending the fifteen steps to the inner court of the temple. It stands with Psalms 123 to 135, a set that includes psalms of the restoration from the Babylonian captivity, and is read together with Psalm 124 and Revelation 5.
God Dwells in Heaven
God dwells in the heavens in a definite place of habitation, and heaven as His dwelling stands set in contrast to the earth. That He has such a dwelling place proves He is a real person of form and not an imaginary being. That heavenly dwelling is the Father's house with many mansions, which is the city of God, the New Jerusalem or Zion above. There mansions are being prepared for God's people.
The lifting of the eyes to God who dwells in heaven turns the worshiper away from looking to earthly high places for help. It directs the eyes upward above earthly places of worship and human shrines. It directs trust beyond human powers to the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Looking Up in Trust
Lifting the eyes to the One who dwells in the heavens was done by Asaph, Ethan, and others during the latter part of the Babylonian captivity under the reign of Belshazzar, when the persecution and distress of the Jews were greatest. That lifting of the eyes expresses the sorrows and afflictions of Hebrew captives, mingled with exhortation and encouragement and assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors. It is one of the inspired songs of Zion that expresses human need, human longing, and human insufficiency and the all-sufficiency of God, and it is uplifting and inspiring. Looking to the Lord is the proper position of those who serve God, like servants watching their masters' hands and waiting for mercy, meaning remaining attentive and ready to do whatever work He assigns, faithfully and cheerfully.
The verse expresses a prayerful turning of the eyes toward God and a cry for help, fixing the eyes on Him and asking Him to wash and purify the heart and then keep it clean, since this cannot be done alone. Lifting the eyes to Him who dwells in the heavens in trust ends gloomy thoughts and dim faith and makes the heart strong and restful. This looking to Him rests on knowing His tender compassion like a parent toward a willing child, His counting imperfect work done in love as perfect, His crowning willing service with divine approval, and His hand guiding and holding till all labor is done.
Looking up to the One who dwells in the heavens means turning in love to the King of kings on His glory-throne, who has long patience with those unworthy to serve as friend or be close by, who hears from heaven and owns and accepts finite human love. He is satisfied with finite offerings and rejoices in grateful joy because His love sought, redeemed, and set His people free. Lifting the eyes to Him includes humble desire to anoint His feet with tears or to have some lowly seat within His gate, and the ransomed soul will have still greater happiness in dwelling in heaven forevermore with Him. It means turning love away from earth after it has held love too long and directing the eyes upward to the Father on His throne in the heavens, which is the believer's native skies and home, as something it is time to do now.