Psalm 73: Jesus Is the Light of the World

Like Jesus, the Light of the World and the subject of Psalm 73, the Psalms throw a profound and practical light on the circumstances around us.

Fortunately, this shouldn't be terribly long because the message comes in chunks.

The heart of this commentary begins in verses 2 – 14, When We're Without Light.

Verse 1: The Church Is for Disciples Only

Truly God is good to Israel, to the clean in heart.

The no works doctrine of modern Protestantism has colored our interpretation of everything. The fact is, the unrighteous—including even the greedy and overly ambitious, who are idolaters—are supposed to be put out of the church (1 Cor. 5:11-13). The church is supposed to consist of "the clean in heart."

Make no mistake about it. God still judges sin. He is now, and always has been, full of mercy, even before Christ's death. Nonetheless, he will "by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7), and he is not mocked (Gal. 6:7).

Thus, Psalm 73:1 tells us that God is truly good to Israel, but it is to the clean in heart that he is good.

Psalm 73:2-14: When We're Without Light

In Psalm 73:2-14, Asaph describes how he began to envy the wicked.

What's amazing in this passage is that his description of the life of the wicked is nothing like his description of the plight of the wicked in the last half of the Psalm. In these 13 verses, the wicked are seen as living a blessed and boastful life. They have no problems. They do whatever they want, and they brag about it. They oppress others, and they prosper as a result.

Is this really how the world works? Do nice guys really finish last? Do the wicked really prosper?

We know that good and evil happen to all men. I believe that those who trust in the Lord find that things work out best for them. He really does respond to those who cry out to him. It's not always the way we think, but he causes even those in the deepest suffering to live their lives in joy.

As Job found, it is worth everything to behold God (Job 42:5), for "in his presence there is fullness of joy" (Ps. 16:11).

The world does not work the way Asaph described. The wicked don't always prosper. Boasters often get theirs in the end.

So why does he say it?

We foolishly think that we understand the world around us. We think that we see. Jesus, however, tells us that he—the living Word of God—is the light of the world. It is in his light that we see clearly.

Until he shines in our heart to bring the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, we are groping in darkness. Things aren't the way we perceive them to be.

This was the state of Asaph in Psalm 73:2-14.

But then, everything changed ...

Psalm 73:15-20: The Light of God

... until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

Psalm 73:17 says it all for us. "... until I went into the sanctuary of God."

So many things seem true to us, perhaps even obvious, until we go into the sanctuary of God. Then we understand.

God's Heart Is in His Body

We know that the church is called the body of Christ. Again, we often don't understand how literal that is. Where do you find any person you know? You find him where his body is.

Jesus is no different. On earth he dwells in his body, and that body is the church. If you're looking for Christ, you need to look for the place where disciples are living together in unity, for wherever two or three are gathered in his name, there he is inside of them.

That is the reason that when Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus did not save him!

Instead, Jesus sent Paul to Damascus. There, 3 days later, Ananias came to him, laid hands on him to give him the Holy Spirit and baptized him for the forgiveness of his sins (Acts 9:17; 22:16).

Everything in the New Testament indicates that Christians are first to be added to the body of Christ on earth before they have access to him as the Spirit from heaven (Acts 2:47).

In this case, Asaph, who was so impressed and envious of the great advantages and blessings possessed by the wicked, suddenly discovered that the wicked are not so well off as he thought!

What changed his mind? He entered the sanctuary of God.

We underestimate how literally the Holy Spirit means it when he tells us that Jesus is the Light of the World. He shines on men's hearts, and he brings understanding as a result.

Things that looked differently in the darkness of his absence become clear in the light of his presence.

And know certainly that the light of his presence is found in the sanctuary of God. Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (Jn. 9:5). Afterwards, though, we read, "Now you are the light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8).

The church should be light. In the church, it should be easier to see the state of the world, to understand the Gospel, to know the hearts of men, and to have guidance for the future. In the church, sin should be exposed, because everything that makes manifest is light (Eph. 5:13).

The reason that it often is not is because Christians are not together. We are a mere congregation, some sort of Christian club. We are not joined together in Spirit, a new family in Christ.

Thus, the best that we can do is shine "this little light of mine," rather than being a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Only so much can be seen in a match. Together, though, we are a blazing light that can't be hidden, even from a distance.

Let us also not forget that Psalm 73 begins by saying that God is good to the clean in heart. It is the clean in heart that should be together. The very foundation of God is inscribed with the phrase, "Let those who name the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19).

Those who are not clean in heart don't have a light to shine!

So let us return to Asaph, who now has the light to see that God has set the wicked in "slippery places."

Psalm 73:21-22: Why We Are Blind Without the Light of the World

When my heart was leavened ... I was an ignorant oaf; I was like a beast before you.

Both our hearts and sin can be deceitful (Jer. 17:10; Heb. 3:13). Asaph's heart was leavened by what he saw, though what he saw was the product of the darkness of sin and of his own heart.

When we are apart from God, and especially when sin has pricked our heart and begun to leaven it, then we become like an ignorant oaf. We lumber about, clumsily hurting others without regard and all the while complaining about wrongs that are not even real!

This is the ultimate blindness.

When we find ourselves to beginning to complain. When the leaven of discontent begins to grow in our heart, swelling it with pride, know that it is time to run to the light that is found in the sanctuary of God. It is time to quiet ourselves before God, to hear from our brothers and sisters, and to let the words of God clear our mind and purge our hearts.

But the response of God is far more than just cleansing ...

This is best part of the whole Psalm

Psalm 73:23-28: I Want Nothing But God's Presence

There is nothing on earth I want but you ...
For me, good is to draw near to God.

Received into Glory

There's a noted lack of mention of the afterlife in the Old Testament. Thus, it is likely that "received into glory" is a reference to an earthly triumph or success than entering into heaven.

However, the Holy Spirit often has two meanings in the Psalms and prophecies. One is for that time, and one is for the future. I believe that Psalm 73:24 is an example.

Isaiah 7:3-16 is the best example of that sort of speaking by the Holy Spirit.

God was the answer to Asaph's heart sickness of envy and blindness. God took him by the right hand. He guided Asaph with his counsel.

But best of all ...

He gave him his presence.

There is nothing better than the presence of God. It is the fullness of joy and brings pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11). It caused Asaph to want nothing else on the earth (v. 25). He didn't care any more if his body and heart failed (v. 26). His only good was drawing near to God (v. 28).

The goal of the Scriptures is to bring us into fellowship with God.

It is those who are led by the Spirit of God who are the sons of God (Rom. 8:14). Here is Psalm 73, it's stated more romantically. God takes us by the hand, guides us with his counsel, and afterwards receives us into glory.

This is the promise of God. There is no better one.

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