A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Psalm 73 verses 15-28
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed your children.
I would have betrayed your children.
Here Asaph is sharing his feelings with God. Since he was a leader, he didn't make his feelings known to the people so that their faith would stay firm with God. Many young adults can relate to this. Whether it comes through being an older sibling or by being a leader in youth group or in a group of friends, leadership can be a hard job. However, Asaph is saying that he will stay strong so that others won't fall.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
I think this shows the power of coming together for worship, where God says He will be with us. When we try to figure out things on our own, everything is confusing and we can't understand, but being in the presence of God clears our minds and helps us to trust more in Him. Because Asaph went into worship, his thoughts about the wicked prospering weren’t heavy on his mind. God made them clear to him. Most of us have grown up in Christian families and have been going to church our whole life. It’s easy for us to forget how important Sunday worship and fellowship is to our lives.
What Asaph was understanding was how the story ends for the wicked:
What Asaph was understanding was how the story ends for the wicked:
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
These verses are similar to the verses in Psalm 1 that say the righteous will be like a tree planted by the waterside, but the wicked will be like chaff in the wind. Even though it doesn't always feel like the righteous will prosper and the wicked will receive what is just, the promise in Psalm 1 helps us to have hope. Here Asaph is remembering God's promises, and his hope is renewed. He is looking into the future and the things to come. In verse 20 it says that all the stuff the wicked have now is like a dream. It will be gone. As young Christian adults it’s easy for us to envy others who seem to have it all- money, lots of friends, beauty, and many other things. We need to remember that these things don’t matter, and we need to be storing up treasures in heaven.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
Asaph understands that because of his anger and because of his hatred towards the wicked, he had lost hope in God's promises. Because his mind was so focused on the wicked's short time of prospering now, he forgot about the future and that in the end, God will destroy them. He is aware that it was blind of him to doubt God.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory. -
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory. -
After Asaph recognize his senselessness and ignorance, he remembers God's goodness and the loyalty He shows towards His people. ‘You hold me by my right hand’ shows that God was Asaph’s guide and reminds us that God is our guide also! We need to trust Him and let Him lead the way. Asaph, being a leader, also needs God to be his guide so that he may guide others. He is asking God to guide him through life’s journeys, and then later he will be taken into eternal glory. This is a beautiful promise that God gives to all believers: that he will always be with us, guiding us through our earthly lives and then afterwards taking us to eternal glory.
Asaph realizes his desire for God, and that nothing can quench his desire besides Christ. ”...earth has nothing I desire besides you.” Most of us cannot truthfully make this statement. Desiring God, wanting God more than all the earthly things that look so pleasurable, is definitely a hard thing.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
We hate weakness. We hate the feeling of being weak and we tend to look down on those whom we would consider to be weak. But in 2 Corinthians Paul says “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This verse reminds us that God is our strength, and that no matter how hard we try, we can’t be strong enough on our own.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 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.
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 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.
The last two verses of this psalm really show Asaph’s change of heart. He has entered into God's house, he has cleared his mind and is now able to understand that God will indeed destroy the wicked. Because Asaph has stayed faithful to God, he has a refuge, and will always be safe. Because of all the God has done for him, he wants to tell others how great God is. This should definitely be the attitude of all believers because of what God has done for us.
Applying this psalm to your life- We tend to forget God’s promises for the future. We see the pain and hardships that we are going through now and assume that God doesn’t really care about us. Asaph was able to understand hardships better when he worshiped God. Through the unity we have with Christ in worship and personal devotions, we, too, can understand things that we wrestle with. James 4:8 says “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.”
Applying this psalm to Jesus’ life- It’s easy to see in the gospels that Jesus spent lots of time talking to God. When He was just hours before His awful death and separation, all He wanted was to talk and be with God. Jesus was able to look ahead at the future promises, even through His sufferings, and see the coming joy.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. -2 Corinthians 4:8-9
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