Psalms 73:1–28

The writer opens this beautiful Psalm with a simple but blessed statement about God. He closes with a happy conclusion about himself. "Truly God is good" is the statement of the first verse; "it is good for me to draw near to God" is the conclusion of the last verse. Accept the statement and we must agree with the conclusion.

The statement, however, is not a general declaration of God's goodness toward all His creatures — true as that would be. It is the assertion that "God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." The great object of the Psalm is to prove God's absolute goodness to His people. That goodness holds through the trying circumstances they may have to pass through, the sorrows they may face, and the sufferings they may have to endure.

The Spirit looks at Israel as a people, but recognises only those "of a pure heart" as Israel. "A Jew is one inwardly." It is now clear that "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel"; still Israel's importance stands. "God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." Yet he had almost slipped, and his feet had almost gone. He envied the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wicked.

This Psalm has a very definite character of its own, besides its general application in principle to the circumstances of individual faith. That character shows in the opening verse, which contains the proper subject of the Psalm. The verse celebrates the name of Jehovah as the God of faithful mercy to Israel. He is the God of judgment too, who asks for truth and holiness in the hearts of His people — and in the mystery of His own grace He provides them. He is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart (verse 1).

"Truly God is good to Israel," the psalmist affirms. Then he adds that, in keeping with the holiness of God's nature, this is "to the pure in heart." That is the truth, but it is not always easy to grasp and hold. He had not found it so: his feet had almost gone, his steps slipped. The wicked boasted of their prosperity, and it moved him to envy them. The ways of God grew dark to him, while their lot seemed bright.

When God is truly "good to Israel," their own law limits it to those of a "clean heart," or pure in heart (Psalm 73:1). Only then will He receive them to (or with) glory (verse 24)… His people are at last under the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and will be all righteous (Isaiah 60:21).

The action of the Psalm begins with the second verse. It seems to describe, as a prophecy, the inner conflict of soul that the faithful remnant of Israel will know. In some measure this has always been the experience of such people when a nation turns away from God. Then the long-delayed hope of God's afflicted people seems more than ever to be mocked by the untroubled prosperity of the ungodly.

"Truly God is good to Israel," the psalmist affirms. Then he adds that, in keeping with the holiness of God's nature, this is "to the pure in heart." That is the truth, but it is not always easy to grasp and hold. He had not found it so: his feet had nearly gone, his steps slipped.

The Psalmist tells us that as he passed through an evil world, there came a day when his feet were almost gone, and his steps had nearly slipped. It is written, "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life." That was as true for the godly Psalmist in his day as it is for the Christian today. A narrow path needs only a single false step on either side to miss the way. The Psalmist's path was not marred by any obvious failure that would have disgraced him in the eyes of the world. No angry or impatient words had passed his lips to betray the state of his heart, and yet he had nearly slipped. If we did not have his own confession, no one would have known this from his conduct and speech.

Despite how things looked, he confesses that he had nearly lost confidence in God. His feet had almost slipped from the rock. He also lets us know how his confidence in God came to be so severely shaken. The secret comes out. He was occupied with evil while out of touch with God. So he had a limited and distorted view of the evil. He saw the prosperity of the wicked, and he saw the adversity of the godly. As a result he envied the portion of the wicked, he undervalued the portion of the godly, and he nearly lost confidence in God.

Though the evidence was perfectly clear that God is good to Israel, Asaph himself was in a quandary. Why? Because he saw the prosperity of the wicked. Though he believed in the goodness of God, he was envious of those who could boast of wealth and prominence. Many have followed his lead in this natural tendency. What is the motive behind this envy? It is plain, obvious selfishness!

Still, we often do exactly what Asaph did. We look around, and seeing the prosperity of the wicked we envy them. As a result our feet are almost gone, our steps have nearly slipped. In this we disobey the instructions of Psalm 37. We fret because of evildoers, we envy those who do wrong, and we end by fretting in a way that leads us to do evil. Asaph could find no clue in this world to explain God's dealings, and neither can we. We shall have to do what Asaph did.

It looked as if the Psalmist had been in the slippery places, for had not his steps nearly slipped? The wicked, on the other hand, seemed to stand firm on a rock, for did they not prosper and increase in riches? In fact the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering. Away from the sanctuary, the prosperity of the wicked cast the godly man down. From the sanctuary, he sees that in the end they will be cast down.

For I was envious at the arrogant (fools), seeing the peace of wicked (men). For there are no pangs in their death, and their strength is firm... Therefore has pride enchained them, a garment of violence covers them.

What was the snare? He describes it. It was the prosperity of the wicked, and their unabashed arrogance. Things it seems were flourishing with them, having more than heart could wish (3-9). All of that had a terrible effect on others. It drew people aside into a seemingly easier path — people who should have resisted the temptation.

Though he was a believer in the goodness of God, he was envious of those who could boast of wealth and prominence. This is a very real test for everyone. What is the motive behind this envy? It is plain, obvious selfishness! How much better to weigh this matter from God's viewpoint rather than our own.

Alas, it is this envy that lies at the bottom of the fretting. We are under trial, and the worker of iniquity seems to be having such an easy time. We cannot bear it! We are like a child in a nursery who pouts and frets because the other child has an apple a size larger than the one given to it — and the owner of the big apple was the naughty child of the nursery! Oh, what mischief envy can work in the heart of a saint! And what misery too it can produce, and what sin!

We see the ungodly having their way, so that God seems to have forgotten, and the heart is envious. But too often it shows that our heart still wants its portion here — at least a portion here as well as one to come. Sorrow at the power of evil in the world is right. But in our minds it mixes with a liking for our own way and our own judgment in setting that evil aside. When our own will mixes into the sense of evil's success, we grow irritated or discouraged. Then we give up persevering in good.

It is no great surprise that in a world without God the ungodly prosper. The surprise is that godly people are so often upset when they see it. There was some excuse for Asaph, for he lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed... We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed. As Christians we have been plainly told that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

There is also the solemn reminder: if we go without the discipline that all sons share, then we are illegitimate children and not sons... Asaph did not understand this, and so he says, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked... They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind." But of himself he says, "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning."

The fact that God dealt with those people shows that they were His saints. God doesn't deal with the world in that way. That is the great thing in Psalm 73.

Asaph stepped away from the world and its confusing circumstances so that he might get in touch with God. Looking around, he nearly stumbled. It looked as if God were favouring the ungodly and punishing the righteous. But in the sanctuary he caught a glimpse of things that lie far outside this world, and his perplexities ended.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember this: it is a description of the wicked as seen by a believer who, for the moment, is out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, but it is not the full truth.

He was taken up with evil while out of touch with God. So he had a limited and twisted view of that evil. He saw how well the wicked were doing, and he saw the hardship of the godly. As a result he envied the lot of the wicked, he looked down on the lot of the godly, and he almost lost confidence in God.

Even in the death of the ungodly there seems to be no suffering like that of many others (v. 4). They seem to stay as firm in their rebellion against God as they have been all their life... Of course, this is not true of all the wicked. Some suffer great trouble because of their sins even on earth. But many keep God out of their lives and live in selfish pleasure with almost no trouble. Job spoke of this to his three friends (Job 21:7-17), and none of them could tell him why such men were left to live out their whole lives in selfish pleasure.

One man dies quietly surrounded by wealth, as the psalm says, "The wicked have no bands in their death." Another is cut off in misery. Both reach the same end in the grave. Since that is so, how wrong it is for his friends to lay down a fixed rule: that trouble in this life is always a sign of sin in the person who suffers it, and prosperity always a sign of righteousness.

If a wicked man seems to have peace at death, it is not from the knowledge of his happiness, but from the ignorance of his danger.

You who have neglected the gospel may well come to your deathbed with no word of warning from your conscience. For the wicked have "no bands in their death, but their strength is firm." Yes, you may come to your deathbed with no fear of dying, and still be without Christ and unsaved. Why? Because you have silenced your conscience so long that at last it gives you no warning cry. Then mourning friends dry their eyes and say, "He died like a lamb, died like a lamb!"

There is also the solemn reminder that if we are without the discipline all sons share, then we are illegitimate children and not sons... Asaph did not understand this truth, and so he says, "I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm."... His difficulty went away when he went into the sanctuary of God, and the Holy Spirit also answers and explains it in this scripture. (Heb. 12:8.)

There is nothing very surprising in the fact that in an ungodly world there should be worldly prosperity for the ungodly: it is rather surprising that the godly should so often be upset as they behold it. There was some excuse for Asaph, for he lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed... We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed, and when we have been plainly told as Christians that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God. Inside he sees everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had seen everything in relation to time. Inside, he sees everything in relation to eternity... Man is always short-sighted and can take only a short view. God, whose sight reaches far, sees the end from the beginning.

The psalmist goes on to describe the prosperity of the wicked. Apparently they are better off than the people of God. Death causes them "no pangs," and life has for them no plagues. They treat pride as an ornament, and everyone can see their violence, which they wear like a garment. Their eyes show their self-satisfaction and the gratification of every wish.

Their character is plainly wicked, yet so often they escape the troubles that afflict other people. Of course, this is not true of all the wicked. Some suffer great trouble because of their sins even on earth. But there are many who keep God out of their lives and live in selfish pleasure with almost no hardship. Job spoke of this to his three friends. Not one of them could tell him why such men were allowed to live out their whole lives in selfish pleasure.

We must remember, though, who is describing them. This is the wicked as seen by a believer who is, for the moment, out of communion with God. So all that he says is true, but it is not the full truth.

Still we often do exactly what Asaph did. We look around us, and seeing the prosperity of the wicked we become envious of them, and as a result our feet are almost gone, our steps have nearly slipped. In this we disobey the instructions of Psalm 37. We fret ourselves because of evildoers. We are envious of wrongdoers, and we end by fretting ourselves in such a way as "to do evil." Asaph could find no clue in this world to explain God's dealings, and neither can we.

There is also the solemn reminder about chastisement, which all sons share. If we are without it, then we are illegitimate children and not sons… God chastises His children. "To be without chastisement therefore," says the Spirit, "is a sign that you are illegitimate and not sons." Asaph did not understand this truth, and so he says, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… They are not in trouble as others are." But of himself he says, "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning." His difficulty vanished when he went into the sanctuary of God.

It looked, indeed, as if the psalmist was the one in the slippery places. Had not his steps nearly slipped? The wicked, on the other hand, looked firmly settled on a rock. Did they not prosper in the world and increase in riches? In fact the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering… Away from God, the prosperity of the wicked looked very real and lasting. In the sanctuary it was only an evil and passing dream.

They may not be in trouble like other people, and very possibly have no plagues in their death… till at last they "pass away" altogether, and are not. They reach their end in time. They may die rich, only to spend a poor eternity… Oh, the wisdom of knowing and enjoying the favour of God day by day! Oh, the wisdom of seeking, by grace, to walk in godliness and practical righteousness! Then, if we are persecuted for Christ's sake, or afflicted and tried by the good and unerring hand of God our Father, we may at least realise that we are "not forsaken."

Because God is patient in not bringing swift judgment on their ways, their pride only grows, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake God's patience for indifference, and violence is a major part of their life (v.6).

Yet this blessing did not bless them: it only confirmed them in their evil. They displayed pride as if it were an ornament on their necks, holding themselves erect with self-consciousness. Their violence sought no hiding place. It was like the clothing they wore, visible to everyone.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember who is drawing it. This is the wicked as seen by a believer who, at that moment, was out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, it is true that the wicked are marked by "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression."

Their prosperity did not intoxicate only them. People from among the professing people of God went over to them and, encouraged by what they saw, gave themselves up to loose living. For, they argued, how can God know? How can the Most High have any knowledge? Are not these admittedly the "wicked," whom He condemns? and yet, see how they live at ease, and their wealth increases?

In the light of the sanctuary everything became clear to him. He saw that he could only judge the path of the godless rich, and the path of the plagued and downtrodden believers, rightly once the end of each came into view. A few moments before, he had almost fallen himself, because envy at the prosperity of the wicked had eaten him up. Now he exclaims, "How they are destroyed in a moment!"

The statements "They have corrupted themselves," "Destruction and misery are in their ways," "Violence covers them as a garment," are still true. But the question for us Christians is this: are these things absent from our walk when we deal with the world? If we are wronged or slandered, if we have personal grievances against others, what do we show? Is it a peaceful or a violent spirit?

In Scripture fat is always the symbol of a prosperous condition. But it can be the kind of earthly prosperity that leaves the soul in the opposite state. In his last prophetic song the lawgiver says: "Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation." The Psalmist's description of the wicked is connected with this.

Yet this blessing did not bless: it only confirmed them in their evil. They displayed pride, as if it were an ornament on their necks, held erect with self-consciousness. Their violence sought no concealment, but was like a garment on them, plain to everyone. Their insolent eyes stood out with fatness. They exceeded even their own imaginations of success.

Men corrupt themselves under His mercies. Feeding their hearts as in a day of slaughter, they store up treasure for the last days. The progress a man can make in worldly improvement and prosperity never fails to harden his heart against God. It is impossible to be rich in one's own esteem and rich toward God at the same time.

God is patient and does not bring swift judgment on their ways, so their pride only grows, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake His patience for indifference, and violence fills much of their life. "Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies." No doubt God allows this as a test. They never see it, so they fail the test completely.

But remember: this is a description of the wicked as seen by a believer who, for the moment, is out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression" do mark the wicked.

In a world that ignores God, it is no surprise that those who ignore Him prosper. The surprise is that godly people are so often upset as they watch it. Asaph had some excuse. He lived in a day when God had not yet made heavenly things clear, and when He did speak of blessing Israel, His people, in their basket and in their store. We live in a day when God has made heavenly things clear. He tells us plainly as Christians that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Asaph saw this too. He records it in Psalm 73:3-9, and in verses 16-17 he adds that it "seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end." He learned that God does not settle His accounts in this life. There is a future to consider.

They exceeded even their own imaginations of success. This put them beyond all bounds. They scoffed at the idea of anyone checking them, and poured out malicious thoughts in violent words, as if they were above all other men. "They set their mouth in heaven," so lofty are they. "Their tongue goes through the earth," as if they owned all of it. Yet this delusion only made their emptiness plain.

God is patient and does not bring swift judgment on their ways, so their pride only increases, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake God's patience for indifference. No doubt God allows this as a test. They do not realise it, so they fail the test completely. They scoff at the oppression of the poor instead of feeling that attitude to be wickedness (v. 8). They speak with contempt of those they consider lower than themselves. They even speak "against the heavens," as though they were superior to God (v. 9).

People often try to bend God's word to fit what they want, so that conscience will approve aims that are purely selfish. Human nature tries this at a certain stage of turning away from God. But this is not its final form. The goal of unbelief is atheism… A human will that accepts no restraint always goes together with a complete denial of God. This is how the Spirit of Christ views the character and conduct of the ungodly, who prosper in the world and increase in riches.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember who is speaking. This is a description of the wicked as seen by a saint who is, for the moment, out of communion with God. So all he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression" do mark the wicked. Not only do they persecute the godly, but they are blasphemers who "set their mouth against the heavens."

Watching evil go unpunished makes a believer fretful, unless his soul rests on God day by day. That feeling often produces a willingness to go along, more or less, with what his conscience still judges to be against God — and he does it for the sake of ease and personal advantage. So much evil makes love grow cold even in a saint, while his heart is filled with the evil rather than with Him who is above it.

Faith looks further on, and with Asaph says, "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end."

No doubt God allows their prosperity as a test, and they do not realize it, so they fail it completely. They speak with contempt of those they consider lower than themselves, and even "against the heavens," as though they were superior to God! (v. 9). "Their tongue walks through the earth," free to go where it pleases in mockery and self-will.

They exceeded even their own imaginations of success. This put them past all restraint. They laughed at the thought of being held back in the malicious thoughts they poured out in violent words, as if they stood above all other men. "They set their mouth in heaven," so lofty are they; "and their tongue goes through the earth," as if they owned it all. Yet this delusion only showed how empty they were.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. We must, however, remember this is a description of the wicked as seen by a saint when, for the moment, out of communion with God; so that, while all that he says is true, it is not the full truth. Still it is true that the wicked are characterized by "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression." Not only do they persecute the godly, but they are blasphemers who "set their mouth against the heavens." They say God takes no notice of what men do, and that there is no knowledge in the Most High — and yet they still prosper and increase in riches.

A human will that allows itself no restraint always goes together with a complete denial of God. This is how the Spirit of Christ judges the character and conduct of the ungodly, who prosper in the world and increase in riches.

Proud and cruel Sennacherib, and his arrogant, blaspheming captain were of that generation spoken of in Ps. 76. "They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walks through the earth." Surrounded by such strong and ruthless enemies, God's people might well fear the outcome of so unequal a fight. But, in answer to Hezekiah's prayer, as also in reply to the enemy's taunts, God Himself intervened in power.

The godly man was perplexed at the prosperity of the wicked, and his feet almost slipped. In the sanctuary of God, where His mind was revealed, all became plain. As a dream when one awakes, so all their pretensions would disappear when once God awoke.

This is a great danger even for the Christian in these days of ruin. Asaph put it like this: "Therefore His people return hither [towards the wicked] and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them." He wrote this when times of affliction came upon him, in contrast to the growing prosperity of the world.

All of that had a dreadful effect on others. It drew those who should have resisted the temptation into a path that looked easier. The psalm describes both the bait that trapped them and the thoughts of their heart. The bait was waters out of a full cup. They preferred present ease to faithfulness to God. It is the state of mind which will land many in a coming day in apostasy.

When people see the prosperity of the wicked, it makes them bold to follow them in their evil ways. It happened even among God's people Israel. "Waters of a full cup are drained by them." They seize the chance to drain a full cup of water. They care only for their own welfare, and they think that God does not know (v. 11).

The wicked were not the only ones their prosperity intoxicated. Its effect was that people from among those who professed to belong to God went over to them. Encouraged by it, they threw off all restraint. For, they argued, how can God know? How can the Most High have any knowledge? Are not these admittedly the "wicked," whom He denounces? And yet, see how they live at ease, and their wealth increases?

For a believer, the effect of constantly watching evil go unpunished is fretfulness. That holds true unless the soul is kept habitually resting on God. This feeling quite often produces a willingness to conform, at least in part, for the sake of ease and personal advantage. The conscience still judges that thing as contrary to God.

In that day those who apostatise will be outwardly prosperous, having more than heart could wish, and the waters of a full cup wrung out to them. (Psalm 73:3-12.) How truly then will it be a word in season, "O Israel, trust in Jehovah. He is their help and their shield."

When the Psalmist sought to know all this, he says, it was too painful for him. "Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end." God's presence restores the right perspective.

They take the chance to drain a full cup of water. They care only for their own comfort, and they think that God does not know (v. 11). They ask with contempt, "Is there knowledge in the Most High?" God does not step in to show His displeasure, so they shamelessly think they are getting away with evil. They imagine God is no wiser than they are!

This verse uncovers a hard situation. The enemies of God boast without shame. The foolish and the wicked are full of prosperity, and nothing has touched them yet. So God's people (Israel is viewed here as a whole) join the wicked, their heart not being for God, and they say, "How can God know?"

The bait was water out of a full cup. They chose present ease over faithfulness to God. This state of mind will lead many, in a coming day, to fall away from God. God is shut out of their thoughts. "How can God know?" they say, "and is there knowledge in the Most High?" For a time the wicked prosper and grow richer.

But we must remember this. It is a picture of the wicked, seen by a believer who for the moment is out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, yet it is not the whole truth. It is still true that the wicked are marked by "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression." They persecute godly people, and they also blaspheme: they "set their mouth against the heavens." They say God takes no notice of what people do, and that there is no knowledge in the Most High — and all the while they prosper and grow richer.

Neither prosperity nor hardship in this world proves whether a man or a cause is from God. The wicked often prosper. Job's friends made this mistake badly. It left Habakkuk deeply puzzled, and Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73, had to follow the wicked in his thoughts beyond the grave to understand.

God has always allowed a large part of the world to seem to prosper in their evil. The reason is that the time of judgment has not yet come.

This is not all, for in the sanctuary we learn many truths. So he sees a second great truth. God seems to take little notice of the prosperity of the wicked, or even of the sufferings of the godly. Yet God and His government are really at work behind it all (verses 18-20)… It looked as if the Psalmist was in the slippery places, for had not his steps almost slipped? And the wicked looked firmly settled on a rock, for did they not prosper in the world and grow richer? In truth the godly soul was on the rock, though it shook; and the wicked were in slippery places, though they prospered.

Sadly, men might speak like this who never knew what it really means to be with Him! But if I joined them in this speech, says the psalmist, what a wrong I would do to the generation of Your children!

(vv. 4-12) The psalmist goes on to describe the prosperity of the wicked. Apparently they are better off than the people of God. Death causes them "no pangs," and life has no plagues for them. They count pride as an ornament, and their violence, like a garment, is on show to all. Their eyes show their self-satisfaction and the gratification of every wish. In heart they are corrupt. In words they speak with lofty contempt of others. In their arrogance they pass judgment on things "in the heavens" as well as things on earth. The mass of the people follow them and give themselves over to license. They scorn God, and say He has no knowledge of the ways of men. Such are the ungodly, "who prosper in the world" and "increase in riches."

It was not only them whom their prosperity intoxicated. Its effect was that people from among the professing people of God fell away to them. Encouraged by it, they gave themselves up to license. For, they argued, how can God know? Are not these admittedly the "wicked," whom He denounces? and yet, see how they live at ease, and their wealth increases? So what use is it to have cleansed my heart and washed my hands in innocence? It only brings a life under God's constant stroke, chastised every morning.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But remember who is describing them. It is a saint who is, for the moment, out of communion with God. So all he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression" really do mark the wicked. They persecute the godly, and they blaspheme: they "set their mouth against the heavens."

We see the ungodly having their way. God seems to have forgotten, and the heart is envious. But too often this shows that our own heart would still like its portion here — at least a portion here as well as one to come… What a riddle! Where is God's government? What is the use of good?

It is no surprise that in an ungodly world the ungodly prosper. The surprise is that the godly are so often upset as they watch it. Asaph had some excuse. He lived in a day when heavenly things were not yet made clear… We live in a day when God has made heavenly things clear, and has told us plainly as Christians that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Every step forward a man makes in worldly progress and prosperity always hardens his heart against God. No one can be rich in his own eyes and rich toward God at the same time. In the eyes of Christ, what nature counts as wealth and increase is poverty, nakedness, blindness and wretchedness… Wealth makes a man all-powerful — but only inside the circle that death draws around this present life.

Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God; inside he views everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had judged everything by time. Inside, he judges everything by eternity… The momentary prosperity and passing triumphs of the wicked fade from his view, and he sees instead the fearful end they are hurrying towards.

There is no earthly sanctuary today. There is no place of special holiness we must travel to… The Son has revealed the Father to us. We have received the indwelling Spirit and the full Word of God. So each of us may withdraw from the world. We can shut our door, know that God is present, and receive the blessing and lift His presence brings.

In verses 13 and 14 he describes the solemn effect on a godly soul of dwelling on evil while out of communion with God. He is tempted to think it is all in vain to have a clean heart and innocent hands. What profit is there in restraining my thoughts and keeping away from wickedness? After all, the wicked prosper, while I am plagued and chastened every morning.

This then is the picture presented by a soul out of communion. The wicked prospering, the godly suffering, and God indifferent. The government of God apparently completely gone from the earth.

How natural this seems to anyone who knows anything of his own heart! But is it right to give way like this by contrasting one's own lot with the flourishing wicked? No, says the Psalmist, it is not. He would not speak like that, however great the temptation. If he really did, he would offend against the generation of God's children.

The eye affects the heart, naturally, for joy or grief. But the result of the heart's reasoning about what the eyes see is always profitless and empty. There is nothing there capable of giving relief and compensation to a troubled spirit under the pressure of an evil day. Light is to be found in God alone.

We see the ungodly having their way, so that God seems to have forgotten, and the heart is envious. But too often in our case it shows that the heart would still like its portion here — at least a portion here as well as one to come. The sorrow at the power of evil in the world is right. But in our minds it mixes with a liking for our own way and our own judgment in setting the evil aside… The ungodly prosper in the world. What a riddle! Where is God's government? What is the use of good?

There is also the solemn reminder that if we are without chastisement, which all share in, then we are illegitimate children and not sons… God chastises His children. Asaph did not understand this truth… His difficulty ended when he went into the sanctuary of God, and the Holy Spirit also answers and explains it in Hebrews 12:8.

It is not very surprising that in an ungodly world the ungodly prosper. What is surprising is that the godly should so often be upset as they watch it. There was some excuse for Asaph. He lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed. Back then God spoke of blessing His people Israel in their basket and in their store. We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed. As Christians we have been plainly told that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

"All the day long" he had been plagued, not only during the day, but again when a new morning broke (v. 14). It seemed never-ending, but God sent it to be a necessary "trial of faith" — a faith that will triumph no matter how severe the trial.

The outward prosperity of the wicked stands beside the suffering of the godly. So the soul is tempted to think that it is useless to have cleansed his heart and washed his hands. What benefit is there in having a pure heart and clean hands, if one is plagued all the day and chastened every morning, while those who are wicked prosper?

He lets us know how it came about that his confidence in God was so badly shaken. The secret comes out. He was occupied with evil while out of touch with God. So he had a limited and twisted view of the evil. He saw the prosperity of the wicked, and he saw the adversity of the godly. As a result he envied the portion of the wicked, he thought little of the portion of the godly, and he almost lost confidence in God… All that he says of the wicked is true, but it is not the full truth. It is the wicked as seen by a saint who is, for the moment, out of communion with God.

The enemies of God boast on unhumbled. The foolish and wicked are full of prosperity, untouched so far. So God's people (Israel is here viewed as a whole) join the ungodly, their heart not being for God, and say, "How does God know?" They compare what came of their being, as they supposed, God's people — that is, chastisement — with the untouched prosperity of those who did not care for God. "They say" reaches, I judge, to the end of verse 14.

God never disciplines or strikes us unless there is something in us that requires it… So it is; God disciplines His children. "If you are left without discipline," says the Spirit, "then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Asaph did not understand this truth. So he says, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind." But of himself he says, "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning." (Psalm 73:3-14.) Going into the sanctuary of God removed his difficulty.

"Nature shrinks," as we often say… "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning," may be its sore complaint. But what does that prove, except that we are outside the "sanctuary"? That is the one place where we can grasp what all this means. There we learn to see our nearness to God as the very thing that makes all this painstaking care and love necessary. That nearness also secures it to us.

However, in this the darkest moment of his experiences, divine affections assert themselves (verse 15). This proves that, though his steps had nearly slipped, divine life was working in his soul. Hot and angry thoughts were rushing through his mind. But love for the people of God held his lips, and that love is the proof of faith in God.

But if I joined them in this speech, says the psalmist, what injustice would I not be doing to the generation of Your children! He speaks of Israel according to their birthright, for God had said, "Israel is my son, even my firstborn."

Parkhurst, in his Lexicon, gives one meaning of genea as "Men of like quality and disposition, though of neither one place nor age". The Psalms bear this out: "You will keep them, O LORD, you will preserve them from this generation forever" (Ps. 12:7)... "God is in the generation of the righteous" (Ps. 14:5). "The generation of them that seek you" (Ps. 24:6)... These verses imply a certain moral character or kind of person.

Could Asaph possibly join, as others did, with the wicked in their endeavours? — that is, if he spoke as the ungodly spoke, he realised he would be untrue to the generation of God's children. How painful was his predicament! His conscience and his faith in God would not let him take the attitude of the ungodly. Yet by standing apart from them, he could not expect to prosper as they did.

When Asaph went into the sanctuary of God it was as though he got a pair of new eyes... Before he went in he was a miserable and restless man, and as ignorant as a beast, as he afterwards confessed. He understood nothing, and everything appeared wrong... And this is the subtle and serious thing about judging things by the natural powers. The man who does so, whether Christian or infidel, becomes a discontented man and a murmurer.

To offend in any way against the generation of God's children will always be distressing to a true witness of God (Ps. 73:15). But all who seek His glory in their work must surely care first about this: to put His words out boldly, and, as far as it is known, to set the way of pleasing God openly before the feet of those "who will walk godly in Christ Jesus."

Let me add this. On so serious a subject as God's Word, it would be well to hold back the publication of a doubt until we have examined the matter on all sides. The natural mind is sceptical enough without help or encouragement. A mere question might raise doubts, and those doubts could trouble many a soul despite the clearest light given in answer, for the heart loves darkness.

Hot and angry thoughts were rushing through his mind. But love for the people of God, the proof of faith in God, held his lips... But though he puts a seal on his lips, a turmoil of painful thoughts still disturbs his inner peace. He does not know how to reconcile God's goodness to His people with the suffering they live in. And all the while the wicked prosper.

The meaning of the word "meditation" is "to talk to oneself" about the subject filling the mind... In Psalm 73 we find that Asaph was troubled in his meditations on the prosperity of the wicked. He talked it over with himself, and could not see any way out of his difficulty. It was a stain, he was tempted to think, on the government of God, and he was filled with perplexity... The lesson is this. If meditation is to be of value and for blessing, we must carry it on in the presence of God, depending on Him and on the ministry of His Spirit. Otherwise we would be lost in the maze of human thoughts and speculations.

Before he went into the sanctuary of God, he was a miserable and restless man, and as ignorant as a beast, as he afterwards confessed. He understood nothing, and everything seemed wrong. His whole soul was in rebellion against the state of things, and so against God, who is behind everything. And this is the subtle and serious thing about judging things by our natural powers. The person who does so, whether Christian or unbeliever, becomes discontented and a grumbler. Nothing offends God like those two things, for they show a soul at war with the will of God.

Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God; inside he views everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, all had been viewed in relation to time; inside, all is viewed in relation to eternity. The wickedness of men, the goodness of God, the prosperity of sinners, the sorrows of the saints — he no longer sees these in connection with the passing moment. He sees them in relation to the great end towards which everything is moving.

That is, in the sanctuary of God everything is understood, no matter how difficult, trying and painful it may be, whether about ourselves or others. Once we enter there, we are in the place of God's light and God's love; and then, whatever the difficulty may be, we understand it.

Is there anything in the New Testament that answers to the sanctuary where Asaph found the key to all his difficulties? Yes, there is. We have a sanctuary in the New Testament, and the Minister of it. Hebrews 10 tells us that we have boldness to enter the Holiest — that is, the very presence of God. It also tells us of Jesus who is there. He is our great High Priest, and He delights to lead us in and keep us in that place of light and blessing.

It is no surprise that an ungodly world brings worldly prosperity to the ungodly. The surprise is that the godly are so often upset when they see it. There was some excuse for Asaph, for he lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed... We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed. As Christians we have been plainly told that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

There is a limit to the conflict of his soul. It goes on "until" he returns to the secret place he had wandered from in spirit — "Until," as he says, "I went into the sanctuary of God" (verse 17). The sanctuary speaks of the presence of God. Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God. Inside, he views everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had viewed everything in relation to time. Inside, he views everything in relation to eternity.

It looked, indeed, as if the Psalmist had been in the slippery places, for had not his steps almost slipped? The wicked, on the other hand, seemed to stand on solid rock. Did they not prosper in the world and grow rich? In reality the godly soul was on the rock though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering. Away from the sanctuary, the godly man looked at the prosperity of the wicked and was cast down. From inside the sanctuary, he sees that in the end they will be cast down.

The tendency of the human heart and affections is always downward — always toward earth and the things of earth... But let us think of the end! The end alone is the true test by which to judge in such matters.

If the sanctuary exposes the character of the sinner, it will also uncover the hidden springs of evil in the heart of a saint. The light of the sanctuary lays everything bare. "When my heart was in a ferment," he says, "then I was brutish and ignorant, I was as a beast before You" (verses 21, 22). A beast acts without the slightest reference to God. The saint comes to admit this: if he leaves God out of his thoughts, he will not only sink below what is proper to a natural man; he will fall to the level of a beast.

The discovery of what is in us opens the way for the revelation of what is in Him... He can say, "I was as a beast before You, nevertheless I am continually with You." When hot and bitter thoughts were raging in his heart, even then God's tireless care never left him.

He saw that you can only judge the course of the godless rich, or of the plagued and downtrodden saints, when the end of each comes into view... Asaph himself was one of the godly, plagued all the day long and "chastened every morning." Yet in the sanctuary he lifts his eyes to God with joy and confesses, "You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." The end of the one: brought into desolation. The end of the other: received to glory. The contrast is complete!

To us the sanctuary does not speak so much of God's hidden ways as it did to Israel. This is what marks Christianity: the veil of the sanctuary is torn from top to bottom, and we have "confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19). It is a blessing to know this! But it is a far greater blessing to truly draw near because we know it!

There is a limit to the conflict of his soul. It goes on "until" he returns to the secret place he had wandered from in spirit — "Until," as he says, "I went into the sanctuary of God" (verse 17). The sanctuary speaks of the presence of God. Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God. Inside he views everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had seen everything in relation to time. Inside, he sees everything in relation to eternity... Man is always short-sighted and can take only a short view. God sees far, and He sees the end from the beginning.

"Truly You set them in slippery places." Prosperity is not as secure as men think. It is only a slippery slope that leads to destruction (v. 18). It is God who has set them on this slope. They think it is safe, but in the end they find it leads only to destruction.

If a man does not understand, he draws nearer to God so that he may. In the sanctuary of His presence God tells him the secret: he sees the end that is coming for the wicked. The "smooth places" in which God sets them are not a sign of His favor or of His indifference. They come just before a terrible fall, which strikes in a moment. Then they are finished, and terrors consume them.

It looked as if the Psalmist himself was in the slippery places, for had his steps not almost slipped? The wicked, on the other hand, looked settled on a rock, for did they not prosper in the world and grow richer? In truth the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering... Away from God, the prosperity of the wicked looked very real and lasting. In the sanctuary it was only an evil, passing dream.

Verses 18-20 set out the solemn record of God's righteous judgment on the day He comes to judge. When the Lord rises to judge, the foot of human pride will find that the ground it boasted in is slippery. When they say, "peace and safety," then sudden and complete destruction comes.

The Holy Spirit puts the child of God on his guard. He tells him not to judge by the look of prosperity, which the wicked seem to enjoy for a time. Death is the appointed portion of all who are not Christ's. "Truly You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruin." (Psalm 73)

He saw that he could judge both courses rightly only when the end of each came into view — the course of the godless rich, and the course of the plagued and downtrodden saints. A few moments before, envy at the prosperity of the wicked had almost made him fall. Now he cries out, "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!"... Yet in the sanctuary he lifts his eyes to God with joy. He confesses, "You shall guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." The end of the one was, brought into desolation. The end of the other, received to glory. The contrast is complete!

There is a limit to the conflict of his soul. It goes on "until" he returns to that secret place he had wandered from in spirit — "Until," as he says, "I went into the sanctuary of God" (verse 17). The sanctuary speaks of the presence of God. Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God. Inside, he views everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had measured everything by time; inside, he measures everything by eternity.

The "smooth places" where God sets them are not signs of His favour or of His indifference. They come just before a terrible fall. That fall comes in a moment, and it ends them, consumed with terrors. Their prosperity deceives them. It is only the image of a dream, which vanishes when men wake up.

It looked as if the psalmist had been in the slippery places, for had not his steps almost slipped? And on the other hand the wicked seemed to stand on a rock, for did they not prosper in the world and grow rich? In fact the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering. Away from the sanctuary, the godly man looked at the prosperity of the wicked and was cast down. From the sanctuary, he sees that in the end they will be cast down.

They appeared to be prospering, but, says the psalmist, "you set them in slippery places: you cast them down into destruction." Their desolation comes in a moment, and "they pass away, consumed with terrors." When the Lord awakes to judgment, He will despise their image even as a man in his waking moments thinks lightly of some horrible dream.

A few moments earlier he had nearly fallen himself, consumed with envy at the prosperity of the wicked. Now he exclaims, "How they are destroyed in a moment!" Asaph himself was one of the godly, stricken all day long and "rebuked every morning." Yet in the sanctuary he lifts his eyes to God with joy and confesses, "You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory." The end of the one was destruction. The end of the other, received to glory. The contrast is complete!

Their prosperity was only temporary and brief. They may think that death is the end, but the New Testament tells us, "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27). God may be patient about settling His accounts, yet He will settle them with unerring accuracy. Prosperity is not as secure as men think. It is only a slippery slope leading to destruction (v. 18). God is the one who has set them on that slope. They think it is safe, but in the end it leads only to destruction. When death comes, they are brought to desolation in a moment, utterly consumed with terrors.

It looked as if the psalmist had been in the slippery places, for had his steps not almost slipped? And on the other hand the wicked appeared to be firmly established on a rock, for did they not prosper in the world and increase in riches? In fact the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking, and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering. Away from the sanctuary, looking at the prosperity of the wicked, the godly man was cast down. Looking at the wicked from the sanctuary, he sees that in the end they will be cast down. Away from God the prosperity of the wicked appeared very real and lasting; in the sanctuary it was only an evil and passing dream.

"Like a dream when one awakes." Inside he had seen all that lasts and is eternal. Outside, everything was a dream, a horrible nightmare. A dream seems very real while it lasts, but once you wake, not one in a hundred stays in the mind for a moment. The Psalms look at God as asleep, and the cry is, "Awake, why do you sleep, O Jehovah?" That is, He is not publicly stepping into the earth.

The earth seems to run its course without Him, and the dream goes on. But one of these days He will awake. When He awakes it will be to the judgment which He has commanded. Then the dream will pass away, and what has substance and is eternal will take its place... Self-will, corruption, and violence hold sway; kingdoms rise and fall, good is trampled down and evil is triumphant; but this will not go on forever. This is only the dream, and men are completely under its power.

When the Lord awakes to judgment, He will despise their image, just as a man in his waking moments thinks lightly of some horrible dream.

"Their prosperity deceives them, but it is only the image of a dream, and it vanishes when men wake. That is all it proves to be, when the Lord arises and shows it to be their folly and shame." That is, the ungodly wake suddenly when death comes. They find that the Lord has in effect awoken after long patience, to show Himself as despising the image of their dreams.

A few moments before, he had been close to falling himself because he was consumed with envy at the prosperity of the wicked; now he exclaims, "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!"... Yet in the sanctuary he lifts his eyes to God with joy and confesses, "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory." The end of the one was to be brought into desolation. The end of the other, to be received to glory. The contrast is complete!

If we draw near to God, we come under the influence of eternal things, and are set free from the influence of this horrible nightmare... If we see what is set up in Christ — and we will learn it if we draw near — we will not be deceived by the apparent prosperity of a world in rebellion against the authority of God.

The kidneys are the seat of the feelings (Ps. 73:21; Prov. 23:16; Lam. 3:13).

He has seen the true character and end of the wicked. He has found the government of God at work beneath the things he can see. Now he must look beneath his outward walk and ways and learn the secrets of his own heart (verses 21, 22). The searching comes closer to home. If the sanctuary exposes the character of the sinner, it will also uncover the hidden springs of evil in the heart of a saint. The light of the sanctuary lays everything bare.

He got an overwhelming sense of his own foolishness. He went in as a chief singer and an intelligent man. Once inside, he very soon found himself to be like a beast without understanding in the presence of God.

The people who have most clearly shown the character of God's saints have felt their own nothingness and foolishness most deeply. The more we live in front of other people, or even among our fellow believers, the less we feel it. The more we live in the presence of God, the more we feel it.

The animal acts without the slightest reference to God. The saint has to admit something. If he leaves God out of his thoughts, he will not only sink below what is proper to a natural man, but he will fall to the level of a beast.

Before he went in he was a miserable and restless man, and as ignorant as a beast, as he afterwards confessed. He understood nothing, and everything appeared wrong. His whole soul was in rebellion against the way things were, and so against God, who is behind everything. This is the subtle and serious thing about judging life by our natural powers. The man who does so, whether he is a Christian or an unbeliever, becomes a discontented man and a grumbler. Nothing offends God like those two things, for they show a soul at war with the will of God.

We are never more ready to learn the goodness of God's heart than when we have discovered the badness of our own. Finding out what is in us opens the way for God to reveal what is in Him. So he can say, "I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You." Hot and bitter thoughts were raging in his heart. Even then, God's care for him never tired. He says, in effect, "God was out of my thoughts, but I was never out of His thoughts."

But Asaph got more than the answer to his problem when he went into the sanctuary. It was something quite different, we suspect, from anything he expected. He got an overwhelming sense of his own foolishness. He went in as a chief singer and an intelligent man. But once inside, he very soon found himself to be like a beast without understanding in the presence of God.

If the sanctuary exposes the character of the sinner, it will also discover the hidden springs of evil in the heart of a saint. All is laid bare in the light of the sanctuary. "When my soul was embittered," he says, "I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You." The brute beast acts with no reference to God at all. The saint is brought to admit that if he leaves God out of his thoughts, he will not only sink below what is proper to a natural man; he will fall to the level of a beast.

The beast stands for the ignorance of man in Ps. 73:22. It also stands for his acting like a creature without reason — that is, without conscience before God. The word is beir, translated 'brutish' in Ps. 94:8 and Jer. 10:8.

He realizes that his attitude had been like that of a beast, moved only by instinct and not by the reasoning power that ought to characterize a man.

We dare to say that no one can ever know what God's presence is really like without making the same painful discovery. The people who have most clearly borne the character of God's saints have felt their own nothingness and foolishness most deeply. The more we live before other people, or even among fellow believers, the less we realize it. The more we live as in the presence of God the more we realize it.

Sadly, this is the real condition of people in general, but few see it. The man who does see it feels it so deeply and so personally that he appears in his own eyes more ignorant than anyone else. It is a similar principle when Paul speaks of himself as the chief of sinners. And this is the real evidence that the Spirit of God is at work in a man's soul, showing him the darkness he has been living in.

He had been foolish, ignorant — "as a beast," so he says, "before God"; yet there had been integrity and conscience. He was half ready to say that godliness was no use. If he had let his thoughts run loose, he would have wronged the family of God's children. This checked him. How beautiful to see these holy affections at work in the middle of man's wayward will. This conscience — the fear of putting a stumbling block in the path of the weakest of God's children — checks the heart and shows where the affections really are.

Never are we more ready to learn the goodness of His heart than when we have discovered the badness of our own hearts. The discovery of what is in us opens the way for the revelation of what is in Him... He can say, "I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You." When hot and bitter thoughts were raging in his heart, he was still the object of God's tireless care. He says, as it were, "God was out of my thoughts, but I was never out of His thoughts."

But God did not leave Asaph to grovel before Him as a beast. Along with this crushing sense of his own folly and ignorance, he got a sight of the grace and glory of God. "Nevertheless," he says, "I am continually with You: You have held me by my right hand." Despite all that he was, and all he had learned about himself, God took him by his right hand. He lifted him up and set him always in His own high company. This was astonishing grace.

But all must learn this where the Psalmist did, in the sanctuary. And there we learn to welcome God's correction, not only to recognise it.

Never are we more ready to learn the goodness of His heart than when we have discovered the badness of our own hearts. So the Psalmist's thoughts move away from all that he had been before God, to delight in all that God was for him. He can say, "I was as a beast before You, nevertheless I am continually with You." When hot and bitter thoughts were raging in his heart, even then he was the object of God's unwearied care. He says, as it were, "God was out of my thoughts, but I was never out of His thoughts" — "I am continually with You."

He not only had a place in the heart of God. God's hand also held him, for he can say, "You have held me by my right hand." I wandered, I behaved like a brute, I let go of His hand, but never did He let go of mine. I nearly slipped — yes, truly, I should have slipped altogether — but He held me by my right hand. His heart of love set me as an object before Him, and His hand of power held me fast.

He was drawing nearer and nearer to the edge of that terrible cliff. Many a mighty man has fallen over it never to rise again. Yet his hand was in the grasp of the almighty God, who had determined that not a hair of his head would perish… Then the blessed God, who held him in the grasp of love, drew him near to Himself in the sanctuary. There, in a moment, he learned the awful distance to which unbelief had carried him.

Suppose the wicked are "not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued as other men." Suppose that I, on the other hand, can say, "all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning." Here is the meaning of it: "I am continually with You; You have held me with Your right hand." What a blessed reason! What a glorious compensation!… The presence of the Holy One with us must mean discipline; but it is a Father's discipline of the "son in whom He delights."

He learned with great delight all that God had been for him in the past, in the day when his feet had almost slipped. So he can look forward with complete confidence to all that God will be for him in the future. He can say at every step of the pilgrim journey, "You shall guide me with Your counsel." I need not weary my heart trying to unravel all the puzzling questions of my path through this evil world. God Himself will guide me. And at last, when the journey ends, when man's small day is done and the day of glory dawns, "You will receive me."

In the light of the sanctuary everything became clear to him. He saw that the course of the godless rich, and the course of the plagued and downtrodden saints, could only be measured rightly once the end of each came into view. A few moments before, he had been near to falling himself, eaten up with envy at the prosperity of the wicked. Now he exclaims, "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!" Asaph himself was one of the godly, plagued all day long and "chastened every morning." Yet in the sanctuary he lifts his eyes to God with joy and confesses, "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory." The end of the one: brought into desolation. The end of the other: received to glory. The contrast is complete!

Up to this point, through all his shortcomings in faith, he could say, "You have held me." Now, in communion, he says, "You will guide me by your counsel." That is more than being held up without knowing it. It is the mind and will of God guiding us in communion. So it appears once he has judged himself and is in communion. God still guides us when we are out of communion. He makes us go according to His own counsels, holding our mouths with bit and bridle. But then the soul does not understand it. It cannot speak, as here, in the knowledge that He is guiding by His counsel.

He can say at every step of the pilgrim journey, "You will guide me with your counsel." There is no need for me to wear out my heart trying to unravel all the puzzling questions of my path through this evil world, for God Himself will guide me. And at last, when the end of the journey is reached, when man's small day is done and the day of glory dawns, "You will receive me."

But Asaph was not left grovelling before God as a beast. Along with this overwhelming sense of his own folly and ignorance, he got a sight of the grace and glory of God. "Nevertheless," he says, "I am continually with you: you have held me by my right hand." Despite all that he was, and all he had learned about himself, God took him by his right hand. He lifted him up and set him always in His majestic company. This was astonishing grace. But grace also set glory before him, and undertook to give him guidance on his way to the glory.

These things were true for Asaph; they are far more true for us. Grace, guidance and glory for a man who discovered himself to be like a beast before God! That is the Old Testament story. The New Testament story is like it, only it goes further. Titus 2:11-13 gives an even more wonderful account of grace going on to glory. In between, God grants guidance, so that we live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present world.

Here we read these words, a favourite text with many: "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory." It may be good Christian doctrine. But is it the aim of the psalm to teach anything of the sort? Let us be subject to Scripture. You see that the word "to" is added. Why? Adding "to" or "with" would need authority. It cannot be put in or left out like this. The truth is that our translators did not understand the words as they stand. They also took it for granted that the psalm speaks directly of our Christian comfort.

Psalm 73:24 needs another correction: "You guide me with your counsel, and after the glory you will receive me." Zechariah 2:8 translates the same phrase rightly. This is a very important difference. It shows that the saints who use this psalm will understand their position as sharers in the blessings on earth when the Lord reigns. Their calling is earthly, ours is heavenly. The Lord will receive us before the glory (1 Thessalonians 4); they after it has appeared.

In the sanctuary of God, where His mind was revealed, all became plain. The godly man complains that he lacked divine sense in these thoughts and feelings. Still, after all, he was always before God, and God's right hand upheld him. God's counsel guided him through that time of darkness, and God will receive him when the glory appears. The result is blessed. He has none in heaven but the Lord, none on earth whom he desires beside Him: such is the effect of trial.

And it was even so, for he breaks out into worship, the worship of a mind at rest and a heart satisfied. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." God became his present and everlasting portion.

We had precious promises in the previous section. Here we have a precious portion. Word for word, the Hebrew says: "My portion is Jahweh…" We are not talking about blessings, or promises, but about a Person! Many Christians are so occupied with the blessings that they forget the Blesser. In the same way, many are so enthralled with their spiritual gifts that they ignore the Giver! Psalm 73:25 expresses it beautifully: "Whom have I in heaven…?" ("but you" is added in the King James Translation, but does not appear in the original).

Heaven itself is not a saint's reward. "Whom have I in heaven but you?"

If all the affections and joys of heaven were the portion of the soul, it would still be unhappy without God. There would be misery in heaven unless God were the portion of each one there. If the soul is taken up with coming glory, it needs to join to that glory the thought of God being its portion and its joy. Otherwise the glory itself would be too heavy a burden, for glory is a strange thing to us.

The one who knows God in this way has found in God the satisfying portion of his soul. Not only is he an object to God, but now God becomes the one Object to him. He can say, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." But what about the prosperity of the wicked, their riches and their ease which he once envied? "Oh," the Psalmist would say, "speak no more of those things. I have been into the sanctuary. I have learned the heart of God, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Him."

As another has said, "We all have as much of Christ as we desire — no more and no less." Think of what the psalmist says: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." How searching this is. We cannot desire too much, and our greatest demands will never be disappointed. However much our capacity grows, it can never outgrow the greatness of the supply.

Such a soul will find everything in Christ, whom the world rejected and who is now risen and ascended. In Him is all that his conscience needs as a sinner, and all that his heart can desire as a believer. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you."

Heart and flesh fail; surely they do. God is the strength of my heart. He supports us with divine strength and goodness, and He sustains the heart. He is not only a present support but an everlasting portion — our portion for ever. This leads to a sweet and earnest conclusion. It is good for me to draw near to God. There we learn truth; there we find comfort.

"I know it," the Psalmist seems to reply, "for I have learnt by bitter experience that my flesh and my heart fail. There was a time when my feet had nearly slipped. But I have been into the sanctuary and I have found a resting-place for my poor trembling heart. God is the rock of my heart and my portion for ever." The heart that once envied the wicked has found its satisfying portion in the heart of God. The feet that had almost gone now stand firm on the rock.

"The rock of my heart" — this points to something different from other pictures of a rock. It means our affections are involved: we love Him because He first loved us. The "rock of my heart" is the One who loves us with an unshakeable love, and whom we love — poorly, yes, but we do love, in response.

His flesh and his heart fail — experience had taught him that. Even so, he could say, "But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." What comparison is there between the few short years of his life and "forever"? It is the eternal issue that counts!

Gaining this heart-knowledge of Him, we find Him to be the strength of our hearts and our portion for ever. With God as our strength and portion we are no longer "envious of the arrogant," nor troubled because we see "the prosperity of the wicked." We can rejoice in God as our portion so fully that the apparent success of evil men no longer troubles us. That holds even though we do not know the solution to the problem their success creates.

If my mind is fixed on present circumstances and difficulties, and on God helping me in them, the spring of joy is gone. I have made God the servant of my needs. The heart rests and settles there, and God sinks down into a mere help in time of trouble. It is true that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). But to bring Him down to only that changes the whole picture. He Himself is ours as our portion, and that cannot fail.

He knows me, He holds me, He guides me, and afterwards will receive me to glory. How much God is to him! There is none like Him in heaven or on earth. Flesh and heart may fail, but God will be the strength of his heart and his portion for ever. Nor is this all. While all who are far from God shall perish, the faithful one draws near to Him. He makes God his refuge, and has the privilege and joy of telling of all His works.

The last two verses declare the result — those far from Jehovah, and those who turn away from Him, perish; but it is good for the godly to draw near to God. The godly man trusted Him while He kept Himself hidden, so that he might declare all His works when deliverance came.

Rechokim means being pushed away into the distance, and it has a moral bearing as well as a spatial one. The same root word occurs in Psalm 73:27, where it is translated "far from you."

The presence of God must have a sanctifying and satisfying effect on all who seek it. But every evil thing is possible to those who love to stay at a distance from God.

Satan's servants had persuaded them. They wanted a path that promised to lead them to a "higher Christianity," as they wrongly thought. But it leads those who follow it into the darkness that God never lights. Like Israel of old, they were being unfaithful to the living Truth by following a lying shadow. Destruction is the end of all who do not repent at the voice of His rebuke (Deuteronomy 31:16; Psalm 73:27; Revelation 2:23).

As for those who prospered in the world but with hearts far removed from God, they will perish. For God Himself will destroy all who choose falsehood instead of His favour.

Even if he resists these painful doubts, they stay unanswered until the psalmist enters the sanctuary. There, in the presence of God, everything becomes plain. At once his whole outlook changes. He had looked at the outward prosperity of the wicked; now he sees their end. He had been thinking of what men say and do; now he sees what God is doing in relation to the wicked.

(verses 27-28) Those who live far from God will come under judgment. Those who draw near to God will surely find that God is good to Israel (verse 1).

The last verse applies to the believer now. It will also have a striking fulfilment in the day when Israel has returned to the God they turned away from so deeply (Hosea 14). Then they will find that nearness to God is good. The Christian knows this already. Israel will know the same truth when the veil is taken from their heart. Then they will know Him whose precious blood alone brings the rebellious outcasts near to the God of peace, with perfect and eternal acceptance.

The writer opens this beautiful Psalm with a simple but blessed statement concerning God, and closes with a happy conclusion concerning himself. "Truly God is good" is the statement of the first verse; "it is good for me to draw near to God" is the conclusion of the last verse. Accept the statement and we must agree with the conclusion.

"Nature shrinks," as we often say — meaning the nature of the "old man," not the nature of the "new." Its bitter complaint may be: "All day long I have been plagued, and disciplined every morning." But what does that prove, except that we are outside the "sanctuary"? Only there can we understand what all this means. There we learn to see our nearness to God as the very thing that makes all this painstaking care and love necessary, and that secures it to us.

The Psalm ends on this note, that it is good to draw near to God. Asaph started to draw near because he wanted an explanation of his difficulties. He ended by drawing near because of the excellence of the knowledge of God Himself.

With God for our strength and portion we are no longer "envious at the foolish," nor troubled because we see "the prosperity of the wicked." It is possible, we believe, to be so rejoicing in God as our portion that we are no longer troubled at the apparent success of evil men, even though we do not know the solution of the problem created by their success.

It is good for me to draw near to God. There we learn truth; there we find comfort. He has put his trust in the Lord Jehovah — One sovereign in power, lasting and faithful in promise. Anyone who does that will certainly go on to declare all His wonderful works. He will be in the place to see them and experience them. He will have the heart to notice them and understand them, and the joy of testifying to the faithfulness of the One his heart has trusted. In verse 20 we have only sovereign power; in the last verse, covenant faithfulness also.

Truly God is good to His people (verse 1); and it is good to draw near to God (verse 28); and the one who draws near to God becomes a witness to others. "I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all your works."

In contrast, Asaph finds it good to draw near to God. In God's presence he does not need to compare his circumstances with those of others. Rather, putting his trust in the Lord, he finds true pleasure in declaring all God's works to others (v. 28).

The last verse applies to the believer now, but it will also have a striking fulfilment in the day when Israel has returned to the One they so deeply rebelled against. Then they will find that nearness to God is good. The Christian already knows this, since his heart responds to the Spirit's witness: it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods (Heb. 13:9). Israel will know the same truth when the veil is taken off their heart. Then they will know the One whose precious blood alone brings the rebellious outcasts near to the God of peace, with perfect and eternal acceptance.