It refers first of all to God. Verses 21-22 are a flashback on his traumatic experience reported in verses 2-16.36 In these verses he admits that when his heart and kidneys were poignantly disturbed (vs. 21) about the shalom of the wicked, he was stupid and lacked understanding (vs. 21ab).37 For all practical purposes, he confesses that his envy of the arrogant (vs. 3) was completely wrong. In every fiber I rebelled. 7-11). . The basis for the speakers short admission is the realization of Gods presence, the third reorientation, which is introduced by weani. Im sitting on the couchwith my eyes closedattempting to nap. "It was oppressive to me," he said. You are currently impersonating {{userSessionData.email}}. How did he get away with this, year after year? That is where we meet Asaph in Psalm 73. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson. He DIDNT but he said, he almost did. Envy So he says in :13, Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. So go ahead, tell Him about it. Verse 25-26. 3 For I was envious of the . Put yourself in the position to where you can hear from God. But in the end, God allows Asaph to regain a proper perspective. He was a faithful follower of God. well researched. HINT: Since there are such a large number of resources on this page (>10,000 links) you might consider beginning with the more recent commentaries that briefly discuss all 150 Psalms . Psalm 73 is the honest confession of a faithful Israelite, concerning his own struggle with the problem of pain. Put yourself in the position so that God can speak to you. Thats the story of the Rich Man & Lazarus in Luke 16, isnt it? Before you bail out on God, Asaph wants you to sit with him and learn from his experiences. And then it happened. According to Psalm 1:6b, the way of the wicked self-destructs. It has all turned around, so suddenly. a. Even though these words were written 3000 years ago, they might as well have been written today. As men despise their dreams when they awake from them, so, when God "stirs up himself and awakes to judgment" ( Psalms 35:23 ), he will despise such mere semblances of humanity ( Psalms 39:6) as the wicked are. Let's look at Psalm 1 together for a few minutes. A sermon on Psalm 73 should also underscore the role that doubts and questioning plays in this psalm.59Questions and doubts are part and parcel of human experience, especially during painful suffering. We do things that brought regret and heartache because we didn't stop to consider the consequences of our words and choices. In v. 2, he says, "But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray." My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. In light of the prosperity of the wicked, the poet concludes that his attempt to lead a moral life has been absolutely in vain: Surely, in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. Pedestrians and shop owners poured into the streets to watch the spectacle of a whale carcass driven through the streets of downtown Tainan. Who did you in financially? I tripping over something that just doesn't make sense! As a result, their speech is arrogant and they threaten oppression (vs. 8). Baptist, So there I am. Asaph was eaten up with it. For I have been stricken all day long, and chastened every morning., Asaph says, look at these wicked people, who mock God, who do wicked things to other people. Read Online Responsorial Psalms For Funeral Liturgy Pdf For Free A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die Common Worship: Pastoral Services The 1928 Book of Common Prayer Funeral Hymns Holy Bible Common Worship: Times and Seasons President's EditionContinuing Bonds How God guides The Moon by Night Elegy in a country church yard, on the evening of a funeral. (Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source: "Thar She Blows!" Psalm 73 tells the story of a godly man who felt his faith slipping away. He was evil. Because he was blinded by envy, he admits emphatically that he did not recognize that, in spite of his brutish behavior, he was always with God (vs. 23a), an admission that represents the flipside of Gods promise to the patriarchs, I will be with you always. And, more importantly, in the temple he discovers that Gods right hand has a tight grip on him (vs. 23b). And that lead him to the fourth word we need to see in v. 3: envy. But in the act of prayer I enter as it were into His presence. As Psalms 1-2 introduces Book I of the Psalter, so Psalm 73 functions as the thematic introduction of Book III (Ps 73-89),1 a collection of psalms that is dominated by communal lament psalms.2 In this position Psalm 73 intentionally echoes important themes from Psalms 1-2. An Assuredly Good Thing. The difficulty uppermost in the mind of the Psalmist is the carefree, even prosperous life of the evil-doers in contrast to his own torment as a godly person. Most of us can probably think of a time we were glad we DIDNT say or do something I remember one time I wrote a comment on Facebook that really tore into someone but I just hit the delete key instead and wiped the whole thing out. We know where history is going. read more, Scripture: In fact, their existence is as insubstantial as a dreamhere today, gone tomorrow (cf. God is on trial in this lament psalm, but ironically, the psalmist functions more as the defense attorney than the prosecuting attorney. Notice how personal, direct, and intimate the psalmist is in addressing God. Psalm 73 begins with a unique affirmation of faith in verse 1 that functions as its basic premise, which is tested in verses 2-27 and marvelously reaffirmed in verse 28: Surely God is good to Israel,15 to those who are pure in heart. Why do violence-endorsing rap singers, arrogant executives, and God-mocking people get their own TV shows? What caused Asaph to almost lose his faith, and what brought him out of it and how can this help those of us today, who might have some questions like he did? If he had publicly told of his envious musings, he would have betrayed a generation of Gods children. But despite his efforts to serve and honor God, his life was marked by difficulty. He didn't pretend everything was okay. 1. 13-14) to praise of Gods handiwork (Gen 2:2).57 Now he speaks no longer as an ignorant beast; instead, through Gods guiding counsel he has now become a spiritually enlightened witness.58. It is just like Psalm 73 says: You have set them in slippery places How they are destroyed in a moment.. v1 I am sure that God is good to (the people of) Israel, to the people whose hearts are clean. As a result, "Psalm 32 serves as an important check against any tendency . This is what a lot of these Psalms are about. He took his doubts and confusion to God in prayer. The inner conditions of the dead mammal, combined with the bumps in the road caused an eruption that the townspeople will not soon forget. III. Consider this godly guidance when you get a raw deal. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. But before he relates his personal experience (vv. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. The reader of Psalm 73 may wonder why the detailed profile of the wicked in verses 4-12 was inserted between verses 3-4 and 13-14. These are a lot like Asaphs questions, arent they? And it shows us that we can do that with God too; these Psalms give us permission to bring our honest hurts and feelings to God, and say like these Psalmists: This is especially true of Psalm 73. Moreover, it helps them transition from radical doubt to a robust reaffirmation of faith. 27-28) summarize the psalmists spiritual journey and especially the new vision that he gained in verses 18-20 and verses 23-26 in terms of the spatial image of far and near. This summary functions as the psalmists great reaffirmation of faith. He brought his confusion under the truth of God. Psalm 73. In either case, questioning and doubts are not virtues, as some have suggested.60 Ultimately, the truth is that continuous questioning and doubt destroys human relationships. And their end will be terrible. BOOK III Psalms 73-89 -A psalm of Asaph. In further illustration of this exalted exercise, I would remark, that prayer is appointed as the act of our approach to Him. They make sure the cameras are clicking and the interviewers are there to fawn over them. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. They wear a power-hungry, cutthroat, cynical attitude like a coat. Psalm 25:1-10 Riding Out The Waves. WHEN a man is sick, everybody knows what is good for him. Two weeks later, on January 29, authorities decided to truck the dead whale to a laboratory where they could do an autopsy. It should be noted that the psalmists sobering moment begins, not in isolation, but as a member of a larger community to which he is accountable.26. Youll only regret it if you do. It reminds us . This happened for Asaph in verses 16-17: "But when . The affirmation of verse 24a as it has been translated by the NIV has been of great comfort to believers in their suffering. They have no trouble; they succeed at everything they do; they are so well off they are bulging with fatness; and are at ease and have increased in wealth. Psalm 73 begins the third book of the Psalterthe collection of some of Israel's prized hymns, ballads, and congregational hymns. He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Moreover, the opening behold (hinneh) at the beginning of verse 27a matches the behold in the summary description of the wicked in verse 12.50 This obvious cross-reference to verse 12 shows that through his transforming temple experience the psalmist made the startling discovery that his earlier perception about the wicked was false.51 The prosperity (shalom) of the wicked is not forever! 8-Week Series for Lent. Commentaries, Sermons, Illustrations, Devotionals. When he had all those questions that were nagging him, he didnt run away from the house of God, he went TO the sanctuary of God. God wants to do that for you. Asaph realized that if he went public with his inner struggles, letting his cynicism and anger out in words, he would become a tool of Satan's for the ruin of God's people. Sermon Central Share a Sermon; Try PRO Free; Help . The envy he had of the wicked was like blinders to his eyes. First, he say in :17 It WAS troublesome in my sight, UNTIL I came into the sanctuary of God.. How can that be? In addition, as he looked around he saw those who had no regard for God living in prosperity and apparent happiness. read more, Scripture: 13-14) into exuberant trust also underscores the need for careful liturgical planning. Free Sermon Illustrations for Preaching : In A Recent Survey In Discipleship Journal People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? Eternity broke into his temporal perspective. As in Psalm 119:1-2, the repetition of beatitudes in Psalm 32 hammers home the theme of genuine happiness, but with a different twist. 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA Dont give up your faith. Dont turn FROM God in your questions, turn TO Him. III. Sometimes questioning and doubt is due to sin. And were all in it for the same reasonto fuel the churchs mission of making disciples. This switch marks a major turning point in the poem. That spoke to a need in my life, or a question on my heart. And I am grateful that God speaks to us through His word! Scholars disagree concerning the compositional structure of Psalm 73.8 Nevertheless, rhetorical and stylistic analysis shows that the poem has been skillfully constructed. Because He had had thousands of children burned in His pits? But Peter answered and said to Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? There is a sense in which we cannot be nearer to God in one view than another. The Hebrew word for prosperity is shalom. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. In the Psalm Asaph recounts a time of wavering faith and growing doubts. But heres the thing: what if they hadnt been here to hear that word? This psalm is a brutally honest confessional, from the heart of Asaph to the God he felt had given him a rip off. In language that recalls Psalm 24:4 (pure heart) and Psalm 26:6 (washed my hands in innocence), the poet asserts that his protestation of innocence in the lament ritual was completely in vain. God showed Asaph that it can all change so suddenly. From a canonical perspective Walter Brueggemann4 and J. Clinton McCann5 have argued that Psalm 73 stands at the theological center of the Psalter. The admission that his feet almost slipped suggests that perhaps the law of God was not in his heart (Ps 37:30). Envy means "I want what you have." Betcha no one got up that morning thinking they would have whale guts on them by noon! 6, 10). Sep 11, 2018. He says in :16 that all of this WAS troublesome in my sight UNTIL I came into the sanctuary of God. 2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. 15-16; 17-20; 21-22; 23-26; and 27-28. Gluttony Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Your family. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threate Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sunday and feast days? They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!. 1 The LORD, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. Psalm 73 Sermon Illustrations; Free Sermon Illustrations for Preaching : In Sermon Illustrations: "Psalm 73" showing 1-4 of 4 Filter Results Sort By. We're sorry, an error occurred. Do you ever think to yourself, "Does it pay to serve God? "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him." Lying He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. Why do good people suffering, and wicked people prosper? Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure ( Psalm 73:1 ). Weve been to sanctuary of God; weve read the word of God, and we know how it ends. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. *other, THE STORY OF CHICKEN LITTLE These godless people, they live on easy street! Anybody here know what I'm talking about? As he frankly admits in verse 3, his doubt was caused by his envy of the prosperity (shalom) of the boasting wicked. To not be senseless and ignorant; like a beast before (God) as Asaph says in :22; To believe that it WILL end better for those who trust in the Lord and do good., You often hear people today say: Dont be on the wrong side of history. We hear that a lot from people today who believe that God and the Bible and fading away into history, and the future holds only the triumph of godless values. . But her sophomore year, she suffered a knee injury that took her out for some time. WHERE YOU STAND DETERMINES WHAT YOU SEE!. That is so important. The NIV and the NRSV translate this verse in the past tense and read it with the preceding verse. Anger/Bitterness (Tie) But the thing is, the Christian has the ultimate perspective on history. They simply assert that God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth (Gen 14:19), is totally oblivious to what happens on earth. Sometimes it changes suddenly during our lives here on earth like it did for Harvey Weinstein. Message. He said these people mock at God (:8). They can take care of themselves. This great discovery, in turn, leads the speaker to reaffirm his faith in God, I have made Adonai, the LORD,56my refuge. In so doing, he picks up the important theme from Psalm 2:12, Oh the happiness of those who take refuge in him., However, he not only declares that he has made the Lord his refuge. ", Asaph had fallen into the trap of loving the world and the things that are in the world. surely in vain I have kept my hands pure like Asaph here in Psalm 73, Moreover, the shift in addressee in verses 15-28 indicates that Psalm 73 may be divided into two equal halves of 14 verses each: verses 1-14 and 15-28.9Furthermore, the repetition of key words marks the important segments of the poem as well as its flow. D. The book of Job and Psalm 37 deal with the same problem, but in this life; Psalm 73 deals with it in light of Matthew 25. Your sermons are simple but complex with a very good end lesson. Like Asaph, come into the sanctuary of God.. Sermon: When You Get a Raw Deal - Psalm 73. Because they live at ease, therefore, according to verse 6, they are proud21 and violent. These subdivisions will be used in our exposition. Assembly Of God. One of our daily Bible readings as we started off the year was the Book of Job. He took his doubts and confusion to God in prayer. Listen to his confession in v. Psalm 73-Smith, Terry L. "A Crisis in Faith: An Exegesis of Psalm 73," Restoration Quarterly 17.3 (1974) 162 . Each of these sections is dominated by they and concludes with a very important therefore (vv. Or maybe he does business with an ungodly person in town who seems to have the Midas touch. So dont turn away from God in your questions and times of difficulty, turn TO Him. It seemed to many people like he was just continuing to sin and get away with it. What is worse, according to verse 11, the wicked are very cavalier about God. While the primary source of sermon . A good illustration can paint a picture in the imagination to help clarify the truth of a passage. Study Psalm 73 using Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David to better understand Scripture with full outline and verse meaning. The challenge for the liturgist and preacher is to incorporate a critical reassessment of our culture in a pastorally sensitive manner. And earth has nothing I desire besides You. But if they did, they were foolish. The Bible says Jesus turned to His disciples and asked if they were going to go away too. Asaph goes on to tell us here in Psalm 73 that God did show him the whole picture, and what he learned kept him from giving up . God has SO much to say to us and so many of us are getting so much out of His word every day. (Psalms 73:15-16 RSV) Here he is, filled with doubts and despair and almost ready to give up, but something stops him. He goes on to describe their situation: And then, in worship, he renews his relationship in praise: Yet I am always with you; You hold me by my right hand. Once again he is able to see life from the perspective of eternity and his confidence and contentment in God are restored. It's all backwards." The opening statement that God is good to Israel, for example, recalls Psalm 34:8. In view of the cross-references to Psalm 24 in Psalm 73, it is suggested that the entry psalm be used in the liturgy. The thing about these questions is that they are usually based on our circumstances on what we see happening around us and to us but what we have to learn is that these circumstances dont show us the whole picture. Scripture: Psalm 73:21-26. The section as a whole concludes with a summary statement in verse 12, a verse in which the term wicked is repeated from verse 3 and the phrase at ease (NRSV; cf. Ps 30:7) recalls the word shalom in verse 3. Summary: To the ancient writers the word glory meant praise, splendor, brightness, majesty, honor and dignity. or why have I looked for sympathy but there was none. (Psalm 69:20) As long as Asaph tried to reason his way out of his troubled perception apart from God, he would hit his head against the wall. ( Psalm 73:1-3) The contradiction between the goodness of God and the prosperity of the wicked. In fact, he was a worship leader. You live by lust, power, greed, and deceit, and you become a celebrity. II. The smell was almost unbearable. Asaph, the author, is the choir leader, whose occupation placed him in constant contact with the people of Israel, and with the sanctuary of God, the temple. The Argument of Psalm 1. The Thesis: God is Good (vs. 1) Psalm 73 is written as Asaph looks back at his time of struggle and doubt. 1. Job was a righteous man who lost all his children, his possessions, and his health. Asaph takes his raw deal to the right place and finds out that he didn't have it bad after all. The closing verses (vv. Psalm 73 is a favorite for many Jewish and Christian believers because the words of this precious psalm ring true to their experience. He opens it with a truth: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.". You didn't see that coming. Using the imagery of clothing in this verse, the psalmist boldly engages in shrewd moral and economic criticism.22 According to this verse, the affluent are well-off because of pride and violence. Thats like Asaph here. Tension and struggle flow like lava from a volcano in Psalm 73. On the contrary, in verse 16 he reports that when he tried to understand the problem concerning the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous, when he tried to develop a theodicy, it became a burden (vs. 5) in his eyes. Although the text of verses 4, 7 and 10 is uncertain,20 the general picture is clear. Asaph had been checking out the people playing for the other team. He was really troubled by what he had seen in the world around him, and it raised questions which bothered him. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4-12; vv. I like Asaph already. Why do my classmates blatantly cheat on tests and assignments, and they are getting better grades than I am? He became depressed. However, the experience of the psalmist proved the opposite. ", Envy is the tendency to compare yourself with someone else in a way that leaves you feeling deprived. And they show us that we can be HONEST with God; we dont have to hide in some kind of fake spirituality and hold any of our questions back from Him. He found God again. John Piper Dec 4, 1988. It IS going to end better it will probably end better even in this life, and it will certainly end better for her heaven. v3 Some people had made themselves important. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. He's not thinking about tomorrow. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen ( Psalm 72:18-19, ending Book 2). The prayers in the Psalms use words of waiting, watching, listening, tasting and seeing, meditating, and resting. Browse by letter: A. Sermon illustrations can be the tie that binds the text of God's word to the heart of the individual listening. In :11 he says they say: How does God know? Behind every support specialist, Bible study editor, graphic designer, and accountant is a Sunday School teacher, kids volunteer, or small group leader. To help us, we will turn to the Psalms, where the raw emotions of real people who just hit the wall are expressed, and where deep reservoirs of truth are found that can help you through. In 21:17, Why do the wicked still live, continue on, also become very powerful? And what we'll see is that just when we think God is nowhere to be found, GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. CSB Experiencing God Bible, Hardcover, Jacketed. 173.] In fact, in their boldness they lay claim to heaven and earth (vs. 9). According to the twice repeated expression "Happy are those," in verses 1-2, divine forgiveness of sins is the gateway to happiness. You're going about your business, and a whale explodes. This turning point consists of two important observations.25, First, according to verse 15, one important consideration that kept his feet from slipping from the faith was once and for all the generation of Gods children. With an eternal perspective, everything looks different. He tells it all in v. 13: Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? Second, the psalmists solidarity with the community did not solve his perplexing problem. He says God is good; I know that . Psalm 25:6-9 All The Wrong Notes. Sooner womens coach Sherri Coale was dejected at the press conference after the game. This wonderful psalm may be best understood by the . 13-14; vv.