But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have chosen him and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he rescues me. Psalm 73: 28, TLB.
Dear LORD, as we come into Your presence today, please grant that we will receive the blessing You have prepared for us in Your Word. And as we conclude our study, may we decide, “as for me” I will draw as close to God, as is possible for me to get. In the holy name of Jesus we humbly pray. Amen.
Psalm 73, is a part of Book III, of the Psalms. It is the first Psalm of the section, that extends to Psalm 89. The greater portion of these psalms have been attributed to Asaph (73-83). This is a wisdom psalm. The usual themes of wisdom literature are retribution, or, theodicy (footnotes of, The New Annotated Oxford Bible, NRSV, with Apocrypha).
Perhaps most of us can identify with the feelings expressed by Asaph in this psalm. After all, we are human beings, like Asaph. We do things a certain way – the way human beings do them. We lavish love and kindness on those who serve us well; on those we consider “good,” “worthy.” We tend to forget that God is not a human being. God does not deal with people the way we do with one another. It is interesting to note, that in the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said the following: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5: 44, 45, NRSV, emphasis provided). I found that very interesting!
It seems that God equates, to some extent, our being His children, by our not being “respecters of persons;” but by our loving everybody; blessing everybody. So it should not present a problem that would almost cause our steps to “slip,” when we see the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73: 2, 3). I know that that is easier said than done! I am well aware of it! I am also aware, that, by God’s grace, we are to start allowing God to make us more, His children, than children of the “flesh, or of the will of man” (John 1: 13). As I said to a congregation, not very long ago, “I believe that we are now participating in our dress rehearsal for heaven!”
I am happy for the way Asaph concluded this psalm. He ended his discourse by concentrating on his personal relationship with the Lord, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever . . . 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” (Psalm 73: 23-26, 28, NIV, emphasis provided).
In other words, after all is said and done, the only thing that really matters, is to have God in my life, and to share my testimony of His goodness to me, with others!
NOTE: To all of my faithful, website family and friends, my regrets, for the many irregularities we have experienced in publishing our devotionals, recently. As I explained before, this has been due to unusual circumstances. I sincerely thank all of you for your faithfulness and patience. May you be abundantly blessed! Please keep our website (yours and mine) in your prayers!
Mabel