The Pure in Heart (2)
[Psalm 73]
What did Asaph do amid these difficulties? He entered into the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73:17). When he did, he realized three things.
First, Asaph understood the fate of the wicked.
Look at Psalm 73:17: “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” What is the end of the wicked? It is “destruction” (v.18), “desolation” (v.19), “utter ruin” (v.19), and “scorn” (v.20). See verses 18–20:
“Surely you set them in slippery places; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as worthless.”
The former prosperity of the wicked is brief. They will soon fall into ruin. God, as if sleeping, patiently endures their wickedness for a long time, but when the time comes, as if awakening, He will punish them.
Second, Asaph understood the fate of the righteous.
What is the fate of the righteous? Look at Psalm 73:24:
“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with glory.”
Our fate as the righteous is that the Lord will receive us in glory. That is why the Apostle Paul shares this hopeful message with us:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
Third, Asaph realized his own foolishness and ignorance.
Look at Psalm 73:22:
“My heart was grieved and I was pierced within; I was foolish and ignorant— I was like a beast before you.”
Previously, Asaph had envied the prosperity of the wicked, and because of that, his heart was troubled and he bore painful complaints that pierced his heart (v.21). Only when he entered the sanctuary of God (v.17) did he realize how foolish he had been, and he reproached himself as being “like a beast,” repenting over his ignorance (v.22).
By entering God’s sanctuary and realizing the end of the wicked and who he was before God, Asaph made three beautiful confessions in verses 23–28.
The first confession was:
“The Lord holds my right hand.”
Psalm 73:23 says:
“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”
Though Asaph nearly stumbled when he saw the prosperity, arrogance of the wicked, and the people who followed them, the Lord held his right hand so he did not fall but was guided by the Lord’s teaching (v.24). This shows that God not only revealed to Asaph the fate of the wicked in the sanctuary, but also the fate of the righteous—the glory of the afterlife.
The second confession was:
“Being near God is good for me.”
Psalm 73:28 says:
“But as 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.”
Asaph resolved to trust God forever, who is the rock of his heart and his eternal portion, regardless of whatever suffering or hardship his body and soul might face.
The third confession was:
“I have no one else to desire but you, Lord.”
Psalm 73:25 says:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”
A saint with a pure heart who has met God does not envy the prosperity of the wicked, nor sin in arrogance by coveting riches or avoiding suffering just to fill his own belly with greed. Rather, such a saint knows both the fate of the wicked and the fate of the righteous, desires nothing in this world, and lives only yearning for the Lord. This reminds me of Hymn 102:
There is nothing more precious than Jesus,
I cannot trade Him for the wealth, honor, or happiness of this world...
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I cannot forget the amazing love of Him who died for my soul.
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The worldly things I once enjoyed cannot steal my love for the Lord.
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Though temptations and persecutions come, my heart serving the Lord will not change.
(Chorus)
I have forsaken all worldly pleasures,
I have cast away all worldly pride,
There is nothing more precious than Jesus,
There is no one but Jesus.
Just as Satan almost caused the pure-hearted Asaph to stumble by the prosperity and arrogance of the wicked and the people who followed them, he also strives to make us stumble through these same things. At such times, we must enter God’s sanctuary as Asaph did. There, we must realize the fate of the wicked and the fate of the righteous. And like Asaph, we must recognize our own foolish ignorance. Then we too will be able to make beautiful confessions like Asaph did: “The Lord holds my right hand,” “Being near God is good for me,” and “I have no one else to desire but you, Lord.”
Wishing for a pure heart,
Pastor James
(Confessing that Asaph’s confession is also my confession)