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Reading the one hundred and fifty Psalms, we find some that are best understood by reading the last verse first (typically the first verse sets the tone). But with Psalm 73 let’s flip the script in this Interruption beginning with the last verse and then ending this blog with the first verse.
The Psalm makes better sense this way.
The last verse …
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. V. 28 ESV
The purpose of Psalm 73, all the other one hundred and forty-nine Psalms, and the entire Bible can be summarized that our Father wants to restore the stolen and lost relationship that’s detailed in Genesis. As Jesus teaches …
Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15 NLT
Psalm 73, from verse one to verse twenty-seven (second from last verse), explains why we wander from this closeness. Let us read, weep, and repent.
- You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. V. 27
- My flesh and my heart may fail. V. 26
- I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. V.22
- When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart. V. 21
- Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. V. 12
- They set their mouths against the heavens. V. 9
- Pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. V. 6
Before we take pride in never doing any of the above, listen to these confessions by Asaph (author of this Psalm) …
- My feet almost stumbled … for I was envious of the wicked. Vs.2-3
- In vain have I kept my heart clean. V.13
- I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. What a difficult task it is. V. 16 NLT
Whenever I hear of a Christian leader stumbling, a Biblical character caught in sin, or someone that I know making a huge mistake, I’ve been tempted to think, “How foolish!” but know it’s best to say, “But for the grace of God there go I.”
Let’s remember, but for the grace of God we make a mess of things. Knowing this, Asaph gives good advice …
I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Vs. 23-24
Our entrapment in bitterness, anger, and fleshly sin revolves around our understanding of God, and how constantly the evil one entices us to doubt the goodness of God because into this crack of doubt, he can implant temptation.
Now, let’s conclude this Interruption about Psalm 73 with the first verse …
Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. V. 1!
Amen. Peace out!