Such a condition is contrary to the basic belief that God rewards the good with good. We arent told exactly what Asaph experienced, but we are told that when he went to the place of worship his heart and his perspective were changed. The inner conditions of the dead mammal, combined with the bumps in the road caused an eruption that the townspeople will not soon forget. His big concern is immediate gratification. He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Isn't that just like life sometimes? Moreover, Psalm 73:28 also repeats the important theme of Gods nearness (Ps 34:18) and the key refuge metaphor (Ps 34:8, 22). Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure ( Psalm 73:1 ). It's all backwards." The third word we need to see became a private obsession for this worship leader: it was the prosperity these God-rejecters enjoyed. Thats a good word for some of us. it seemed to me a wearisome task. Have you ever been betrayed? Please see below for details. Verse 17 marks a pivotal transition to a new understanding. He was evil. 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! 6. BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," ( Psalm 73:26). Walk Through the Text. You examples are superb. In light of verse 25 and Psalm 49:15 we are of the opinion that it does.43. 7-11). Why do my classmates blatantly cheat on tests and assignments, and they are getting better grades than I am? They do not need God. 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. Envy is so common that God made it the subject of one of His 10 commandments: "Do not covet your neighbor's house. Why is God blessing them instead of judging them?". Psalm 73:28 Sermons Topics . (1 John 2:17) God completely controls their destiny, not them. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God . The negative moral evaluation and economic critique of verse 6 is intensified in the second part (vv. BOOK III Psalms 73-89 -A psalm of Asaph. The poet introduces his honest confession with the emphatic contrastive phrase But, as for me. This phrase introduces the yes, but factor. In Psalm 73 a man named Asaph expresses a frustration that many have shared. 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. You are currently impersonating {{userSessionData.email}}. (ESV). He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. He was used more by Satan than perhaps anyone else in his lifetime. This is especially true of Psalm 73. Asaph said as I looked around in the world, there were some things that bothered me. end). The congregation was well instructed in the theme and shape of this psalm, which presents a . Before you bail out on God, Asaph wants you to sit with him and learn from his experiences. (LogOut/ At least that seems to be the meaning of the emphatic summary conclusion of the lengthy description of the wicked in verse 12, which echoes verse 3 and, together with it, frames verses 4-11: Look (hinneh) at the wicked always at ease, they increase their wealth. Asaph was eaten up with it. It literally means peace with God such that your life is fulfilled, tranquil, and complete. Two weeks later, on January 29, authorities decided to truck the dead whale to a laboratory where they could do an autopsy. Psalms 73:25-26. Cars, people, and local shops were splattered with whale entrails. He brought his confusion under the truth of God. That rich man lived in luxury, and wouldnt even give the crumbs from his table to poor Lazarus; and there was that poor man, covered with sores, starving. God is the Christian's inheritance as the light of his intellect. Psalm 50:1-5 A psalm of Asaph. Hah." This Psalm is his very personal testimony. It reminds us . You can also fit this outline into . 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. I don't understand what is happening or why! Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? III. With an eternal perspective, everything looks different. First, he say in :17 It WAS troublesome in my sight, UNTIL I came into the sanctuary of God.. Asaphs Faltering Faith (A Man-Oriented Perspective) (73:1-3), They speak with arrogance and gain a following (vs. 8-10), Summary: The lives of the wicked are easy and prosperous (vs. 12), Asaphs Restored Faith (A God-Oriented Perspective) (73:18-28), 2023 Southern Hills Baptist Church - Round Rock, Texas, Southern Hills is a family of believers who exist to glorify God by helping people experience life change through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Psalm 73: Remembering the Truth in Times of Doubt. Even though these words were written 3000 years ago, they might as well have been written today. And their end will be terrible. In :11 he says they say: How does God know? Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Psalm 73 is our passage and the title is "When You Get a Raw Deal." 13-14) into exuberant trust also underscores the need for careful liturgical planning. (This is) a psalm of *Asaph. Back to Chuck Smith's Bio & Resources "THE PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING" Intro: I know a dear dedicated couple, tithe faithfully, serving God as active laymen in church, their first baby was born horribly deformed. 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. well researched. On the basis of these and other repetitions the compositional structure of Psalm 73 may be subdivided as follows: vs. 1; vv. 3. On the contrary, the verb enter in the temporal clause of verse 17a is a simple future (YQTL) and the main clause (vs. 17b) is a cohortative.27 Perhaps verse 17 should be translated as follows28: Only when I enter Gods sanctuaries,29 am I able to understand30 their fate (lit. 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. Asaph's Envy of the Wicked (vv. Bring your troubles, bring your questions, bring your doubts to God. In the sanctuary God was his focus, not his problems. Asaph confessed his self-pitying, self-centered bent. But the NRSV translation of this clause shows that the clause could also mean that the psalmist is restored to his honor. The revelation of Gods word shows us this important truth: that what you see now, of the wicked succeeding and the godly suffering, is not how it is always going to be. 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. 2-3) While Asaph had once been confident in God, his faith is now faltering. a. Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS, and church supplies of $50 or more. (Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source: "Thar She Blows!" God will judge the wicked, and He will reward the righteous; those who have turned away from their sins, and followed Jesus as their Savior. However, a bad illustration can distract and confuse if the listener. Ps 26:7-8) in dramatic transformation of the psalmists despairing doubt (vv. The connection with Psalm 24:4 suggests that functionally verse 1 is not a proverbial statement,16 nor exactly a brief reiteration of the torah piety of Psalm 1,17 but, instead, an asseveration of Gods justice that is formally similar to Psalms 25:8 and 92:15 (cf. He was one of the great worship leaders in the OT. How did he get away with this, year after year? I hadnt felt good all day. He didn't pretend everything was okay. [1] Psalm 73 is written by Asaph a Temple musician. He just couldnt figure it out. These subdivisions will be used in our exposition. In the midst of suffering believers often feel cheated and begin to question and doubt God's goodness. Listen to his confession in v. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. But then he begins to tell his own personal testimony in :2, "But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling.". Maybe you're still struggling with the injustice you've been dealt and you've felt your commitment to God wane because of it. So go ahead, tell Him about it. Sermon Central Share a Sermon; Try PRO Free; Help . 1. 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. 4. He did what Job did. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. It is good for me to draw near We have already seen that those who are far off shall perish; therefore, it is ill for them. But it wasnt just that he came to God; God actually SHOWED him something specific that helped him: he says in :17, Then I perceived their end. He says God showed me not just what the present state of these wicked people is, but what their END is going to be. It's not fair.". They wear a power-hungry, cutthroat, cynical attitude like a coat. And yet Hugh Hefner lived in a $200 million mansion, and lived to the ripe old age of 91! So when Asaph got this revelation from God, he said Oh, Ive been so foolish. He said in :22, I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You, God. He is married to Leeanne and is the father of Joey and Craig. Im sitting on the couchwith my eyes closedattempting to nap. Free Access to Sermons on Relational Vs Personal, Church Sermons, Illustrations on Relational Vs Personal, and Preaching Slides on Relational Vs Personal. Study Psalm 73 using Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David to better understand Scripture with full outline and verse meaning. 21ff. It should just end better. According to verse 7, their hearts overflow with conceit. Thats why its so important to be here at church on a regular basis. 1, 28) form an inclusio and frame within which the painful experience of the poet is unfolded. Everything changed. Sep 11, 2018. Its the same thing with our daily Bible reading. "You are guiding me with your counsel," he said . He could see both God's judgment of sin as well as God's solution offered to sinners. Psalm 73:1-3, Tags: We know where history is going. Then he asked in 13:24 Why do You hide Your face and consider me Your enemy? Thank you for the inspiration you provide. A sermon on Psalm 73 should also highlight that there is something very unique about going to church that defies the limits of human wisdom. Scripture: Psalm 73:25-26. Those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. He was a faithful follower of God. be blessed man of god. It took 50 laborers and three lifting cranes 13 hours to hoist the 56-foot behemoth onto a flatbed trailer truck. John Piper Dec 4, 1988. If you've ever had something happen to you that was out of human control but seemed so unfair that you don't understand how a good God could let it happen, then you need to sit awhile with a choir director named Asaph. CSB Experiencing God Bible, Hardcover, Jacketed. 7. Before you bail out on God, Asaph wants you to sit with him and learn from his experiences. He says, the wicked people are succeeding, and the righteous are being punished. Second, the psalmists solidarity with the community did not solve his perplexing problem. Are guiding me with your counsel, & quot ; he said and you 've your... Away with this, year after year with our daily Bible reading How did he Get with... From you will perish ; you are currently impersonating { { userSessionData.email } } Eclov, Vernon Hills Illinois... Instructed in the sanctuary God was his focus, not them a pivotal to... 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