This Psalm is written by Asaph, one of the temple choir leaders (1 Chronicles 15:16-19; 16:4-7; 37-42). The Psalm shows the contrast in attitudes of the wicked and the righteous. In the beginning the Psalmist is depressed because it seems the wicked are prospering and life is difficult for the righteous. He even shows self pity over this situation. In the middle of the Psalm his attitude changes and he sees that God is sovereign and in control of everything.
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to
To such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Our first response might be to think bad of Asaph because he was almost stumbled by the prosperity of the wicked. But if we give it some thought, we've probably all had similar feelings at times. He states that God is good and that is a given fact to him. He knows that God had entered into a covenant relationship with
Asaph was a Levitical priest assigned to worship in temple. His life was all about serving God. One day, he looked around and saw the wicked were prospering and found that he was envious of them. Here he was, a man of a chosen race, set aside by God to serve in the temple and he was looking longingly at the world. It almost stumbled him. He almost allowed it to affect his walk. And if it can happen to Asaph, it could happen to you and I.
How many times have we looked longingly at the things of the world in contrast to our service? How many times do we compare what we have with what the world has to offer? How does it fit our worldview when we see the devout and pious Christian struggling to find food while the drug addict carries thousands of dollars in pocket money? Asaph started this Psalm by declaring what he knew: God is good to his covenant people and to those with a total commitment to him. Weirsbe summed it up this way, "When pondering the mysteries of life, hold on to what you know for sure, and never doubt in the darkness what God has taught you in the light."
4 For there are no pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
Asaph saw this as unfair. It seemed as though the wicked went through life in strength and then died a painless, merciful death. The wicked seemed to escape the trouble that he felt he and others who were blameless had to endure.
6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
The pride of these wicked men was their adornment. They wore it openly for all to see. There was no sense of humility at all. These men would look on the humble men of the Lord as weak an insignificant. They were openly violent men, taking what they wanted. They were driven by greed. Their worldview was eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die.
Was it the material possessions these men had that caused Asaph to stumble? Was it the pride or the fact that they were tough? Were they looking at Asaph as a less of a man and mocking him? We don't know for sure. But we know that Asaph is no different than we are. Most of us would easily identify with these things.
8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
These men have set themselves on their own throne. They have made themselves god of their life and from their own throne they mock the values of any other belief system. This is what it means to when their 'tongue walks through the earth.' They lived in this place of pride and greed and they had many followers. Others didn't follow because it was right but because that is the common desire of the flesh for the sinful nature of every man. It's quite common to find this on the earth. We can see this attitude every day.
10 Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11 And they say, "How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?"
There are many who hold the same worldview as these wicked men. They feel as though they have risen to power through their understanding and from that others follow them. When in fact these men have given in to the base nature of man. This is the sinful nature we are all born with. It is the desire to please our self and our own flesh. Those that follow the wicked men drink the waters that he serves them. They've bought into his worldview and attitude of life. They don't really know of there is a God, but if there is they don't believe he is watching.
12Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
These men seem to have life easy, while the man of God seems to have life hard. It didn't seem fair to Asaph. Why does God allow this? Aren't the blessings supposed to be for the people of God? Asaph was asking, why serve God? He kept his heart clean and he kept his hands clean and he felt as though all he got for it was the chastening of God. Maybe that's why he was being chastened though. His eyes were on the world, longing for them instead of on the Lord. Was Asaph measuring spirituality by possessions and comfort?
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me-
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.
Asaph didn't put on his religious face and act holy and ignore the fact that he was stumbling. This was a real problem that needed to be dealt with. How could this man lead in temple worship if his eyes were longing for the world? If he had hid what was going on and said, "I will speak thus," then he would have been untrue to the children of God. If this could happen to him, it could happen to anyone. He didn't want to just play religion, he needed to examine his heart and figure this out. The question was torture to him. He couldn't find an answer until he went to the sanctuary of God. Then it made sense. Being in the presence of God put his priorities in order. Suddenly, his viewpoint changed, he gained a godly perspective. He served a high and holy God who was also just. While men will always trust with their eyes, as people of God we should trust more in the unseen truth of who God is. We must have a light grasp on this world and a firm grasp on the heavenly. We don't seek after the things of this world we seek after the
But seek first the
The Psalm turns at this point.
18 Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
Regardless of how peaceful and pleasant the life of an unbeliever is, they are not at peace with God. And if we aren't at peace with him then there is no amount of pride of life, possessions, or money that can replace that. In the end, they will be cast down to destruction. In the blink of an eye, they will be utterly consumed with terrors. These men will be gone and forgotten about like a bad dream after you wake up. Imagine their surprise and change of attitude when they discover that life is eternal and that they ignored every chance they had to get right with God because they were chasing after the world. They will wince when they think of all the times they mocked God and His people.
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
We are all capable of this. When we let down our guard and take our eyes off of Him, we too can begin to be fooled. Satan and his demons are working and searching and waiting patiently for that opportunity to drive a wedge between us and God. The stuff of the world quickly draws us away. It's like a magnet for our fallen nature and Satan uses this so often. We have to guard our eyes and hearts and minds in the Lord.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
If he holds me by my right hand, then I'm on his left side. Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father. He guides us and keeps us and counsels us. He is able, we aren't. We rely on our own power to remain in Him instead of His power to hold us. And when our walk is through, He will receive each of us to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Jesus knew many would betray him and walk away. He asked Peter if he wanted to walk away also. He answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:68).
Asaph's faith was strengthened. He saw that God is sovereign over the heaven and earth. And even if his life was horrible here on earth, it was still a life lived for the Lord. And that was better than one that was not. Flesh and heart will fail, that's a given for all men, the wicked and the righteous. In the end, it is faith and nothing else.
For us that is repentance and trust in Jesus Christ.
27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Those far from God will perish. Asaph was going that direction. He was beginning to stumble and trust in the things of the world. So it was good for him to draw near to God. That is the way to battle these feelings. It was when he went into God's presence in the sanctuary that it all began to make sense. It is there we trust......and it is to the world we declare all the works of the Lord.
How many times do we get drawn away from the things of God because of something in the world? The next think we know, we are saying, "I don't feel like going to church." When you don't feel like it is most likely the time when you need to go. We are so quickly drawn away. Mankind hasn't changed that much in all this time. What we must remember is that we don't come to God with our total commitment because of what we are going to get out of the deal. We come to Him because He is worthy of all our worship, praise and service regardless of what happens to us, around us or in the life of the unbeliever. Total commitment is just that. It is unwavering in the face of doubt.
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