What caused Asaph to almost lose his faith, and what brought him out of it and how can this help those of us today, who might have some questions like he did? "God is good to the pure in heart'? BOOK III Psalms 73-89 -A psalm of Asaph. I just know that suddenly, Asaph started paying attention, and his confusion deepened. Cars, people, and local shops were splattered with whale entrails. Moreover, Psalm 73:28 also repeats the important theme of Gods nearness (Ps 34:18) and the key refuge metaphor (Ps 34:8, 22). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson. According to verse 18, God will place the wicked on the slippery slope that the psalmist almost experienced (vs. 2). He brought his confusion under the truth of God. He goes on to describe their situation: Once again he is able to see life from the perspective of eternity and his confidence and contentment in God are restored. In short, the wicked are totally self-reliant and autonomous people. But before he relates his personal experience (vv. The answer is that these verses serve as a rhetorical foil for the passionate protest that follows in verses 13-14. 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. Even though these words were written 3000 years ago, they might as well have been written today. Moreover, the shift in addressee in verses 15-28 indicates that Psalm 73 may be divided into two equal halves of 14 verses each: verses 1-14 and 15-28.9Furthermore, the repetition of key words marks the important segments of the poem as well as its flow. That is where we meet Asaph in Psalm 73. An Assuredly Good Thing. But as for me, it is good to be near God. Whitney Hand was one of the best womens basketball players who ever played for the University of Oklahoma, and she is also a Christian. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. 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. He was one of the great worship leaders in the OT. Armed with a new perspective about God and this world, Asaph also sees himself clearly. I don't go to the clubs, I maintain all this discipline and for what? It can only be understood from an eschatological perspective.31, Surprisingly, the psalmist does not report how entry into the sanctuary would provide the necessary insight. Consider this godly guidance when you get a raw deal. Because God has showed me that things are going to end differently than they are right now. 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. As we will see shortly, this is a man who is resting in God's goodness. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen ( Psalm 72:18-19, ending Book 2). In fact, their existence is as insubstantial as a dreamhere today, gone tomorrow (cf. It's not fair.". How do you hold to the conviction that God is good when life stinks? A key step in this process, of course, is to make the audience aware of the presence of Gods hand in their lives. While the primary source of sermon . Psalm 24 Back On The Farm. The concluding verse, verse 28, summarizes the new vision the speaker obtained in verses 23-25 and, what is more important, it serves as a clearer definition of what it means that God is good to the pure in heart (vs. 1). He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. He said, I was so foolish for almost giving in to these questions, and almost giving up my faith. He didn't pretend everything was okay. But the NRSV translation of this clause shows that the clause could also mean that the psalmist is restored to his honor. Consequently, the way of the wicked looks like a viable alternative way to live.24. 13-14), the poet first embarks on an extensive and vivid description of the actions and words of the wicked in verses 4-12.18. Asaph is acknowledging what Hebrews 11:6 names as the very essence of faith. In fact, in rather strong language, he acknowledges that he behaved as a brute beast38 with God. 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: Its the same thing with our daily Bible reading. CSB Experiencing God Bible, Hardcover, Jacketed. As the truck crawled through that downtown region, with crowds looking on, the whale exploded. Psalm 73 tells the story of a godly man who felt his faith slipping away. I like Asaph already. Based on this certainty the psalmist then proclaims that even though his health should fail, God is his Rock46 and portion.47 With respect to this confession of trust, Artur Weiser writes: Nowhere else in the Old Testament is the power of faith in God to master life so profoundly grasped in such purity and strength, nowhere so forcefully formulated, as in the nevertheless, uttered by faith, by which the poet of Psalm 73 commits himself to God.48. Take a look at v. 1: "God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart." Psalm 73:28 Sermons Topics . It's not difficult for that to happen, by the way. 6. This slippery slope leads to utter ruin. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. *other, THE STORY OF CHICKEN LITTLE 9. o ^Like Psalms 37 and 49, this psalm is a wisdom psalm, designed to instruct the . But based on its strong affirmations of trust (Psalms 73:1; Psalms 73:17-20; Psalms 73:23-28), it can also be classified as a psalm of trust." [Note: Bullock, p. ", Building Your Life On The Rock (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon), "This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well" (John 4:1-42 sermon), "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" Four promises from God in this passage: 1. Scholars disagree concerning the compositional structure of Psalm 73.8 Nevertheless, rhetorical and stylistic analysis shows that the poem has been skillfully constructed. We know where history is going. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Psalm 145:18 adds that "the Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth." But then he begins to tell his own personal testimony in :2, "But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling.". Psalm 73 begins the third book of the Psalterthe collection of some of Israel's prized hymns, ballads, and congregational hymns. According to verse 7, their hearts overflow with conceit. One of our daily Bible readings as we started off the year was the Book of Job. Keep up the good work. But the thing is, the Christian has the ultimate perspective on history. He wrote, Why, but why should I bless Him? Psalms 73:20. Psalm 25:2 E-Mail Challenge. Sep 11, 2018. The repetition of the verb to tell (sfr) from verse 15 in verse 28c shows that the psalmists speech has now changed dramatically from self-pity (vv. For example, my father recited the beautiful words of verses 24-25 of this psalm to my mother on August 27, 1945, just before she died. He opens it with a truth: Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But then he begins to tell his own personal testimony in :2, But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling. He says God is good; I know that but I came close to stumbling (in the Bible stumbling means to be lost; to give up the faith. Maybe he was sitting at the doctor's office one day and started thumbing through a magazine that featured celebrity homes. More recently, Craig C. Broyles has called attention to the fact that Psalm 73 contains important echoes of the psalms of entry (Ps 15 and 24) and related psalms.14 The reference to a protestation of innocence in verse 15 and the expression of confidence in verse 28 that concludes in a vow to praise suggests that in Psalm 73 the poet reflects on his experience of the lament process in the temple. And were all in it for the same reasonto fuel the churchs mission of making disciples. You are currently impersonating {{userSessionData.email}}. Some of us today, if we are honest, might say that we are troubled by some questions is our lives just like Asaph was. They make sure the cameras are clicking and the interviewers are there to fawn over them. That poor man was carried away to eternal comfort, but the rich man found himself in agony in this flame. It is just as Psalm 73 says: You cast them down to destruction, How they are destroyed in a moment. He was a faithful follower of God. When you did the right thing, but got the back of the hand anyway. May Gods word continue to bless your life! And earth has nothing I desire besides You. He gives the soul (1) security; (2) happiness; (3) support in the hour of death. A person may say, well I just dont feel like being there today but that may be the day that God is going to speak to you. But despite his efforts to serve and honor God, his life was marked by difficulty. Why We Need the Psalms of Lament Dane C. Ortlund. (Exodus 20:17). If youre going to turn your back on God in your distress, where are you going to go? Looking back, Im glad I didnt send it! Weve been to sanctuary of God; weve read the word of God, and we know how it ends. It is just like Psalm 73 says: You have set them in slippery places How they are destroyed in a moment.. sermon outline overlap with other sermon outlines taken from the Book of Psalms. Job had questions like this, didnt he? It has all turned around, so suddenly. Anger/Bitterness (Tie) This makes it possible to use this sermon outline as a stand-alone. He is married to Leeanne and is the father of Joey and Craig. He can handle it! 23-26). Then I perceived their end. There are a couple of things here that Asaph says changed his perspective on what he saw happening around him: A. He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. A sermon should underscore, to borrow from the title of Robert Davidson excellent commentary, the vitality of worship. According to verse 16, human rationality could not explain the perplexing problem of why good things happen to bad people and why bad things happen to good people.62 Only the communal experience (vs. 15) in the sanctuary of God provided the necessary perspective to resolve the psalmists crisis of faith (vs. 17). God showed Asaph that it can all change so suddenly. These subdivisions will be used in our exposition. This switch marks a major turning point in the poem. Verses 4-5 of the first part detail why the wicked enjoy shalom. Clear Scripture Filters. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God . It begins with an emphatic causal statement (ki-hinneh) (vs. 26a): because, look, those who are far away from you will perish.49 The fact that this emphatic statement begins with the conjunction because (k) suggests that verse 27 stands in sharp contrast to verses 23-26. In the sanctuary God was his focus, not his problems. Envy Your sermons are simple but complex with a very good end lesson. He said its just about enough to make you lose your faith. (LogOut/ It isn't a Psalm about a dramatic event but rather about an internal struggle and a moment of revelation, an Epiphany. Sometimes questioning and doubt is due to sin. 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. There isn't a product on the other side of these prayerful actions. "Then I understood their final destiny. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. For this reason they do not fear divine retribution. 3. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. God has SO much to say to us and so many of us are getting so much out of His word every day. But heres the thing: what if they hadnt been here to hear that word? 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! Verse 27 summarizes his new reorientation concerning the wicked. God is on trial in this lament psalm, but ironically, the psalmist functions more as the defense attorney than the prosecuting attorney. 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