Christ Church

Psalm 73 – Nevertheless

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

This Psalm marks the first of 11 Psalms that are attributed to Asaph (along with Psalm 50). Asaph was one of the Levites appointed by David to lead the Israelites in singing (1 Chron. 6:39). And he presided over the singing at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

The Temptation 1-3

The Psalmist begins with a basic statement of faith. God is good to his people (Heb. 11:6). But then Asaph confesses how his own faith in this promise was challenged when what he saw in this life did not square with what he understood God’s promise to be. He was caught by an envy of the “peace” that the wicked seemed to have.

The Luxury of the Wicked 4-9

He describes for us now the effortless luxury of the wicked. They seem to have no fear of death. And troubles do not touch them as they do others. Note the “therefore” in verse 6. Because of this apparent ease, they become proud, wearing their arrogance like a badge. And this pride drives them to mock God and his people.

Is My Obedience in Vain? 10-14

The wicked live lives of rebellion and then mockingly asks if God even notices them. Then the righteous begin to wonder the same question. What is the point of obedience if the reward for obedience is a trial, and the reward of disobedience is prosperity? The complaint sounds very similar to that of the prodigal son’s older brother (Luke 15:29-30).

The Sudden Realization 15-20

But the faithful man catches himself and sees that he is reasoning like the ungodly man (v. 13 cf v. 11). The turn comes, however, when he goes to worship. Worship opens our eyes and gives us a different and more eternal perspective. The temptations that Asaph had wrestled with were temptations that come from having a very momentary perspective. God brings a sudden change. This is why we are regularly called to wait on the Lord.

Nevertheless 21-28

“Nevertheless” means despite all that I see around me at this moment, I know this to be true about God. He is my portion and I trust him. He takes me by the right hand and receives me to glory.

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Ephesians: The Armor of God

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Finally, Stand v. 10-13

Remember that throughout Ephesians Paul has described to us a single man which is both the corporate body of the church and the single, incarnate body of Jesus Christ. Because we are saved by being in Christ, our salvation is a matter of being a part of this one body. Now Paul gives us one final image of this body, the arming of the body to stand. We see again and again throughout Scripture the lesson that the battle we are fighting is not the battle it looks like we are fighting (2 Kings 6:17, Acts 7:55-56). And this means that our weapons for this battle are not weapons that the world recognizes (1 Cor. 10:3-6, 1 Sam. 17:43). When we have the eyes of faith, we are strengthened to stand.

Put On v. 14-17

In ancient Greek literature, when a hero was about to go on a divinely aided rampage, the scene began with a cataloging of his armor. This was known as an Aristeia. That is what Paul is doing here, but he recalibrates our minds to understand what is the armor and what are the weapons that will actually see us through this fight. The Christian is armed with truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.

Praying Always v. 18-20

And once you are armed, the battlefield that you enter is the battlefield of prayer. Corny and ill-informed application of this truth over the past generation has pushed many Christians away from pursuing their prayer-life as an important battle. But to stand as a Christian is to give yourself to prayer. Prayer is how all the members of the body participate in each other’s gifts.

Peace to the Brethren v. 21-24

When we give ourselves to prayer for one another (v. 18), we will find that verses 21-22 become more and more meaningful. We are comforted by hearing from one another because we become invested in one another. The result of this will be peace to the brethren and a faithful love from God, the fulfillment of the first and second commandments.

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