The definition of contempt is the feeling that a person or thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. How can something be beneath worthless? What would drive someone to intentionally make another person feel beneath worthless? And yet, while we can ask these questions in genuine wonder, every single one of us is too fully aware that this actually happens in real life. We have seen instances where someone bullies another person into believing he isn’t worth the air he is breathing. We have seen someone belittled so badly she feels smaller than the very atoms that make up her physical body. We have heard insults that could cut clean through the biggest hearts. These “proud” people who view themselves as more important, smarter, prettier, stronger, and just plain better in every way for some reason feel the necessity to make sure that worthless person knows exactly where he or she falls into place.
For those people who have been held in contempt by the “proud”, they can let these attacks, insults, and beatings drive them to honestly believe they are worse than worthless!!! These people question their very existence. They doubt that they were even made for a purpose. They tell themselves they are a waste of space, a waste of breath, and would be better off dead and buried under a manure pile.
Notice how the psalmist emphasizes this disgrace, our souls have had more than enough. It’s not that our souls have had a little bit of this, it’s not even that our souls have had enough of this. Our souls have had more than enough of this!!! The reason we have had more than enough of this is because the littlest bit of it is more than enough. This is evil in its purest form. Satan loves to demean human life, make people feel worthless, and cause people to question the purpose of their existence. The reason is because he knows our worth and our purpose come directly from God. God is the one who sets our worth on us. God is the one who calls us into the life He gave us for His divine purpose. So, when people are shamed, bullied, and treated with contempt, causing them to doubt their worth and purpose, it causes them to doubt their relationship with God. This is exactly what Satan wants.
Our souls have had more than enough of the “proud” doing the devil’s work of damaging people’s relationship with God. Two simple facts put things into perspective. First, the “proud” are the ones who have determined their life’s worth according to human standards. They may be rich, good looking, or popular here on this earth, but God’s word makes it clear they have their reward already. They are living at the pinnacle of their lives as they strut around this world thinking they are on top. There is nothing for them to look forward to, and they will discover one day 60 to 80 years of a proud earthly life is worthless compared to an eternal life in paradise. Second, Jesus came to save the lost. He came to lift up the lowly, give eternal riches to the poor, eternal health to the sick, and worth to the ones the world calls worthless.
Our souls have had more than enough contempt from the proud, because know our worth comes from the Son of God who showed us exactly how priceless we are to Him. Through His death and resurrection, He has declared our worth and our purpose and no human can take that away from us. So we keep the attitude of a servant, loving those around us, hoping to show the lost they are loved. They are loved not only by us, but by the one who first loved us enough to give us our worth and our purpose of serving others.
So as we read this psalm, we pray with the psalmist, “Lord, have mercy on us, as we strive to live a life of love, serving others, so that they may find their own worth and purpose, just as we have, in You and Your Son alone. Amen.”
