Asaph and His Problem

Psalm 73

Our text is not a Psalm of David. This Psalm was written by Asaph, and Asaph is a man with a problem. This problem isn’t some theoretical issue that disturbs the elegant symmetry of his theology. Asaph has a real problem, one that touches his soul. However, by the time we get to the end of the Psalm the matter is resolved, and you all know that. So, there is no need to unravel some mystery here. Rather, what I want you to see is how this problem is resolved. I believe that the Spirit can use that ‘how’ for the good of your soul. So, let’s see what the Spirit will do with His Word this morning.

First question: What’s the problem? We need to be careful. Some answer this question incompletely and miss the real point of the Psalm. Some will say that the problem is that the wicked are prospering. Now, that’s true. They are prospering. Just a few references. First this: ‘They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.’ And then this: ‘Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.’ All this is bad enough, but what makes it worse is that they brag about it. ‘They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts[!] through the earth.’ So, while some will say that the problem is that Asaph sees the wicked doing well, that’s actually only the first part of the problem. There’s more and Asaph tells us that more. ‘For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ Asaph was making comparisons between himself and the wicked, and he was coming up short which led to envy. Do you see why I say that this is a real problem? But even this isn’t the whole problem. What did he do with these unpleasant comparisons? Where did he go with this? Where did his envy lead him? ‘All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.’ Now the situation is becoming all too clear. Do you hear what Asaph is saying? ‘All this time I’m working at being a good Christian, working at following Jesus and what does it get me? Every day I see my faithless neighbors and every day I am reminded of how they are doing so much better than I am. Is this Christian thing really worth it? If it is, I’m not seeing it.’ Now we’re getting close to the heart of the problem. ‘Is this Christian thing really worth it?’ Good question, no? We’re almost there. We have one more step to go. The last piece of Asaph’s problem is referred to in verse two. ‘But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.’ And what is it that Asaph almost slipped into? ‘When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.’

I was reading in Ruth this past week. Here’s Naomi who goes to the country of Moab with a husband and her two boys. Her situation looked good. But by the time she returns to Israel all of her men have died. Now, she’s a destitute widow. She has nothing. And she returns with these words on her lips. ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when Jehovah has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?’ Her comments will make sense when you realize that Naomi means ‘pleasant’ but Mara means ‘bitter’. ‘Don’t call me Pleasant. Call me Bitter!’ There are lots of very bitter people. On the surface they seem pleasant. But scratch them at the right place and out comes this acid that is eating away at them. Asaph is saying, ‘That was almost me. I almost fell into the trap of my soul being filled with bitterness against God.’ So, you see this is no mere theoretical problem about good and evil to be calmly discussed over a cup of coffee. This is real. This is a problem that might have destroyed Asaph.

Now, we’re ready for the solution. How was this resolved? I want you to understand that question in two ways. First, by what method? What do you do to resolve such a problem? And secondly, to what end? What does resolution look like? What do you end up with?

The turning point of the whole Psalm is contained in verses 16-17. ‘But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.’ What made the difference? What changed Asaph’s mind and kept it from sliding into bitterness? Thoughtful worship. Asaph was trying to sort out his thoughts, trying to understand what he is seeing around him. He is thinking. From time to time, in the middle of a sermon, you’ll hear me say something like, ‘What I just told you is something that you would do well to ponder.’ It’s Scripture like this Psalm that make me say that. Asaph is in trouble. His soul is beginning to slide into bitterness. How does he avoid that fate? He thinks. ‘But when I thought how to understand this…’ He stops and ponders what’s going on. This is a key to overcoming so many problems that we have. Asaph thought. Before I go further I want to be very clear. First, that isn’t the whole answer to his problem. Thinking isn’t everything. But it is a very important part of the solution. And secondly, I’m not saying that you need to become some kind of intellectual with an advanced degree in philosophy. But what I am saying is that you need to take what you see, and especially what you feel, and work to relate these things to the truths of the Bible so that you can understand them from God’s point of view. That’s what Asaph did. And it rescued him. It made the difference between life and death. This is why I encourage you to get to know your Bible. How will you understand things from God’s point of view – and thus protect your soul – if you don’t know what He’s said about those things? So, here is Asaph. He’s wise enough to stop and think about what’s troubling him in the context of his walk with Jesus. And because of that he was rescued from a bitter spirit. Understand the two parts of this so that you can imitate him. First, you need to be aware of yourself. When something doesn’t feel right, recognize it. Stop and ask yourself, ‘What’s wrong? What am I feeling?’ This is something to pray about. And then, secondly, once you’ve put your finger on it then ask yourself, ‘I wonder what God has to say about this in His Word.’ Then view the situation from His point of view and respond appropriately. This is a skill that any Christian can learn.

Back a bit ago, I posed the question, ‘What changed Asaph’s mind and kept him from sliding into bitterness?’ Now, I didn’t answer that by saying, ‘Thinking.’ What I said was, ‘Thoughtful worship’. Where is Asaph when he gets things sorted out? ‘But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.’ Asaph doesn’t go off to some monastery to think by himself. He enters the presence of His God, and there he has a conversation with his God. ‘Lord I don’t get it. I really don’t understand. Why are they flourishing so, while I’m not?’ Honest prayer.

Do you remember Jessica Lunsford? She was the young Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and then murdered. This happened about three years ago. The Sunday after her body was found Todd was leading us in the pastoral prayer. And with tears he was asking God, ‘I don’t understand. Where were You when this happened?’ That’s Asaph. Honest prayer. We gather our struggles, our doubts, our questions and, with as much submission as we can muster, we present them to Jesus. We wrestle with these things in the context of worship, thoughtful worship. Any other kind of worship just won’t do. It is thoughtful worship – at home and here – that makes the difference.

Jesus responded to Asaph’s questions. The Spirit turned on the light, pointed and said, ‘Hey, look at this.’ And what’s the first thing that Asaph saw. ‘Then I discerned their end.’ Before that moment Asaph was only seeing the today of the wicked. It was only a slice of their lives. The Spirit told him, ‘Look at the whole story. Consider where they end up. Ponder what happens then.’ What is it that happens then? Justice happens. They thought that Jesus didn’t see what they were doing. ‘And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"’ They were wrong. He sees and He acts. ‘Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.’ So, now, Asaph is able to see the today of these people in the context of their tomorrow. And that changed things. Their lives didn’t seem so enviable.

But Asaph wasn’t only looking at them. He was also looking at himself. As a result, he not only saw them more clearly, he also saw himself more clearly. So, Asaph says, ‘Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.’ Picture what Asaph sees and feels now. A little boy is walking down the street. And what happens? He sees the neighborhood kids with their toys. Bikes, sports equipment, a new swimming pool, the latest computer game. And they’re all shouting at him. ‘Hey, look at what I’ve got. I bet you don’t have one of these.’ But the little boy keeps walking and smiling, even though he doesn’t have any of their neat stuff. Now, zoom out and see the bigger picture. Here’s the little boy toddling down the street and right next to him is his dad, holding his hand. The little boy knows that life is good because of his dad. And so, he walks down the street, hearing the jeers, but having a great time because his dad is right there with him. ‘Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.’ Asaph not only sees the wicked and their neat stuff more clearly, he sees himself more clearly also.

And that leads to what has got to be one of the greatest verses in the whole Bible. ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.’ Wow! There’s a verse to ponder. Do you understand what Asaph is saying here? After some thoughtful worship, he has come to a conclusion. ‘If the only thing that I have is Jesus, I’m good. You may have all your neat stuff and are able to brag about it and all the rest. But I don’t care. I don’t need any of your stuff. I’ve got Jesus, and Jesus satisfies me. Even if all I’ve got is Him, I’ve got everything I need.’ It’s pretty clear that there’s no envy or bitterness here. In fact, Asaph is free. There is nothing throughout the whole earth that he wants. How liberating! How peaceful! The allure of the stuff of this fallen world is gone. Here is contentment: Asaph happily walking down the street with nothing but Jesus.

We live among a people who are always comparing, always looking for something new, something that will satisfy – and never finding it. They are never content. If you listen carefully, you can hear it in their words. They are enslaved. And let’s be honest. It affects us. It’s foolish to deny that. We are not untouched by this poison. So, we need to be careful. This verse can help. Praying to be able to honestly speak these words from the heart is one of the keys to wisdom. Meditate on the verse.

Just as Asaph needed to see the today of the wicked with their tomorrow of justice, we need to see Asaph’s today along with his tomorrow. ‘Nevertheless, I am continually with you.’ Asaph’s today. ‘You hold my right hand.’ Also Asaph’s today. ‘You guide me with your counsel…’ More of Asaph’s today. ‘…and afterward you will receive me to glory.’ Tomorrow! Asaph’s tomorrow is ‘glory’. He could have said ‘heaven’ but he didn’t because ‘glory’ emphasizes the awesome wonder of heaven. And at the heart of that wonder is Jesus. Today, we walk with Him by faith. But tomorrow, we will walk by sight. We know that Jesus walks with us today, but tomorrow we will be able to see Him by our side. What in all of creation can compare with that?

Now note how the Psalm ends. ‘… for me it is good to be near God’. The comfort of Jesus holding him by the hand as they walk together down the street. ‘I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge…’ The battles of this life are not over. Asaph will still need protection. ‘…that I may tell of all your works…’ Ah, Asaph is now a man on a mission. He is going to tell everyone he can about how good Jesus is and what He has done for him. But remember the turning point in his life: thoughtful worship. And that’s what I want to encourage you to continue to work at. Thoughtful worship. As you work on that you also will bear the fruit that Asaph did. You also will tell others how good Jesus has been to you, encouraging the saints and evangelizing the lost. It will not be easy but it will be worth it as, over time, you see the spread of the Gospel of Jesus through you.