The Next Testament

Psalms: Asaph's Near-Slip, and the Sanctuary's Answer (Psalms 73–77)

Scripture: Berean Standard Bible

Psalm 73

A Psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,to those who are pure in heart.But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;my steps had nearly slipped.For I envied the arrogantwhen I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggle in their death;their bodies are well-fed.They are free of the burdens others carry;they are not afflicted like other men.Therefore pride is their necklace;a garment of violence covers them.From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;the imaginations of their hearts run wild.They mock and speak with malice;with arrogance they threaten oppression.They set their mouths against the heavens,and their tongues strut across the earth.
So their people return to this placeand drink up waters in abundance.The wicked say, “How can God know?Does the Most High have knowledge?”Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;in innocence I have washed my hands.For I am afflicted all day longand punished every morning.If I had said, “I will speak this way,”then I would have betrayed your children.When I tried to understand all this,it was troublesome in my sightuntil I entered God’s sanctuary;then I discerned their end.
Surely you set them on slick ground;you cast them down into ruin.How suddenly they are laid waste,completely swept away by terrors!Like one waking from a dream,so you, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
When my heart was grievedand I was pierced within,I was senseless and ignorant;I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you;you hold my right hand.You guide me with your counsel,and later receive me in glory.Whom have I in heaven but you?And on earth I desire no one besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever.
Those far from you will surely perish;you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,that I may proclaim all your works.
Psalm 74

A Maskil of Asaph.

Why have you rejected us forever, O God?Why does your anger smolderagainst the sheep of your pasture?Remember your congregation,which you purchased long agoand redeemed as the tribe of your inheritance—Mount Zion where you dwell.Turn your steps to the everlasting ruins,to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
Your foes have roared within your meeting place;they have unfurled their banners as signs,like men wielding axes in a thicket of treesand smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.They have burned your sanctuary to the ground;they have defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
They said in their hearts,“We will crush them completely.”They burned down every placewhere God met us in the land.There are no signs for us to see.There is no longer any prophet.And none of us knows how long this will last.How long, O God, will the enemy taunt you?Will the foe revile your name forever?Why do you withdraw your strong right hand?Stretch it out to destroy them!
Yet God is my King from ancient times,working salvation on the earth.You divided the sea by your strength;you smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;you crushed the heads of Leviathan;you fed him to the creatures of the desert.You broke open the fountain and the flood;you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.The day is yours, and also the night;you established the moon and the sun.You set all the boundaries of the earth;you made the summer and winter.
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD,how a foolish people has spurned your name.Do not deliver the soul of your dove to beasts;do not forget the lives of your afflicted forever.Consider your covenant,for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame;may the poor and needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God; defend your cause!Remember how the fool mocks you all day long.Do not disregard the clamor of your adversaries,the uproar of your enemies that ascends continually.
Psalm 75

For the choirmaster: To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

We give thanks to you, O God;we give thanks, for your Name is near.The people declare your wondrous works.
“When I choose a time,I will judge fairly.When the earth and all its dwellers quake,it is I who bear up its pillars.SelahI say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.Do not lift up your horn against heavenor speak with an outstretched neck.’ ”
For exaltation comes neither from east nor west,nor out of the desert,but it is God who judges;he brings down one and exalts another.For a cup is in the hand of the LORD,full of foaming wine mixed with spices.He pours from his cup,and all the wicked of the earthdrink it down to the dregs.
But I will proclaim him forever;I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
“All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”
Psalm 76

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

God is known in Judah;his name is great in Israel.His tent is in Salem,his dwelling place in Zion.There he shattered the flaming arrows,the shield and sword and weapons of war.Selahyou are resplendent with light,more majestic than mountains filled with game.The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep.No men of might could lift a hand.At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,both horse and rider lie stunned.
You alone are to be feared.When you are angry, who can stand before you?From heaven you pronounced judgment,and the earth feared and was stillwhen God rose up to judge,to save all the lowly of the earth.SelahEven the wrath of man shall praise you;with the survivors of wrath you will clothe yourself.
Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God;let all the neighboring lands bring tributeto him who is to be feared.He breaks the spirits of princes;he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77

For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

I cried out to God;I cried aloud to God to hear me.In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;my soul refused to be comforted.I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;I mused and my spirit grew faint.Selahyou have kept my eyes from closing;I am too troubled to speak.I considered the days of old,the years long in the past.At night I remembered my song;in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
“Will the Lord spurn us foreverand never show his favor again?Is his loving devotion gone forever?Has his promise failed for all time?Has God forgotten to be gracious?Has his anger shut off his compassion?”SelahSo I said, “I am grievedthat the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
I will remember the works of the LORD;yes, I will remember your wonders of old.I will reflect on all you have doneand ponder your mighty deeds.Your way, O God, is holy.What god is so great as our God?You are the God who works wonders;you display your strength among the peoples.With power you redeemed your people,the sons of Jacob and Joseph.SelahThe waters saw you, O God;the waters saw you and swirled;even the depths were shaken.The clouds poured down water;the skies resounded with thunder;your arrows flashed back and forth.Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;the lightning lit up the world;the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,your way through the mighty waters,but your footprints were not to be found.You led your people like a flockby the hand of Moses and Aaron.