PSALM 73 Reading Guide

PSALM 73 Reading Guide

PSALM 73 2 PSALM 73 1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? 12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, I will speak thus, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

PSALM 73 3 21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. 23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength2 of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

PSALM 73 4 DAY 1 Read through Psalm 73 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don t fully understand. According to the introductory notes on Psalm 73 in the ESV Study Bible, Psalm 73 is a Wisdom psalm, helping those who sing it to rest content even when unbelievers seem to get along without a care in the world, so that the faithful are tempted to join them. Kevin Twitt and Mac Purdy captured the themes of the Psalm in their hymn Psalm 73. Surely God is good To all the pure in heart But as for me, my feet had almost slipped I nearly lost my grip For I envied, the arrogant They are free, from my burdens Surely I, in vain, Have kept my, my heart pure And surely they are strong and free from trials While I am so confused Then I entered Your holy place Then I saw their destiny Surely, they re cast down As those on slippery ground As dreams fade when we wake, so they become Completely swept away In my heart I was arrogant Like a beast before You Yet always You are near You guide me by Your Word And always, my Lord God, You are my strength My portion You will be You re my refuge, my Sovereign Lord I will sing of Your awesome deeds Read through the notes on Psalm 73 in the ESV Study Bible. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. Reread Psalm 73, personalizing the Psalm as your own prayer. Write out that prayer. DAY 2 Read Psalm 73 again, focusing on verses 1-15. Spend some time writing about the Psalmist s crisis of faith, explaining the specific things that cause him to doubt God s goodness (found in verses 1-15). Write down any similarities to a crisis of faith you ve either experienced or been tempted to experience.

PSALM 73 5 Read verses 13-14 again. Write a few sentences about the bitterness expressed in those verses. Hebrews 4 tells us that Jesus was tempted to give up trusting in God, just as the Psalmist was in Psalm 73, and just as we can be tempted to do as well. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). When we are tempted to give up trust in God s goodness and care because it seems life is unfair, those are times that God wants us to turn to him in faith, not run from him in shame. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). As he s tempted to give up his faith in God, the Psalmist finds as he approaches God: But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God (Ps. 73:16-17a). The Psalmist finds that God himself is enough: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire beside you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps. 73:25-26). Write out a prayer to God, telling him about something you know you should believe is true about him, but struggle to believe is true, either in general or true for you. (For example, in Psalm 73 the Psalmist says that God is good but struggles to believe that God is good to him.) Take your specific struggle directly to God in prayer and leave it there with him. Ask Jesus to help you see how he is the strength of your heart and your portion forever. DAY 3 Reread Psalm 73, focusing on verses 16-22. Compare the Psalmist s initial perception of reality (verses 1-15) and his final understanding of reality (verses 16-20). Write down some of your thoughts on the comparison. Reread verses 21-22 and write out the ways the Psalmist describes his disposition toward God. When the Psalmists realized he was wrong and God is right, he confesses that to God (verses 21-22). He confesses, knowing that even though he sinned, God has heard his confession and will forgive and accept him. I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:22-24)

PSALM 73 6 Think of a time this week when you acted toward God in a way that is similar to what the Psalmist describes in verses 21-22. Write out a prayer of confession similar to the Psalmist s in verses 16-22. End your prayer writing out verses 23-26. DAY 4 Read Psalm 73 again. The Psalmist (and the Psalm) takes a turn at verses 16-17. The Psalmist s view on life changes and his inner turmoil reaches some resolution when he went into the sanctuary of God (verse 17), the place where God s people gather for worship. Write down some of the reasons that joining God s people for worship on Sunday can help settle your inner turmoil or help you change your view of reality. Write out a prayer to God, thanking him for calling you to worship him with his people each Sunday and thanking him for the specific benefits you find in doing that. DAY 5 Read through Psalm 73 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 73. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 73. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 73 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week. * Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at www.esvbible.org. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2014 Elliot Grudem.