Day 116 (Psalm 73, 77-78) - Year 7
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. In the first half of Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph bemoans the prosperity of the wicked. He's watching their lives and he sees them flourishing. As I was reading this, I wondered about Asaph's life as he was putting pen to scroll. Is he thriving too, or is he struggling? Is he comparing himself to the wicked, frustrated that they're getting all the things he thinks he deserves?

Is this jealousy? Or is it a desire for justice? What's happening in his heart? Asaph does some digging in his heart, and his perspective shifts as soon as he goes to worship God. That's when Asaph remembers what has eternal value. And earthly prosperity isn't on that list. He remembers that nearness to God is what truly feeds his soul. Asaph had to take his eyes off others, and possibly off himself as well, before his heart could shift.

He confessed to God that before his heart changed, he was a bitter man and it shaped the way he viewed God. In verses 21-22, he says, In Hebrews, the phrase, when I was pricked in heart, actually says something more along the lines of, I felt stabbed in my kidneys. It's less poetic and more graphic, but you can probably relate. I've certainly felt stabbed in my kidneys before.

What Asaph says in a roundabout way is that when he was bitter, his view of God was not a good one. He was like a beast toward God he couldn't be reasoned with. Do you know someone who's like that toward God? There's a good chance that their bitterness is the result of some deep wound, something they feel is lacking in their life. Otherwise, they'd probably be more nonchalant and matter-of-fact about their lack of interest in God. Their response wouldn't be brutish and beastly like Asaph's.

The good news for those people is that Asaph became a psalmist. He went from being a person who accused God to a person whose entire job was to praise God and serve Him. Actually, those times may have even overlapped. We don't know. But what we do know is that Asaph's heart's proximity to God determined his view of the world. Proximity gives us perspective. I'm a sucker for a good view, and the view is definitely better the closer you get to God.

Then we move to Psalm 77. The fact that this is a corporate lament just goes to show how much God invites His people to bring their honest feelings to Him, even publicly. Asaph has written this song about how he's wracked with anxiety and trouble, and even when he tries to fix his thoughts on God, it doesn't seem to help. He can't even find respite in sleep. When God's people struggle, they shouldn't have to do it alone.

The congregation of believers should be a safe place to bring our anxieties and fears, knowing we'll be heard and loved and prayed for, and that the truth is not changed by our shifting emotions or by any circumstances that seem uncertain to us.

Finally, he's able to calm himself by speaking the past to his present. He reminds himself of God's past faithfulness. And when he's struggling at night, Asaph wants to remember the song he once wrote to praise God. Verse 6 says, "'Let me remember my song in the night.'" Maybe he even falls asleep singing some praise song from a better time in his life when praise came more easily.

By doing this, he's pointing to the fact that God's character can be trusted, because those times probably weren't easy either, but God came through. And in fact, he says, your way was through the sea, through the sea, the way that seems impossible, the tough but miraculous way, the way that God gets the most glory, and the way that leaves us with an unforgettable mark of his love and provision. All of this reminds Asaph that God is serious about his relationship with Israel.

And for our final psalm, Asaph gives us a parable. Psalm 78 recounts Israel's history, including lots of the stories God has told them to teach their children. When I was a kid, I learned to song with all the presidents in order, and I still remember it today. So by writing this song, Asaph is not only praising God for his faithfulness, but he's also creating a teaching tool. Whenever you see the word maskil at the top of a psalm, that's usually what this indicates. A song to teach and enlighten us, to engage our minds and hearts.

I want to touch on two noteworthy things about this lengthy psalm. First, we see the Ephraimites front and center. They're really just a metaphor for all of the idolatry of Israel. Ephraim sort of became the poster child for idolatry because of what happened in Judges 18, where Micah set up his own sanctuary, made his own ephod, hired his own priest, and had his own idols.

That seems to be the first major episode of someone in Israel trying to duplicate what God was doing in his tabernacle, but without the power and presence of God. And it marks Ephraim. The second thing I want to point out is that these Israelites in David's day are expected to remember what God has done in the past and live in response to that in the present.

In just the same way that their lives are shaped by remembering, ours are too. We have to remember Christ's finished work on the cross. That's what anchors our minds and hearts. The resurrection. Fortunately, we don't have to do it on our own. We've been given the Holy Spirit, and one of His jobs is to guide us and prompt us to remember God. So where did you see God's character today in these chapters?

My God shot was sort of a theme I noticed in all three psalms, and it pertains to the direction of my eyes. If my eyes are on others or on myself or on my desires, I will inevitably lose sight of God. In the first psalm, the problem seemed to pertain to Asaph putting his eyes on others. You've probably heard that comparison is the thief of joy, but here I notice that comparison is also the thief of faith. It prompts us to doubt God's goodness.

And in today's second psalm, Asaph's eyes were on himself and his struggle. But he modeled a great response for us by repenting and reminding himself of God's faithfulness. Preach God's light to your darkness. And in our final psalm, the Israelites' eyes were on their idols, their current desires. Asaph encouraged them to teach their hearts the history of who God has been to them.

May God take my eyes off others, off my problems, off myself, and off my desires, and fix my eyes on Him. Because Asaph knows, and I know, that He's where the joy is.

I bet you have friends or family members who are just now hearing about the Bible Recap and they want to jump into the reading. Maybe they don't know where to start and you're not exactly sure what to tell them. So here are four of the best things you can do to help your people. Ready? Number one, reassure them that they are right on time. Today is always the best day to start reading the Bible. Today. When? Today. Not January 1st. Today. Today.

Number two, have them start at the start. Either day one for the Old Testament or day 274 for the New Testament. I realize it's tempting to have them start where you are, but it's so helpful to understand the storyline, which means they need to start at one of the two starting points, day one or day 274. Or even better, make sure they start with the six prep episodes before they start wherever they start.

Number three, have them start with the most current year's content. Why? Because each year we spend a lot of time making edits to the podcast and to the announcements at the end. These are necessary and helpful updates. And we'd hate for your people to miss out on corrected scripture references, new insights, and current sales discounts just because they're listening to a year that's already passed.

So if they're starting in the Old Testament with day one, they'll start with this year's content. If they're starting in the New Testament with day 274, they'll start with last year's content. Number four, last but not least, can you tell them hi for me? Seriously, reading the Bible with you and your people is the greatest honor of my life. I'm so excited that they're joining us and I'm cheering you both on. Let's go.