Psalm 73, A message we need to grasp.

[d0c markus]

i felt compelled to post this... it will be edifying to those who read it.

Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.

PS 73:1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
PS 73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
PS 73:3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
PS 73:4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
PS 73:5 They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
PS 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
PS 73:7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
PS 73:8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
PS 73:9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
PS 73:10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
PS 73:11 They say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?"
PS 73:12 This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
PS 73:13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
PS 73:14 All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
PS 73:15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.
PS 73:16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
PS 73:17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
PS 73:18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
PS 73:19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
PS 73:20 As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
PS 73:21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
PS 73:22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
PS 73:23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
PS 73:24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
PS 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
PS 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
PS 73:27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
PS 73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

How great is our God most High! Amen

 

[Greeter]

Great post d0c.

 

[Andre]

Nice post, nice signature.

 

[Andre]

Something to go along with that.
Keep this in mind when you read it
Knowledge (from God) = truth.
Understanding = comprehending knowledge, taking it in.
Wisdom = application of knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
3To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion--
5A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Shun Evil Counsel
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
10My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11If they say, "Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse"--
15My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
16For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
17Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
18But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
The Call of Wisdom
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28"Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil."

 

[d0c markus]

Amen, so many of us live for this world, for our pleasures, and we all to often turn from the counsel of God. Our God is a God of promises and love, he is holy and just, and we are vile sinners in need of God's hope.

My pastor told me a story:

You and your friends crawl into a dark resturaunt, the smells are wonderful and the people are smiling. The whole joint is fileld with candlelight and is just surreal. All of a sudden a light comes on and illuminates the resturaunt, you see the dirt on the floor, the rat scurrying by, the food the cook dropped and put back on the plate, and you are appalled at the place you are in.

Well, God is light, and the closer we get to God in our personal relationship with him, the more we see our own filth, for what we really are. But if we stay where we are, in that dim resturaunt, we will think we have it made, it is indeed surreal. But one day when that light comes on, you will be shocked the truth will be made known and Jesus Christ will say "depart from me, i dont know you"

He told it better than me, i probably left out a couple things but you get the point. It is disheartening to see that many are in the dark, who live for the things of this world. If we could only live the way christ wants us to live, we could make a difference in so many peoples lives, not for our glory, but for his! forever and ever amen.

 

[d0c markus]

Nice post, nice signature.

it has its fans...and it has its mockers (see the baptist trail of blood in obob the last 5/6 posts)

 

[jbarcher]

Nice, d0c. I am writing a sermon based on that...P 73 is quite interesting!

 

[d0c markus]

awesome, wish i could hear it!