Finding Yourself in the Psalms

Psalm 73

A Psalm When You Wonder if Obedience is Worth It

illus – Wanting to trade places with someone else

ASAPH WONDERED if it would be better to be like the unrighteous
THEODICY
RABI KUSHNER “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
1. God is good
2. God is sovereign
3. Innocent people suffer
GOD CANNOT BE SOVEREIGN Warren Weirsbe
II. He Looks Back. 73:1
A. God’s existence. If God does not exist, evil is not a problem
B. God is good.
III. He Looks Around. 73:2-12
His feet nearly SLIP. 73:2
A. He sees their PROSPERITY. 73:3-5
B. He sees their PRIDE. 73:6-9
C. He sees their POPULARITY. 73:10-12
IV. He Looks Within. 73:13-15. Will Asaph trust in God or depart and follow the world?
A. Like DEMAS (2 Tim 4:16).
B. Seed among thorns “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22, NIV)
C. ASAP – POINT of DECISION. “The wealth of the wicked suddenly stops at that great gulf separating this life and the next, and the rewards for the good suddenly take on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless on this earth now lasts forever.” Life Application Bible
V. He Looks Up. 73:16-22
A. Worship helps us understand who we are before God
B. V 20 When God “awakes,” He will end the play time of the unrighteous.
VI. He Looks Ahead. 73:23-28 (esp v. 25)
A. “Did the situation in the world change? NO, but ASAP changed.” (Weirsbe)
LESSONS
1. I must be honest with God regarding my heart
2. My struggles can only be resolved when I am honest with myself and with God
3. I must live for the eternal, not the temporary
4. I cannot survive without time spent with God , evaluating and searching my heart and gaining His perspective.