Summer In The Psalms - Psalm 73

Summer in the Psalms

Psalms were the prayer book of Jesus

Core to life with God. Expressions of the heart.

For generations, Christians have prayed and sung the psalms. It was the prayer book of Jesus. It is the Old Testament book most often quoted in the New. The songs found in this book form the bedrock of both corporate worship and individual devotion.

Through thousands of years of memorization, recitation, and singing, the people of God have found in this book a God-centered view of reality—words that put into perspective all our emotions, conflicting desires, times of suffering, and experiences of faith and doubt. “There are other prayers in the Bible,” Tim Keller writes, “but no other place where you have an entire course of theology in prayer form, and no other place where you have every possible heart condition represented, along with the way to process that situation before God.”

Songwriter Michael Card writes: “The psalms are a connection for us. When I’m lamenting, I may feel disconnected from God. The psalms express that experience. When I’m joyful, the psalms give me language to connect to that joy and remember that it comes from God. He never slumbers. He never sleeps. In the end, the psalms provide for every need, all those misconnections, all the things we’re hungry for, all the correctives we need to remind us that life isn’t about us, but is really all about him. The psalms are a bottomless resource for all the things we need.” (Psalms in 30 Days).

The psalms, as Holy Spirit-inspired prayers and praises, were written to express the deep feelings of the human heart in relation to God. (1) Many were written as prayers to God, expressing (a) trust, love, adoration, thanksgiving, praise and a desire for a closer relationship with God; or (b) discouragement, deep distress, fear, anxiety, humiliation and a cry for freedom, healing or defense from enemies. (2) Others were written as songs expressing praise, thanksgiving and worship, celebrating who God is and the great things he has done. (3) Some psalms contain sections that prophetically point to the Messiah (i.e., Savior, Christ). (Fire Bible)

Learn to pray the psalms, even when it doesn’t “feel” like what you’re going through. It connects us to the story of the Bible, the people of God, and the presence of God. It’s important to expand our prayer life and comfort zone.

BOOK III

Bible Project Video: Psalms

150 Psalms organized into Five Books, resembling the Torah

Authorship: 73 Psalms to David, 12 to Asaph, 11 to the sons of Korah, 2 to Solomon, 1 to Heman, 1 to Ethan, and 1 to Moses. 50 Anonymous. Possibly partially compiled by David and later Ezra, completed during the time of Ezra & Nehemiah (450—400 B.C.).

Book I (Psalms 1—41) | God's Foundation & Blessing

Theme: The foundation of God's blessing through His law and protection over the righteous.

Key Psalms: Psalm 1 (Righteousness and Wickedness), Psalm 23 (The Lord is My Shepherd), Psalm 27 (The Lord is My Light and Salvation)

Book II (Psalms 42—72) | God's Covenant Amidst Crisis

Theme: The faithfulness of God’s covenant even in times of crisis and struggle.

Key Psalms: Psalm 42 (As the Deer Pants), Psalm 51 (A Prayer for Forgiveness), Psalm 72 (Prayer for the King)

Book III (Psalms 73—89) | God's Messiah in Struggle & Sovereignty

Theme: The struggles of the Messiah and the sovereignty of God over Israel and the nations.

Key Psalms: Psalm 73 (God's Justice), Psalm 77 (Remembering God's Goodness), Psalm 89 (God’s Covenant with David)

Book IV (Psalms 90—106) | God's Eternal Reign

Theme: The eternal reign of God over all creation, reflecting on Israel's history and God's everlasting kingdom.

Key Psalms: Psalm 90 (God’s Eternity and Man’s Transience), Psalm 100 (A Psalm for Giving Thanks), Psalm 103 (Bless the Lord, O My Soul)

Book V (Psalms 107—150) | God's Coming Kingdom

Theme: The anticipation of God's kingdom, His deliverance, and the ultimate fulfillment of His promises.

Key Psalms: Psalm 110 (The Lord Says to My Lord), Psalm 119 (Celebration of God's Word), Psalm 150 (Let Everything Praise the Lord)

PSALM 73 | A Psalm of Asaph

Author: Asaph | Worship Leader & One of Three Chief Musicians (1 Chr 15:17, 19; 16:4–7; 2 Chr 29:30).

Author: Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs (see 1 Chronicles 25:1).

Asaph, Son of Berechiah. A Levitical music leader and seer in David’s day (1 Chr 15:17, 19; 16:4–7; 2 Chr 29:30). Psalms 50 and 73–83 are affiliated with him, and his descendants were music leaders in the first and second Jerusalem Temple.

2. One of David’s three chief musicians, along with Heman and Jeduthun (Ethan), and the reputed author of Pss. 50 and 73–82; the son of Berechiah (1 Ch. 6:39). After the ark was taken to Jerusalem (15:16–19), he conducted with cymbals the music performed in the tent of the ark (16:5, 7, 37). Heman and Jeduthun did the same at Gibeon (vv 41f). Four of Asaph’s sons (fellow guild members?) were among those appointed to conduct under him sections of the great chorus (25:1ff), and all took part at the dedication of the temple (2 Ch. 5:12). The “sons of Asaph” formed a musical guild and were prominent in temple worship, especially as singers (cf. 1 Ch. 25:1ff; 1 Esd. 1:15).

Chapter 73 73:1ff Asaph was the leader of one of David’s levitical choirs. He collected Psalms 73–83 but may not have written all of them. (Life Application Study Bible Notes)

12 Psalms are associated with Asaph

Psalms of thanksgiving, praise, wisdom, and lament.

Theme: The temporary prosperity of the wicked and the lasting rewards of the righteous. We should live holy lives and trust God for our future rewards.

Psalm 73: Considered a Wisdom Psalm.

This psalm strikes the same theme as Psalm 49, and thus may be classified as a wisdom psalm or at least may be studied for its wisdom motifs. In it “Asaph” told of the doubts which nearly overwhelmed him when he compared the life of a worldly man with his own. But then he confessed the sinfulness of his thoughts and explained that the contrast in their destinies enabled him to keep a proper perspective.

Psalm 73:1–3 (NIV84)

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 1 vs. Psalm 73

The affinity of Psalm 73 with Psalm 1 is evident but with a twist: whereas in Psalm 1 the righteous prosper and the wicked perish, in Psalm 73 the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. S. Edward Tesh; Walter D. Zorn

Seeing where the psalmist is coming from. Feeling that lack of security, and jealous of others that seem to prosper well.

We live in one of the richest counties in the richest country in the world during the richest time of human history on planet earth.

Sometimes, though, we look around and wish we had more. We see the prosperity of others, and those who don’t know the Lord, we can wonder why they have so much.

Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.”

Q: What are some of the ways the “wicked” prosper? How can we be envious of their lives?

MJ: Health, wealth, care-free, power living on top of society, connections, favor at job, new house / car, seem not to be bothered by cutting people off, feels like it’s not fair.

Verses 5 & 12 | They have powerful connections to avoid the burdensome responsibilities most people face.

Verses 6 & 8 | They have been what we call fortunate, but they take full credit, feeling superior to all beneath them.

Verses 9 & 11 | The root of it all is that they see no need for God. If there is a heaven, they feel they have earned it.

The psalmist confesses that he is in the grip of envy.

The Evil of Envy | The psalmist confesses that he is in the grip of envy (verse 3). To envy is to want someone else’s life. It’s to feel not just that they don’t deserve their good life but that you do and God hasn’t been fair. This spiritual self-pity—which forgets your sin and what you truly deserve from God—drains all the joy out of your life, making it impossible to enjoy what you have. The power of envy is such that it made even the Garden of Eden feel like it was not enough. No wonder the psalmist almost “slipped” and turned from God (verse 2). Don’t let yourself slip into envy, or you will destroy your own joy. (Tim Keller, The Songs of Jesus).

Psalm 73:4–12 (NIV84)

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Psalmist names some of those envious properties here.

Verse 7: Callous hearts comes iniquity, evil imaginations have no limits (NIV 2011)

Game of Thrones quote: “There were desires that didn’t exist until we invented them.”

Again, way of expressing ourselves as well in prayer. Not meant to commiserate with one another over this and be angry at everyone we feel who does better than us, slapping a “wicked” label over them.

Psalm 73:13–14 (NIV84)

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

The Psalmist is brutally honest. Anyone here ever felt this way?

Doubts, questions, frustrations are all a normal part of a walk with God. Pretending otherwise means we aren’t honest. We can often feel like, “What’s the point?” “No good deed goes unpunished.” We strive so hard to follow God’s ways, but there isn’t a point in it. I’m punished for being the good guy.

Q: Has anyone ever felt like this: "I've been doing what's right for so long, but now I'm struggling to see the point of it all—it just feels pointless"?

MJ: What’s the point of always coming on time, never complaining, covering people’s shifts if it doesn’t get me anything??

Q: What would be your answer?

1) Faithfulness to the Lord, doesn’t matter if there’s a reward.

2) “God keeps the books.” There are other ways that this will come back to us. We gain favor, credibility & trustworthiness, and showcase integrity with people when we do this. It adds value and weight to our words. These are things you cannot demand, invent, fake, or create instantly. These are EARNED.

It’s okay to feel this way and express this to God.

MJ: Was just listening to a sermon by Tim Keller (“Your Own Grace”). He referenced the story of Job and how afterwards, Job had complained to God and questioned everything including his own birth, God praises him. The reason is because although he did everything "wrong," he still did one thing right: he came to God in prayer over these things.

Job 42:7 “After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

What did he speak that was right?? It was that he came to God in prayer. He threw it in God’s face. And God threw it back at him. And they remained in fellowship.

What have I gotten out of it? The psalmist concludes that a good life has not brought him wealth or freedom from troubles (verse 12) and therefore has been “in vain” (verse 13). But this unmasks his heart. His obedience was not a way of pleasing God but rather a means of getting God to please him. When we say to God, “I’ll serve you only if X happens,” then it is X that we love, and God is just a necessary apparatus for obtaining it. The shock of this admission begins to clear his mind. In every difficult circumstance we may hear God saying to us: “Now we will see if you came to me to get me to serve you or so that you could serve me.” (The Songs of Jesus).

Psalm 73:15–20 (NIV84)

If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

Verse 15 “If I had spoken this way, I would have betrayed your children”

What Asaph refused to do:

Asaph refused to infect the people of God with his doubt and despair (v. 15). By writing this psalm, Asaph finally shared his despair with all future generations of believers, but only after he had worked through it. We might say he refrained from writing when he had only the first fourteen verses to write. He took up his pen only when he had the last fourteen verses.

Our first conclusions regarding our problems are seldom our best, and if we quickly share those initial conclusions we may do considerable harm to the faith of others.

Q: Anyone have an example of when you saw a problem one way, but it turns out your perspective was incorrect and the situation it was different than you expected?

(?) MJ: Rebecca claustrophobic in the car

Talked about this in the sermon on Sunday. Gaining insight & understanding.

The first step out of the sinkhole of resentment and envy is worship.

What Asaph did:

The dream of the world. The first step out of the sinkhole of resentment and envy is worship. The psalmist enters the sanctuary, and in the presence of the true God his sight clears and he begins to get the long-term perspective (verses 16–17). He realizes that the rich without God are on their way to being eternally poor; the celebrities without God are on their way to being endlessly ignored (verses 18—19). Within the confines of a dream, you may be very intimidated by some powerful being, but as soon as you wake, you laugh at its impotence to harm your real life. All the world’s power and wealth are like a dream. They can neither enhance nor ruin a Christian’s deepest identity, happiness, and inheritance. (The Songs of Jesus).

Asaph says he ‘went into the sanctuary of God’ (v. 17). This was the decisive thing, the turning point, in this crisis. There he found what he needed.

What was there about the house of God that helped Asaph? Was it the public reading of the Word of God? Was it the exposition of that Word? Was it something he heard in his conversation with other believers? It could have been one or more of these things. The important thing is that the answer came to him while he was engaged in the public worship of God.

There in the Lord’s house, Asaph realized he had been content to look solely at the here and now. He had failed to consider all the facts. When he went to public worship, he began to think in terms of eternity. (The house of the Lord does have a wonderful way of bringing the eternal to bear upon the temporal.)

As Asaph pondered the end of the wicked, he came to see that this is really the decisive thing. It is the end that makes the difference. It did not matter how happy and prosperous they appeared to be in this life. The immensely important matter was what lay ahead of them. Asaph began to understand that with all their care-free days and ways, the wicked were standing on a slippery slope and would ultimately be plunged into eternal destruction.

Asaph’s experience should lead us to understand that the righteous on his worst day is far better off than the unrighteous on his best day.

Knows what will really happen

21 21:7 Why do the wicked live on. Job had questions about why various things in life were unfair. He wondered why many wicked people were prosperous, successful and seemed happy. Ps 73 addresses this same question. At times, the “pure in heart” seem “plagued” (Ps 73:1, 14), while the wicked prosper and “have no struggles” (Ps 73:3–5). God explains that at the end of this earthly life righteous justice will be given to both the godly and the wicked (Ps 73:16–28). At that time, God will set things right. He will judge each person according to how he or she responded to his love and truth (Ro 2:5–11). The wicked will receive their punishment, and the righteous will receive their reward (Ro 2:5–11; Rev 2:10). (Fire Bible)

Romans 2:5–11 “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”

Revelation 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Proverbs 18:10–11 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”

Our security must ever be in the Lord! Money is a great security, until it isn’t.

We must financially support those in need, because money is actually a huge source of security. But we must also guard our own hearts against trusting in money too much and believing that it is somehow truly our security. By giving it to others, this reminds us of that and keeps God & generosity at the forefront.

Chapter 73 73:1ff In this psalm, Asaph explains that until he entered God’s sanctuary, he could not understand the justice in allowing the wicked to thrive while the righteous endured hardship. But when he saw that one day justice would be done, he acknowledged God’s wisdom. 73:1–20 Two strong themes wind their way through these verses: (1) The wicked prosper, leaving godly people wondering why they bother to be good, and (2) the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly take on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth. (Life Application Bible Study notes).

Psalm 73:21–26 (NIV84)

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

I always think of Daniel 4:33 with Nebuchadnezzar acting like a beast, God humbling him due to his pride.

However it’s not meant for us to point at others, but to reflect on ourselves.

This is what bitterness does to us. We become senseless and ignorant, like an animal.

How do animals live? They live on instinct only, cannot see ahead, can only think of their next meal or what is threatening them. They are below humans in their capacity to live, think, understand. When we allow bitterness from jealousy to take over, we begin to think like an animal.

The C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian, Aslan restores the talking animals who had lost their ability to speak and had reverted to a more instinctual, animalistic state. This happens when Aslan breathes on them, and they regain their speech and awareness, representing a return to their true, higher nature. The animals in Narnia had become "dumb beasts" due to neglecting their higher calling, similar to how bitterness can cause humans to live on a lower, more instinct-driven level, as described in Psalm 73 and the story of Nebuchadnezzar.

This scene illustrates how losing one's purpose and identity can lead to a more "animal-like" existence, disconnected from one's true potential, much like the effect of bitterness described in the passage from Psalm 73. Just like how Lewis writes in Narnia, thankfully, when we find ourselves at this point, we simply need to allow the Lord to “breathe” on us and we will be restored.

The antitoxin for envy and self-pity is humility.

Electrifying Grace. The antitoxin for envy and self-pity is humility. The psalmist first saw that his sin hurt him (verse 2) and then that it hurt others (verse 15), but finally he sees he has been as arrogant toward God as the people he despised. There is in us a fierce, instinctive self-will as unthinking and inhuman as that of a wild beast (verse 22). Augustine remembered stealing pears only because it was forbidden.67 Deep in us something snarls, “No one tells me what to do.” Only by admitting this darkness within can the glorious word of grace—“yet” (verse 23)—dawn on him. God never let him go. Only when we see the depth of our sin will we be electrified by the wonder of grace. (The Songs of Jesus).

Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Verse 25 the earth and its pleasures disappoint. The more I obtain, the more I prosper, it’s nice, but it’s ultimately fleeting.

Flesh = 1) Natural ways 2) Sinful ways

Yes, our hearts fail us. We are disappointed. We sin. Our hopes and feelings go up and down. Our bodies age, decay, and are eventually dust and destroyed. But God is the strength of my heart. My portion forever. I will eternally belong to him. Verse 24 says he is receiving us to glory!

Psalm 73:27–28 (NIV84)

Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 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.

NASB: But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.

His presence is our good. That’s why we can come to Him with our hurts and struggles. When we’re in His presence, it is for our good.

Nothing but you. The psalmist breaks through. “Whom have I in heaven but you?” (verse 25) means “If I don’t have you I have nothing—nothing else will satisfy or last.” We rightly want to be reunited with loved ones in heaven. What makes heaven heaven, however, is that God is there. Those who have gone before are not looking down at us fondly but rather are caught up in a never-ending fountain of joy, delight, and adoration. Augustine writes: “God alone is the place of peace that cannot be disturbed—and He will not withhold Himself form your love unless you withhold your love from him.” Life in glory with God (verse 24) will suffice for the healing of all wounds, the answering of all questions. Jesus has promised. (The Songs of Jesus).

Believers must remember our future hope.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for our future hope in you!

Patience in watching the wicked prosper.

Justice in God’s response to evil.

Fortitude in facing difficulties now.

Recognizing the blessings of knowing God now and in the future.