Psalm 73

Preaching Through the Bible  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:23
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The Psalms teach us wisdom.
Psalm 73:1–15 ESV
1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
The psalmist is struggling with envy.
Psalm 73:16–22 ESV
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
Getting his head on straight.
Psalm 73:23–28 ESV
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that 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 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 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.
The psalmist ends in worship.
What wisdom can we learn from this Psalm?
Prayers are a place for honesty.
Examine your desires.
God needs to be our focus.
Movement 1:
The conflict. He opens his prayer with a statement of trust and praise. However, he acknowledges that he almost slipped away into sin because he envied the happiness of unbelievers.
Movement 2:
The singer places himself in the presence of God and looked at the whole thing from God’s perspective. The things in this world that promise happiness are temporary. Ultimately, it isn’t worth it because sinful behavior leads to destruction of some kind. Sometimes its the consequences of our sin, here on earth, sometimes its the punishment of our rebellion in eternity.
Movement 3:
The singer rejoices that God never lets go.
The psalmist reminds himself that, although he is missing out on worldly delights, God is his good portion. The fact that he is in relationship with God makes up for everything that the singer is missing out on.
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