Encouragement from the Psalms: A Devotional Commentary

By Dr. B

As James Brandon read and studied the Psalms over the years, he came to realize that the Lord was talking to our souls through these ancient songs.

He was also struck by a book written in the 1800s by a man named Hawker, who after reading one of the Psalms would exclaim: “Oh my soul, what is this that thou hast found in the Holy Writ?” He would talk to his soul after reading the text.

The author began to read the Psalms and reflect on what each one said to his soul. He has done that for fifty years.

In this book, he focuses on Psalms forty-two to seventy-two: the Exodus Book of the Psalms, which encompasses restoration and redemption from bondage. They are songs that teach salvation, the doctrines of the faith, and how to take care of your soul.

The Psalms are a wonderland of devotion. They have enlightened the author’s mind and encouraged his spirit. They can do the same for you—all while providing principles for living this life as you help others walk with the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664292529

Dr. B

James Brandon is a pastor, missionary, and church planter who has started many churches in Brazil, Idaho, and Texas. He is also the founder and president of Idaho Baptist College and has served as a seminary and college professor. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, two doctorates, and two master’s degrees. He wrote this book to help others preach and teach the Word of God.

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ENCOURAGEMENT

FROM THE

PSALMS

A DEVOTIONAL COMMENTARY

THE BOOK OF A STUDY OF THE SOUL

DR. B

Copyright © 2023 Dr. B.

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except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version

(Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic

Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9253-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9254-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9252-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023903004

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/03/2023

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Psalm 73     The Soul’s Distraction

Psalm 74     The Soul’s Enemy In The Sanctuary

Psalm 75     God’s Atonement In The Sanctuary

Psalm 76     The Destruction Of The Enemies Of The Sanctuary

Psalm 77     The Effect On The Soul By Being Outside The Sanctuary

Psalm 78     Instruction For A Despondent Soul

Psalm 79     The Soul’s Approach To God

Psalm 80     God (The Messiah) In The Sanctuary

Psalm 81     God In The Sanctuary

Psalm 82     The Soul’s High Calling: Salvation

Psalm 83     The Destruction Of The Enemies Of God’s Sanctuary

Psalm 84     The Blessedness Of Souls Who Frequent God’s House

Psalm 85     The Soul’s Revival

Psalm 86     The Soul’s Blessing Of Salvation

Psalm 87     A Messianic Psalm

Psalm 88     The Soul’s Low Hour

Psalm 89     The Faithfulness Of God

Sources

FOREWORD

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE PSALMS, BOOK III

There are five books to the Psalter. They have from ancient times been named after the books of Moses, Genesis to Deuteronomy. This comprises a study of Book III, Psalms 73-89: The Leviticus Book of the Psalms. They are songs (hymns) that teach the faith—the doctrines of faith in Christ for living through the wilderness sojourn of this life. The focus of this book is the Sanctuary of the Lord. Each of the first three books ends with a double Amen. The fourth ends with an Amen and a Hallelujah. The fifth ends the entire collection with a Hallelujah. Book III may have been collected by Ezra and the returning priests from the Babylonian Captivity.

Each of the Books of the Psalms has a distinctive spiritual feature. The five Books together in their order, set forth the progressive advance of the spiritual life and growth of the soul (Rom. 8:29). Book III shows us the importance of the Sanctuary of the Lord in soul-spirit maturity. The failure of the ancient church (Israel) (Acts 7:38) is set forth though they did give us the written Old Testament and the Lord used them in spite of themselves to bring Jesus Christ into this world. The Lord said to Isaiah the Prophet, The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this (Isa. 9:7). The doorway into the Heavenly, eternal Kingdom is the faith of the redeemed in Christ. In these Psalms, the Church is also looking for the coming of Christ, and the future reign of the Lord in the earth (Rev. 5:10).

These Psalms reveal the reconstruction of Jerusalem, the Sanctuary of the Lord and the restoration of the nation of Israel following their Babylonian Captivity in preparation for the arrival of the Christ in the world. The present restoration of Israel (1948-present) is also for the preparation of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this planet. Jesus gave it as a sign of the nearness of the end of this world as we know it (Matt. 24:15, v14).

As the author read and studied the Psalms over the years, he came to realize that the Lord was talking to our souls (inner person) through these ancient songs of the Lord. I read an old book (1700s) by a Brother named Hawker, who after reading one of the Psalms would exclaim: Oh my soul, what is this that thou hast found in the Holy Writ. He would talk to his soul after reading the text. I began to read the Psalms and put at the top of each, what the Psalm said to my soul. I have done this over a period of half a century.

The Psalms are a wonderland of devotion. They reveal to us the heart of God and the soul of the human person. They are a picture of the anatomy of the soul-spirit. Every picture and image of the soul-spirit will one find in the Psalms. All of the griefs, gores, and gusts of life will one find. The soul is seen to arise to the heights of heaven and glory and descend to the lowest pits and despairs of the abyss. They have grown my soul, illuminated my mind, and encouraged my spirit. The Psalms give us principles for living this life. They give us glimpses of the eternal life. They give us encouragement in the troubles of life. They give us watchwords for the gates of death. When one comes to the end of a study of the soul’s redemption in the Psalms, the reflections may go, but there has been left something of a fragrance upon the mind of the soul-spirit that will last throughout time and eternity. The Psalms are a treasury of wisdom and redemption (2 Tim. 4:16-17). The doctrines of the Christ—the altar, atonement, and amazing grace—were put in song and sung, aiding their memory in the hearts of God’s people. The Psalms will inform you, inspire you, encourage you, and tan your hide.

The King James Version is used exclusively unless otherwise for clarity, where the author’s own understanding and translation from the original languages is rendered in his own phraseology. In some instances, the Old King James language is updated. The Hebrew spelling of the words Maskil (Psalm of instruction in the faith) and Miktam (the Messianic Psalms) is used. The Hebrew Yahweh (the I AM) in some places is used for Jehovah, its English transliteration.

The style is specifically for the purpose of making it easier for pastors, church leaders, and others to sift through the material without having to read the whole document to discover that for which they may be searching.

Dedicated to:

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To Wife Barb, Four daughters: Elesha, Janna, Nessa, and Sarita

To Rev. David and Marilyn London,

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Idaho Baptist College.

PREFACE

Leviticus is the title which has been given from ancient times to the third book of the Psalms, because of its subject-matter. The ordinances of the Sanctuary pertaining to the Levites (priests) and the worship of God are pictures of Christ. The title in the Hebrew Canon is vayyikra—meaning "And He called. It is emphatically the Book of the Sanctuary. It tells how God is approached, teaches us that none can worship Him except such as are called (Ps. 65:4), and whom the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:23, 24). In Leviticus 1:1-2 we see the exemplification of the words: Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy temple (Ps. 65:4). Jesus said, Many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:11-14). It means whosoever will let him come" (Rev. 22:17; John 3:16) and out of those who come, the Lord choses a few to lead the Church.

The types in Leviticus are types of the true Sanctuary (Christ) (Heb. 8:1-5). The Book tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin—speaking of the Blood of the slain Lamb of God (Heb. 9:22; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). Heaven and the Church is singing about this (Rev. 5:11-15). Israel and the Church were to proclaim it. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul (Lev. 17:11): Note: the Altar (Cross), the Atonement, and the Amazing Grace of the God. In Egypt, the blood if the Lamb was put on the door posts of the houses as a sign of belief and faith in the Passover of the Death Angel. Where the blood of the Lamb of God was, all in that house were safe (Exodus 12:13). Where it was not, the firstborn in every house died in the night. These Psalms focus on this doctrine of Christ’s cross, the atonement (the Passover).

In this Leviticus Book of the Psalms, the corresponding thought is that the counsels of God are seen, not in relation to Man (as in Genesis), not in relation to the Nation (as in Exodus), but in relation to the Sanctuary and the Altar (as in Leviticus), the Lamb of God, Atonement, the Saving Grace, and the Sanctuary, which is mentioned or referred to in nearly every Psalm of this third book (Lev. 17:11). The Sanctuary is seen from its ruin, to its reestablishment and blessing with Christ. The Messiah comes to this Temple (Hag. 2:7, v9). The last stroke of God concerning the Physical Sanctuary was at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, when the veil was torn from the top down that separated man from the Holy of Holies. When Christ died on the cross the way was opened for the soul’s reconciliation with God through the shed blood of the Messiah on the Cross (Heb. 4:16). The closer you get to the cross, the smaller the crowd; only the young Apostle John stood with Him and His mother as He died on the cross (John 19:25-27). The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A. D because Israel rejected the Messiah; the abomination was enacted that would make Israel desolate until its consummation in 1948 when the nation was reestablished in the Holy Land as determined by the Almighty (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15). (The Companion Bible, 789).

The Temple was a type (antitupon) of the soul-spirit: body, soul, spirit (1 Thess. 5:23). The reality in Jesus Christ was fulfilled and manifested by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every born-again soul-spirit. The Church was established to preach the Gospel of the New Covenant until the Lord’s return (Jer. 31:31-33). That which was hidden for the ages was revealed publicly for all time and eternity: Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and generations and is made manifest unto his saints . . . which is Christ (Messiah) in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:26-27; Eph. 3:9).

The ancient interpreters saw a larger picture in the Psalms than that of the problems of King David and Israel of which he and the nation were the type (antitupon). Jesus did also (See Luke 24).

This Book of the Psalms was given this Division: Psalm 73-83—The Sanctuary in Relation to Man. All the Psalms of the first divisions are Psalms of Asaph. Psalm 84-89—The Sanctuary in relation to Yahweh (LORD of the Covenant of Blood for soul (Exodus 12:13; Lev. 17:11). The Psalms of the second division (except 86 and 89) are Psalms of the Sons of Korah. This Book III, Psalms 73-89 has been divided under the Title: The Almighty Help in a huge catastrophe. A simpler division would be: (1) The Fact—Ps. 73-77; (2) The Focus—Ps. 78-83; and (3) The Faith—Ps. 84-89 manifested through the Messiah and the Sanctuary. (Morgan, Notes, 131-32).

DIVISION I:

THE SANCTUARY IN

RELATION TO MAN

PSALMS 73-83

In the first division Elohim (God) occurs 65 times (twice with Yahweh); and Yahweh only 15 times. In the second division, Yahweh occurs 50 times, and Elohim only 28 times (four of which are with Yahweh—I AM See John 8:24). El occurs five times. The Psalms Books II and III are almost wholly Elohistic. Books I, IV, and V are, on the other hand, Yahwistic. All the Psalms of the first division are Psalms of Asaph. (The Century Bible, 37).

Book III, Psalms 72-89 has been divided under the Title: The Almighty’s Help—The Passover. (1) The Explanation—Ps. 73-77; (2) The Experience—Ps. 78-83; and (3) The Exaltation—Ps. 84-89. (Morgan, Notes on the Psalms, 132-33). It can also be divided: The Sanctuary of the Lord in relation to Man and God: (1) The Fact—Ps. 73-77; (2) The Focus—Ps. 78-83; and (3) The Faith—Ps. 84-89.

PSALM 73

THE SOUL’S DISTRACTION

THE EFFECT OF BEING

OUTSIDE THE SANCTUARY

THE SOUL’S SPIRITUAL HEART PROBLEM:

CONSEQUENT DISTRACTION

Title

It is a Psalm of Asaph, David’s choir leader. The sons of Asaph succeeded him as choir leaders (1 Chron. 6:39; 2 Chron. 20:14). Eleven of the Psalms in this section are entitled to Asaph. Asaph also became a title for other sons of Asaph, in his linage, a title used historically to the time of Ezra and the returning remnant from the Babylonian captivity. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Asaph.).

Asaph’s Psalms use the name of Elohim (God of Creation, The Triunity of God) over that of Yahweh (the covenant name for God, "I AM," Jesus, John 8:24). His focus is the Almighty’s Help in the coming of the Messiah. There is a calmness of tone, along with great melancholy. He’s depressed over the wickedness of the world and his present position and condition (the plight of Israel) in comparison to some, as he considers them, wicked persons or nations.

This present Psalm has for its subject matter the well-worn ancient problem of Good and Evil: the prosperity of the wicked and the apparent poverty of the righteous. From the Psalmist’s point of view the wicked have it made, all is well for them; while the righteous experience more than their share of evil. It is a Psalm discussing Good and Evil: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and The Tree of Life (See Job 21:7-15; Ps. 37:1-38; Jer. 12:1-3). It’s the scenario: the bad are doing great, feeling great, and prospering while the believers are not doing as well, are afflicted, persecuted, and demoralized. What’s the problem, with You, God? The writer has a problem with this and has well-nigh fallen away from God as a consequence (v2). (The Pulpit Commentary, Exposition, Psalms, Vol. 8, 70).

Theme

A Soul-vexing Problem of Good and Evil Solved

The Soul’s Heart

The Soul’s Crisis of Faith. Asaph is a man with a problem that vexes his soul. The theme of this Psalm is The Soul’s Spiritual Heart Problem due to consequent and constant distraction of this world. He says, My steps had almost slipped (v2). Entanglements with the world can vex the soul. The Apostle Peter said that the society of Sodom vexed Lot’s spirit; nevertheless, the Lord delivered him vexed with the filthy conversation (lifestyles) of the wicked (2 Peter 2:7-8). The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished (2 Peter 2:9). This was something that the Psalmist, Asaph, was having to learn. A lot of God’s children have to learn it. The theme warns against worldly entanglements (See 2 Tim. 2:4). (The Companion Bible, 790).

Good and Evil: Pointing the finger at God. The theme is that age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked—of Good and Evil, with a finger pointed at God for not fixing the problem. Asaph said in his conclusion and reflection: So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee (v22). He confesses foolishness, ignorance, and the depravity of human nature (like a beast before God instead of a person created in God’s image). He had a spiritual discernment problem from spirituality, instability, and ignorance (Hosea 3:6). He wasn’t thinking correctly. (The Pulpit Commentary Vol. 8, Psalm 73, 72).

God’s deliverance in spite of His people. Morgan, looking at the positive instead of the negative side, lists the theme as—God, the Good of His People: God’s Mighty Help (v1). God is involved in the lives of His people despite their circumstances. They usually brought bad situations upon themselves due to a disobedience of God’s Word. God often helps them in spite of their behavior. Spurgeon said, God’s people can sin, but the Lord won’t let them do it comfortably. (Morgan, Notes on Psalms, 133, 34).

The Everlasting Nevertheless Presence. The great thought of this Psalm is stated in verse twenty-three (v23): "Nevertheless, I am continually with thee; thou hast holden me by thy right hand (v23). This verse is Messianic. There is a nevertheless in the Lord’s redemption of us. This nevertheless means— In spite of me."

Nevertheless, the Lord has been faithful in His justification of my soul. Nevertheless, I have not fallen away from Thee, Lord; because Thou hast kept always Thy hold upon me in this wilderness sojourn. I have been kept by Thy power through faith unto salvation (1 Peter. 1:5). In spite of me, I have been held always in Thy hand and my Heavenly Father’s hand (John 10:27-30).

Nevertheless, the Lord has been faithful in my sanctification: my spiritual soul growth, sustenance, and security. In spite of me, He has grown my soul more in His likeness which is the will of God for me (Rom. 3:29-31). Often that soul growth has been in that School of Hard Knocks.

Nevertheless means that the Lord Jesus will present me blameless before our Heavenly Father in the Glorious Kingdom. The Lord will also be faithful in my sojourn across the great valley of death into His everlasting abiding place prepared for His redeemed, and He will hold my hand through it all (Ps. 23:4). Thou wilt present me blameless, without spot of wrinkle, that I should be holy without blemish, before our Heavenly Father in His glorious estate (Eph. 5:27). Because of Thee, Lord, I will join that great holy band of saints whom the Apostle called the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven, and Thou wilt stand me perfect before Thy throne in the presence of angels because Thou hast covered my soul-spirit with the sprinkling of Thy shed blood that speaks great everlasting things on my behalf, things too wonderful for me to grasp at this time (Heb. 12:22-24; 1 Cor. 2:9; Isa. 64:4).

Nevertheless, in spite of me, I will finish this earthly sojourn in Thy everlasting Presence. The Lord will get me to heaven, even if it kills me, and it probably will. For I have been, am, and will forever be in Thy everlasting presence (v23). When the veil of this flesh is removed by Thy hand, I will awake in Thy likeness (Ps. 17:15), having exchanged my place here for the one you have prepared for me there; but I will not have changed my company for Thou hast ever been with me. In earth or heaven, if with Thee, all is well. Happiness begins in the soul-spirit, and faith in itself is a lively exercise in its anticipation of the excellent glory which, nevertheless, shall be realized in Thy everlasting presence. It’s shouting time! (The theme of this Psalm according to Hawker’s note, Hawker’s Morning Portion, 138-39; Bro. Hawker’s flavor was the Old KJV; I went with him on it.).

Heart is a big theme in this Psalm. Heart appears six times in this Psalm. (1) "God is good . . . even to such as are of a clean heart" (v1). God’s goodness to you and the cleanness (purity) of your heart (soul-spirit) have a lot to do with each other (Matt. 5:8). (2) The wicked are obsessed with this world’s things and "they have more than the heart could wish" (v7). (3) "Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain" (v13). He felt that having a clean heart was a useless endeavor when compared with others of this world. Don’t do that; don’t make such comparisons! (4) "Thus my heart was grieved" (v21). His focus on the prosperity of the wicked caused grievance of soul-spirit. His worldly focus entangled him in the affairs of this world and vexed his soul-spirit. He had taken his eyes off of the Lord. (5) "My flesh and my heart faileth" (v26a). His physical strength and heart grew weaker and was failing with the passing days. The Apostle Paul said that the Old Man is perishing, but the New Man (in Christ—the Inner Man) is renewed daily (See 2 Cor. 4:16). (6) "But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (v26b). Your soul-spirit strengthens in Christ with each passing day while your flesh grows weaker (v26; See 2 Cor. 4:16). Jesus said, The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Note the progression and growth of his faith in this subject. The House of God played a large part in the growth of his soul. Asaph is warning believers against world entanglements that can produce a crisis of faith causing you to doubt God. (2 Tim. 2:4).

Structure

The Pulpit Commentary gives us the traditional five parts to Psalm 73: Sanctuary Importance: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house (Ps. 65:4).

(1) The goodness of God with a condition. He affirms the goodness of God to all with a condition: "To such as are of a clean heart (v1). Confession of sin cleans the heart: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). David prayed, teaching us: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Ps. 51:10). Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Ps. 32:1). (See Heb. 9:22, v23-24).

(2) The vexation of the soul’s entanglements (v1-12; See 2 Peter 2:8). He shares his personal problem, a vexation of his soul: that of the prosperity of the wicked and the poverty of God’s people. Why do the ungodly prosper and the godly not? Why do I hurt when that other non-believing person doesn’t? They are not in trouble as other men: neither are they plagued like other men (v5). He blames God for the problem. That’s a No! No!

He says that his feet almost slipped over this. Why? He was envious as he looked at the foolish and ungodly. He describes the character of these he considers ungodly (v6-9). He was obsessed with this mental-spiritual entanglement (v14, 21). The Apostle Paul warns God’s children in regard to the world’s entanglements (2 Tim. 2:4). The Apostle John did also: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). We need to keep our focus on Jesus; then, we’d not sink into this bondage of worldly entanglements (Matt. 14:25-31, v30).

(3) The importance of the Sanctuary of God (v17-20). His eyes were enlightened on the subject of this good and evil when he went to the Sanctuary of God (The House of God) (v17-20). There he got a word from God on the subject. The Sanctuary is important for Worship, Word, and Walk (building our soul-spirits). The Lord told Moses, And there I will meet with thee, and commune with thee from above the mercy seat . . . (See Exodus 25:22). The Lord had said that He would meet with them at the altar of God in the House of God. That’s a holy place. Joseph Parker said, It is at the House of God that my soul has seen most of the Divine going (Parker, Studies in Texts, Vol. 1, viii).

(4) Life’s solutions are found in the Word of God at the House of God (v21-27). He contrasts his present state of perplexity and danger with his present satisfaction and security due to the answer he found at the Sanctuary of God. There are ought to be answers for life’s perplexing problems coming from the pulpits from the Word of God at the House of God. (See Acts 20:28).

(5) Conclusion (v28): It is good for the soul to draw near to God (v28; See Exodus 25:22). Trust in the Lord and a vision of the destruction of evil might come your way. He concludes the Psalm with an expression of unqualified trust in God and the ultimate salvation of the righteous and the absolute destruction of the wicked (their lostness to God, His goodness, and His eternal dwelling place). (The Pulpit Commentary, Exposition, Vol. 8, Psalms, 70).

Spurgeon divides this Psalm with five divisions: Fact, Focus, Faith, Fix, and Fight.

(1) The Soul’s Faith in God with a Condition (v1): Fact. Verily (Amen, Truly) God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart (v1). He is even good to those whose hearts are unclean. Good thing! This is applicable to the Church and all persons wanting a closer walk with the Lord—that’s you and me.

(2) The Soul’s Frustration of Faith (v2-14): Focus. He states his problem. His vexation with the world and evil had caused him to almost slip away from God (v2): My steps had well-nigh slipped (v2b). It means one’s walk with God, one’s faith, one’s well-being was on slippery ground. What’s the indicator of slippery soul-steps? One stops attending the services in the House of God, or has never started.

(3) The Soul’s Futility of Faith (v15-17): Faith (Believe). A lady yelled at me once, What can faith do? It is an offense (downward spirit) for the future generation, says the Psalmist (v15). It was futile to seek the answer in the world (mixing faith with fatalism) (v16). He found the answer at the House of God (v17): through the Word of God, the sacrifice of praise, and the renewal of faith. He received deliverance from his dilemma. It was a spiritual heart problem with a spiritual solution.

(4) The Soul’s Focus of faith (v18-20): Fix. His fixed refocus in faith revealed the destiny, demise, and destruction of the wicked ungodly non-believers. They are in danger of slipping into the eternal abyss, down into destruction (v18). They are brought to desolation, as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors (v19; See Rev. 6:15-17). They are going to awake in eternity with their image despised by the Lord (v20). They are desolate, despised, and destroyed (v18-20). (Their image is the creation in the image of God" (See Gen. 1:26; Gen. 6:3, 5-6, v7).

(5) The Soul’s Foolish Behavior: Fight or Flight. "So foolish was I, and ignorant (v22; See Hosea 3:6). He struggled to the finality. Finally, he condemns his own folly, and worships and adores the Lord accepting the forgiving grace of God (v21-24). Perhaps, he prayed something of the sinner’s prayer: God, be merciful unto me, a sinner (Luke 18:13). One of our seminary professors was telling us of an instance of great evil that accosted him. When asked, What did you do? He said, I ran." Probably wise!

Conclusion. The Soul’s Spiritual renewal—The How of it? (Note specifically, v23, v25-28—The Eternal Presence and the Nevertheless). He renews his faith (v25), reconsecrates his soul-spirit to the Lord (v26), and refocuses and reasserts his need to draw nearer to God (v28; James 4:8). He reminds himself of the eternal destiny of those that are alienated from God (v27). (Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2, Psalm 73, 246; Outline with examples and comments by JB).

The Soul’s Spiritual Illumination. With an insight into the problem of evil, Morgan divides the Psalm into three sections gathering the thoughts around three words. One could title it: A Crisis of Faith (v2): The secret (v1-12); The Sanctuary (v17); and The Solution. (Morgan, Notes, 135).

(1) The Secret (v1-12). Asaph was comparing physical things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13). You’ll come out with the wrong answer every time. Paul said, Don’t do that; but compare spiritual things with spiritual things (1 Cor. 1:12-16; 3:1-2). There is no comparison between earth and eternity. The Psalmist was comparing physical prosperity with spiritual prosperity looking around at people who were better off than he was and not suffering half as bad. He was coming up short, with slippery soul-spirit feet, and was at the point of blaming God for it.

In the first half of this Psalm, the Psalmist was comparing the physical wealth of the wicked with the physical wealth of the redeemed. He totally missed the spiritual wealth of the redeemed and the true poverty of these non-redeemed (See Matt. 5:3ff). It was perplexing to him, vexing his spirit, and causing him to stumble in his faith. He said, I was envious of the foolishness of the wicked when I saw their prosperity . . . causing my steps to well-nigh slip (v2, 3). Looking at what they had, and at what he had, was giving him a spiritual faith problem—A Crisis of Faith. The Apostle Paul said that if you’re going to compare: Compare spiritual things with spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:13). Don’t come at it from the side of the depraved nature (evil), but come at it from the side of the spiritual nature in Christ (good). Satan loves to have you try to solve heart-soul-spirit problems from the negative side. Get on the positive side with Christ. It’s the Devil who is always on the negative.

(2) The Sanctuary (v17). He was attempting to unravel the mystery, why ungodly men succeeded and were satisfied without God. It was too painful for him, too difficult for him to figure out. He couldn’t solve the riddle. (The New Testament example is Nicodemus, John 3:4, v9). Thus, in faith, he turned to God. When he turned to God, he turned to the Sanctuary of God. He was trying to figure it out without God. The evil often appears both pleasant and prosperous and the struggling saint is tempted to think if this Christian life is worthwhile (Heb. 11:25). There is a devil in that. With this mindset, he went to the Sanctuary of God. He found God in the Sanctuary. The Lord had said, And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat . . . (There) I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel (Exodus 25:22). There, Isaiah got a glimpse of heaven (Isa. 6). There the Lord spoke with Moses in an audible voice (Exodus 19:19; Ps. 81:7).

When invited to the House of God, a lady once said to me that she was looking forward to going to the bad place because they were having fun down there. The Devil had really done a snow job of deception on her mind. Paul said that the pleasures of sin are only for a season (Heb. 11:25). In the abyss there will be no pleasures of sin. It’s a very short season, in this world, according to the tone of the text. His example is Moses.

(3) The Solution. As the Word of God illuminated the problem, Asaph’s thinking changed. (Note what the Word of God does. Heb. 4:12). In the spiritual presence of the Lord and His people, he began to see the physical and eternal more clearly. He ceased to look at the present reality only. He said, "Then I understood their end (v17). He had never before considered their end. He compared the spiritual with the spiritual—eternity with their spiritual character depravity. He began to look at the future end of the wicked. He had discovered that their future wasn’t good. Somebody has said, When the Devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. The Psalmist concluded that he had been foolish and ignorant in his thinking (v22), that the Lord would continually guide him, and that he didn’t have anybody in heaven or earth who truly cared for him like the Lord (v25-26). He concluded: My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever" (v26). (Morgan, Notes on the Psalms, 135; Summary, organization, and outline with comments and textual examples, JB).

It is amazing how some Christians can come to thinking that ignorance is a spiritual characteristic. A fellow prayed in a church one time: Lord, I thank Thee that I’m ignorant. Make me ignoranter and ignoranter. What a dishwater spiritual mind-set! John Ploughman would say, There is one thing that God ain’t. He ain’t ignorant. It might be helpful to mentally and spiritually download some of His thinking. (Download Hosea 3:6-9). (Spurgeon, John Ploughman’s Talk, 49).

The Soul’s Cure for a Worldly Heart (v16-17). Believers today need to get that Scripture concept in Proverbs: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 and Proverbs 8:17). Note the progression in this Psalmist’s thinking.

(1) The problem (v3): For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. He’s out in the brush here mentally and spiritually.

(2) The perception (v13): Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. He was leaning on his feeling and not his faith. Paul said that we need to have the mind of Christ, and this isn’t it (Phil. 5:-11).

(3) The prescription (v17): I thought I knew the answer—Until I went into the Sanctuary of God; then, understood I their end (the final destiny of the wicked) (v16, 17, 18). God has set their feet in slippery places" (v18).

(4) The persuasion (v21): Thus, my heart was grieved; and I was pricked in my reigns (my inmost being). So foolish I was and ignorant. I was as a beast before thee (v21-23). The Holy Spirit is working on him and he’s under conviction (See John 16:8-12). [On the presence of the Holy Spirit in that Old Testament dispensation note Gen. 1:2; Ps. 51:11; 1 Sam. 10:6; 2 Sam. 28:2; Job 33:4). Acts 2 is His manifestation on the Church. He never came on anybody that He wasn’t in. Abraham was saved the same as we, Paul said (Rom. 4:3).].

(5) The preference (v25): Who have I in heaven but Thee. And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee (v25). Asaph was getting his focus on the Lord.

(6) The portion: God is the Strength of my heart and my Portion forever (v26b). "Strength and Portion are personified (a Person), Christ in me, my hope of Glory (Col. 1:27). I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). It is needful that we all pray: *Hold up my goings in Thy paths that my footsteps slip not (Ps. 17:5).

John Ploughman says, "Let us take to patience (hupomone—get under the load of life), as the old folks tell us, rather than catch the miserables, and give others the disease by wickedly finding fault with God" (See Heb. 12:15). (Spurgeon, John Ploughman’s Talk, 56). Let the Lord be your portion for life.

Exposition and Commentary

The Soul’s Crisis of Faith.

The Psalmist had a Crisis of Faith. Asaph was questioning God about the prosperity of the wicked his feeling of the apparent poverty of the righteous. Get your eyes off of Jesus and your priority focus on this world, and you can get one of those faith crises. It is the question of the Book of Job. A person can’t lead others in worship when he himself has a problem with the ways of God. He was slipping in his faith (v2). The church has a problem when you’ve got the music man questioning God (which may be the greater problem; in the church, leading the worship service, and not drawing near unto God).

The Psalmist discovered the answer to his problem when he went to the Sanctuary of God, heard the Word of God, and drew nearer to God. When you’ve got a music director missing church, you need to find one that will show up. The Lord says, Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you (James 4:8). Strange that one seems to be in the worship service, leading it, sitting under the preaching of the Word, not really hearing it, questioning God while in service, under preaching, and leading worship. Now, that’s a big problem for the Church. It could also be the preacher, as it was with Habakkuk, the Prophet, as it was with Jonah, or as it was with several of the apostles of the Lord (John 13; 14).

It is amazing what you can discover at God’s House. The Psalmist found in God’s Sanctuary the answer to his problem. This can’t be said too much! Amazing he was physically there but wasn’t there in spirit. When he showed up in body, soul, and spirit, he got the answers from the Word of God about his problem of apostasy. Dr. Joseph Parker said, Not in the market place, but in the sanctuary my soul has seen most of the Divine going. (Parker, Studies in Text, Vol. 1, viii.).

The Soul’s Journey. Note the five stages of the journey through this worldly wilderness maze.

1. The Soul’s Wilderness Sojourn (v1). There are disillusionment results in the wilderness of this world. Asaph likened this life of wickedness as a dream-walking or a nightmare (Ps. 73:20).

The problem of the Psalmist in this Psalm is a spiritual heart problem. Asaph uses heart six times in this Psalm (v1, 7, 13, 21, 26a, 26b). Note: (1) A dirty heart: needed a clean (pure) heart (v1). John Ploughman said, It is an ill bird that fouls his own nest. The Lord says, He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind; and a fool shall be servant to the wise of heart (Prov. 11:26). Take it for your soul-house, or your family-house, or as the Spirit leads. (2) A materialistic heart (v7): The focus is on the world, others rather than the Lord. The heart fixed on the things of this world (See 1 John 2:15). (3) A deceived heart (v13): He was feeling that forgiveness, the Lord’s cleansing the heart is a vain thing for him. God says, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise (Proverbs 12:15; James 1:22-25).(4) A dull heart: a heart hardened over a wrong focus of emotional grief; results in an unbelieving heart (v21); a heart with a root of bitterness in it (Heb. 12:15): refusing to believe God’s freedom from sin and guilt. It results in a hindrance of the quickening of the Holy Spirit. (5) A spiritually sick diseased heart (v26a). His refusal to see life in God’s terms. It has made him physically ill. Often a sick body is the result of a spiritually ill heart-soul-spirit. Note that little word But—presenting a strong contrast. (6) A discerning, believing heart: It is a faith-heart. It is progressing full circle and believing God in spite of everything (v26b). That makes a wilderness sojourn with paradise spots (See Proverbs 3:5-6). Memorize these two verses. They’ll always point you aright through life and encourage your heart. (Spurgeon, John Ploughman’s Talk, 106).

Defining heart: the mind of the spirit. The springs of life take their root and rise in the heart (Prov. 4:23). The biblical concept of heart corresponds more to our concept of soul than it does to body or spirit. Biblically, the two are often placed together though separate (1 Thess. 5:23). It is the controlling instrument, the will, which regulates the ruah (spirit) in order that the nephesh (breath of life, soul-spirit life inbreathed by God) may function properly in your life. This means that the heart is, more than any other, the place where the spirit, the source of life, can establish itself. The Lord speaks not of the physical organ that pumps blood through the body, but the spirit that pumps life (spiritual and physical) through the body, soul, and spirit (See 1 Thess. 5:23). The words heart and the spirit frequently have the same functions (Exodus 35:21; Ps. 78:8). Substituting the heart for spirit, which biblical writers often did, serves to denote that spirit is that quickening life-giving power of God. The heart is the inward hidden member (Paul called it the inner man, Eph. 3:16; 2:1).

The spirit. This spirit needs quickening. The Lord breathed His Spirit into Adam and he became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). When the Spirit-wind came and entered into that army of corpses to which Ezekiel was told to preach, they stood upon their feet a living army (Ezek. 37:9-10, v14). God told Zechariah, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). Job said, The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life (Job. 33:4). Solomon said, The Spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts (of a person) (Proverbs 20:27). This spirit in the unconverted person is dull-dead and must be enlivened (Eph. 2:1-2). The new birth in Christ does that (John 3:3-16).

Heart denotes the deepest level of the personality, where the will and conscience reside—where choices are made; but equally it is the place of understanding and knowledge (1 Sam. 24:6; 25:35; 2 Sam. 24:10; 1 Kings 2:44; Jer. 17:1; Prov. 23:12; Eccles. 7:27). One could call it the mind of the spirit. The soul feeds this world’s concepts into the spirit-mind, and the spirit feeds the spirit-world’s things into the physical mind (that grey matter we call a brain) through the soul. Remember there’s also a Devil there as well as God that works on the soul. This process is a supernatural thing in your life. You are a supernatural being with the sup lost. I doubt we ever get it all back in this world.

"To think in Hebrew means in one’s heart (Gen. 24:45; 8:21; 1 Sam. 1:13; Eccles 1:16). The Word says, As a he (a person) thinketh in his heart (soul-spirit mind), so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). The person, therefore, with no sensitive heart-spirit for God is a being with no understanding (Proverbs 6:32; 7:7). It has been call that great depth of the unconscious mind.

To "steal" a person’s heart is to deceive his understanding by depriving him for the time being that his God is faithful in His covenant, character, chastening, and His faithfulness will never cease. This was Asaph’s problem in this Psalm and of Ethan the Ezrahite of Psalm 89 concerning God’s method of getting the Messiah (Christ) into this world. (Gen. 31:20, 26; 2 Sam. 15:6, 13).

"Laying to heart is a faculty of attention and has its seat in the will (v21-23). Ezek. 44:5; Exodus 7:23). It is the heart, which dictates a person’s moral conduct (Isa. 57:17); Eccles 11:9); and it also directs a person’s will and affections. It has been called—The Mind of the Spirit. Asaph finally started doing some of this—laying to heart of God’s Word (v17-23). The wise man of Proverbs called this storing up knowledge from God" (good idea) (See Proverbs 10:14; Hosea 3:6).

The student should note, however, that the affective role is secondary to its functions of intelligence. Intelligence is not so much what you know, but what you’re capable of knowing, and that seems to be infinite. It may be the purpose of Eden and its two trees: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; and The Tree of Life. Nevertheless, there are so many functions connected to the word heart that, according to the Old and New Testaments, it is possible to say a man’s heart is the index of his whole being of the soul-spirit life. Our Lord taught that out of the heart are all the issues of life. The Scriptures tell us: He that trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26). Out of the heart are all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is deceitful above things, and desperately wicked, who can know it (Jer. 17:9). It is for this reason that God says, My son, give me your heart (Proverbs 23:26). Better do it! (Allmen, A Companion to the Bible, S. v., heart, 249).

Heart purity. The phrase, "God is good even to such as are of a clean heart (v1). It means pure in heart. It is the characteristic note of the born-again child of God (Matt. 5:8). Heart-purity dominates us as the God of Israel makes believers the Israel (prince, son, child of God) of God. It does not mean sinless (note the word even"), but total commitment, submission, and Spirit-control by the Lord. The child of God is a work of God in process and progress—growing the heart-soul-spirit in the likeness of Christ (Phil. 1:6; Rom. 8:29). It is exactly the opposite to those described in this Psalm: For, lo, they that are far from Thee shall perish . . . (v27).

A Clean (pure) heart means to be redeemed and right with God in Christ (See Ps. 51:9-10). It means that in sincerity, you’re doing what you can to follow Him: to keep His Word, do His Will, and follow His Way (John 14:6). It’s a condition for everything else. It means to do the best you can at the time with God’s help (which over time gets you to really good (or better) circumstances, character, and comfort; and ends you up in God’s place for you. It means to let God through the Spirit help you live the Christian life. It means that the Holy Spirit indwells your soul-spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt 5:8; Rev. 22:4). (Thomas Watson,1660, in Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Vol. 2, 256).

2. The Soul’s Waywardness: Slippery Steps (v2-3).My steps had well-nigh slipped (v2).

Backsliding. Slipping backward, you are not where you once were (See Proverbs 14:14). There is no such thing as static standing. Standing is always slippery ground. Spiritually, you’re either moving forward or backward. You can’t stay where you are and go with God (Blackaby, 132). God will move you out of your comfort zone; it is always a scary thing and can create a crisis of faith as the Psalmist had.

This Psalmist was slipping backward. He said, "My steps had well-nigh slipped (v2b). He knew it. Many people don’t know when they’re slipping. You see, to perish (to be far from God, v27) you don’t have to do anything, just stand there. To get to heaven, you have to make a free-will heart-choice to trust Christ; then go forward with him to the Heavenly City. You have to take up your cross" and follow Him (Matt. 16:24-26). It’s a heart decision.

Not building on Christ is slipping backward in spirit. (Strong #8210—slipped-shaphak (shaw-fak)—meaning to spill forth, to pour out, and mound (harden) up to a solid. It involved one’s life’s blood. I thought that the Hebrew fak was like the English word ("fake"). It means to slip from the mound, the mold, or the solid foundation and grow hardened, becoming a fake. Jesus called them hypocrites (Matt. 23). The Apostle Paul told us that the foundation of life is Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Asaph quit building his life on Christ, the Messiah. Perhaps His coming was where Asaph was slipping. It was not his focus. The prosperity of the wicked was his focus. He said: I was envious of the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked (v3).

Faith. The big concept of faith is summed up in that little word, "if." It is an indicator that there is little or no faith in the soul. It was used by those crucifying Jesus. (1) The soldiers who crucified him mockingly said: "If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself" (Luke 23:37). (2) The thief crucified with him said, "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us (Luke 23:39). The other thief rebuked his friend and asked to be remembered by the Lord when he came to His kingdom. Jesus honored his faith with the statement: This day thou shalt be with me in paradise" (Luke 2343). (3) The priests and religious crowd around the cross said: "He saved others: himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver him now, if He will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt. 27:42-43). Anytime you put an if" about Jesus, there’s a devil in it.

Words. Paul told Timothy: Hold fast the form (actually words) of sound words of the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim.1:13). Pay attention to those little words of Scripture. There is a big contrast in this Psalm put forth between verse 2 and verse 28 with that little word, "But. The word but in verse 28 can be translated nevertheless or yet. It indicates a sharp contrast with the subject of verse 2. The more the Psalmist measured his situation against that of the ungodly, dwelling on the problem, the more he began to slip from a firm foundation. When he quit digging on that focus and said, But it is good for me to draw near to God" and when he concluded, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee; and I don’t desire anybody or anything in earth but Thee (v25). Note but God is the strength of my heart" (soul-spirit) (v26)—things began to work out for him concerning his questioning God about the prosperity of the wicked. It was then that he understood their end (v17). He had started back to church; or started paying attention to the Word of God that he heard there. (Strong #5197, 5198—nataph—sound—the figure is to speak by inspiration. The word is from the gum tree—that drops its sticky gum drop by drop. See Isa. 28:9-12, v10. It has nothing to do with sound or noise, but the spirit of dropping spiritually the Word of God.).

Doubt. Doubt is the very opposite of faith (belief). It is different than unbelief. Doubt comes from a questioning mind that is struggling. Unbelief comes from a stubborn, negative, obstinate will that refuses to surrender to God (v7). The unbelieving person will not believe, cannot believe without a change of mind and heart that changes his thinking and direction. It is called repentance (metanoeo--a change of thinking that moves one to a proper direction of the Lord’s helping belief. It takes an intervention of the Holy Spirit to help repentance (John 6:44; John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 7:10.). The man whose son was demon possessed was asked by Jesus, "Can you believe? He expressed his problem and petitioned Jesus, Lord, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:23-24). Jesus did. The doubting person maintains something of his faith in God, but is doubting some attribute of God based on the present situation or circumstances and world entanglements. Unbelief is the greatest sin (Mark 4:28-29; Heb. 3:19; Heb. 20:29). It is blasphemy (disbelieve, despise, despite, or disagree) of/with the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19; . (Wiersbe, Be Series, Psalm 73, 238).

Focus: Prosperity (v3) It is the Hebrew word, "shalom (meaning health, prosperity, peace, one’s welfare or well-being). It became equal to the English word, good-by. It may be closer to the Spanish, "Vaya con Dios." It is an act of rebellion and disobedience to choose to envy the wicked, to compare yourself with them (Ps. 37:1; Proverbs 3:31; 23:17; 24:1, v19). There will be no peace, no heart contentment in that mental focus. (Strong’s #7965, S. v., shalom—prosperity).

3. The Soul’s Spiritual Warfare: Fighting with self (v4-14). I involves thoughts, vision, or feelings harassing the total person. Often your biggest harasser is yourself.

It is really a demonic thing—fighting the Devil. Jesus said Don’t! Michael the Arch Angel would not contend with Satan over the body of Moses, but said, The Lord Jesus rebuke thee (Jude v9). You can’t outwit Lucifer. Paul told us to put on the full armor of God in order to make it in the spiritual struggle against the fiery darts of the Wicked One in order to survive as we move through this world (Eph. 6:10-18). There is also a heavenly don’t to fighting with God. Jacob tried it and spent the rest of His life leaning on his walking cane (Gen. 32:24-30).

Note the worldly ungodly person. Wrong decisions and conclusions: Asaph’s concept of the ungodly was off center. It’s a wrong view-point. He came at it from the world’s point of view and a depraved soul-spirit.

(1) There are "no bands in their death (v4). When they die, they die in their own strength, image, and not in Christ. Literally, there are no knots in their cord (See Eccles. 12:6). Their cord is not silver and there are no knots in it; thus, they die without any opportunity to get life right with God (Eccles. 12:6-7). They persist in unbelief even unto death. Their strength (disobedience) is firm even unto death (v4b). The converted believer might testify: He (God) tied me in knots." Or, He yanked my chain. Asaph saw none of this happening in the life of the ungodly to entice them to change their lifestyle and come to God. They are like the godless farmer who said within himself, I’ve got it made; I need a bigger house and barns. Soul, you’ve got it made. Take it easy, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, and then, whose shall these things be, which thou has provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:15-20)

(2) "They are not in trouble as other men" (they are not plagued like other men) (v5). Satan doesn’t bother his own. It seemed to Asaph that the ungodly did not have the troubles that the godly had. Providence seemed to overlook them. Lightening never struck at their house. The Psalmist thought that there was a certain immunity from suffering experienced by the ungodly, whom God does not chasten, because chastening would be of no service to them to change their minds about their direction or God’s goodness. (Note Jesus’ comments on it in John 16:8-10 concerning the workings of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives. The problem is that they don’t recognize that it is God trying to get their attention.). (The Pulpit Commentary, v5; Jennings, Vol. 2, v5, 3.).

(3) They are prideful and arrogant. "Pride compasseth them about as a chain (v6). They are encircled with self-importance that is chain-tied. Literally, it is a chain about their neck that they wear with pride (v6)—violence covereth about them as a garment that they wear with pride. (Jennings, Vol. 2, 3). It is a chain of bondage wrapped about their soul-spirit that hardens their heart. They look down on other people feeling themselves superior and smarter. I saw a young lady with a shirt with the words: I am Satan’s ‘b . . . .’ and proud of it." That is the spirit of this text. (I’ll let you supply the word.).

(4) "They are corrupt (v8). A man can be known by the way he looks (Their eyes") (v7). Their eye is sunk with fatness seems to be the best rendering of this statement. The word "yatsa" is something like Joseph’s guilt-ridden brothers used. The word is used in Gen 42:28—Joseph had returned his brother’s money when they bought groceries in Egypt and when they found it, they surmised: Our money is restored, it is in our sacks; and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God had done unto us? That fellow is out to get us. Or, as it is used in Isaiah 6:10: yatsa—make the heart of this people fat. It is the point of view from which these sinners regarded life; or the literal physical effects of their life of self-indulgence. It is used in Job 15:27—Because he covereth his face with his fatness. Another reading on it is: "They appear bulging with his fatness." Another concept is that with their eyes, they gloat upon the luxuries around them that they see as ready to be plundered. It is an inditement against a self-indulgent society. (Jennings, Ibid, v7-8, v3, 4-5; The Pulpit Commentary, 70-71.).

(5) They mock God and the godly (v8, v9). They deny the power of God. The picture is a walking tongue. "They set their mouth against the heavens" (v9). "And their tongue walketh through the earth" (v9a). They throw slurs at Christ, the Church, Christians, and the Faith. One who becomes converted they will say mockingly with tongue in cheek: He got religion. Asaph said, "These are the ungodly, who prosper in the world" (v12). Did you ever know anybody with a walking tongue? James said, "It is set on fire by hell" (James 3:6).

(6) They didn’t think that God knew what they were doing. Mockingly, They say, how doth God know (v11). They had a false concept of the knowledge of God, questioning: Is there knowledge in the Most High (v11b). They judged the knowledge of God from their comprehension. With arrogance they boost concerning their concept of God’s ignorance (v11a). The word is ydmikoo from makak meaning "to become corrupt showing-off with contemptuous speech. The Greek LXX translates it: dienoethesan—"they speak wickedly, mockingly, blasphemously with wicked spiritual pride against God (v8). [Jennings, Vol. 2, v8, 3-4; Strong, #4167 muwk (mook, mock) meaning to blaspheme; Strong #7563, rasha—to speak wickedly, meaning a very bad person who commits blasphemy against God: "They set their mouth against the heavens." (v9)]. I actually saw a fellow once, shake his fist at God, heaven.

Note the misunderstanding of the godly. Asaph felt that the ungodly prosperous person had it made. This is the carnal world’s view (See 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 2:12-16). He was worldly and carnal in his thinking in regard to God’s things. He’s in the Church, the choir director, worship leader, with the world’s view of things. May be some goat’s view point among the leadership of the sheep. The things of the world had influenced his godly perspective. He was brainwashed with his world-view concept. There may be some sheep thinking like a goat. You can run with the goats so long, you get to thinking and acting like them. In one church, an elderly brother who had been there a long time said to me, Reverend, don’t be surprised to find some goats among these sheep. John Ploughman would say: It is like hanging out with skunks—you’ll get to smell like them. Eggs are eggs, but some are rotten. (Spurgeon, John Ploughman, 118, 148).

The Apostle John warned against this: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in