Slices
Prepare
‘In your presence all our fears are washed away’ (Brown and Baloche, © Worship Together 2018). Is this your experience? What is the best way to be assured of his help?
Bible passage
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, ‘How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?’
12 This is what the wicked are like –
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion for ever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Explore
This psalm is the first song in the third book of psalms (73–89). Alister McGrath writes, ‘One of the most important themes to be associated with this collection is that of God’s sovereign rule over his people and the nations, which is seen as the ground of hope in the face of anxiety and uncertainty.’* That could also be a fair description of Esther.
The psalm provides us with a contrast between the way the wicked seem to prosper in their arrogance and the life of ease and wealth they enjoy, with the focus that Asaph (the writer) has on God. He struggles with those people. He ‘almost’ gets into difficulty when his attention is on them (vs 2,3). But then, as he focuses on God’s presence with him, he recognises the uncertainty of their position compared with the refuge and security he finds in the Lord (vs 23–26). This psalm has an exilic focus, and both Haman’s arrogance and Mordecai and Esther’s trust in God are reflected in its words.
Respond
Once when my life was endangered, I concentrated on the psalms. I have never forgotten the intense experience of God’s presence ‘keeping my heart and mind’ (Philippians 4:7). Pray for anyone you know who is struggling, to be utterly conscious of God with them.
Deeper Bible study
‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’1
What a wonderful psalm to turn to in the middle of reading the book of Esther! I am always so grateful to God that Scripture includes records like this, of people who really struggle with the things they see around them. I love it that God allows us to talk to him about our questions and struggles. Jeremiah expresses it perfectly ‘You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?’2 There will surely not be many, if any, believers who haven’t found it difficult to understand why a clearly corrupt politician has not been removed, or why a media mogul is not brought down or why this or that group has had to face such suffering – or we may even have found it hard to cope with why the personal circumstances of our life have been so difficult.
Asaph, who wrote this psalm, was like Jeremiah struggling with the prosperity of those in Israel who were very clearly not living in accord with the Law or the covenant. What is so good is that he shows us that it is OK to speak, both of our difficulties and of a way to move forward. Yes, these problems are real: they exist and they are difficult to understand. However, we must realise that we can’t know the whole picture or see how things are going to work out in the light of eternity. We do know that God is just, righteous and powerful. What we do know is that he is always with us and it is his presence with us that enables us to cope with our struggles and keep moving forward with him.
Verses 26–28 really are worth memorising! If you can’t do that, try reading them aloud every day for the next week!
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 19,20; John 8
Pray for Scripture Union
SU Hong Kong has a new series of youth notes in production aiming to complete a series of 12 volumes in the next 3 years. Please pray for a good response from churches and schools who will be willing to promote systematic Bible reading among young people and for the production of the app version in the future.
