As For Me And My House, We Will Serve The LORD

Psalm 73:2-10,12, ‘But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. This is what the wicked are like – always carefree, they increase in wealth.’ How many of us are envious of the wicked – the liars, cheats, murderers – of the world. Life looks like it is kinder to them, they have the best in and of life. And the world honours and adores them; we aspire to be like them; we worship them. And no matter what evil they do, life seems to be getting even better for them, with no consequences whatsoever. In Psalm 7313, 14 which reads – ‘Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.’ – we see that their following is not limited to the world but believers are also attracted by the allure of their seemingly sweet lives and we become envious and are tempted to take shortcuts and break a few rules so that we can be like them. As believers, we face numerous trials and tribulations, we are persecuted for our faith and suffer from constant spiritual attacks from the enemy so that we may lose hope and give up our faith in God. In ignorance we allow our hearts to be grieved and our spirits embittered. All this seems oppressive, an injustice to us until we enter into the presence of God, until we get a revelation of the mysteries of God, until we see the entire picture and see the end from the beginning, only then does it make sense to us as shown to us in Psalm 73:18-20 and 22-27, ‘Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.’ You see in the end they will spend their eternal life suffering in hell with the fallen angels away from the presence of God; but for who are pure in heart; who are clothed in the righteousness of God through Christ, shall dwell in the presence of God eternally – A gift that God gave because His abounding grace through His Son Jesus, that we receive not because we deserve it but by our faith in Jesus and His completed work at the cross. Therefore, let us choose this – Psalm 73:28, ‘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.’ – living as true believers of our LORD and saviour Jesus Christ.