Psalm 73 • Seeing my life correctly
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the Psalm of Asaph, where the psalmist initially envies the prosperity of the wicked, questioning God's fairness. Through introspection and seeking God's perspective, he realizes the vanity of worldly success and the ultimate downfall of the wicked. The psalmist learns to focus on God's counsel and promises, recognizing that true fulfillment lies in a relationship with God, not material wealth or worldly admiration.
Takeaways
- 😔 The psalmist Asaph initially struggles with envy, comparing his life to the seemingly prosperous lives of the wicked and unbelievers.
- 🙏 Asaph acknowledges God's goodness to those with pure hearts but admits his own near stumble due to envy and misplaced focus.
- 🏡 The psalm describes the outward prosperity of the wicked, who appear to live without troubles, with wealth and health.
- 😈 The prosperity of the wicked is contrasted with their inner state of pride, violence, and malice, highlighting a disconnect between outward appearance and moral character.
- 🤔 Asaph reflects on the futility of his own clean heart and innocence when faced with daily strife, questioning the apparent injustice.
- 🏛️ A turning point occurs when Asaph enters the sanctuary of God, seeking understanding beyond his own limited perspective.
- 🔮 In God's presence, Asaph gains insight into the true end of the wicked, realizing their prosperity is fleeting and they will face ruin.
- 🐃 Asaph recognizes his own ignorance and brutishness in his previous thoughts, likening his mindset to that of a beast.
- 🤝 God's counsel and guidance are presented as the ultimate comfort and assurance for Asaph, leading him to a place of acceptance and trust.
- 🕊️ The psalm concludes with Asaph's realization that his true treasure and desire lie in God alone, not in earthly wealth or status.
- ✨ The message emphasizes the eternal perspective of a believer's life, focusing on the promise of being in God's presence beyond this life, rather than the temporal successes of the wicked.
Q & A
What is the central theme of the Psalm discussed in the script?
-The central theme of the Psalm is the struggle with envy and the realization of God's goodness despite observing the apparent prosperity of the wicked.
What does the psalmist initially struggle with when comparing his life to that of the wicked?
-The psalmist initially struggles with envy, as he observes the prosperity and apparent blessings of the wicked, which he lacks, leading him to question God's fairness.
What does the term 'pure in heart' signify in the context of the Psalm?
-The term 'pure in heart' signifies those who are faithful and devoted to God, implying that God is especially good to those who maintain a sincere and pure relationship with Him.
How does the psalmist describe the wicked in the Psalm?
-The psalmist describes the wicked as being arrogant, prosperous, and seemingly unaffected by troubles, living in a state of self-assuredness and pride.
What realization does the psalmist come to after entering the sanctuary of God?
-After entering the sanctuary of God, the psalmist discerns the end of the wicked, realizing that their prosperity is fleeting and that they will ultimately face ruin and destruction.
What does the psalmist conclude about the nature of the wicked's prosperity?
-The psalmist concludes that the wicked's prosperity is deceptive and temporary, and that they will be destroyed in a moment, highlighting the emptiness of their lives.
How does the psalmist describe the change in his perspective after seeking God's counsel?
-The psalmist describes a profound shift in his perspective, moving from envy and confusion to understanding and acceptance of God's ways, realizing the ultimate futility of the wicked's prosperity.
What does the psalmist learn about his own spiritual journey after reflecting on the wicked?
-The psalmist learns that he was brutish and ignorant, like a beast, when he was focused on the wicked's prosperity. He realizes the importance of seeking God's counsel and the eternal perspective it provides.
What promise does the psalmist find in God that changes his outlook on life?
-The psalmist finds the promise of eternal life with God, which gives him hope and reassurance, changing his outlook from envy of the wicked to gratitude for his relationship with God.
How does the psalmist's understanding of the future impact his current situation?
-The psalmist's understanding of the future, where he will be in God's presence, gives him strength and contentment in his current situation, despite the challenges he faces.
What is the psalmist's final conclusion about his relationship with God and the world?
-The psalmist's final conclusion is that nothing in the world compares to his relationship with God, and that he finds his ultimate joy and fulfillment in being near God, regardless of earthly circumstances.
Outlines
😔 Envy of the Wicked's Prosperity
The speaker begins by expressing a common sentiment of envy towards others who seem to be prospering, even those who are not believers. The psalmist Asaph admits his own near stumble in faith due to comparing his life with the seemingly successful lives of the wicked. He describes the prosperity and arrogance of his neighbors, who despite their apparent lack of faith, live comfortably and without apparent troubles. This leads to a reflection on the psalmist's own struggles and a questioning of God's fairness and goodness.
🙏 Seeking Understanding in God's Sanctuary
In the second paragraph, the psalmist Asaph shares his journey of seeking understanding for the apparent inequity he observed. He describes the futility of trying to rationalize the situation through his own understanding, which he found to be a wearisome task. It was only upon entering the sanctuary of God, or coming into God's presence, that he gained insight into the true nature of the wicked's prosperity. He realizes that their apparent success is fleeting and that they will ultimately face God's judgment, which provides him with a sense of closure and understanding.
🌟 The Assurance of God's Presence and Promise
In the final paragraph, Asaph concludes his reflection with a profound realization of God's enduring presence and guidance in his life. He acknowledges that his previous focus on worldly comparisons had clouded his perspective. Now, with a renewed understanding, he sees that the true value lies in his relationship with God. He expresses a deep contentment in knowing that, despite the temporary nature of earthly life, he will be in God's presence after death. Asaph's realization leads him to a place of gratitude and commitment to share God's works, recognizing that in Christ, he possesses everything he needs for eternal life.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Envy
💡Psalm of Asaph
💡Wicked
💡Prosperity
💡Pride
💡Sanctuary of God
💡Spiritual Struggle
💡Faithfulness
💡Divine Judgment
💡Refuge
💡Destiny
Highlights
The psalmist Asaph starts by acknowledging his struggle with envy towards the prosperous wicked, nearly causing him to stumble in his faith.
Asaph initially envied the unbelievers who appeared to be thriving materially despite their lack of faith.
The psalmist describes the seemingly carefree and prosperous lives of the wicked, who do not face the troubles that others do.
The wicked are depicted as prideful, violent, and malicious, with their hearts full of follies and their tongues threatening oppression.
The wicked's prosperity blinds them, causing them to act with arrogance and disregard for others.
People are drawn to the wicked due to their outward success, even questioning God's knowledge and justice.
Asaph reflects on his own faithfulness and questions why he is not experiencing the same prosperity as the wicked.
The psalmist realizes the futility of his envy and the need to focus on God rather than the wicked.
Asaph's struggle leads him to seek understanding in God's sanctuary, where he gains a new perspective on the fate of the wicked.
In God's presence, Asaph recognizes the ultimate downfall of the wicked, who are like phantoms when God arises in judgment.
The psalmist acknowledges his own ignorance and brutishness when he was preoccupied with the wicked's prosperity.
Asaph learns that God is always with him, guiding him with counsel and receiving him into glory after this life.
The psalm concludes with Asaph's realization that God is his only desire, as earthly things and even his own flesh and heart may fail.
The lesson from the psalm is to focus on what one has in Christ rather than envying the worldly prosperity of others.
Asaph's experience teaches that seeking God's perspective leads to understanding the true nature and end of the wicked, and the eternal destiny of believers.
Transcripts
have you ever gotten your eyes off the
Lord and looked at other people and
thought I think they're better off than
I am and looked at like unbelievers and
thought why are they doing so well and
I'm not that seems kind of unfair and
it's kind of like God is this the way
you treat your children that's what's
happening in this Psalm
that's a psalm of Asaph and this psalm
begins with the conclusion which was
somewhat common in those days
it says truly God is good to Israel to
those who are pure in heart truly he is
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 so what is
the psalmist doing he starts off at the
very beginning telling you what the
problem was what his issue was and he
says you know I've learned now that God
is good I struggled with that for a
period of time because you see I got my
eyes off the Lord and I really almost
slipped I almost stumbled because I
started looking at unbelievers and I
started looking at their lives and
thinking okay I keep thinking in my mind
he's looking at his neighbor and and his
neighbor is an unbeliever never goes to
church doesn't care about God and yet
the guy is just you know he's making all
kinds of money he's got a gorgeous house
got a lovely wife his kids are strong
and healthy he's got a three car garage
with the boat in the third stall and and
he's just doing good and he talks like
he owns the world and Here I am Lord I
mean I'm sitting there looking at my
neighbor and Here I am a worshipper of
God and I got a one car garage and I'm
struggling to keep anything in that
alone and
and you know health-wise I don't seem to
be doing as good as my neighbor and yeah
nothing nothing stacks up here look what
he says when he goes down to verse four
he starts talking about his his buff
neighbor who moved there from California
he says for they have no pangs until
death in other words no issues there's
they live their lives in prosperity says
their bodies are fat and sleek doesn't
mean he's overweight that's a term that
just means you know he looked good he
says they're not in trouble as others
are they're not stricken like the rest
of mankind so what's the result of that
verse 6 therefore pride is their
necklace violence covers them like a
garment their eyes swell out through
fatness and and the word fatness refers
to prosperity having much okay which and
so when their eyes swell out it's a
poetic way of saying they see through
their glasses of prosperity and they
long they grab for things they see what
they want and they get it he says their
hearts overflow with follies they scoff
and they speak with malice loftily they
threaten oppression they even set their
mouth against the heavens and their
tongue struts through the earth so
what's the result of that yeah therefore
his people turn back to them and find no
fault in them they draw a crowd people
go wow he's pretty cool and they say
things like how can God know is there
knowledge in the Most High behold these
are the wicked always it ease they
increase in riches
what's his conclusion all in vain have I
kept my heart clean and washed my hands
in innocence for all day long I have
been stricken it's like I'm getting
rebuked every morning now he's coming
back and becoming the moderator again of
this or the narrator of this and he says
you know if I had said I will speak thus
or I'll speak this way I would have
betrayed the generation of your children
but you know when I thought how to
understand this when I tried to figure
it out it seemed to me a wearisome task
until I went into the sanctuary of God
then I discerned their end I want you to
pause there for just a moment because
the psalmist has brought us to the
climax of his understanding he's
explained how by comparing his life with
his neighbor next door he seems so out
of it I have so little of what he has
he's healthy and strong I'm not he has
so many things in the way of prosperity
and blessings which I don't have and he
talks like he owns the world and and
people love him for it they think he's
great and they flock around him and then
the psalmist says you know had I had I'd
spoken this way had I had I given voice
to all of these things I would have
betrayed this generation of your
children and then he says and I love
this I love what he says in verse 16 he
says you know I sat down and I tried to
figure all this out with my own
understanding with my own insight I said
I thought okay there's got to be an
answer to this there's the there's an
answer I know there is and it's a
satisfying one I just got to figure it
out have you ever tried to figure God
out have you ever sat down to try to
figure got out and he comes back and he
said
it seemed to me a wearisome task in
other words I couldn't do it but what
changed verse 17 then I went into the
sanctuary of God in other words I came
into the presence of my lord then I
understood because you Lord showed me
your perspective my perspective became
oppressive it became a weight that I
couldn't bear so I came into your
presence and then I knew he said and
what did he know
look at the end of her seventeen then I
discerned their end very key here's what
he now has learned Oh truly you set them
in Slippery places you make them fall to
ruin oh how they are destroyed in just a
moment swept away
utterly by terrors like a dream when one
awakes Oh Lord when you rouse yourself
you despise them as phantoms by the way
that term when you rouse yourself that
speaks of when the Lord comes forth in
judgment okay he says you know what when
my soul was embittered when I was
pricked in my heart I was brutish and
ignorant I was like a beast toward you
do you know why we talked about this in
our study in in Luke we talked about the
fact that the natural man who thinks
with his emotions his intellect right
and determines things based only on
those things
in other words Solomon referred to the
natural man as the one who lives under
the Sun and he talked about that
continuously what is life like under the
Sun meaning
to the natural man who has no concept of
the spiritual no concept of of the
heavens no concept of God what's life
like to him well it's fine as long as
things are going okay but how quickly
they're swept away and when terrors
overcome them they have nowhere to run
they have nowhere to whom to no one to
him to go right there's no recourse you
go to the world what good are they gonna
be they're all going through the same
thing they don't have any answers for
you they're just gonna sit around going
yeah yeah it's pretty rough let's all
get together and talk about how rough it
is hey that's what we'll do we're gonna
call it a support group but really all
we're gonna do is sit around and talk
about what a drag it is to live in a
fallen world right I mean there's no
answers there's nobody to turn to
because if you find somebody to turn to
chances are they'll be doggone tomorrow
anyway and this is what the psalmist is
now realizing after he's getting the
perspective of the Lord so he says when
I was like this when I was thinking like
this I was like an animal I was
literally thinking like an animal that's
why what he means in verse 22 but he
says that was like a beast toward you
here's what he found out though this is
the reality of the situation
nevertheless I am continually with you
that means I'm always there and you hold
my right hand you guide me with your
counsel don't you love the counsel of
God's Word guiding your life and
afterward after all this world and all
that it has and does and what comes
after that he says after that you
received me to glory it's not the end we
don't just become oblivious to all
reality when we die we were created by
God to live on and what is my future
I'm gonna go be in your presence when
this life is over I go to be in your
presence
that's what awaits believers and this is
what he wasn't taking any consideration
you know so he says in verse 25 here's
his conclusion whom have I in heaven but
you and you know what he says there's
nothing on earth that I desire besides
you because my flesh and my heart may
fail no not mate will you know unless
you and I are here when the rapture
takes place our flesh and heart will
fail
that's as simple as that but he says but
God is the strength of my heart
he's the strength behind my heart and my
portion forever for behold my neighbor
and all those like him those who are far
from you they're gonna perish because
you put an end to everyone who is
unfaithful to you but for me it's a good
thing just to be near God because you
see I've made the Lord God my refuge so
here's what I'm gonna do from here on
out I'm just gonna tell everybody I can
get to listen of all your works because
that's my destiny my destiny is with you
I have such wonderful promises from God
Jesus said that even though we die we
shall live we shall live with him I
think of what he said to the thief on
the cross this day this day you'll be
with me in paradise he did say tell you
what you're gonna go to sleep for a long
time and then it's kind of like the roll
of the dice after that you really don't
know what's gonna happen we'll wake you
up sometime in the near in the distant
future and we'll just kind of see what
happens and you
I mean you know if you've been good
maybe st. Peter will let you in and
they're that religious mumbo-jumbo this
day you will be with me in paradise that
is our destiny right so the lesson here
is so powerful don't look at what the
world has don't look at what the people
of the world has and don't look at how
they live and compare it with your own
you look at what you've got in Christ
because in Christ you have everything
you have everything because he has
everything
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