Psalm 73, the final verses

Today we get to the end of the Psalm. Sometimes I think of this more as a prayer, that I want to want nothing but God. Still, at the very least, it is my prayer.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And besides you, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.

Psalm 73: nearing the end

I like this part. Listen:

When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

See, Asaph knows that he was wrong. He had the wrong attitude and heart.

BUT: God did not leave Him. He still guided him by the hand.

I find great encouragement in remembering that.

Psalm 73, of course

Okay, only 2 verses this week, but 4 next week, since I don't want to split up the next section. Here we see the final destruction of the wicked.

How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O LORD, when aroused, You will despise their form.

Not only will they be destroyed, but it will be suddenly and unexpected. It will be like it was at the time of the flood: "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." (Luke 17: 26-27)

Psalm 73, next

Now the author finally comes to the truth of the matter. What we see is not all there is, and we can trust God to deal with the wicked in the future.

When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my sight
Until I cam into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.

See: he changes his perspective from looking at himself and his perspective to looking to God and His perspective.

Psalm 73, next section

Now the Psalmist moves from his description of the wicked to his reaction to what he sees.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
And washed my hands on innocence;
For I have been stricken all day long
And chastened every morning.
If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.

I get him: sometimes I look around too, see how easy life seems for unbelievers, and how tough it seems for me and I wonder why. I think that sacrificing for Christ should lead to greater blessings, ignoring the eventual blessings.

But see what the Psalmist says next...he did not speak about it. He knew that it would be wrong and would affect others. Asaph was a priest and people listened to him, so he kept his mouth shut when he was doubting; he did not speak until he had answers (they're coming up later).

He stands in contrast to some so-called pastors I've heard about. They doubt and rejoice in their doubting and encourage others to doubt. They don't look for answers, for all that they claim to be looking for them; instead, they keep asking questions and it seems like they don't want answers. And so they betray the ones who look to them for answers.

Asaph was confused, he forgot some important characteristics of God, and he doubted. But he was careful, even in the worst of times, not to betray the people who looked up to him.

Psalm 73, part whatever

This week's verses end Asaph's description of the wicked:

Therefore his people return to this place,
And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
They say, "How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?"
Behold, these are the wicked;
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.

So: they are rich, they do not acknowledge God, and yet they are at ease. It really, really seems like God ignores -- or even rewards -- disobedience and rebellion over following Him.

Next week we'll see how the Psalmist feels about things, and then we'll start to switch focus and get the answer.

Psalm 73, Part 3

This week we are still talking about the wicked....

Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot,
The mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high,
They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.

So, basically, the Psalmist is still describing the characters and actions of the wicked. They imagine wickedness beyond belief, they speak evil, and they speak against God. So why do they seem to prosper?

Soon...we'll see the answer.

Psalm 73

I'm memorizing Psalm 73 this summer. The author (Asaph) and I understand each other (or would if he wasn't dead). Sometimes it's hard to see the wicked prosper and seem to have no difficulties. It's hard to remember that God will judge them and that belonging to Him is a million times better than any earthly stuff.

I've decided to memorize it slowly. I could learn it in a week or so if I really tried, but I want to know it fully, and to think about it carefully. To that end, I'm doing 3 verses a week (except the last week, when I will learn 4 (but I already know 2 of them)).

To start....

Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

There it is: an acknowledgement of God's goodness, of the Psalmist's sins, and of the reason for the sins. What encourages me, though is "came close" and "almost". It didn't quite happen, and I think that's because God takes care of His people even when we sin. We don't quite fall away.

More next week....