Psalm 73

The Psalmist had a problem, a big problem.  His problem was his envy of the wicked.  He saw people who did not know or love God and saw that their lives seemed easier and more enjoyable than his.  His thoughts almost caused him to stumble (v2).  He wondered if he had wasted his time with godly living (v13).  He obsessed with this envy, thinking about it from morning’s waking moments to evenings fading thoughts.

How does this happen?  Perhaps it follows some great act of self-sacrifice.  Perhaps our love is rewarded with people taking advantage of us.  Or perhaps it is the result of simply being a law-abiding citizen while others bend the rules, lie, cheat, and steal. The Psalmist was paying all his taxes, making all the required contributions, being generous to the poor; and what was it getting him?  

Have you had this experience of thinking that your choice to follow Christ was making life in this world harder?  Can you remember a time when you took your cue for life from observing the lives of people around you?  Ultimately the Psalmist felt God was holding out on him in some way.  This thought process is fundamental to what the Bible calls sin.  From the very beginning man's problem has been the belief that obedience to God leaves him diminished in some way (Gen. 3:4-6).  The Psalmist simply could not resolve this.  Until...

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God" (v17).  At the "holy place" of God...

1.    His thinking was changed (v17-20).  He remembered that the wicked will pay for their wickedness, if not in this life, surely in the one to come.

2.    His heart was changed (v21-22).  He was humbled and repented of his foolishness.  He had been animal in his thoughts, like a beast that knows no better.

3.    His relationship with God was changed (v23-24).  He was again trusting God, realizing God would always be for him, in this life and the one to come.

4.    His whole life attitude was changed (v25-28).  Though his strength fail God would be his strength.  No longer would he be preoccupied with those around him; rather he would draw near to God.  He was now totally satisfied with life because he was totally satisfied with God.

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God."  In Israel coming to the temple was a pilgrimage, not simply a journey to a place but a journey to God.  Believers in Christ are on pilgrimage, a journey to draw closer to God.  It’s not just the trip to heaven; it is the daily journey in which we draw near to God.  The result of that pilgrimage will be the same: he will come to find full and complete satisfaction in the One his soul desires (v25).  Are you on pilgrimage today, seeking to know God (Phil. 3:10) and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Pet. 3:18)?