BOOK III – CHAPTERS 73-89
Book III begins with a series of 11 psalms that carry the name of Asaph (Psalms 73-83). We were first introduced to Asaph in Psalm 50. If you remember, he was one of the prophets (along with Heman and Jeduthun) appointed to conduct music in the temple – the Choirmaster, if you will. Like David, he was a musician, poet and prophet. The use of Asaph's name as author can indicate authorship of Asaph, himself or one of his descendants.
Most of Asaph's songs focus on desperate times and tend to combine praise and pleas to God with prophetic warnings to Israel. You will notice a couple of recurrent themes in his writings: 1) Exodus from Egypt, 2) God as a Shepherd and 3) God's delayed rescue seen as rejection.
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(Psalm of Asaph)
This is a Wisdom Psalm and is considered a companion to Psalm 49. Asaph ponders the age-old question of “Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?” Asaph finds out that an eternal perspective brings clarity.
VERSES 1-14: LIFE AIN'T FAIR!
Vs. 1 – Even though Asaph is eaten up with jealousy and bitterness, he begins this psalm with a righteous conclusion; “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”
Vs. 2-3 – What caused Asaph's feet to almost stumble? ENVY.
“It is a pitiful thing that an heir of heaven should have to confess ‘I was envious,’ but worse still that he should have to put it, ‘I was envious at the foolish.’” (Charles Spurgeon)
Vs. 4; 7
– Being fat was a sign of prosperity in Biblical times – only the
wealthy had plenty of food to eat. Cholesterol be danged!
Vs. 12 – Asaph did not envy the characteristics of the rich and famous, but he envied their seemingly carefree, unrestricted and privileged lifestyle.
💛NUGGET: Envy is valuing the gifts more than The Giver.
Vs. 13-16 – The psalmist comes to the conclusion that trying to live a righteous life is a hopeless waste of time.
Vs. 17 – But then... Asaph went to church. And there in the sanctuary he found a new perspective. One commentator interpreted “the sanctuary” as literally meaning God's Word, since that is where the Torah was kept. Whether or not that is the case, we can certainly glean perspective from His Word. To understand His ways, we must study His Word and discern the teaching of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-13).
Vs. 21-22 – Asaph had to draw near to God to receive understanding. Before that, he was blinded by bitterness; afterward, he saw clearly and with discernment. Asaph realized that God was not the problem, he was.
Vs. 23 – “Nevertheless” - Asaph stayed close to the Lord... not because of his grip on God, but because of God’s strong grip on him...
Vs.
25-26 – This is the pinnacle of salvation, to be able to say:
“God, I need nothing but You”. When Asaph realized that God was
the treasure above all and for all eternity, he no longer envied the
short-lived prosperity of the wicked.
💛NUGGET: In verse 26, Asaph declared God the strength of his heart. The word used for “strength” in this verse is literally “rock”. In verse 28, Asaph made God his refuge. God is the Rock of Ages... let us find refuge in Him.
VIDEO: "Rock of Ages"
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PSALM 74 – “SIGNS”
(Maskil of Asaph)
This is a Community Lament Psalm, a cry of anguish over the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Most commentators place the psalm after the Babylonian invasion. However, during the time of Asaph and David, the temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built. Therefore, Asaph either:
- Composed this psalm prophetically
- Was referring to the tabernacle in Shiloh (1 Samuel 4)
- “Asaph” refers to a descendant of the original Choirmaster
VERSES
1-11: WHY???
Vs. 1 – “The sheep of Your pasture”: God as the Good Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 23:1).
Vs. 1 – “The sheep of Your pasture”: God as the Good Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 23:1).
Vs. 3-8 – Details of the destruction of the sanctuary. The enemy chopped up the beautiful carved wood in the sanctuary and set fire to the building. They set up their pagan emblems as “signs.”
Vs. 9 – A play on word with “signs”: While the Israelites grieved over the pagan “signs' in the sanctuary, they could no longer see “signs” from God. There were no prophets to share God's words and warnings (Ezekiel 3:26). God refused to speak to His people. Have you ever called someone who was so angry with you that they wouldn't even answer the phone? Or even worse, they answered, but there's nothing but silence on the other end. They're there... you can hear them breathing but they REFUSE TO TALK TO YOU.
VERSES 12-23: GOD IS GOOD
Vs. 12-17 – Asaph doesn't refer to God as just “King”, but “my King”. He recalls God's mighty deeds from the past. Some commentators find more of a connection to creation (day/night/moon/sun) in these verses, rather than the events of the Exodus (dividing the sea). [“Leviathan” is often depicted as a symbol of chaos or of Egypt's power.]
Vs. 19 - “Your dove” refers to Israel.
Vs. 20 - “Consider the covenant”... Israel's hope was in God's promise.
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PSALM
75 – “CUP OF JUDGMENT”
(Praise Psalm of Asaph)
[This is the final of the “Do Not Destroy” psalms, a tune that was also used in Psalms 57, 58 and 59.]
Psalm 75 is a community hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God.
Vs. 1 – “Your Name is near”: God's name is synonymous with His presence. The Lord was present among His people.
Vs. 2-5 – God is speaking here, declaring that He will judge the earth at His appointed time and He will do it in a fair and upright manner. The kingdom that He establishes will be unshakable.
💛NUGGET: “Stiff neck” (vs. 5): This figure of speech was taken from ancient farmers who called their oxen and cattle "stiff-necked" when they resisted the yoke. God cautioned the arrogant ones not to resist Him in the same manner.
Vs. 8 – The cup in the Lord's hand represented His bitter cup of judgment being forced upon the wicked.
Vs. 9 – “I will tell about Him forever”...
Vs. 10 – “Horns” refers to strength. The wicked will become weak, but the righteous will be strengthened and exalted by God.
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PSALM 76 – “WARRIOR JUDGE”
(Psalm of Asaph)
This psalm celebrates a great victory from God. Many connect it with Israel's defeat of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:36), which would attribute the authorship to a later descendant of Asaph.
VERSES 1-6: THE DIVINE WARRIOR
Vs. 1 – “Judah and Israel” refers to all 12 tribes. God is known... He has revealed Himself to them.
Vs. 2 – “Salem and Zion” refer to Jerusalem.
💛NUGGET: “The Pilgrims also loved this psalm, and it was from verse 2 that they derived the name of one of the very first settlements in the New World: Salem, Massachusetts.” (Boice)
Vs. 4 – The psalmist addressed God directly in this verse.
VERSES 7-12: MIGHTY JUDGE
Vs. 7-8 – God is to be feared with a “reverential fear” that comes from a secure place of trusting His righteous judgment.
💛NUGGET: Peace comes with submission to God.
Vs. 10 – “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You.” Seems like a bit like an oxymoron: wrath that causes praise. But it's true; God uses the wrath of the wicked to reveal His Glory. This was best proven by the religious leaders who were filled with wrath against Jesus. God used their wrath against His Son to reveal the Glory of our risen Savior.
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PSALM 77 – “REMEMBER HIS WORKS”
(Psalm of Asaph)
The superscription reads “according to Jeduthun”, who appeared in Psalms 39 and 62. He was a colleague of Asaph, also one of David's chief musicians. Many interpret the superscript to mean that Asaph wrote this psalm for Jeduthun. It is a Lament Psalm for a community of people crying out to a silent God in their time of need.
“The message of this psalm is that to brood on sorrow is to be broken and disheartened, while to see God is to sing on the darkest day. Once we come to know that our years are of His right hand, there is light everywhere.” (G. Campbell Morgan)
Vs. 1 – The song begins with an intense longing for God.
Vs. 7-9
– The psalmist asks six searching questions in series of parallels:
- Will the Lord reject us forever?
- Will He never show us favor again?
- Has His faithful love (chesed/ hesed) ceased forever?
- Has His promise failed for future generations?
- Has God forgotten to be gracious?
- Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?
(These questions led the psalmist to find confidence in God's faithfulness.)
Vs. 11-12 – Asaph outlines a three-step process to overcome anguish and grief:
- REMEMBER the works of the Lord
- MEDITATE on all the Lord's work
- TALK of the Lord's deeds
Vs.
13-15 – The remembrance of God’s deeds brings Asaph to worship.
A hymn immediately follows the lament. “Who is as great as our
God?”
Vs. 16-18 – In his joyful reflection, Asaph tells of nature exploding into a violent storm in response to God's presence. If this is referring to Israel's Exodus through the Red Sea, such a storm is not recorded in Exodus 14. But surprisingly, the ancient Jewish historian Josephus tells of a mighty storm in his account:
“As soon as ever the whole Egyptian army was within it, the sea flowed to its own place, and came down with a torrent raised by storms of wind and encompassed the Egyptians. Showers of rain also came down from the sky, and dreadful thunders and lightning, with flashes of fire. Thunder-bolts also were darted upon them; nor was there anything which used to be sent by God upon men, as indications of his wrath, which did not happen at this time; for a dark and dismal night oppressed them. And thus did all these men perish, so that there was not one man left to be a messenger of this calamity to the rest of the Egyptians.” (The Antiquity of the Jews)
Vs.
19-20 – Continuing with the miraculous Red Sea
Rescue, the psalmist mentions that God's invisible footprints led
Pharaoh's army into a watery grave. But God led his people to
safety, like a Shepherd leads His sheep.
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READING FOR TOMORROW: Chapters 78-82
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