Psalm 73

BOOK III : Psalms 73-89

A psalm of Asaph.

¹Surely God is good to Israel,
       to those who are pure in heart.

² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
       I had nearly lost my foothold.

³ For I envied the arrogant
       when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ They have no struggles;
       their bodies are healthy and strong.

⁵ They are free from the burdens common to man;
       they are not plagued by human ills.

⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
       they clothe themselves with violence.

⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity ;
       the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice;
       in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
       and their tongues take possession of the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them
       and drink up waters in abundance.

¹¹ They say, “How can God know?
       Does the Most High have knowledge?”

¹² This is what the wicked are like—
       always carefree, they increase in wealth.

¹³ Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
       in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

¹⁴ All day long I have been plagued;
       I have been punished every morning.

¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
       I would have betrayed your children.

¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this,
       it was oppressive to me

¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;
       then I understood their final destiny.

¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground;
       you cast them down to ruin.

¹⁹ How suddenly are they destroyed,
       completely swept away by terrors!

²⁰ As a dream when one awakes,
       so when you arise, O Lord,
       you will despise them as fantasies.

²¹ When my heart was grieved
       and my spirit embittered,

²² I was senseless and ignorant;
       I was a brute beast before you.

²³ Yet I am always with you;
       you hold me by my right hand.

²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
       and afterward you will take me into glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
       And earth has nothing 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 Those who are far from you will perish;
       you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
       I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
       I will tell of all your deeds. 

New International Version (NIV)

Sometimes when life is particularly hard, and I am tired and downcast and don’t understand, this psalm comes to mind.

Especially the following verses, from The Message,

^11-14 What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch?
      Nobody’s tending the store.
   The wicked get by with everything;
      they have it made, piling up riches.
   I’ve been stupid to play by the rules;
      what has it gotten me?
   A long run of bad luck, that’s what—
      a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, I know that this is NOT true.

It is just one more cleverly told lie by Satan- and so I go on the read the rest of the Psalm.  Because, “as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge….”

1)  Who wrote it?

Asaph- choir director,Levite.

2) circumstances?

Unsure, most likely at a low point in his life.

3)  questions?

Why do good things happen to bad people?  or Why do evil men prosper and good men fail?

4)  Answered?  by whom?

By the Holy Spirit’s  guidance in Israel’s past and in Asaph’s own heart. (vvs. 1,23-26, 28)

5)   Can I pray this prayer?

Yes, Often.

6)    Names for God?

The Most High, God, O LORD, the Sovereign LORD

7)     Relationship?

Hurt and disillusioned, yet close, hoping for understanding—then repentant, grateful, and loving.

8)    NT References?

There are thematic references :

vs 1  “Pure in heart” references the Sermon on the Mount.

vvs 17-19  ” For  what is a man profited to gain the world et lose his soul?”  (Matt 16:26)

vs 25  “To who shall we go” You have the words of eternal life.”

9)     Voices?

voice of righteous believers, voice of arrogant wicked ones

10)   What does it mean to me?

Psalm 73 is about true perspectives.  What is our viewpoint?  Are we so living in the “here and now” that all we can see is what we lack in this world?  Are we so blind to real value that we want only what we can touch and see?

Or, can we truly be God’s children and see” with eternity’s values in view”?  Can we enter into the Eternal life that we receive from God the moment we put our lives into His hands and start trusting in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ? 

As believers, we do not live by explanations- we live by promises.  And God’s promises only become real to us as we grow in relationship with Him- accepting His salvation- trusting in His judgements- believing in His Word- and spending time in His presence.

On my worst days, the questions plague me.

But even on my worst days, the Holy Spirit whispers hope and eternity to my soul. 

And I trust Him.

Because it IS good to be near God.

Psalm 123 is one of the pilgrim psalms, sung in unison as the people of Israel made their yearly pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.  Jerusalem, placed high on a hill was a journey of ascent- a climb to the most holy place- and as the people climbed that hill they sang songs of praise and confession, repentance and deliverance. 

A psalm is not a lecture telling us what to do and why;  it is a song celebrating our God and ” what happens when a person of faith goes about the business of believing and loving and following God”  Eugene Peterson

Psalm 123 is called the Sigh of the Eyes or the Eye of Hope.  We see that aspect of the life of discipleship that takes place under the form of servanthhood.

Psalm 123

A Pilgrim Song

^1-4 I look to you, heaven-dwelling God, look up to you for help.
   Like servants, alert to their master’s commands,
      like a maiden attending her lady,
   We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath,
      awaiting your word of mercy.
   Mercy, God, mercy!
      We’ve been kicked around long enough,
   Kicked in the teeth by complacent rich men,
      kicked when we’re down by arrogant brutes.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents. 

¹ I lift up my eyes to you,
       to you whose throne is in heaven.

² As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
       as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
       so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
       till he shows us his mercy.

³ Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
       for we have endured much contempt.

⁴ We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
       much contempt from the arrogant.

The  first passage above is The Message, below it is the NIV.

To answer the 10 questions:

1)   Who wrote it?

Nehemiah or a prophet of his time. An arranger of music, Asaph?

2)     What were the circumstances?

In the bonds of servanthood, considering the bonds between servant and master.

3)      Questions asked?

Implied question- How may I serve you, Lord and Master?

4)     Answered? By whom?

Answered by the Master.  By Mercy and our past experience in His service.

5)      Can I pray this psalm?

As His child and bond servant – I need to consider and pray this psalm daily!

6)       Names for God?

Master (covenant name), LORD, God

7)       Relationship?

Servant

8)  NT references?

Thematic references, vs1 to the Lord’s prayer, vs 3  to the arrogant abuse endured by God’s people.

9)      Voices?

servant, slaves, echoes of the voices of the proud and arrogant

10)     What does it mean to me?

I need to learn an attitude of life that reflects my relationship as bond servant to the Lord.  Believers serve a Master who has made Himself a servant in Jesus Christ (John 13:12-17)  My stance should always be that of looking up, looking at my Master in humility to see where my service is required.

I call out for Mercy, Mercy – but mercy is not my right.  As a servant my only right is to give my service. 

I may be”holding my breath awaiting His word of mercy”, but that is only because I have a Master who offers mercy, mercy and yet again ,mercy.

This is a psalm that highlights and deals with observing the skills of service, of servanthood.   Michael Easley, at the Founder’s day conference at Moody Bible Institute, during a sermon on the topic of obedience, said, ” My dog listens to me better that I listen to the Lord.”  In keeping my eyes trained upon the Master, I learn to better serve.  I need to continue in my training.

Mercy, God, Mercy!

Psalm 115

¹ Not to us, O LORD, not to us
       but to your name be the glory,
       because of your love and faithfulness.

² Why do the nations say,
       “Where is their God?”

³ Our God is in heaven;
       he does whatever pleases him.

⁴ But their idols are silver and gold,
       made by the hands of men.

⁵ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
       eyes, but they cannot see;

⁶ they have ears, but cannot hear,
       noses, but they cannot smell;

⁷ they have hands, but cannot feel,
       feet, but they cannot walk;
       nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

⁸ Those who make them will be like them,
       and so will all who trust in them.

⁹ O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
       he is their help and shield.

¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
       he is their help and shield.

¹¹ You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
       he is their help and shield.

¹² The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
       He will bless the house of Israel,
       he will bless the house of Aaron,

¹³ he will bless those who fear the LORD—
       small and great alike.

¹⁴ May the LORD make you increase,
       both you and your children.

¹⁵ May you be blessed by the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

¹⁶ The highest heavens belong to the LORD,
       but the earth he has given to man.

¹⁷ It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
       those who go down to silence;

¹⁸ it is we who extol the LORD,
       both now and forevermore.
       Praise the LORD.

It is a huge jump to Psalm 115 from Psalm 3, but it has been some weeks since I posted these studies.  I have actually only had one inquiry about when I would resume them, so perhaps there is not really a need to go on.  However, this one resonates with me today, and I’d like to share for that reason alone.

If you are interested in continuing to read these studies, let me encourage you to let me know in the comments.  I am happy to share, but don’t want to put this out there if there isn’t a lot of interest.

Following the 10 question system I introduced here , I’m going to answer those same questions and follow up with a paraphrase of the Psalm under the heading of  ” What does this mean for/to me.”

1) Who wrote it?——-Unknown

2) Circumstances ?——-After Israel’s return from captivity ( read books of Ezra and Nehemiah for background material.)

3) Questions?——-” Where (WHO) is their God?” Asked by heathen nations ( Babylon, Assyria, etc.)

4) Answered? by whom?—–In primer fashion- spelled out clearly

     ( as also done in I Kings 18;27, Isaiah 44:9-20, Jeremiah 10:1-16) Comparing our All-powerful, Reigning and LIVING God to the idols

The voice answering is of the believers returned to Israel.

5) Can I pray this Psalm?—–Absolutely!!” The dead cannot sing praises… but we can praise the Lord both now and forever!” v.17 and 18

6) Names for God?-Lord, God, Helper and Shield

7) Relationship?—Enlightened ( having learned the hard lesson in captivity)  No more false worship!

8) NT references?— none precisely, but many to the Living God here represented- I Thess. 1:9, Romans 9;26,II Cor. 6:16 and 3:3, I Tim.  3:15 and Heb. 12:12.

9) Voices?—Worshippers, Children of the Living God, the heathen nations –Important to note the voices NOT HEARD!- those of the idols and the voices of the dead (physical and spiritual)!

10)   What does it mean to me?

Under this question I offer my personal paraphrase-

Our God reigns!

He is the Living God, the Father that gives life to His children

and calls all of His people to a life that brings glory

back to

Himself.

Sing unto the Lord a new song-

for we have been blessed by the lessons

He has taught us.

He is our God,

and in His unfailing love and faithfulness,

He has blessed us with the

opportunity to grow

out of our sinful mindset.

We have seen the idols of the world

-we acknowledge that they are dead-

they are false-

a sham of life-

and those that follow them are also dead.

Without life they belong to the silence of the grave.

But the Living God is our Helper

and Shield

in the roughest battles of this life.

He blesses us richly so that we can praise the Lord throughout

Eternity.

Praise the Lord.

All God’s people say, “Praise the Lord!”

Why? Because it pleases our God to bestow His faithful love upon us,

His children.