Good to Be Near God

Good to Be Near God

Psalm 73

Main Idea: While focusing on the wicked leads to envy, regret, and doubt, focusing on God and on his Word gives us a proper perspective on sin, judgment, and the faithfulness of God to his people.

While I was in college in Athens, Georgia, I vividly remember the preacher in a Methodist church walking verse by verse through Psalm 73. I was at a pretty pivotal, and you might say vulnerable, point in my relationship with God. By God’s grace, I had come to know Christ at an early age, and I had grown up in the church, grounded in my faith. When I went to college, I began to see a number of friends who I thought were pretty grounded in their faith begin to turn aside from God. They began to compromise their faith in Christ, choosing instead the ways of the world. Here’s the catch: they seemed to enjoy it.

Quite honestly, my friends seemed to be having a lot of fun. I, on the other hand, seemed to be missing out on a lot of things. In this way, I felt a lot like the psalmist. I looked at the world around me, even at the way of those who had turned aside from God, and everyone else seemed to be prospering and enjoying life in a way that I wasn’t. I could identify with verse 13. It seemed that the pursuit of holiness on this campus was all in vain. Where does it get you? And look at all that it keeps you from—socially, sexually, and in a myriad of other ways.

I could also identify with verse 2. In some ways my feet did stumble, and my steps did slip. I now look back on that time with the perspective of verses 21-22: “I was stupid.” What was I thinking?

Many Christians are prone to struggle in the same way the psalmist struggled. There is, for example, a huge tension when it comes to an issue like sexual immorality. Scripture tells us to flee all sexual activity outside of marriage (1 Cor 6:12-20), and we know God is looking out for our good. However, the ways of this world can certainly look a lot better than God’s ways. God’s Word can start to sound too extreme. The same is true when it comes to the pursuit of pleasure and the achievement of status. We see non-Christians and nominal Christians prospering, and it seems as if things are going better for them than for us. We feel like we’re missing out, and our feet begin to slip.

Maybe your feet have slipped, or maybe your steps are on the verge of stumbling. It could be that God, in his grace and in his love for you, has brought you to this psalm. Faith is a struggle, and this psalm deals with real life.

The author of this psalm is Asaph, a Levite who is basically serving as a worship leader among God’s people. Deep down in his heart, he knows God is good (v. 1). This psalm is not the doubting of someone who is opposed to God or someone trying to prove God isn’t good. No, this is the doubting of someone who believes God is good. At the same time, the psalmist is honest about his struggles. We will consider this psalm, then, from two perspectives.

Two Perspectives

In the first half of this psalm Asaph speaks from the perspective of one who is observing the wicked. In the second half he speaks from the perspective of one who has seen God. Seeing God rightly changes the way we see everything else.

When He Sees the Wicked (73:1-16)

When the psalmist sees the wicked flourishing, three things happen.

He envies how they live. The psalms are arranged into five books, and Psalm 73 is the first psalm in Book III. However, if you go back to Psalm 1 (the first psalm in Book I), there seems to be a tension between it and Psalm 73. In short, Psalm 1 says that the righteous will prosper and the wicked will perish. But then in Psalm 73 the psalmist essentially asks whether this is true. When he looks around, it certainly doesn’t seem to be true. He envies the wicked. They enjoy sexual pleasure and success (as defined by the world) and the luxuries this world offers. He hears God’s radical call to obedience, but when he looks around at the wicked, there seems to be another way, a better way, in this world.

In Psalm 73 the psalmist describes those around him who are disobeying God:

• They die peacefully (v. 4).
• They’re blessed physically (vv. 4-5).
• They flourish with pride (vv. 6,9,11).
• They avoid pain (v. 12).
• They enjoy prosperity (v. 12).

He regrets how he lives. When the psalmist focuses on the flourishing of the wicked, he looks at his own life, and he concludes that he has pursued purity in vain (v. 13). That’s quite a statement, but it’s one we can identify with. We wonder whether it’s really worth it to live in radical obedience to the commands of Christ, to submit to Scripture’s standards of sexual purity, to simplify life in this world in order to sacrifice and give more away. Is there really a reward in righteousness?

In addition, Asaph concludes that he has suffered constantly in silence (vv. 14-15). It’s as if he knows nothing of the man described in Psalm 1: “He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (v. 3). No, he feels the exact opposite, and he acknowledges that he has kept his suffering to himself. He did not want to lead the people of God to question God. This struggle is yet another way in which this psalm is so helpful, because it shows a healthy way to wrestle with doubt.

He wrestles with how God works. The psalmist wrestles with his faith honestly, but he keeps it between himself and God rather than letting it become a hindrance to others in their faith. He shows us how to ask questions and how to struggle in our faith while not pulling other people away from God. Again we can identify with the psalmist. There is much to wrestle with in a world where sex traffickers are flourishing, godless leaders are ruling, and sinners are succeeding. Why does God allow all this? Is he not powerful enough to stop this? If he is just, then why doesn’t he put an end to this wickedness?

Thankfully, in the second half of this psalm there’s another perspective. The transition begins in verse 16. When you try to understand the wickedness of the world in light of the goodness of God, it can wear you out. It certainly did for the psalmist. Then he “entered God’s sanctuary.”

When He Sees God (73:17-28)

When the psalmist goes into the presence of God, even amid all his questions, his entire perspective changes. We’ll consider three ways he is affected.

He remembers their future. In verse 17 it’s as if he was looking at a fat cow enjoying a meal on its way to the slaughter. Despite his earlier evaluation the psalmist realizes he doesn’t want to head in the same direction as the wicked. He remembers their future.

A dream can seem so long and real, but then we wake up and realize it was only a matter of seconds and it was never real. That’s the way of the wicked (v. 20). They are phantoms, these seemingly delightful men and women who in a matter of seconds find themselves despised by God.

The language in these verses is severe. The wicked will “fall into ruin” (v. 18) and “become a desolation!” (v. 19). They will be “swept away by terrors” (v. 19). Oh, how our perspective changes when we lift our eyes to God! We’re reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.

Similar warnings come in the book of Revelation: “Come out of her [the sinful world system], my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues” (Rev 18:4). “But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev 21:8).

What is it about seeing God that causes the psalmist to remember the future of the wicked? The psalmist sees the justice of God. He sees that the wicked will ultimately be judged for their sins. And the same is true for the wicked around us today. God is not asleep when it comes to sex trafficking or sexual immorality or any other sin in this world. He will rouse himself, and he will assert his justice. God is active: “You put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin. . . . You will despise their image” (vv. 18,20; emphasis added).

He realizes his foolishness. In verses 21-22 the psalmist acknowledges his error. It’s as if the psalmist steps back with an entirely new perspective and thinks, Who do I think I am to be qualified to question the judgment of God or the goodness of God? Seeing God rightly helps us see how foolish it is to view the world without considering his judgment against sin and his gracious purposes for his people.

He rejoices in God’s faithfulness. Beginning in verse 23, the rest of this psalm is a poetic masterpiece that celebrates the majesty and mercy of God. This psalm ends with a description of how the fullness of pleasure in God far outweighs the fleeting, phantom prosperity of the wicked described in the first part of this psalm. With God there is real joy, real pleasure, and real delight. Indeed, Psalm 1 is ultimately true: The one who fears the Lord is blessed.

Asaph describes the faithfulness of God in four ways. First, God grasps him (v. 23). I love those moments when one of my kids reaches up and grabs my hand, and we walk together holding hands. Now picture the God of the universe holding you by the hand!

Second, God guides him (v. 24a). In this life we don’t always know what to do or what is best for us. Whether we’re talking about small decisions or big decisions, we look for counsel from people around us. That is good and wise, but it’s even better to look for counsel from God—and find it! As he promised, God counsels us by his Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the one described as the “Counselor” (John 14:16).

Third, God will glorify him (v. 24b). Having just remembered the future of the wicked, the psalmist now remembers the future of the righteous (those who put their hope and their trust in God). He anticipates what Jesus will later say in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt 5:8).

Ultimately, the psalmist concludes that God is good to him (vv. 25-26). What a turnaround! Here’s a psalmist who had almost stumbled when he perceived the wicked, but now, with a new perspective, he concludes, “Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do” (vv. 27-28).

Two Exhortations

Based on verse 28, at least two exhortations are appropriate.

Trust in God’s goodness. In a world where we are surrounded by wickedness, worldliness, and temptation, trust in the goodness of God. His presence is good, so trust that it is good to be with God. And his Word is good, so trust that it is good to listen to God. Don’t be an “unthinking animal” toward God (v. 22) by buying into the deception of the world around you. Purity is not in vain, for the pure shall see God (Matt 5:8).

While nearness to God is good, this idea of purity does present a problem given that no one is perfect. For each of us, our feet have slipped and our steps have stumbled. We have all turned aside from God and his Word to the ways of this world, and as a result, we all deserve the destiny of the wicked described in verse 19: “desolation.” Who among us could stand before the holy justice of God? We are all sinners, and we all need a Savior. The good news is that God has provided a Savior in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says that God sent Christ to die on the cross “so that he [God] would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26). In Christ we stand justified before a holy God.

Tell others about God’s greatness. Finally, the psalmist does not keep God’s greatness to himself (v. 28). The impulse to “tell” only makes sense. Once you have a right perspective of God, you can’t sit back in silence.

People all around us are living for fleeting pleasures. They believe the way of the world is good; but we know it’s not, and we know where the way of the world is headed. So, how much do we have to hate someone not to tell them where it’s headed? Let us, then, tell friends, coworkers, neighbors, and the nations that God is good. Tell them that he seeks us and satisfies us, and that while the pleasures of this world will pass in a moment, the goodness of God will last forever.

Reflect and Discuss

1. In what areas of your life are you most tempted to envy others?
2. Respond to the following statement: If you live in sin, then you’ll always be miserable.
3. Does living a godly life ever seem pointless to you? What does this reveal about your faith in God’s promises?
4. The psalmist says that he stayed silent in his suffering. Does this mean we should never discuss our doubts with trusted Christian friends? Explain your answer.
5. What questions have you wrestled (or are you wrestling) with in relation to your faith? Make a plan to talk about these questions with a church leader or another mature believer.
6. Describe in your own words what brought about the psalmist’s change of perspective in verse 17.
7. Many Christians avoid the topic of God’s judgment. Why is that a bad idea according to Psalm 73? How does God’s judgment help us make sense of the seeming prosperity of the wicked?
8. Some people claim God will give us material blessings if we have enough faith. How does Psalm 73 speak to this error?
9. How can regular exposure to God’s Word—both in preaching and in personal reading—prevent us from envying unbelievers and their so-called success?
10. The psalmist was initially envious, regretful, and doubtful. How would you describe him at the end of the psalm after he sees life from God’s perspective?