LHC Midday Word: PSALM Seventy Three

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;

their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;

they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace;

they clothe themselves with violence.

From their callous hearts comes iniquity;

their evil imaginations have no limits.

They scoff, and speak with malice;

with arrogance they threaten oppression.

Their mouths lay claim to heaven,

and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them

and drink up waters in abundance.

They say, ‘How would God know?

Does the Most High know anything?’

This is what the wicked are like –

always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been afflicted,

and every morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken out like that,

I would have betrayed your children.

When I tried to understand all this,

it troubled me deeply

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;

you cast them down to ruin.

How suddenly are they destroyed,

completely swept away by terrors!

They are like a dream when one awakes;

when you arise, Lord,

you will despise them as fantasies.

When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterwards you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion for ever.

Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 73: “sanctuary” (v.17)

In this third section of five, this Psalm, in addition to the next 10 (74 to 83), is written by a man called Asaph. He is searingly honest about his own shortcomings: “my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold … I envied the arrogant” (vv.2-3). He felt “they have no struggles” (v.4), whereas he certainly had. When we are wobbly, what better remedy than to get alone with God.

It doesn’t need to be in a chapel or church. Asaph says “I entered the sanctuary [i.e. the temple], then I understood their final destiny” (v.17).

When the going gets tough, the tough LORD gets going – if we go to him.

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READINGS

PSALM 73

Read by Sir David Suchet