Psalms 73:1

Psalm 73. I want to read the first three verses tonight. Our focus is still going to be on verse one this evening. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. That as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slit, for I was envious at the foolish. When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. God blessed to us his sacred and holy word this evening. Many years ago, Eric Lidl in Chariots of Fire was preparing to win a place on the Olympic squad. In running of the various preliminary races in 400-meter sprint, he got shoved off course, and it was in a very important race for him if he was going to get on the Olympic team. Just before the first turn, Eric was shoved off balance, and he stumbled onto the infield grass. When he looked up, he saw the pack was pulling away from him with great determination. He jumped to his feet with his head cock back and his, arms flailing, he rushed back onto the racetrack and began to catch up with the rest of the racers. He was determined not only to catch up with the other runners, but to actually win first prize. And incredibly, he managed to do so. It was an amazing feat. The Christian life is portrayed like an Olympic race where you run to win a prize. However, there are times when you get shoved off course. There are times when it appears that all is lost. But God’s spirit grants his people an indomitable spirit. So that there never. ready to quite quit. No matter what the circumstances are, they never give up ultimately. The Christian picks himself back up by God’s grace, and he continues the race still determined to win. This is the case with Asaph here in this Psalm. He gets shoved off course. by the events that he observes and he stumbles. He appears ready to quit the Christian race, but God lifts him back up to his feet and gets him going again. It was a proper understanding of God’s truth, which finally caused him to recover. As he tells us in verse 17 of this Psalm. when he went to the house of God, then he began to understand the end of the prosperous wicked. In Psalm 73, Asaph is greatly troubled because it appears that the ungodly enjoy God’s favor, while the righteous suffer evil in this world, and it appears that they have that they have God’s disfavor. He stares and he stares at how well the wicked are doing in this life. And he looks at his own life as a God-fearing man and he is plagued and chastened by God every day. Verse 14. He cannot understand God’s providence. And his faith in God wavers as he tells us in verse 2 here that He was, his feet were almost gone. His steps have well nigh slipped. He’s ready to give up. He’s ready to turn away from the faith of God’s people. What God reveals to Asaph is that the supposed favor that the wicked in joy is an optical illusion. It’s not the wrong. reality of the situation. What Asaph thinks is God’s good favor upon the ungodly is not true. He is deluded in this situation. God must illuminate Asaph’s mind by means of his truth by the scripture declared in his sanctuary. Psalm 73-1 is the conclusion that Asaph’s mind that Asaph’s has reached about the whole matter. This is the lesson he says God taught him. Now, God saw fit to enlighten Asaph about these matters. And then they have Asaph relate this truth to all of God’s people, but we have to always remember that this Psalm is for public worship. It’s not just something that Asaph needed to know, but it is indeed something that all God’s people need to know. You and I as well are in need of the message that Asaph is speaking here in this text. Now, in our last study, we considered the first few words of this verse one. Basically, the goodness of God. that God is good and then we stopped. Essential, I think, to have a proper, essential to have a proper understanding of what ASAP means by God’s goodness. So we don’t get off on the wrong foot. We said last week he’s not talking about God’s essential goodness, that God is good by nature. In and of himself is certainly true. Asaph doesn’t deny that. He’s not talking here about God’s judicial goodness. That God is always just and fair in his dealings with his creatures. Psalm 11968 says, thou are good and doest good. Of course he does what’s good. The God of all the earth always does what is right. But this is not doubted by ASAP either. He’s not talking about God. God’s good earthly gifts that are granted to all his creatures. And we referenced Psalm 145 in verse 9, that the Lord is good to all. We contrasted that with the goodness that we read here in verse 1, which is, as we’ll see, particular. But the difference is, of course, that it’s talking about God’s good gifts to his creatures. such as the Lord opening his hand and satisfying the desire of all living creatures on the earth, that they would have food to eat and provision. And so we talked about the sunshine and the rain. We talked about crop growth, the fruit trees producing, the multiplying of the herds and the flocks and so forth, the abundance that the earth brings forth. All those things are God’s good gifts. But that is not what ASAP is talking about. Because if he was talking about the good gifts here, he might look at the situation with regard to the wicked and say, well, they have them, and I don’t. And that wouldn’t fit, verse one. Rather, ASAP here is speaking, as we said last week, of God’s gracious favor. He is good for his mercy. He adores for absolutely. Psalm 106, 1, and many other verses in the Psalms say that very same thing. Repeatedly, earthly prosperity, health, position, a comfortable life, are not to be equated with God’s favorable attitude toward the wicked or the ungodly. Which brings us to the second part of verse 1 when he talks about here, God’s goodness being particular. You’ll notice, he says, truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. To whom is God good in the sense of having a favorable attitude, in the sense of showing grace to that person. Clearly, it’s not every human being. God’s particular is for a select group of people, as our text tells us here. Asaph declares that the object of God’s gracious goodness is Israel. Israel alone. Nobody else enjoys this privilege. Certainly not the ungodly heathen, who are without the might concerning the true God. They are not included. He doesn’t say the Egyptians here or the Philistian. or the Edomites or the Assyrians or the Moabites. He says Israel. Who is this Israel? Of which Asaph speaks. How do we define this Israel? Obviously, Asaph does not refer to all those who belong to the nation of Israel. He’s not speaking about all who happen to be the offspring of Israel. Abraham, according to the flesh. He’s not talking about national Israel. Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked. He knows details about these wicked people in verses 4 to 12. These are people who lived around him. These were fellow Jews, no doubt, who were wicked and profane. And he was able to clearly observe their lives. eyes and see how they lived. Sadly, there were many who were of the physical nation of Israel who were very ungodly. You can’t go through the Bible without seeing that. Look at the history of the Jews. And repeatedly, this comes to the forefront. Yet some were what Jesus called in the New Testament, Israelites indeed. or genuine Israelites. Romans 2, Paul states it in this way. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly. So with that in mind, you look at the second, the last part, I should say, of verse 1, even to such as are of a clean heart. This is the Israel that I’m talking about. He’s careful here to define this Israel to reduce it to those who are genuine Israelites, to those who have a clean heart. The Israel spoken of are those whom God regenerates. Those who are cleansed in their heart by the work of the spirit. Spirit of God. As Titus 3.5 talks about the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. You don’t start this life with a clean heart. A heart is desperately wicked above all things, the Bible tells us, and deceitful and so forth in Jeremiah 179. Proverbs 29 tells us, who can say I have made my heart clean? I am pure from sin. Nobody can say that. To have a clean heart involves the washing away of your sin, and it involves Christ’s redemptive work unto him, meaning the Lord Jesus Christ that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Revelation 1.5. Or Ephesians 1-7, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the verse. the riches of his grace. And thus to have a clean heart involves being saved by Christ. It involves a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah who was going to come in Asaph’s day. No one actually can clean their own heart. However, sometimes the Word of God talks about someone cleansing their heart. Verse 10, here, he, excuse me, it’s not verse 10, verse 14, for all day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning. In verse 13, verily I cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence. When the Bible talks about someone cleansing their heart here as a believer who does so, is someone who is a believer in Christ, already who repents and seeks God’s forgiveness. He prays along with David in Psalm 51 and verse 10, created me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. It’s not that he himself can cleanse his heart, but he seeks the Lord to do that for him. And thus the Israel spoken of here in verse 1 of Psalm 73 are those who have been regenerated. by the Spirit, redeemed by Christ, and have forgiveness of sins. Now, as we go through scripture, we should realize there is scriptural support for separating Israel into two camps. There is what Paul writes in 1, Corinthians 1018, and Israel after the flesh, a physical Israelite. And there is what Paul says in Galatian 66 is the Israel of God. These are the regenerate Israelites. They’ll turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 9, if you would. Let me read the first eight verses of this chapter, Romans 9. I think there’s some really important truth that relates to our text here. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness on the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continue sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were cursed from Christ for my brother, my kinsman according to the flesh. They’re not brothers according to the spirit. They’re not believers. but they are of the same nation as Paul. Who are Israelites, he says, to whom pertain the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises. Whose are the fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is overall God, blessed forever. Amen. To these ancestors, Israelites, God provided all these things that he mentions. And then verse 6 is very important. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall be called. That is, they they would, are the children of the flesh. These are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Now this is an important passage of Scripture because the apostle is explaining here why there is so much unbelief among his physical nation. Why they are perishing in their sins. It’s not evidence that the Word of the Word of God has failed. The Israelites were given the covenants, verse four. They were the covenants of the promise, but sadly they are not children of the promise for the most part. In the Abrahamic covenant, one of the promises God makes is this, and I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee and their generations for an everlasting covenant to be a God under thee and I seed after thee. Genesis 177. Has God’s promise not come to pass for the vast majority of the Israelites? Why does the nation remain in such a state of unbelief as the first three verses of this text indicate to us that Paul is so concerned about them? The Apostle’s explanation is this, that not all the physical offspring of Abraham, are included in the Israel of which the scriptures speak. Verse 6. Many were only of Israel of the physical nation, that is, they were merely associated with the nation. They were of the physical offspring of Abraham. They know nothing, though, of the faith of Abraham. they didn’t see as Abraham did through the eye of faith the Lord’s Day, the Christ that was coming. John 8.56. They didn’t rejoice in that. And therefore these people are not considered the children of Abraham. They do not make up the Israel of God. This is exactly what he says in verses 6 and 7. God does not promise to be a God to them. They are merely children of the flesh. They’re not children of the promise. We can look at Ishmael. Ishmael was one of Abraham’s children, but he was a children of the flesh. And Isaac, shall thy seed be called. This is not only true of Isaac, of Abraham’s offspring, but as we’ll see as we continue on through this, chapter, you see, it’s true of Isaac’s offspring as well, because there’s Esau and Jacob. Jacob is the one I love, Esau I hate. And the apostle is going to go on to explain here that true Israel is made up of God’s elect people in verses 9 to 13. He talks about this. And I want us to see here, he says, for this is the word of promise, as this time will I, at this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. Not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father, Isaac, for the children not yet, being not yet born, either having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said under her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written. have I loved and Esau have I hated. And so the argument here is that the promises of the covenants are for the elect. This is why Paul later will say in chapter 11 and verse 26, and so all Israel will be saying, meaning all God’s elect people, because he says in chapter 11, in chapter 11, and so all, all Israel will be saying, and so all Israel will be saying, of the book of Romans. In verse 7, what then Israel, Nash and Israel, hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Thus, it’s true. What he tells us here in Romans chapter 9, when he says in verse 15, for he says, Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. The Apostle, explains this further in Galatians chapter 3 when he tells us that the seed of the Abrahamic covenant is actually the Lord Jesus Christ and all those who are in Christ are counted in the promise and the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant. If you be Christ, then are ye Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise, Galatians 329. So there’s scriptural support for separating here Israel to two camps. Israel after the flesh and the true Israel of God. Now notice here the certainty of God’s goodness to his people. He begins verse 1 here in Psalm 73 with the word truly. Truly, God is God. good to Israel, even to such, as are of a clean heart. Truly means certainly, assuredly. It’s sort of the Old Testament word that we see translated or carried forth in the New Testament when Jesus is barely. Truly, this is the case. Some prefer here the idea of only. In other words, God is only good to Israel. meaning his elect people. Every aspect of his dealings with that Israel is gracious, and that’s true also. Never is his attitude toward the true of true Israel unfavorable. Never is it unmerciful. Never is it unloving, and that is important to remember. That is the important key point that Asaph needed to know. In addition, the way. word expresses the truthfulness of God’s goodness to Israel, even when outward circumstances seem to contradict the doctrine. Because this is what Asaph is having trouble with. God seems to be favorable, gracious to the wicked, and not to me. God says, no, no, no, no, that is not true. I am gracious to the true Israel of God, even when it doesn’t appear. that that is the case. Notwithstanding that, the prosperity of the wicked, notwithstanding the plaguing of the righteous, God is truly and only good to his people. Truly gives us an indication, this is something we should believe with our whole heart. Never doubt this truth. Even when we’re tempted to do so when we look around us and see how the wicked seemed to prosper. Asaph has weighed matters carefully in his mind, in being guided by scripture and the spirit, he comes to this conclusion. The value of experience is that it illustrates truth, but experience in and of itself is of no value whatsoever. Its value is only in connection, with the word of God. He would not have properly understood his experience if he didn’t go to the house of God and hear what God’s word says. So God’s word is actually the guide to direct us with regard to our experience. Otherwise, we could misapply it. We could misunderstand our experience. Look at your experience through then the lens of Scripture, because if you don’t do that, you’re going to end up like Asaph did at first. But if you do it through the lens of Scripture, you’re going to come to this certain conviction that Asap had here. Truly, this is the case. God is gracious to his people. So here we find God’s goodness is particular. To whom is God good in the sense of showing favor, an attitude toward this person, a favorable, gracious spirit toward this person. Certainly not all men, but Israel. And who is this Israel of which Asaph speaks in this text of scripture? Not those who are merely physical descendants of Abraham. Israel after the flesh, because that would include the wicked, he sees, in this passage. But only to Israelites, indeed, who are the ones who have a clean heart? The truth is. of which Asaph speaks is certain, despite outward appearances. Now, let me make here a practical observation as we look at this. There’s two things I want to make, actually. And the first is this. God’s gracious attitude toward his people is rooted in the cross. That God is merciful, gracious, gracious, gracious, and loving toward any human being is because of Christ’s death on their behalf, and it’s the only reason. By the cross, God has averted all the curse of the law away from his people. His righteous wrath is appeased, and the person’s sin is forgiven. Paul tells us in Romans chapter 3 that Christ has been set forth by God, to be a propitiation. A propitiation is the turning away of wrath. Actually, the word propitiation is the same word it’s used for the mercy seat in the Old Testament. Where the blood was placed, where the law is underneath that mercy seat. And with the blood of the sacrifice on it, God says, I am propitiated. Because all of this portrays the work of Christ. Christ is the propitiation for our sins, as First John tells us. Christ then makes his people the rightful objects of divine blessing and goodness. I want you to look with me at Romans chapter 8 in verse 32 tonight. I wonder if you’ve ever noticed the implications of this text here. The scripture says, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Think about this a moment. Any doctrine of common grace or God having a gracious attitude toward the reprobate wicked the doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary death as a propitiation for the sins of his people. It is a saving propitiation. For on what basis does God show goodness and favor to the reprobate wicked? There is no divine favor. There is no God’s goodness toward anyone who is separated from the cross of Christ. And therefore proponents of common grace, those who like to talk about God’s gracious attitude toward all men end up in some way making the Atonement universal. I hate to say this, but even in a reform camp, this happens. Hodge talks about this in his book on the Atonement, A.A. Hodge. He talks about the double reference of the atonement. That in some capacity, Christ has died for those who do not get all the benefits that are mentioned here in verse 32, all the things here. We’ll look at that in just a second here. A lot of trouble early on in my ministry because there were those who I knew from reform camp, there were reform Baptist at the time, but I understand there’s reformed Presbyterians that hold a similar position. who would go to passage as a scripture that the word all is used or the word world is used with reference to Christ’s death, and instead of seeing this as all sorts of men, or the world used in the sense of the Gentiles who are included in the work of Christ’s salvation as well, in the sense that he’s going to call them out as well. They would go to these passages in Scripture and try to argue that there’s some type of work that Christ did on the cross for the non-elect reprobate who perishes in his sins. And it confused me because that was to be the same argument I was hearing from the Armenians. And I had, I had all kinds of. difficulty with that early on. It didn’t make sense to me. Let me say this. God’s gracious favor is always particular. I read the passage in Romans 9, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. To whom I will be gracious. The Bible says, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord in the book of Genesis chapter 6 and verse 8. Nobody else that perished in the flood found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He wasn’t gracious to those people. He was gracious to Noah. He found it. If God’s gracious, grace is for everybody, then how come some people find it? God’s gracious favor is always saving. For by grace, are ye saved? It’s a saving grace that we believe in from Scripture. From beginning to end, there is no grace that’s not saving. The all things here in verse 32, if we back this up, the verse 28. What is it referring to? And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did for no or for love, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called. And whom he called, then he also justified, and whom he justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. Think about this a minute. The all things that he’s talking about are these blessings that involve his calling. Is it involved his predestination? It involved justification, glorification. All these things are ours in Christ. How can he not give us these things if Christ has died for us to gain us these things. God’s gracious favor then is based on Christ’s substitutionary death on behalf of his elect people. I lay down my life for the sheep as a substitute. He didn’t lay down his life for the goats, but for the sheep. For us all that is found here in verse 32 means all the call, all who love God, Romans 828. All the elect, verse 33, who shall lay any charge of the anything to the charge of God’s elect? That’s who I’m talking about. Any teaching then, which says that Christ died so that God could show common grace of the reprobate, who are never saved, ends up undermining the doctrine of Christ’s substitution or death. Can’t we see this? adamantly deny. There is such a thing as common grace in this sense. We talked about some people use the word common grace with regard to the good gifts that God gives all his creation. But if we put it in verse 1 here, and we’re talking about his gracious favor, I deny it. I deny it. God’s death did not secure anything with a non-elect. Our text is clear that God is only good, merciful, gracious, and loving toward true. Israel is elect people who have been granted clean hearts. That’s my argument from this passage. My second point is this. Let me ask you this important question. Are you part of the true Israel of God? If God’s favor and his grace is only given to those who are part of this true Israel, then you need to know whether you’re part of this true Israel or not. Let it be clear understood that the Gentiles are grafted into God’s Israel. We don’t have time to look at Romans 11 tonight, but that’s what Paul argues. I like Zachariate 2.11, many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people. Or as Paul says in Galatians 314, the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. The promise of the covenant given to Abraham comes on the Gentiles through Christ. know ye therefore that they which your faith are the children of Abraham. It doesn’t matter what nationality you are. Have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul because that is the key factor here? Have you been brought to that point where God has done a work of regeneration in your soul and moved you to trust in him? Do you have clean heart. Do you know anything about being regenerated, washed by the Spirit of God? Do you enjoy the forgiveness of sins as the result of Christ’s death as your substitute? If you’re part of the true Israel of God, then you are assured of God’s gracious favor all through your lifetime, regardless of what takes place in your life. Now that is a wonderful promise for us to know. And that promise is for those who believe the gospel message concerning Jesus Christ. And I encourage those of you who are listening, if you don’t know the Savior, this is where God’s grace and favor are found through Christ. And that’s the only way. You can’t gain his favor by your works, by your efforts. It’s only through Christ. Go to Christ. Who says, come unto me all ye that labor have you laid, and I will give you rest. Let us close with the word of prayer.