Michael continues: Psalm 73 is a “Psalm of Asaph”, one of David’s chief choir directors. David himself was a musician. Part of rejoicing is to lift up our voices as a choir in harmony unto the Lord as we “tune our hearts to sing thy praise.”
Psalms 73:1-28 “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth. Therefore his people return here, and waters of a full cup are drained by them. And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches. Surely, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me — Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.”
It’s easy for Believers to stumble when we look at the God-rejecting world around us. The Psalmist began this psalm with a lamentation. It seems that the fallen world around us is full of chaos, confusion, and darkness. Why would God allow the darkness? From the perspective of our fallen sin nature, God will appear like an unkind friend, an unnatural father and an unrighteousness judge to allow it, but He is not. God is not like the injustice and the unrighteousness of this world. Darkness is the absence of light. If we look around us we’ll be stressed, if we look at ourselves, we’ll be depressed, if we look at others, we’ll be distressed, but if we look at the Lord, our God through Christ’s eyes behind our eyes, we’ll be blessed. In verse 2 the Psalmist looks at the battle inside his own soul. The spiritual battle is first a battle for our own soul ... for our own hearts and minds. In 2 Peter, there are seven characteristics to add to our faith to make our calling and election sure.
2 Peter 1:2-10 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”
People begin to stumble when they focus on the selfish motives of their sinful flesh. According to verse three of this Psalm, when Asaph looked through eyes of envy and covetousness at the seeming prosperity of the wicked, he began to lose his joy. The God-rejecting people of the world seem to be better off than those who profess the Lord’s righteousness. The foolish who prosper in the riches of this world wear their pride like a golden chain. These slaves of sin look for opportunities to exert their power over the righteous in Christ. They revel in their pride and in their power over their innocent victims. The ungodly even dare to speak to God as if they are powerful and God is not. But as Romans 6:20-22 declares: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Let's read the conclusion to Michael's message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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