Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Sooner womens coach Sherri Coale was dejected at the press conference after the game. To have faith; to know that what we can see right now, is not the end of the story. The Bible says Jesus turned to His disciples and asked if they were going to go away too. Join Plus; Plus . Two weeks later, on January 29, authorities decided to truck the dead whale to a laboratory where they could do an autopsy. He did what Job did. Your sermons are simple but complex with a very good end lesson. These are a lot like Asaphs questions, arent they? Read Online Responsorial Psalms For Funeral Liturgy Pdf For Free A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die Common Worship: Pastoral Services The 1928 Book of Common Prayer Funeral Hymns Holy Bible Common Worship: Times and Seasons President's EditionContinuing Bonds How God guides The Moon by Night Elegy in a country church yard, on the evening of a funeral. Envy means "I want what you have." But before he relates his personal experience (vv. In the next stretch of Psalms we only have one attributed to King David and this isn't it. Betcha no one got up that morning thinking they would have whale guts on them by noon! John Piper Sep 11, 2018. 2. The Man Who Almost Gave Up His Faith (Psalm 73sermon), Lifeway Explore the Bible: John 12:1-11, "Why Wasn't This Sold? Like Asaph, come into the sanctuary of God.. They are self-promoting, anti-God, and worldly, and they are the ones that are getting a slice of the pie, not me. He says in :16 that all of this WAS troublesome in my sight UNTIL I came into the sanctuary of God. For this reason they do not fear divine retribution. Maybe he was sitting at the doctor's office one day and started thumbing through a magazine that featured celebrity homes. And it shows us that we can do that with God too; these Psalms give us permission to bring our honest hurts and feelings to God, and say like these Psalmists: Stored up anger vents itself in headaches, ulcers, bitterness, resentment, private rehearsals of the injustice you've experienced, and outbursts of anger that are disconnected from the real problem. 3. Is it really worth it to serve God? He brought his confusion under the truth of God. Because my wife is out of town visiting her elderly parents, our dog, who is lovesick for her, spends his entire day and night in our bedroom, in some doggie blankets, placed on the An Assuredly Good Thing. Psalm 73-Smith, Terry L. "A Crisis in Faith: An Exegesis of Psalm 73," Restoration Quarterly 17.3 (1974) 162 . 21ff. Recognize it? Message. He became depressed. This God-inspired worship leader is ready to walk away. He was really troubled by what he had seen in the world around him, and it raised questions which bothered him. Our challenge today is to believe that. Scripture: Psalm 73:25-26. It reminds us . Reorientation with Respect to the Wicked (vv. For example, Psalm 73 shares the prominence of the wicked with Psalm 1.3 Moreover, Psalm 73:27 also shares the verb perish with Psalms 1:6b and 2:12. It's not fair.". 21-22). How did he get away with this, year after year? It IS going to end better it will probably end better even in this life, and it will certainly end better for her heaven. Listen to his confession in v. Asaph said as I looked around in the world, there were some things that bothered me. I. Look at v. 3: "For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." It took 50 laborers and three lifting cranes 13 hours to hoist the 56-foot behemoth onto a flatbed trailer truck. He kept his faith, but I lost mine. Why did the close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, lift up his heel against me? In short, verse 27 declares that autonomy is a harlotry that does not work.54. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. We're kicking this study off on a bruising, but all-too-common experience that can leave your teeth on edge and bitterness in your heart. Moreover, Psalm 73:28 also repeats the important theme of Gods nearness (Ps 34:18) and the key refuge metaphor (Ps 34:8, 22). Those who draw near -who come in the true spirit of sacrifice, and with the only available offering, the Lord Jesus, shall be finally saved; therefore, it is good for them. The poet introduces his honest confession with the emphatic contrastive phrase But, as for me. This phrase introduces the yes, but factor. But on the other hand, HE, who was trying to obey God and do what is right, has been stricken all day long, and chastened every morning.. He was fired from his company, kicked off of the Hollywood Academy, his wife left him, and criminal charges are being investigated. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. : "When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you." They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. This service acknowledges the seeming inequities of life and the doubts that arise yet declares strength, hope and protection in God our Sovereign Lord. One of the sweetest, finest men I have ever known is in Norwalk hospital. Let's look at Psalm 1 together for a few minutes. Sometimes, however, questions and doubt are not directly the result of sin. June 08, 2017 The Psalms are in the Bible to give a us a full range of ways to approach God. CONCLUSION: Although the text of verses 4, 7 and 10 is uncertain,20 the general picture is clear. Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? For more information, see ourPrivacy Policy. They are healthy (vs. 4) and experience no trouble (amal), nor are they plagued (vs. 5). It refers first of all to God. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. ", Can you connect with any of these feelings? Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around . Moreover, it helps them transition from radical doubt to a robust reaffirmation of faith. Sexual Lust (Tie) Numbers 11:4-35, Psalm 73:1-28, Tags: Envy Apparently he ignored the sound advice from Proverbs 23:17 (Do not let your heart envy sinners but always continue in the fear of the Lord). That's right, it blew up. 89:52, ending Book 3). Psalm 73 begins with a summary of his theology. Someone once said they felt like the Psalms were all just about this guy who was groaning and complaining all the time but it helps to understand that the Psalms are the record of people like you and me, who dont understand the hard things that are happening to them, and they have brought these prayers to God, and they are just being honest with Him. The second correction in verses 21-22 concerns the poet himself. He was angry and disillusioned. Envy blinded his vision. We're sorry, an error occurred. He opens it with a truth: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.". WHEN a man is sick, everybody knows what is good for him. And that lead him to the fourth word we need to see in v. 3: envy. Everything changed. Or maybe he does business with an ungodly person in town who seems to have the Midas touch. 1. And he doesn't keep the cause of his troubles a secret. Eternity broke into his temporal perspective. Asaph might have looked at Hugh Hefner and said, Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. Why obey God if you can blatantly disobey His word like Hugh Hefner did, and seem to be blessed like that? With an eternal perspective, everything looks different. 5:3-12), Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Discovering FBCA Membership class lessons, This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog). He didnt understand what was happening to him: In every fiber I rebelled. Asaph's Envy of the Wicked (vv. Two of the words refer to the people he had been tracking. While the first half of the Psalm is marked by a man-oriented perspective, he now sees things from a God-oriented perspective. Using the imagery of clothing in this verse, the psalmist boldly engages in shrewd moral and economic criticism.22 According to this verse, the affluent are well-off because of pride and violence. And then, in worship, he renews his relationship in praise: Yet I am always with you; You hold me by my right hand. Asaph looked at the lifestyles, the cars, the clothing, the houses they lived in, the company they kept, and thought to himself: "They're getting everything God promised to His covenant people! surely in vain I have kept my hands pure like Asaph here in Psalm 73, Therefore, the speaker claims in verse 10 (the Hebrew text is difficult) that the wicked enjoy popularity and attract a crowd of people. But we have to put ourselves in the position where God can speak to us, by opening His word each day and reading it. They do not need God. He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. Reorientation with Respect to Gods Presence (vv. Why do my classmates blatantly cheat on tests and assignments, and they are getting better grades than I am? See, what we have to remember is that this life is not all there is. Maybe people who walked by and saw the Rich Man & Lazarus were tempted to give up THEIR faith. (John 3:16 sermon), "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. There isn't a product on the other side of these prayerful actions. Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. Job was a righteous man who lost all his children, his possessions, and his health. These subdivisions will be used in our exposition. There is no record that God ever rebuffs Job for being honest. So here Asaph says, basically, I almost gave up the faith! God can handle our hardest questions and still love us. Psalm 73 moves from radical doubt to a robust reaffirmation of faith. (616) 526-6088 worship@calvin.edu, On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary, See our related website, Zeteo Preaching and Worship. Scripture: Psalm 73:21-26. Job had questions like this, didnt he? God will judge the wicked, and He will reward the righteous; those who have turned away from their sins, and followed Jesus as their Savior. it seemed to me a wearisome task. Psalm 73 is the first psalm of Book III of the Psalter. Dec 4, 1988. CSB Experiencing God Bible, Hardcover, Jacketed. You certainly don't welcome it. Because ONE SECOND after they died, it all changed suddenly, didnt it? Hang on to Him! We know where history is going. The author of Psalm 73, Asaph, was almost like Elie Wiesel. :17 If I had said, I will speak thus, behold I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. Looking back, Im glad I didnt send it! He was watching how the ungodly were getting along. They are the blessed, not me. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. Its the same thing with our daily Bible reading. The speaker of Psalm 73 admits that he was envious. Pedestrians and shop owners poured into the streets to watch the spectacle of a whale carcass driven through the streets of downtown Tainan. Thats why its so important to be here at church on a regular basis. But he didnt get away with it, did he? They enjoy their sin for a time, perhaps from a human perspective for a lifetime. A good illustration can paint a picture in the imagination to help clarify the truth of a passage. 2 From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. Sermon. He says, there are wicked people in the world, whom you would THINK God would be punishing, but instead they are not only not being punished, they are succeeding; they are prospering. You didn't see that coming. Wicked emphasizes the guilt of those who are actively choosing that which is offensive to God. But as for me, it is good to be near God. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threate His faith was tested and he almost fell away. 13-14) to praise of Gods handiwork (Gen 2:2).57 Now he speaks no longer as an ignorant beast; instead, through Gods guiding counsel he has now become a spiritually enlightened witness.58. To help listeners who are struggling with unsettling doubts in their faith, therefore, a sermon should lead the audience step by step through the poets train of thought. "You try to honor God and stay humble and do good, you'll have a tough, mediocre life. God is the Christian's inheritance as the rest of his soul. 15-16; 17-20; 21-22; 23-26; and 27-28. Still others assert that it is a wisdom psalm, similar to Psalm 49. Ps 26:7-8) in dramatic transformation of the psalmists despairing doubt (vv. Featuring Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Kristi McLelland, and more! He was evil. If you've ever had something happen to you that was out of human control but seemed so unfair that you don't understand how a good God could let it happen, then you need to sit awhile with a choir director named Asaph. It isn't a Psalm about a dramatic event but rather about an internal struggle and a moment of revelation, an Epiphany. (LogOut/ Asaph confessed his self-pitying, self-centered bent. But her sophomore year, she suffered a knee injury that took her out for some time. On January 17, 2004, a 66-ton whale died and was beached on the southwestern coast of Taiwan, near the city of Tainan. 3 Our God approaches, and he is not silent. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. If you'll allow me to paraphrase it, it goes like this: "So this is how life really works! To help us, we will turn to the Psalms, where the raw emotions of real people who just hit the wall are expressed, and where deep reservoirs of truth are found that can help you through. How many rash words and unsifted actions have we wished to take back because of the negative consequences they brought about? Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. Vs. 17 certainly leaves us wanting more. It literally means peace with God such that your life is fulfilled, tranquil, and complete. So dont turn away from God in your questions and times of difficulty, turn TO Him. But the thing is, the Christian has the ultimate perspective on history. One of the best known memoirs of the Holocaust is Night by Elie Wiesel. As Psalms 1-2 introduces Book I of the Psalter, so Psalm 73 functions as the thematic introduction of Book III (Ps 73-89),1 a collection of psalms that is dominated by communal lament psalms.2 In this position Psalm 73 intentionally echoes important themes from Psalms 1-2. Such a condition is contrary to the basic belief that God rewards the good with good. 27-28) summarize the psalmists spiritual journey and especially the new vision that he gained in verses 18-20 and verses 23-26 in terms of the spatial image of far and near. This summary functions as the psalmists great reaffirmation of faith. There may be times when it seems to be going that way and it looks like that a lot in America today but the Bible says it will not end there. Sometimes it changes suddenly during our lives here on earth like it did for Harvey Weinstein. But heres the thing: what if they hadnt been here to hear that word? It is going to end differently. "God is good to the pure in heart'? Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons | Tagged Asaph, Bible Reading, church, . He didn't pretend everything was okay. heard sermons, made prayers, received sacraments, given alms, avoided sins, resisted temptations, withstood lusts, appeared for Christ and his cause and servants in vain": yea, his heart . Why do good people suffering, and wicked people prosper? In fact, in rather strong language, he acknowledges that he behaved as a brute beast38 with God. So go ahead, tell Him about it. I would urge you to follow his example, tracing the results your words and actions have on your family, friends, lost acquaintances, and church. I have typed this psalm as a psalm of wisdom because it deals with a common problem found in wisdom literature, the prosperity of the wicked. I don't understand what is happening or why! As we will see shortly, this is a man who is resting in God's goodness. What Asaph Knew. State your [case], so that you may be vindicated." And yet Hugh Hefner lived in a $200 million mansion, and lived to the ripe old age of 91! They help us put words to our doubts and frustrations, but at the same time they give us reminders of the help and hope we have in God. Reorientation with Respect to Self (vv. "God I'm so angry! But it wasnt just that he came to God; God actually SHOWED him something specific that helped him: he says in :17, Then I perceived their end. He says God showed me not just what the present state of these wicked people is, but what their END is going to be. I don't know how it started. Sometimes things change very quickly, even here on earth, dont they? They don't face the hardships I face. While the primary source of sermon . AOL News (1-29-04); see also BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3437455.stm). In the midst of suffering believers often feel cheated and begin to question and doubt God's goodness. However, in verse 28a, which is introduced with the final emphatic phrase but, as for me (weani), good is defined, not in terms of property or prosperity, but Gods presence: But, as for me, the nearness of God (is) good to me!55 What a sharp contrast this new perception forms with the emphatic I in verse 2! The brief asseveration of divine justice, however, is followed immediately by the poets candid confession that he almost abandoned the faith (vs. 2). The opening statement that God is good to Israel, for example, recalls Psalm 34:8. He goes on to describe their situation: At least that seems to be the meaning of the emphatic summary conclusion of the lengthy description of the wicked in verse 12, which echoes verse 3 and, together with it, frames verses 4-11: Look (hinneh) at the wicked always at ease, they increase their wealth. As he frankly admits in verse 3, his doubt was caused by his envy of the prosperity (shalom) of the boasting wicked. BOOK III Psalms 73-89 -A psalm of Asaph. Whom have I in heaven but You? Self-centeredness It wasnt right. Don't keep those emotions cooped up inside you, building layers of resentment and hardship between you and God. Introduction to Psalm 73: "Seeing Clearly in the Sanctuary". He's on the edge of throwing in the towel. Several times in recent months I have had individuals say to me: Pastor, that message today was for me! Psalm 73 is a favorite for many Jewish and Christian believers because the words of this precious psalm ring true to their experience. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. One of the best known memoirs of the Holocaust is Night by Elie Wiesel. He says God is good; I know that . But in the act of prayer I enter as it were into His presence. Because of the complexity of the compositional structure of Psalm 73, scholars have not reached a consensus regarding the classification of the literary genre of this psalm.13 Some classify Psalm 73 as a lament. Just like Asaph, bring your doubts to the Lord, and let Him show you in His word that although it may not look like it now, it is going to end better if youll hang in there, and learn the lesson of the man who almost gave up his faith. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," ( Psalm 73:26). Back to Chuck Smith's Bio & Resources "THE PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING" Intro: I know a dear dedicated couple, tithe faithfully, serving God as active laymen in church, their first baby was born horribly deformed. 1. 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