Psalm 73: Changing perspective

Sermon TCC Ivandry – 02-09-22

Psalm 73 (NIV) Reading :

(1) A psalm of Asaph.

(2) 1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

(3) 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

(4) 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 common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

(5) 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits.

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

(6) 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 would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”

(7) 12 This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

(8) 13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.

14 All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.

(9) 16 When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply

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

(10) 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 They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

(11) 21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

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

(12) 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.

(13) 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.

(14) 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.

“For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (v. 3)

‌(15) The Psalm we’ve just read is like a testimony. The testimony of a believer about his journey with God.‌

The author of this Psalm, Mr. Asaph, is a believer. He believes in God, he tells us in verse 1. He believes that, “surely God is good”.

‌Yet Mr. Asaph is a careful observer. He observes what is going on around him. And he sees. He sees all these unbelievers who are doing well in their lives. They don't believe in God and yet they never get into trouble. They are not acting well, yet everything seems to be going well for them. They have no respect for others, yet they are always getting richer. They have no rules, yet they have no problems. In short, Mr. Asaph sees that one can be both awful and successful.

‌But he, Mr. Asaph, is keeping his heart pure and has many troubles for sure; he is faithful to his God but his problems do not go abroad.

And he thinks that all this is very disappointing. What is the point of being truthful? What is the point of trying to be rightful? What is the point of being faithful to God? Is it for nothing that I am doing all this? He is sad, Mr. Asaph. His life with God does not seem to make him happy.

‌And his testimony concerns us. Because we too sometimes ask ourselves this kind of question. We too look around us. And we too say to ourselves: what is the point of being faithful to God? I'm in more trouble than those who don't care about God. Look at these guys: they lie, they cheat and they never get in trouble. But me, I try to follow you, to act in order to please you; but “all day long I’m in affliction, every morning brings bad news and other problems”. We see their success, and we see our problems. And that makes us sad. A bit jealous, maybe. And our life with God does not seem to make us very happy.

“When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” (v. 16-17)

But, this is not the end. Because, there is an important change in the middle of the Psalm. Suddenly, from verse 17, Mr. Asaph stops complaining about the success of the wicked and his problems. So what happened? (16) Verses 16 and 17 tell us, " When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." (v. 16-17). It is only when Mr. Asaph enters the sanctuary that things start to change in his mind. It is only when he chooses to go to the place where his eyes are fixed on God that his vision of the world will be renewed.

And there, from verse 17 on, he sees clearly. He has put on God's glasses. He understands. God transforms his vision. His bitterness is changed to joy. His despair is changed into a song of hope.

The Psalmist makes the choice to stop looking at the success of the wicked. He stops listening to bad news. For a moment, the Psalmist makes the choice to stop looking at his problems, his sorrows, his troubles. And he makes the choice to come to the sanctuary of God. He chooses to come to the place where we look at God. In the Bible, the sanctuary, the Temple, is the place of the presence of God. The place where we come to worship and listen to God. According to the New Testament, the place of the presence of God is everywhere: this is everywhere Christians meet to praise God and listen to his Scriptures; this is everywhere a believer takes the time to meet with God.

May we follow his example. When negative or discouraging thoughts pull us down, let us have the reflex to stop and go for a moment with God. Let’s talk to God about it. Let’s look up to him, meditate on his word, talk to him. Even if it means asking him "why", even if it means telling him our questions, even if it means telling him our sadness. Let's not ignore him. Let’s also take the time to meet with other Christians, where we will hear about God. Let’s choose to praise him. Let’s choose to listen to him. Let’s choose to enter the sanctuary of his presence. Only there can we understand. Only then can we see further.

‌God makes us see beyond the present situation: “I understood their final destiny” (v. 17) ; “afterward you will take me into glory” (v. 24)

What happens when the psalmist allows God to change his view? The first thing is that Mr Asaph stops looking only at the immediate situation. God makes him see further. He makes him look at the long term.

(17) First of all, he shows him the future of the wicked. He helps Mr. Asaph to understand that those who do evil generally end up suffering the consequences. Yes, everything seems to be going well for them now. But verses 18 and 19 says that they are “on slippery ground” and "suddenly, they are destroyed". If our God is patient, if he is rich in goodness and slow to anger, he also puts a limit to evil. He always puts an end to evil. How many dictators have been overthrown by those they oppressed. How many corrupt people have finally been caught and ended up being arrested, losing everything they had. How many gangsters or dahalo have ended up dying under the bullets that were fired at them. And even the greatest evildoers in history have not been able to go through with their most sordid plans: in spite of persecutions, the Roman Emperors could not eliminate all the Christians; in spite of the horrors committed by Hitler, he could not annihilate the Jewish people, on the contrary, the Jewish people has never been as powerful as today. Our God always puts a limit to evil. If he had not done so, humanity would probably have destroyed itself long ago!

So, sure, in the moment, the evil we see may discourage us. The wicked may seem to go unpunished. But, when we look to God, he shows us that they are on slippery ground. Our God makes us see further. Beyond the present situation. For life is so short and so light. In an instant, death can surprise us. And the wealth of the rich is of no help to him. The success of is of no help. “Suddenly, they are destroyed”. And with them, all that was important to them.

On the other hand, the believer has other certainties, assurances about his long-term future. (18) And Mr Asaph proclaims them in verse 24: " You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Whereas at the beginning of the Psalm Mr. Asaph complains about enduring all kinds of hardships every day, he now sees beyond: he sees the glory that awaits him, he sees the honor that God has in store for him. When the believer turns his eyes to God, God renews his hope. He makes him see beyond the present sufferings, he invites him to trust him. He reminds him that he is a God who loves him. He makes him see Jesus Christ. God who came to meet us. God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son. To save you. To offer you an eternity in his glorious presence. Where there is no more mourning or suffering. This is the hope of the one who trusts in God. That is the certainty of the one who places his faith in Jesus Christ. That is why it is worthwhile to persevere!

God makes us look at the present differently: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (v. 26)

Finally, faith does not only help us to look beyond our life on earth. We are not forced to live unhappily on earth while waiting to experience happiness in heaven. (19) The Psalm ends with a burst of joy as the psalmist recalls his presenthappiness. When we turn our eyes to God, he not only changes our view of the future, but he changes our view of our present life. He helps us to discover what can make it possible for us to live happily today, in spite of the sorrows and difficulties. He shows us how lucky we are. He helps us realize that we have every reason to be happy!

And how does he do this? Does God make our health issues or our money concerns go away? Does he change everything that goes wrong around us? Sometimes he does. But that's not what the Psalm is about. The way God wants to make us happy is by changing our mindset. He comes, through his Holy Spirit, to change the way I look at things, the way I see things. The priority of God is not to transform your situation. But to transform you. And the first way God do it, is by helping us realize who he is. He shows us that he is a good God. He reminds us that he is a powerful God. He lets us contemplate his holiness. He lets us admire his greatness. He illuminates us with his light. He fills us with his love. He shows us Jesus Christ. He reminds us of the greatness and immensity of his plan for us.

And it is there, as we contemplate our God, that we realize that nothing and no one else can make us happy. We understand that this God is with us. That he is our portion. Our unshakeable rock. He is the only reason we can be truly happy.

Listen to what Mr Asaph says: (20) end of verse 23 and beginning of verse 24: “you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel” ; (21) verse 26 : “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” ; (22) verse 28: “But as for me, it is good to be near God”.

Are these the words of the same Mr. Asaph? The one who cried over his fate, has found joy in praising God. He who saw only injustice and difficulty made the choice to turn to his God. God opened his eyes. He changed his perspective. He reminded him that his happiness was not in wealth, health or success, but in the presence of his God.

May we follow his example and make the choice to turn our eyes to the Lord. In the midst of troubled times. When all we see is evil or suffering. Let’s look up. Let’s choose to look to God. Let’s take the time to meditate on his Word, the Bible. Let’s look at what the Bible says about God. Let’s contemplate him in the Scripture. Contemplate who he is. Let’s meditate on the greatness of his work. Let's let him transform our view. Let him change our perspective. Let’s also choose to praise him. Let’s fill our homes with songs of praise in his honor. Songs that sing of his greatness, his sovereignty, his majesty, his power, his love, his goodness. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with the presence of God. Let him influence our thoughts with what is good, useful, glorious. Let’s contemplate Jesus Christ. Let’s look at his love, his compassion. Let’s look to the cross. Look to his victory over death and sin. Let’s look at his resurrection. Yes, let us look up. Our God is here. And he doesn't want anything to keep us from the happiness of his presence.