Psalm 73
1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
We see right away the answer is No. Verse 1 God is Good to the Pure of Heart. Asaph quickly makes the point,
Jesus Was Not Offended By Questions. Although He answered Nicodemus so tartly, Nicodemus loved Jesus all his days.
If we draw near for asking a real question... we see Jesus more clearly and we see Him More With Love.
The Psalmist Asaph makes a correlation right away to Genesis 1. Father God knows rest. A point we don't take easily. God did not say time out - God said rest. Relax.
Did Jesus do this?
God tells us this about Himself:
Exodus 34:14
you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God
Jesus certainly did not let the Disciples talk Him into casting fire on the Samaritans.
Luke 9:54
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"
Jesus DID NOT. He had revealed He was Messiah in His Words first to the Samaritan Woman.
Lets look at Exodus 34, again....
…13"But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim 14for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-
The Truth of Jesus childhood is this:
Luke 2
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”[h] 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Asaph proclaims he does not want to be a jealous man because, it affects the generations. Psalm 73:15
Jesus has waded in into the messiness of Life. He did not stay in His Heaven. He reached far down to bring us His Grace. The intersection of real life, real mess, real sin, real hope, real Glory. Real God and REAL Jesus Christ God. Our Grace was hard won. We need to have the Appreciation as we begin Lent towards Easter.
Because this was what Jesus displayed all His Life.
Exodus 34:14
you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God
Jesus certainly did not let the Disciples talk Him into casting fire on the Samaritans.
Luke 9:54
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"
Jesus DID NOT. He had revealed He was Messiah in His Words first to the Samaritan Woman.
Lets look at Exodus 34, again....
…13"But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim 14for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-
The Truth of Jesus childhood is this:
Luke 2
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”[h] 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Asaph proclaims he does not want to be a jealous man because, it affects the generations. Psalm 73:15
Jesus has waded in into the messiness of Life. He did not stay in His Heaven. He reached far down to bring us His Grace. The intersection of real life, real mess, real sin, real hope, real Glory. Real God and REAL Jesus Christ God. Our Grace was hard won. We need to have the Appreciation as we begin Lent towards Easter.
Because this was what Jesus displayed all His Life.
Exodus 34
1The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
A Surprise from The Anno Domini. Era
The Roman Stoa build by Herod in the Second Temple exactly copies the Vatican of the 4th Century.
Fragment left by the 70 AD destruction by later Emperor Titus. 70 AD would have been Jesus' natural lifespan.
Here is a picture of the first St. Peter's Basilica built by Emperor Constantine from 326 -333 AD. It was of typical basilica architecture. Romans were famous for the architecture. Domes, Arches, Concrete, Columns - there were many forms this building could have taken. Typical basilica (basilica - Roman public building) architecture was the Royal Stoa beside the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem. Herod had built a Roman basilica on the 36 acres of the Temple. 103.6 metres (340 ft) Emperor Constantine (who naively believed Christian citizens would be more controllable) built a very similar basilica upon Peter's tomb:
There are no coincidences, just works of God.
What can we say to comfort ourselves for these cross cultural references of the Lord?
1 Kings 8:27
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
Acts 7:49
Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what will be My place of repose?
Acts 17:24
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
2 Chronicles 2:6
"But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?"
The Rock of our Foundation. Is Jesus Christ the Lord.
1 Timothy 2
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the mana Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD AND WORK ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSES
God is so interesting even the way the New Testament is arranged. The Gospels of Jesus are first, of course. Then Paul, basically, and as the list goes further down - James the Brother of Christ is honored above Peter - Keeper of the Keys to the Gates of Heaven. I think this is heartwarming. Paul - we read - is like us - he will work, not having walked with Jesus in this life. And God is going to see our lives saying He blesses us for seeing Him with eyes of faith. I love the placing of Paul writing in the Holy Spirit. The forgiveness of Paul.
We surely Need This Jesus. Every day.
Abba, Father,
We Bless You for Jesus. He enables us to have a Hope and Future. Covering us in His Righteousness. When we believe Jesus, He gives us this immeasurable Gift.
Father, we will Trust in the Lord with all our heart, and do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge God, and He will make straight your paths.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus, Himself, likewise partook of the same things, that through death Jesus might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.
Knowing we were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from our forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a Lamb without blemish or spot.
We give You thanks for the Lavish Love of Jesus, especially on the Sabbath. Realizing the Magnitude of Jesus. And giving thanks knowing our sincerity in Thanking Him, is our Joy and is pleasing to Him. God who bends so far that we might Live forever with God in His Kingdom.
Abba, Thank You. And for the ones I love, the People You have given me and we pray for. Thank You for helping me with my ears. For Helping Edward. For P and for D. For their complete recoveries. Thank God, Truly, my experience in life testifies when you rejoice with the chances of others and ask with joy the storehouses of God do not grow small - Abba loves and provides.
Thank God for His Goodness, covering us with the Grace we need. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
Yay Jesus Christ
Love and Lord of All
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