Lessons From the Psalms - Psalm 73

[00:00:07] Welcome to Lessons From the Psalms. This is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. On this podcast we will be going over the book of Psalms.

[00:00:21] In prayer, Father God I thank you for anyone listening to this psalm today. Lord I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

[00:00:36] This is Psalm 73 beginning in verse 1.

[00:01:06] They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men.

[00:01:13] Therefore pride serves as their necklace. Violence covers them like a garment.

[00:01:21] Their eyes bulge with abundance. They have more than heart could wish.

[00:01:27] They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression.

[00:01:31] They speak loftily.

[00:01:34] They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth.

[00:01:41] Therefore his people return here, and waters of a full cup are drained by them.

[00:01:49] And they say, How does God know? And is their knowledge in the Most High?

[00:01:56] Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease.

[00:02:02] They increase in riches.

[00:02:05] Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

[00:02:11] For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.

[00:02:18] If I had said, I will speak thus, behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your children.

[00:02:27] When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me.

[00:02:32] Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end.

[00:02:39] Surely you set them in slippery places.

[00:02:43] You cast them down to destruction.

[00:02:47] Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment.

[00:02:52] They are utterly consumed with terrors.

[00:02:56] As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when you awake, you shall despise their image.

[00:03:04] Thus, my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind.

[00:03:10] I was so foolish and ignorant.

[00:03:14] I was like a beast before you.

[00:03:17] Nevertheless, I am continually with you.

[00:03:21] You hold me by my right hand.

[00:03:24] You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

[00:03:31] Whom have I in heaven but you?

[00:03:35] And there is none upon earth that I desire besides you.

[00:03:41] My flesh and my heart fail.

[00:03:44] But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

[00:03:50] For indeed, those who are far from you shall perish.

[00:03:54] You have destroyed all those who desert you for harlotry.

[00:04:00] But it is good for me to draw near to God.

[00:04:05] I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all your works.

[00:04:12] Now, friends, this is Bill Kelly, your host.

[00:04:17] And Psalm 73 is a wonderful psalm.

[00:04:21] We are starting the third book of the book of Psalms.

[00:04:26] And this psalm is attributed to a man named Asaph.

[00:04:31] So, friends, I am reading out of the Nelson Study Bible.

[00:04:36] And what I'd like to do is go over the commentary for this entire psalm.

[00:04:43] It says,

[00:04:45] Psalm 73 is a psalm of trust with some features of the wisdom psalms.

[00:04:51] The psalm is unusual in that it tells a story about the psalmist's struggle with envy, doubts, and his faith in God.

[00:05:04] So, friends, I can relate this psalm to what we go through today.

[00:05:10] There are times in our lives when we also struggle with envy, with doubts, and with our faith in God.

[00:05:21] But through his struggles, the psalmist Asaph learned to trust in God.

[00:05:29] And, friends, that's a lesson for us today.

[00:05:31] We can learn to put our trust in God as well.

[00:05:36] The structure of the poem is as follows.

[00:05:41] Number one, the temptation to be envious of the wicked.

[00:05:47] Now, this is found in verses 1 through 3.

[00:05:51] And, friends, I know today many of us are tempted to be envious of the wicked as well.

[00:06:00] That is why this is such a powerful psalm.

[00:06:03] The second point, a description of the wicked.

[00:06:08] Now, that is found in verses 4 through 14.

[00:06:12] The third point, the realization that the end of the wicked is the balancing factor.

[00:06:21] That is verses 15 through 20.

[00:06:24] The fourth point, the psalmist's regret over his uncertainty.

[00:06:31] Now, I think that's a vital point.

[00:06:34] Those are verses 21 through 24.

[00:06:36] And, friends, I can relate to that today because I believe a lot of people have uncertainty today as well when it comes to their relationship with God.

[00:06:49] The fifth point, a renewed resolve to trust in God alone.

[00:06:55] That is verses 25 and 26.

[00:06:59] And, that reminds me of Proverb 3, verses 5 and 6, which says,

[00:07:05] Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding.

[00:07:09] In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

[00:07:16] The sixth point, the destruction of the wicked.

[00:07:20] And, that is verse 27.

[00:07:22] And, finally, we close with verse 28.

[00:07:25] A renewed trust in God.

[00:07:28] So, friends, what I'm going to do now is I'm going to spend a little bit of time and go over the author, Asaph.

[00:07:37] Because, Asaph wrote Psalm 50, but he also wrote the next 11 psalms beginning in Psalm 73.

[00:07:49] So, he wrote all of the Psalms between Psalm 73 and 83.

[00:07:56] So, I went to the internet and I found a wonderful explanation from the man, Mike Leak.

[00:08:06] And, what I'd like to do is read about three or four minutes worth of information about this man, Asaph.

[00:08:14] As you've read the scriptures, you've maybe noticed a heading on some of the Psalms, a Psalm of Asaph.

[00:08:24] Is Asaph a person?

[00:08:26] Is it a musical notation?

[00:08:29] Who is this strange character who has written a few of these Psalms?

[00:08:35] Asaph was a person.

[00:08:37] And, he was a worship leader assigned by David for the Tabernacle Choir.

[00:08:44] What else do we know about Asaph?

[00:08:47] And, do his Psalms have any kind of unifying theme?

[00:08:52] So, this is entitled, What Are the Psalms of Asaph?

[00:08:57] Most people do not realize that the Psalms are organized just as any of the other books of the scriptures.

[00:09:06] It is not as if someone discovered a binder filled with worship songs thrown together unthinkingly.

[00:09:14] They are not indiscriminately ordered.

[00:09:17] There is an intentional story told through the Psalms.

[00:09:22] Asaph is the author of twelve of these Psalms.

[00:09:23] They are structured around five books, likely a nod to the Torah.

[00:09:29] But, they tell the story of the people of God from their formation, to the rise of the Davidic Kingdom, to the exile, and with a call to worship as the people of God are intended.

[00:09:47] Asaph is the author of twelve of these Psalms.

[00:09:51] He first appears in Psalm 50 as the author, and then in Psalm 73 through 83.

[00:09:59] Psalm 50 is in Book 2, and 73 through 83 open up Book 3.

[00:10:07] This third book is the darkest of the five books, and Asaph authored a majority of them.

[00:10:16] So, when you think of Asaph as a worship leader, don't think of a contemporary worship leader with smoke, lights, and an attempt to get people excited about the Lord.

[00:10:30] Think instead of a worship leader sitting in ashes with torn clothes helping people properly lament.

[00:10:42] Who was Asaph?

[00:10:45] It is not only through the Psalms that we hear of Asaph.

[00:10:50] He also appears in 1 Chronicles chapter 6.

[00:10:54] This is one of those chapters that you likely skim in your Bible reading.

[00:11:00] It's a long list of names that are difficult to read, and practically impossible to connect to our day.

[00:11:09] But tucked away in this chapter, verses 31 through 48, is a list of men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there.

[00:11:26] Asaph was the son of Baruchiah, appears in that list.

[00:11:34] Asaph also appears in 1 Chronicles chapter 16, as one of those assigned before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister regularly before the ark as each day required.

[00:11:50] Asaph and his brothers were to sing songs of praise every day as sacrifices were made.

[00:11:59] He also appears in 2 Chronicles chapter 29, verse 30, and is mentioned as a seer or a prophet.

[00:12:11] Here, Hezekiah uses the Psalms of both David and Asaph to sing praises with gladness.

[00:12:19] Asaph is long gone at this point, but it's interesting that he is referred to here in Scripture as a seer.

[00:12:28] There is nothing particularly prophetic about his psalms except for some expectation that enemies would be judged by God.

[00:12:39] The sons of Asaph were also instrumental in the reconstruction following the exile.

[00:12:47] I would argue that they were perhaps part of compiling the Psalms themselves during this time.

[00:12:55] This might explain his prominence in the Psalms.

[00:13:00] Finally, what is the central theme of the Psalms of Asaph?

[00:13:05] To really understand the setting of Asaph, one need look no further than Psalm 73, and that is our study today.

[00:13:17] It is here in this psalm where we find the central theme to the rest, and really to all of Book 3.

[00:13:26] Asaph begins by reciting the goodness of God towards his people.

[00:13:32] Then, Asaph confesses that his feet almost slipped.

[00:13:38] He became envious of the arrogant and godless.

[00:13:43] He saw only trouble in his life and blessing in theirs.

[00:13:48] And friends, we often do that today as well.

[00:13:52] At his lowest point, Asaph cries out,

[00:13:57] Asaph said,

[00:14:02] The covenant that God made with Israel was that if they did good, they would be blessed.

[00:14:09] If they did evil, they would be cursed.

[00:14:13] Asaph looked around, and it seemed as if the wicked were blessed and the righteous were cursed.

[00:14:20] Yet, for Asaph, everything changed when he went into the sanctuary of God.

[00:14:28] Here, he gained an eternal perspective.

[00:14:32] He saw that the blessing of God is the stuff of eternity.

[00:14:37] Yes, the wicked may seem to have no pangs until death, and their bodies are fat and sleek.

[00:14:46] But, in reality, they are walking on slippery places.

[00:14:50] They may have it all in this life, but this life is all that they have.

[00:14:57] Asaph also realized how perilous his own standing could be.

[00:15:02] Throughout the psalm, it's as if there is an invisible force tugging at Asaph to pull him away from trusting the way of the Lord.

[00:15:13] He became brutish and ignorant, and became like a beast toward the Lord.

[00:15:20] We aren't strong enough to endure.

[00:15:23] We aren't strong enough to keep the faith.

[00:15:26] But verse 26 points to our anchor.

[00:15:30] Here, Asaph says, my strength and my heart may fail.

[00:15:36] It happened to him.

[00:15:38] His knees buckled.

[00:15:39] He was a stout and devout dude, but all it took was one glance of his eyes to fixate on the forbidden fruit,

[00:15:48] and he became like Adam and Eve, crippled by covetousness.

[00:15:54] We also have seasons where our strength fails.

[00:15:58] Thankfully, our strength is not our anchor.

[00:16:02] Our heart, brutish as it can become, is not our anchor.

[00:16:07] The Lord Jesus and his accomplishment is our anchor.

[00:16:13] It is because of him that we have a reason to sing.

[00:16:18] It is because of Jesus that the Lord is our portion forever.

[00:16:23] We inherit everything because of Jesus.

[00:16:28] It is in him that we have all the spiritual blessings.

[00:16:33] Everything that is good will be yours.

[00:16:36] He will withhold no good thing.

[00:16:39] There will not be a moment when you are in heaven and you think,

[00:16:44] Ah, man, I missed out on that.

[00:16:47] You'll never say, I lack.

[00:16:50] I thirst.

[00:16:51] I hunger.

[00:16:52] I want.

[00:16:52] I need.

[00:16:54] Never.

[00:16:54] Because there will be no good thing that is not yours.

[00:16:59] Wrap your mind around that.

[00:17:01] It is because of Jesus that the Lord will always do us good.

[00:17:06] It is because of the Lord Jesus that we are upheld by his right hand.

[00:17:10] It is because of Jesus that the Lord is our portion forever.

[00:17:16] And it is not only because of Jesus that these things are true.

[00:17:21] These things are true through Jesus as well.

[00:17:26] It is not the strength of your heart or your confession or your faith or anything of the sort that will make the Lord your portion.

[00:17:37] Those fail.

[00:17:39] Those falter.

[00:17:41] Those shake.

[00:17:43] Those buckle.

[00:17:45] Those shift.

[00:17:47] It is through Jesus that we are upheld.

[00:17:51] He is upholding us.

[00:17:54] He is doing us good.

[00:17:57] He is our portion forever.

[00:18:01] And that really is the theme of every one of these Psalms.

[00:18:06] It's the people of God trying to hold on to the promises of God.

[00:18:11] It's all about wrestling with a reality of living in a fallen world.

[00:18:17] At times, it looks as if everything is upside down.

[00:18:21] It looks as if the enemies of God and our enemies are prospering.

[00:18:26] These Psalms are cries given to God in those darker seasons.

[00:18:32] But they are profoundly hopeful.

[00:18:36] God is making all things right.

[00:18:40] Friends.

[00:18:42] Please join me again soon as we take a closer look at Psalm 74.

[00:18:48] Psalm 74.