So what good is it to be a believer? Jobs questioning and doubt is a case in point. The second correction in verses 21-22 concerns the poet himself. "You try to honor God and stay humble and do good, you'll have a tough, mediocre life. Therefore, the speaker claims in verse 10 (the Hebrew text is difficult) that the wicked enjoy popularity and attract a crowd of people. Our challenge today is to believe that. He kept his faith, but I lost mine. In the deepest part of your heart you just want it to end better for her. But in worship we see from God's infinite perspective. The third word we need to see became a private obsession for this worship leader: it was the prosperity these God-rejecters enjoyed. While the primary source of sermon . 9. Job was a righteous man who lost all his children, his possessions, and his health. There are a million of these kinds of questions. In the next stretch of Psalms we only have one attributed to King David and this isn't it. You didn't plan for it. This Psalm is his very personal testimony. surely in vain I have kept my hands pure like Asaph here in Psalm 73, He took his doubts and confusion to God in prayer. God is the Christian's inheritance as the light of his intellect. Asaph believes God exists, that He is good and sovereign over all. Psalm 73 is a favorite for many Jewish and Christian believers because the words of this precious psalm ring true to their experience. (LogOut/ *Indicated Required Field See ourPrivacy Policy. He could see both God's judgment of sin as well as God's solution offered to sinners. Survey respondents noted that temptations
But despite his efforts to serve and honor God, his life was marked by difficulty. Why do dictators, child molesters, and corporate raiders get off easy? Dt 32:4). In Job 29-31, this broken man struggles with the raw deal he received. Sometimes things change very quickly, even here on earth, dont they? (Nik Ripken, the author of the video were going to watch the next several Wednesday nights, was like that. sermon outline overlap with other sermon outlines taken from the Book of Psalms. In language that recalls Psalm 24:4 (pure heart) and Psalm 26:6 (washed my hands in innocence), the poet asserts that his protestation of innocence in the lament ritual was completely in vain. Each of these sections is dominated by they and concludes with a very important therefore (vv. It wasnt right. Unload that acid. Scripture: Psalm 73. 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. We can also affirm the future because God's Presence companions us. Still others assert that it is a wisdom psalm, similar to Psalm 49. 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). Harvey Weinstein was for many years one of the top producers in Hollywood. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of . Although the text of verses 4, 7 and 10 is uncertain,20 the general picture is clear. My God, my God; why have You forsaken me? Like David in Psalm 22 The prayers in the Psalms use words of waiting, watching, listening, tasting and seeing, meditating, and resting. This God-inspired worship leader is ready to walk away. Asaph was getting more and more into despair and perhaps wondering walking by faith was worth it, but all this changed when he changed his focus. But he didnt get away with it, did he? If youre going to turn your back on God in your distress, where are you going to go? 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. May Gods word continue to bless your life! Glorification also refers to our elevation to an exalted state in eternity. :4 There are no pains in their death, and their body is fat. The thing about these questions is that they are usually based on our circumstances on what we see happening around us and to us but what we have to learn is that these circumstances dont show us the whole picture. For I have been stricken all day long, and chastened every morning., Asaph says, look at these wicked people, who mock God, who do wicked things to other people. If you'll allow me to paraphrase it, it goes like this: "So this is how life really works! Moreover, Psalm 73:28 also repeats the important theme of Gods nearness (Ps 34:18) and the key refuge metaphor (Ps 34:8, 22). Then he asked in 13:24 Why do You hide Your face and consider me Your enemy? 1 The LORD, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. And their end will be terrible. 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. 15-16; 17-20; 21-22; 23-26; and 27-28. 3. He can handle it! Panic, Conclusions, Denomination:
But the thing is, the Christian has the ultimate perspective on history. He probably didn't do this purposefully at the beginning. Psalm 25:8 Bubbles On The Border. He's on the edge of throwing in the towel. God, I was like an animal. 1. Hugh Hefner may well have been one of the most evil men in the world in the last generation. When they came to the elephants, the zoo keeper wanted them to have more than a verbal description, so he allowed them each to feel the elephant. Sometimes questioning and doubt is due to sin. Ps 26:7-8) in dramatic transformation of the psalmists despairing doubt (vv. He said in Job 10:18, Why then have You brought me out of the womb? In other words, his suffering was so great, why would God allow him to be born if he was going to have to go through all of that? Some of us today, if we are honest, might say that we are troubled by some questions is our lives just like Asaph was. 37:9-10).35 In other words, the poets initial perception of the carefree lifestyle of the wicked is wrong. He didn't pretend everything was okay. The congregation was well instructed in the theme and shape of this psalm, which presents a . Close Filters Scripture . I tripping over something that just doesn't make sense! While CHICKEN LITTLE was hit in the head by a piece
", Envy is the tendency to compare yourself with someone else in a way that leaves you feeling deprived. (This is) a psalm of *Asaph. end). 89:52, ending Book 3). In addition, as he looked around he saw those who had no regard for God living in prosperity and apparent happiness. It refers first of all to God. Don't keep those emotions cooped up inside you, building layers of resentment and hardship between you and God. One of our daily Bible readings as we started off the year was the Book of Job. It should just end better. What is worse, according to verse 11, the wicked are very cavalier about God. The opening statement God is good echoes Psalm 25:8 and 34:8 and the phrase pure in heart recalls Psalm 24:4. Their prosperity is only temporary.
15-16), After this passionate protest the speaker switches audience and addresses God for the first time. Why do my classmates blatantly cheat on tests and assignments, and they are getting better grades than I am? In v. 2, he says, "But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray." 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). Do you ever think to yourself, "Does it pay to serve God? How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! We arent told exactly what Asaph experienced, but we are told that when he went to the place of worship his heart and his perspective were changed. A key step in this process, of course, is to make the audience aware of the presence of Gods hand in their lives. You have yours; I have mine; Asaph said he had his and he said he almost gave up because of them. In :11 he says they say: How does God know? Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Psalm 73 is our passage and the title is "When You Get a Raw Deal." But Asaph is in trouble. There he was reminded of God's attributes, character and power. 2-3; vv. In short, verse 27 declares that autonomy is a harlotry that does not work.54. The affirmation of verse 24a as it has been translated by the NIV has been of great comfort to believers in their suffering. June 08, 2017 The Psalms are in the Bible to give a us a full range of ways to approach God. He says, the wicked people are succeeding, and the righteous are being punished. C. A Significant Turning Point (vv. Armed with a new perspective about God and this world, Asaph also sees himself clearly. :17 If I had said, I will speak thus, behold I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. Your family. As the truck crawled through that downtown region, with crowds looking on, the whale exploded. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. God can handle our hardest questions and still love us. How can that be? For this reason they do not fear divine retribution. They are the blessed, not me. 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). The centrality of the worship experience (cf. They can take care of themselves. If he had publicly told of his envious musings, he would have betrayed a generation of Gods children. The Argument of Psalm 1. The smell was almost unbearable. She said: It should end better for this kid. Brief outline from a message given at a nursing home, but suitable for any audience. 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 . But if they did, they were foolish. He opens it with a truth: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.". In fact, he was a worship leader. How they are destroyed in a moment! I try to be faithful and do right, and I have to fight for every inch. Self-centeredness 3 For I was envious of the . They do not deny Gods existence. 18-20). They are healthy (vs. 4) and experience no trouble (amal), nor are they plagued (vs. 5). a. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. Looking back, Im glad I didnt send it! 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
He's Where the Joy Is by Tara-Leigh Cobble, Black Church Leadership & Family Conference. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Asaph takes his raw deal to the right place and finds out that he didn't have it bad after all. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God . 2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. Psalm 25:1-12 God Of New Beginnings. He discovers that faith depends not on his fragile, often vulnerable grasp of God, but on Gods grasp of him.39 That hand has not and will not let him go.40 In addition, in sharp contrast to the wicked, who claim that the Most High knows nothing, the psalmist admits that, not the counsel of the wicked (Ps 1:1), but Gods counsel personally guides41 him in the way that he should go (vs. 24a).42 Indeed, in the end God will receive him into glory (vs. 24b; NIV). It pay to serve and honor God, his life was marked by.... 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