God Speaks
73 A psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
4 They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have troubles like other people;
they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
and clothe themselves with cruelty.
7 These fat cats have everything
their hearts could ever wish for!
8 They scoff and speak only evil;
in their pride they seek to crush others.
9 They boast against the very heavens,
and their words strut throughout the earth.
10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
drinking in all their words.
11 “What does God know?” they ask.
“Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
12 Look at these wicked people—
enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.
15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
I would have been a traitor to your people.
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
74 A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected us so long?
Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?
2 Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,
the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!
And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.
3 Walk through the awful ruins of the city;
see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
4 There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;
there they set up their battle standards.
5 They swung their axes
like woodcutters in a forest.
6 With axes and picks,
they smashed the carved paneling.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground.
They defiled the place that bears your name.
8 Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!”
So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.
9 We no longer see your miraculous signs.
All the prophets are gone,
and no one can tell us when it will end.
10 How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you?
Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your strong right hand?
Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them.
12 You, O God, are my king from ages past,
bringing salvation to the earth.
13 You split the sea by your strength
and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan
and let the desert animals eat him.
15 You caused the springs and streams to gush forth,
and you dried up rivers that never run dry.
16 Both day and night belong to you;
you made the starlight and the sun.
17 You set the boundaries of the earth,
and you made both summer and winter.
18 See how these enemies insult you, Lord.
A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
19 Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves.
Don’t forget your suffering people forever.
20 Remember your covenant promises,
for the land is full of darkness and violence!
21 Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again.
Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Arise, O God, and defend your cause.
Remember how these fools insult you all day long.
23 Don’t overlook what your enemies have said
or their growing uproar.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 73 seems to be wrestling with the basic question of life, “If God is just and on the side of justice, and if also God is almighty, why do wickedness and injustice seem to prevail?”* Fr. Reardon poses that much of the philosophy of this age doesn’t even consider this question because it imposes a moral standard set by a power outside of and over human thought and behavior. These “thinkers” contend that: “Justice is configured only as a society decides to configure it. . .. if a society approves or prefers a certain kind of behavior, then the latter behavior automatically becomes just [or justified].”* Living by my feelings and “my truth” is an example of this kind of thinking.
Psalm 74 opens with two questions: “O God, why have You rejected us so long? Why is Your anger so intense against the sheep of Your own pasture?” The author of this blog contends that it is because rebellious people and their destructive ideologies have overtaken the God-leanings of so many people. The rest of the psalm emphasizes and calls into action the great power and sovereignty of the Lord God.
*Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon, pp. 143-146.
Prayer: Dear LORD God, who is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign over all people and things (material and immaterial), thank You for being an incredibly good and just God. You are the one who purifies our hearts. Please stabilize our thoughts, wills, and emotions so that we don’t slip into wrong thinking that doubts Your goodness and Your grace. Help me not to envy the proud and the wicked, especially when I think that they have an easy life, not plagued with problems like everyone else. I trust You, O God, to deal with those who flaunt pride, who scoff at everything, who speak only evil, who seek to crush others with their words, who strut about haughtily, and who have no regard for You. LORD, I need Your help to keep my heart pure and keep myself innocent of transgression. I determine to go to Your sanctuary, O God. There I will finally understand what will ultimately happen to the wicked. They are on a slippery slope headed off a cliff to eternal destruction. They will be swept away by terrors I can’t even imagine. Please remove the bitterness, foolishness, and ignorance from my own heart. Thank You that I still belong to You. You are the source of my guidance and strength. Keep me close to You, LORD God, and help me tell everyone about the wonderful things You do. I pray that they will turn to You and not perish or be destroyed. For the glory of Your name, Jesus.
O LORD, Your rejection (or at least the setting aside) of the people You created is justified because of their rejection of You, but You always preserve a remnant of which Asaph the psalmist was a part. He called on You to remember (decide to take action) “the people You chose long ago, the tribe You redeemed as Your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, Your home here on earth.” I call on You, Jesus, to rise up and act in my day just as Asaph did in his. Your people and principles are being attacked in this day just as they were in his. In Ukraine, in Syria and Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Nigeria, in India, in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Myanmar, in North Korea, and even in major cities in the USA, Your people are being persecuted, churches and whole villages are being attacked, destroyed, and burned, and Your believers are being martyred. I beg You to send again Your miraculous signs and raise up prophets to guide Your people to safety in You. You, O God, are our king from ages past. Bring salvation on the earth! You are the great God who split the sea. In the past You brought forth water from the Rock in the wilderness. Both the day and the night belong to You. You made it all, even the seasons. Please stop Your enemies from insulting You. Don’t forget Your suffering people forever. Remember Your covenant promises, for the whole earth is full of darkness and violence! Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead let the poor and needy praise Your name. Arise, O God, and defend Your cause. No longer let them insult Your holy name. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the LORD to apply the blood of Jesus to my sin of envy I have against the wicked who seem to prosper as they viciously attack the innocent.
- I will investigate the companies that my money is invested in to see if they support policies and actions that are unbiblical.
- I will pray for the salvation of those who oppose God, His ways, His word, and His people.
- I will look for ways I can assist in leading the downtrodden to praise the name of the LORD.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.