What did you get for Christmas yesterday? What did Santa bring you? Did you get the wrong thing? Chuck Swindoll talks about the kid that desperately wanted a basketball for Christmas. He said, "I dropped all kinds of hints. I made false phone calls to my mother in another voice, telling her that her son really ought to have a basketball. I found the cheapest prices. I dropped those on the breakfast table. You know, all those things. And finally there appeared under the Christmas tree a box, looking just the size of a basketball. Whew! I could just feel myself making shots with it. Christmas Day came. I tore into that thing! And it was a world globe! Have you ever tried to dribble a world globe? I mean, you can’t even inflate the dumb thing."

Did any of you get the wrong thing? Well you can always exchange it tomorrow. Swindoll wrote a little poem that describes what today is like, the day after Christmas.

Twas the day after Christmas

When all through the place

There were arguments and depression

Even Mom had a long face.

The stockings hung empty

And the house was a mess;

The new clothes didn’t fit

And Dad was under stress

The family was irritable,

And the children – no one could please

Because the instructions for the swing set

Were written in Chinese!

‘Twas the day AFTER Christmas –

The spirit of joy had disappeared;

The only hope on the horizon

Was twelve bowl games the first day of the New Year!

We are studying a Psalm today that describes a similar situation – a situation where what one receives seems to be the wrong thing. The writer, Asaph, is discontent because his gifts are different than those that others have been given. Others seem to have the right gifts, and he wonders why.

I want us to follow Asaph as he works his way through this issue, because I think that all of us go through the same questions at times. And maybe the problem increases in size during the Christmas season. That’s why I am talking about it today.

December is a difficult month. Murder reaches its highest peak in December. And the same is true for other crimes. And if the statistics follow other years, more people will die in automobile accidents on Christmas day than on any other day of the year! Christmas seems to depress as many people as it makes happy. That’s similar to the kind of frustration Asaph is working through. I see six steps in his thinking.

I. The PROPOSITION is clear - God is good – "Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart." Here’s what we know. We all know and admit this proposition. The statement is emphatic, "Truely" God IS good to Israel. The writer is confident; the testimony of Scripture is clear, GOD IS GOOD TO ISRAEL – Amen and Amen!!

And then the writer adds in verse 1, "to such as are pure in heart." "To such" means "particularly to such," or "especially to such as are pure in heart." Even those with zero interest in God, those whose heart is as hard as a rock, experience the goodness of God. They get sun, and rain, and oxygen and health, and many other common blessings. But God is especially good to those who are of a clean heart. We say it, we sing it, we often times believe it.

But what happens when I can't see His goodness in my circumstances? When others have enjoyable Christmases and I have broken my wrist and my ankle? Or have been in the hospital for several days? Or when I am so miserable that I don’t feel like celebrating anything? How do I know, how do I believe the reality of the proposition?

II. The PROBLEM – the proposition doesn’t fit reality – "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked." When testing this proposition in real time, the Psalmist comes up with significant problems. He says, "it doesn’t fit what I see around me. And I (instead of being excited by the proposition) became envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Here’s the problem – LIFE DOESN’T LOOK THE WAY GOD SAYS IT IS.

The phrase, "as for me" in verse two is emphatic. This is Asaph’s personal testimony. It’s as if he says, "I understand the proposition, but I have difficulty trusting it when I look at life around me. In fact, I have had so much difficulty that my feet had almost stumbled and my steps had nearly slipped." The reality of life around him put his spiritual feet on ice. He was wavering on the PROPOSITION (that God is good), because of what he saw, and he was actually in danger of turning away from God.

He entertained serious doubts over God's goodness. In fact he admits in verse three to being "envious" of those living in sin. Envy itself is bad enough. But his envy was over something ridiculous – the "boastful," of all people. The word "boastful" is the word "foolish;" foolish as in mentally unbalanced. The word describes wicked people as almost mad because of their pride and infatuation.

Asaph was watching the "prosperity" of the wicked, the outward, visible, beautiful part of their lives. He was reading People Magazine, he was watching Entertainment Tonight, and Access Hollywood, and as he saw the pictures of the smiling people in their best finery, he became envious of life in that lane. And then, as we all do, he would compare his life with theirs, and find an enormous contrast. Then he would ask, "so what does the Bible mean when it says, ‘God is good?’"

The question Asaph asked is age-old; "why do good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people?" That leads to a further question: "What’s the value of righteousness if it doesn’t pay anything? If it doesn’t pay even as much as wickedness pays? What is the use of being good? Does it really accomplish anything?"

Have you ever been there – asking Asaph’s question? "Why should I serve Jesus Christ when the benefits seem so minimal?" "How can I trust the Bible when it doesn’t seem to fit what life actually comes out to be in real time?" "How does the glorious language God is using relate to the daily grind in which I live?" "Why such a huge contrast between life as presented in the Bible and life as presented on Crain highway and at Bowie Senior High School, and on channel 50 of TV?"

The Bible speaks of God’s goodness and blessing on us, and uses these big and inclusive terms like ALL and EVERY and WHOSOEVER. Ephesians, for example, says, God has blessed us with EVERY Spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. But what does that mean in practical every day life? Does that mean I get a "get out of jail free" card? Or a "get out of the hospital free" card? Or a "get out of a sickness" card? Asaph says, "when I compare God’s promises of goodness to Israel and life as I live it, I can’t see the goodness part. In fact the opposite seems more true." Asaph’s conclusion from life appears in verses 12-14: Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. 13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.

III. The PEOPLE who cause the problem – CERTAIN LIFESTYLES ENCOURAGE ENVY (4-12). The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who follow God and those who don’t. You can see it in Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, etc. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water." And then the contrast: "The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away." That passage claims that the godly are heavy-duty, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, and the ungodly are lightweights, like chaff that blows away. That description seems to fit when we see the ungodly as criminals or terrorists. But when we look over at the "ungodly" in our office, with his Lexus, and sun tanned face from his latest 3 week vacation to Tahiti, we are tempted to say, "that’s chaff?" "Give me more chaff in my life!"

That’s what Asaph is doing – studying the "chaff" a little more closely.

A. They have EASE that believers don't seem to have (4): "There are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm." All through history people have concluded that an easy death is an indication of the blessing of God. "George Burns who can live to 101 and puff his cigars every day must be blessed of God." These people seem to experience no pain, and their strength is solid even to the end of their lives. "And as a believer, my arthritis is kicking in at the ripe old age of 42 and somehow I feel more tired and weaker every day."

B. They have FREEDOM that believers don't seem to have (5): "They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued as other men." For some reason they seem relatively free from heartaches and woes of normal humans. They seem to cruise through life unmarked.

C. They enjoy SUCCESS that believers rarely seem to have (6): "pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment." They experience such success that their pride stands out like a necklace. They don’t have to hide their pride, they wear it. Some people wear crosses around their neck; they wear a big "I."

The word "violence" speaks of their power, their ability to do and get what they want. They have an ability to disregard the rights of others and do their own thing and get their way no matter what. Who wouldn’t be envious of that ability?

D. They enjoy all the BLESSINGS of life (7): "Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish." They are so full that their eyes bulge. Talk about Christmas presents! They experience Christmas beyond anyone’s dreams.

E. They enjoy BIG MOUTHS (8): "They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily." They seem to be able to say anything and people take it as the truth. When they scoff at something, all the ratings go down on that item.

They talk God down and get away with it (9): "They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth." It’s as if God Almighty in heaven were speaking when they say a word (as if E. F. Hutton is speaking)! Like Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?" "Tell me, for crying out loud who this is that says I should obey His voice" (Exodus 5:2)?

F. They have POWER (10): "Therefore his people return here, And waters of a full cup are drained by them." God’s people return because they are drained. "Waters of a full cup are wrung out of them," meaning that they are drained dry by these powerful people.

G. Their REASONING seems to be valid (11): And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?" They seem to MOCK God and get away with it. They question God’s intelligence. They suggest that He doesn’t know what He is doing. And what doesn’t happen to them seems to indicate a flaw in God’s knowledge. Like the Atheist who said, "if there is a God, I defy Him to strike me down in 60 seconds." He stands there counting off 60 seconds, while everyone else wonders if lightning will strike him from heaven. After the time is over, he says, "see, there is no God ruling this world; I defied Him and am still alive."

A young Christian watched one of these guys one day, and responded after the 60 seconds were over, "and what makes you so positive that you can exhaust the patience of my God in 60 seconds?"

H. They have it all (12): "Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. " Here is Asaph’s summary statement. They have limitless vacations. Their stock portfolio is always increasing. They have it all.

IV. The Question – "am I wasting my breath?" (12-14). "Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches. 13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning."

Here are the conclusions to which his contemplation leads: (1) Look at the ungodly! They are always at ease and they get richer by the moment. (2) When I compare my life with their’s the contrast is enormous – all day long I have been plagued and daily I experience chastening from God. And (3) that contrast makes me wonder if I have cleansed my heart in vain. Is the effort to serve God worth it?

Why does the businessman who cheats his customers, and makes unethical deals, drive a new Mercedes? Why does the man who has been cheating on his wife for years have such nice children, and no one ever gets sick in his family?

These were the questions that had made Asaph unstable. These were the thoughts that put his feet on ice. These thoughts have made many Christians unstable over the years, by encouraging them to question whether it is all worth it.

The same question was floating around in the book of Job as he was arguing the reason for his pain. "It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God" (34:9).

Has anyone here ever asked this question? Any of you ever visited Asaph’s house? Studied in his office? Had a cup of coffee with him? I think we all are tempted to follow this line of thinking, at one time or another.

V. The ANSWER – God alone can help us understand His ways (15-20). At this point you have two choices – trust your instincts and what is apparent around you and base your life on what you see – OR go back to God with the problem. Asaph said, If I had said, "I will speak thus," Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. 16 When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me -- 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.

A. In His presence we can see their END (15-17). Trying to understand the answer to the question was painful UNTIL he entered the sanctuary of God. The sanctuary was the place of God’s presence, the place of communion, the place where God speaks and we listen. When he entered God’s presence, then the answer was revealed. And it came by observing "their end."

There are some problems in life that cannot be solved by just thinking about them. Logical processes do not answer issues that question the fairness of God, that make us wonder how He rules His universe. Why? Because logical processes don’t have enough data. Asaph said, "the logic of the matter was just too painful to track down." Spurgeon once said, "There are chambers (of life) which the key of reason will not open." Some things cannot be answered, except by God Himself, in His presence. And the interesting thing, as Job found out, is that some things, in His presence do not have to be answered!

For Asaph, it was only in the presence of God that he began to see the end. It was the end that clarified everything. What couldn’t be seen by their outward life, by what one could see, was their end. The rich and famous can smile and wear $5k outfits, and attend all the happy parties with all the other important people, but that says nothing about how their life ends. The end tells the real story.

In addition, what can’t be seen about them is what is going on INSIDE. So often the outward smile is a mask covering the inward pain. And the outward smile gives no indication as to how well they are dealing with the pain on the inside. IF ALL YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU CAN SEE, YOU WILL MISUNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.

Thomas Jones was walking in Hyde Park one day and saw a piece of paper in the grass. Upon picking up, he could tell it was part of a letter, but it had no beginning or ending, and he could make nothing of it. He then said, "such is providence. You cannot see beginning or end, only a part. When you can see the whole, then the mystery will be unveiled" (Spurgeon, 263). Deuteronomy 32:29 "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end."

B. In His presence we can see His work (18-20) – Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. 20 As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

Here is the truth about them:

1. They have no foundation apart from God (18) – "You have SET them in slippery places." They are not only walking on ice, they are living on ice; their houses are built on ice. Even though their lives look absolutely solid, their feet will someday leave them in a split second and they will be down. They have nothing on which to base wise choices, and the guidance in their lives is smoke and vapor. The day will come when they will make some crucial choice and it will be crazy.

2. Their future is slippery (19) – "Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors." The reality of life points them in a "down" direction. There is fear over the future. Do you remember life without Jesus Christ when there was this underlying fear that no matter how good things went, you knew it was going to turn out badly? Whether they feel it or not, the future is totally unpredictable.

3. Reality is distorted (20) – "As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image." Life to them seems to communicate that God is asleep. Things may seem to be a beautiful dream, but suddenly the alarm will jolt them out of this, and it will be all gone. The dream is the nice thing. The reality to which they wake up is the nightmare. Having all this money and popularity and being able to do what they want to is a DREAM, not REALITY. It is not where life is lived.

No foundation, slippery future, distorted reality. This is the truthful picture of the "foolish" people Asaph was envying. They are just skating around, they are not building anything long lasting, and when they are awakened and brought back to life as it is lived from Monday to Friday by believers, they will find a nightmare.

Do we need any examples here, examples of people who seem to have everything and yet have nothing? Take the case of athletes leaving college or professional sport coming back to "normal" life. They often need counseling to help them make the transition. Out of 330 male athletes in a study reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 151 said they had experienced loss, regret, disappointment, or sadness. "The biggest transition was in going from being a glory boy to being just another person" wrote one respondent (from Chronicle of Higher Education from the 80s sometime).

Take the case of winners of large amounts of money. How do they fare? How about $16 million? Would that be enough to help you be happy and successful? William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security. "I wish it never happened. It was totally a nightmare," says Post. He eventually declared bankruptcy. Now he lives quietly on $450 a month and food stamps. "I'm tired, I'm over 65 years old, and I just had a serious operation for a heart aneurysm. Lotteries don't mean [anything] to me," says Post.

Evelyn Adams won the New Jersey lottery not just once but twice (1985, 1986) to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer. "I won the American dream but I lost it, too. It was a very hard fall. It's called rock bottom," says Adams.

Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. Within five years he had filed for bankruptcy. Now he’s back at work as a machinist.

Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million in 1989. Two years later he was broke and charged with murder.

Janite Lee won $18 million in 1993. Eight years after winning, Lee filed for bankruptcy with only $700 left in two bank accounts and no cash on hand.

Story after story of money, fame, and disaster. Willie Nelson, the country singer, had it all. In November 1990, the IRS raided his home in Texas and seized everything – including his 44-acre home, gold records and his children's bronzed baby shoes. Michael Jackson has an unpaid $200 million debt, according to a California lawsuit. Actor Burt Reynolds declared bankruptcy in 1996, citing more than $8 million in debts.

VI. THE RESPONSE – what do you do when you realize the truth? (21-28).

A. ‘I am stupid" – Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.

Asaph was embarrassed over his ignorance (21-22) and realized that he was thinking like an animal (that has no future--thinks only of the moment). And he admitted it. That is why he wrote Psalm 73.

How do you get free from Asaph’s kind of thinking? ADMIT IT. Confess your sin out loud. To think that way is absolutely stupid. How unbelievably blessed we are – to be able to live in peace, and prosperity, to not go to bed hungry, to have a bed in which to sleep, and to be able to sleep without fear of being invaded by thieves and robbers. All of this (and much more), is the blessing of God that we often ignore.

B. "I have no One else to turn to" – Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. 24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

The fact of the matter is that our true hope in life is very limited. "Whom have I in heaven but You?" Asaph is beginning to realize that when he turns against God, he is turning against his only hope! Where will he go when he decides God is not good? To Satan? Are you going to turn to Satan? What is he going to give you? Are you going to turn to your pagan friends? What do they have to offer? They are in pain, and sin, and degradation. Are you going to turn to yourself? What do you have to offer? That’s what you were saved from when you came to Christ. Where else can you go? ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE! The notion of turning away from God is ridiculous!

The joy I have today came from Jesus Christ. It was the Word of God that rescued me from my degradation and sin. Now I am going to go somewhere else? A ridiculous thought! THINK ABOUT THE REALITY OF YOUR TRUE OPTIONS when you decide to check out on God.

C. "I will draw near to You" – and get busy pursuing God instead of worrying about what everyone else has – 26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD (not in what I see), That I may declare all Your works.

What do I need? More things? Why? I have already been blessed with ALL spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. What do I need? I need to EXPERIENCE GOD'S PRESENCE. The reason why these fits of depression arise is because we are daydreaming about the others and not daydreaming about the Glorious One! We think about what we can see rather than focusing on the unseen GLORY.

When we dream after the rich and famous WE ARE STUPID!!!!!

This past Monday we saw another step in the sad saga of Jack Whittaker, who I have mentioned twice in the past two months. He won the richest undivided lottery jackpot in US history – $314 million two years ago today, I think. How do you look at Jack? It depends on whether you look at him on December 26, 2002 after he won the lottery and enthusiastically picked up his check, or whether you look at him today. There is a huge difference. In 2002 he was talking about the money he was going to give to his church and charities and bless the poor of the world. Two years later there are a string of tragedies in his life – robberies, arrests for drunken driving and threatening a bartender, an 18 year old male found dead in his house, and the latest tragedy occurred this past Monday as his granddaughter, Brandi, the light of his life, was found dead. He wanted to bless her with his blessings, and instead he cursed her with his curse.

The difference between the beginning and the end is unbelievable. The understanding of that contrast can only be found in the presence of God. God enables us to look at these people, not with envy, but sympathy. We begin to understand the dark side of possessions, the dark side of popularity and power and prestige. And we begin to realize the blessing of the daily grind that God has given to us.

Here’s the bottom line – If we could get the right attitude and realize how good we have it RIGHT NOW in Jesus Christ, all that other trash would become what it ought to be – trash! "Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content."

What helps you live for God today is to think about what you would like people to say about you at your funeral. Your children are going to get up. What are they going to say at your funeral? The people you work with, and go to school with, your neighbors, what are they going to say about you? What would you LIKE for them to say? Live that way today.

12/26/04, BBC am

PSALM73.MEF, 01/22/05