Psalm 73
Scripture:
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
Devotion:
Psalm 73 begins with a confession that almost did not get made. Asaph, the writer, opens with a statement of faith: "Truly God is good to Israel." But he can barely get it out before he has to admit where he actually has been. His feet had almost slipped. He had looked at the wicked and seen a life that looked easier, more rewarded, more comfortable than his own. And the question had started to form in the back of his mind: what is the point?
That is a dangerous place to be, and Asaph knows it. He says in verse 15 that if he had spoken what he was thinking, he would have betrayed the people around him. So he kept it in and wrestled with it alone, and it nearly broke him, until he went into the sanctuary of God.
That is the turning point of the whole psalm. Not an argument. Not a change in circumstances. Not a new piece of evidence that the righteous eventually prosper. He went into the presence of God, and everything shifted.
This week, we will walk through this psalm together using the HEAR method: Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. We will also look at Habakkuk 3 and Matthew 7, two passages that press on the same question Asaph is wrestling with: when the way of faithfulness looks like it is costing you more than it is worth, do you stay on it? By Sunday, you will come to worship with a week's worth of meditation behind you.
Today, simply read the psalm. Read it slowly. Read it aloud if you can. Then ask the Holy Spirit: What do You want me to see here? Write down whatever He highlights for you.
HEAR about it:
Highlight:
Write down the verse, phrase, or word the Holy Spirit highlighted for you. Why did it stand out? What might God be saying to you through it?
Prayer and Reflection:
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord, I will be honest with You: I have been in Asaph's position before, looking around and wondering if faithfulness is actually worth it. Meet me in this psalm this week. Still the noise, quiet the comparison, and let Your Word do what only You can do. Give me eyes to see clearly from the sanctuary. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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