The Counsel Of God As Our Guide And Our Portion

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

Sermon Scripture

Psalm 73:24–26 ESV

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:24-26

Experiential benefit of the counsel of God in ones life, is directly tied to ones trust in God.

Why?

Because counsel not adhered to, or direction not taken is of no benefit.

Also tied to trust and therefore counsel (as we discussed last week) is joy. A delight in doing what has been commanded, a joy in following direction, an absence of grumbling or complaining in the working out of the righteousness of God in your life. A true pleasure in ones commitment to and account before almighty God.

Philippians 2:14 ESV

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Proverbs 3:11 ESV

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,

Hebrews 12:5 ESV

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

This address of joy in discipline, joy in correction and joy in counsel and how it is addressed as to one who is an offspring or a child of (God), is why last week we related proper submission as being absent from grumbling and full of joy as with a child and their parent.

But today we answer the question of “why” or “how”?

Why should I take joy in another’s counsel (as opposed to my own)?

How is it better that I do what another commands of me than what I myself desire?

This is another area where scripture is a paradigm shift of sorts. Easily we have been trained to corralate freedom (as in the doing what we want, absent from commitment and accountability) to happiness/joy (perhaps rightfully so). However in doing that we have defined freedom as the right to do what we want rather than the ability/liberty to do what is right. Freedom or liberty in Christ is the being made perfectly holy, perfectly righetouss in Christ and therefore the obtaining of the ability to live out from that righteousness. You could not do this before. You were enslaved to sin.

Now being liberated in Christ - is in one portion, liberation from our own carnal desires.

This means that we see things a little different. Before we thought of the obtaining of our own carnal desires as the destination where freedom is found. Now however we know our own desires as carnal and depraved and completley lacking of any ability for freedom.

Our thought process has changed. It has been redeemed. It has been sanctified. This is called godly wisdom.

is a wisdom Psalm, and in poetical fashion it puts this wisdom on display as a picture for us to observe.

We can in this Psalm look at the different contrast that are made in the artist color choices and strokes and from that see, by proper observation, the heart and cause that makes joyful the position of submission, the stance of trust, and counsel adhered to.

But as a fine piece of art it ought to be studied with eyes longing to see and know the passion of the artist, and the picture in all of its intent which demands more than a mere five second glance. We must strive to see not just the picture but the strokes and the fullness of the color pallet.

Psalm 73:1–3 ESV

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 7

Psalm 73:1 ESV

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

The very first verse of this Psalms indicates that the artist/author is taking us on a retrospective journey. It is intended to look back in observation. This retrospective observation and the wisdom stance as having a problem resolved before even allowing us in to know the problem. We see this in the words “Truly” or “Surley”

Truly/Surley is from a Hebrew word which expresses certainty and expresses a new found conviction following the Psalmist crisis

Therefore as we paint this picture we begin with this bold stroke of conviction: GOD IS GOOD.

There is no doubt here and there is no question. Everything will be based of of the affirmed conviction that GOD IS GOOD.

That is both the battle and the solution. The question and the answer.

From this we are given who God is good to. Meaning that the stroke of conviction does not end simply at the GOD IS GOOD, but it gives us insight or further description into God’s goodnes.

GOD IS GOOD TO....

Israel - That is His covenant people. The people whom He has chosen for Himself. The people who by the grace of God have enterened into covenant agreement with God. But this description of Israel isn’t left to just a cold legal covenant document but the stroke of conviction gives shape to the people of Israel of whom the Psalmist is speaking.

Pure In Heart - Here the Psalmist makes a distinction between faithfulness and simple national identity. More than speaking of cerimonial, ethical or sanitary purity; the Psalmist distinguishes purity “of the heart”. This in scripture indicates a state of the heart where complete devotion to God is found.

Thus this brings us back to that submission and trust harmonized with joy. The new found conviction of the Psalmist is that:

GOD IS GOOD TO HIS PEOPLE (ISRAEL) WHO ARE COMPLETLEY DEVOTED TO HIM AS THERE GOD.

The beauty here is we have a conviction highlighting the wonderful goodness of a two way blessed relationship between God and His people.

For the people of God, to be devoted to God is to know the goodness of God as there own no matter what the circumstance. That is the first stroke of conviction in our text, that is the first layer of color that all else will be contrasted from.

II.

Now our painting enters into the retrospective framework. It becomes personal rather than national.

Psalm 73:2–3 ESV

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Into this retrospective painting the artist brings himself and the prosperity of the wicked to the front as a internal conflict. It is through his own individual experience that he will approach the topic of the wicked’s prosperity.

Prosperity is a close relative of abundance. And the prosperity spoken of here is the abundance of riches and perceived success in their labor. It is the absense of physical struggle in this present time and the presence of perceived power.

To this the Psalmist says that his eyes (I saw) were looking upon the present prosperity of the wicked.

You can see in the painting the young eyes looking out into the world and seeking a path to follow. There he sees the lustful, the envious beauty of riches, so promising in appearance that the darkness, evil and destruction behind it almost goes unnoticed.

With the eyes upon that of the wicked (not the wicked portion, but the pleasure thereof) the Psalmist heart is contrasted to the heart in verse one. Rather than “pure in heart” the Psamilst describes himself as “envious” and “arrogent” . The result is that his walk becomes more as a drunkard than a man resting in the promises of God.

His feet almost stumbled and his steps nearly slipped. In otherwords this arrogant envy of thinking of himself higher than he ought, and rather than trusting in the perfect rightousness of God almost led him to his ruin.

When envy (I want) and arrogance (I deserve), becomes our cause of pursuit in life, then we end up steering our lives as drunkards behind the wheel, swaying left and swaying right unto our own demise.

Now in verse 4-12 we get more depth added to our painting in the area of the wicked. The Psalmist will leave his retrospective point and spend time lamenting in the present tense. He will add depth to the benefits of the wicked and highlight as he did with himself their wickedness before God. We will go on a journey through his reasoning and wrestling.

We read all of this mindful of the Psalmist introductory conviction that God is good to his people who are devoted to Him - or to be said with more context - the goodness of God (is as a constant) is known/experienced by His people who are devoted to Him in every circumstance.

The Psalmist emphasis here then, is that the wicked are not devoted to God (leaving the question, is the perceived good that the wicked experience actually the goodness of God or is something else upon the horizon?)

Psalm 73:4–12 ESV

For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

Psalm 73:

Now, what has been set forth in our painting is that receiving the present prosperity is the wicked, and the action of the wicked is to set their mouth against the heavens, against God, while yet there pains appear to ease and they increase in riches.

Again, our struggle in looking at this painting is that there is an apparent contradiction. The colors aren’t harmonizing. It is as though one side of the canvas displays one picture of a stated truth while the other side displays a completely different perceived reality.

Now the Psalmist paints with a brush stroke of realism, a response and reaction, a place that we have all been. It is background to his arrogance and insight to his grief.

Thought Process Step One:

Psalm 73:13–14 ESV

All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.

Psalm

The observance that all godliness seems futile and the despair that goes with this observance.

The stricken rebuke.

The word for rebuke here has been translated plagued and is sometimes connected to God’s discipline. ()

Here is the description of the perceived picture:

The wicked have prospered

The pure have been plagued (disciplined by God)

Notice that the grief is caused by defining good the same as the wicked. Vanity is felt when vanity is exersised, when worldly prosperity is sought, craved or lusted after rather than God as ones portion.

III.

Now if it were possible, I want you to picture a painting being painted with multiple layers. The first is to give a perception. An idea where upon a glance you see it a certain way, while the next layer of the picture…meaning if you are able to look deeper into the thought process of the artwork, then you see develop a reality that is in complete contrast with the original perception and it changes your viewpoint of the original perception from “something is off and just not right”, to “wow this is a joyous beauty of a masterpiece”.

That is this Psalm as he now takes us from that first layer of perception into the process of decision making that colors the reality and leads to understanding.

Psalm 73:15–20 ESV

If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

Psalm 73:

Psalm 73:15–17 ESV

Psalm 73:15-17

“If I had”. The greatest tragedy that would have come upon this painting was avoided by a slowness to speech. The wrestling to place, but the words were never proclaimed.

If the Psalmist would have spoken upon his observance, if he would have said, “look as the wicked prosper - pureness of heart is vanity”. If grumbling and complaining would had become his vocal portion then betrayal of God’s people would have been his portion as well.

Yet, instead of great tragedy the Psalmist gives us the beauty of wisdom.

Remember “God is good” (to those who love him) is the conviction, it is the truth.

Thus, the Psalmist, (though he wrestles upon his perception which contradicts his conviction) rather than highlight and act upon perception of fact he thinks the question:

How am I to understand this?

I want to tell you something church and I want you to hear this...

Thinking is a rarity. Reaction, complaining, grumbling, victim status is the popular path.

Thinking as to gain understanding is an even greater rarity. Thinking as in coniving to get what one wants is the popular path.

Thinking as to gain understanding into the goodness of God as truth and needed application into ones life is the most rare of all and it is sorley needed.

Why?

Because when you think of how to think,

As the Psalmist says, when I thought of how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task.

Thinking upon how to think is weirisome and too often we play the part of the sluggard and as proverbs puts it, we don’t get out of the slumber of our own darkness because we are afraid their is a lion outside. It has nothing to do with reality, just our own made up perception that paralizes us in fear because of a lack of understanding and a unwillingnesss to put in the effert…because it seems, it feels too tiring.

Until....

Now hear this! There is no more victorious color stroke in this whole painting than the word “until”.

In this word and what follows is the realization that everyone wrestles with the burden of understanding and that it is only obtained one way.

“Until I went int the sanctuary of God”

All balance, harmony and beauty is brought back into the painting by going into the sanctuary of God. That is by going before the throne of God and grasping reality.

And hear this beloved…all understanding is found in knowing God. The heart of all of our seeking and study of scripture is to know God for that is life.

It is in the sanctuary of God that one sees the end and not just the immediate. It is there that one sees the prize to run towards rather than the distractions to stumble upon and become entangled by.

It is there that dicernment is grasped. It is there that one sees what God is doing in the percieved prosperity of the wicked and therefore it is there that one takes delight in the discipline of the Lord.

Psalm 73:

And hear this beloved…all understanding is found in knowing God. The heart of all of our seeking and study of scripture is to know God for that is life.

Psalm 73:18–20 ESV

Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

Now knowing the end of those whom you have so envied church…Now knowing the end of the worldly who you have so lusted after all of their things, now knowing the judgment and their imminate destruction and having so embirtterdly longed for their position, what does that say about you, about me, about us who know God and the truth of His goodness?

It says this (let the painting demonstrate)

Psalm 73:21–22 ESV

When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

Psalm 73:

Nonetheless, though we often in our thoughts and cravings act the beast before God, when we go to His sanctuary and are by the grace of God shown the truth of God and the ignorance of our thoughts, then we see the continual guidence of God in our lives even in our wrestling.

We see that the goodness of God has always been there for us, even in our confussion. And we see that the only reason that we percieved the goodness of God to be lacking at all is because we were not before the sanctuary of God but were rather worshiping at the altar of lust and envy.

In our idolatry we believed the lie that God isn’t enough, that somewhere or somehow in this world we need a portion other than God, that we need a portion to sustain our flesh (our cravings of life) and our heart (our passions) upon this earth.

Psalm 73:23–28 ESV

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm

Do you see the picture. God takes the hand of the wrestling and humble soul that has come to His sanctuary to learn.

God guides with counsel and even though one recognizes their previous behavior as retribute, God in His grace, after His councel is given, His teaching learned and recieved, He receives the Psalmist, into glory.

But here is the statement of salvation:

I only have one in Heaven - It is God

I only have one desire upon earth - it is God

My flesh and heart may fail, but my strength of heart and my portion (contrast to flesh) will remain forever because - it is God

All the unfaithful shall know their end.

I will know the nearness of God as my good

I will know God as my Lord and this is my refuge.

Thus what I will proclaim before all the people with full insight, conviction and understanding is the works of God, that God is good to His people who are devoted to Him as their portion and walk according to the truths of His ways. He takes their hand and gives them councel, He recieves them to glory, he sustains them in trial.

GOD IS GOOD.

Do you love Him?

Are you commited to Him?

Have you come to His sanctuary for understanding?

Is He your portion, strength, and refuge?

I pray so. I pray that by the grace and work of the Lord Jesus that you have taken every opportunity to enter into the sanctuary of God and have Him in His infinate wisdom guide your steps, be your provision and your blessed portion.

Let me give you this final plea beloved...

Don’t be caught being to lazy to understand, too caught up in your daily seeking of vanity to go to the sanctuary of God for understanding. Don’t…please don’t be so arrogant, so beastly in your thought, in your own determination, as to think that you don’t need to go to the sanctuary of God for understanding and clarity of thought.

Please come to Jesus. Bow to God, read His word, know His goodness and be blessed by Him alone. - Amen

Related Media

Related Sermons