The best treasure, continued

Gold.  Silver.  Gems.

No, wait. 

Health.  Loved ones.  The Bible.

Getting warmer . . . 

We should treasure God above all else. That is what Asaph learned, and it's what he wants us to "get" from this psalm. In the first half of Psalm 73, Asaph almost went off the rails.  The Lord had not given him the things that he "wanted." He wanted enough money to enjoy the good life because he saw the wicked and sinful people enjoying that good life. He couldn't understand at first why all that he'd received since he had begun to keep his heart pure - was pain and trouble! 

But in the second half of the psalm, Asaph reveals that he made a discovery. This discovery made all the difference for him: God Himself is the treasure that we should seek. Earthly treasures will be gone in the twinkling of an eye - they'll be burned up at the moment of death and judgment. But God alone can (and will) satisfy the longings of our hearts, both now and in eternity.

Some believers seek God for the blessings that they wish to receive. They may not have fallen for the prosperity/miracles plans that some tele-evangelists preach, but they still are following the Lord because they are hoping for good things. Perhaps it's a happy family life. Perhaps they wish for cooperative children. Maybe they see a Christian family who appears to have all "their ducks in a row" and they decide to follow God so that they can have that kind of life, too. Maybe they realize it won't be the wealthiest life they can have, but they believe God will shield them from troubles . . . 

Sometimes our troubles increase, instead of decrease. Sometimes our obstacles get larger. Or more numerous.

God wants us to see that He is our treasure. He is sufficient to satisfy the thirsty soul - He's far better than any earthly blessing or treasure!

Asaph tells us that we should treasure God above all else - because He is faithful to us when we fail. That seems kinda counter-intuitive, no?  In human terms, we expect some regrets, perhaps discipline or punishment....at any rate, we expect consequences when we fail. That's not to say that we have no consequences after failures....but they are different. Let's look back at our psalm.

Thus my heart was grieved,

And I was vexed in my mind.

22I was so foolish and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.

23Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

24You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory. (vs 21-24)

Asaph is pointing to the fact that he learned from (God taught him) his failures. God is able to use our failures - many times it's to give us a deeper understanding of our total need to rely upon Him. 

We all, as humans, have too high a view of ourselves. We are often guilty of thinking we can live the Christians life in our own strength. The Lord permits us to learn valued lessons when we fail - one of these is to teach us our absolute need for Him. You see, about the time we start thinking, "Well, I have learned my lesson. I will NEVER fall into that sin again!" 

Look out! That's the time to be extra careful! 

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (I Corinthians 10:12, NIV)

This is a principle that is illustrated multiple times in our Bible! I guess the absolutely clearest example is our old friend, Peter . . . . The Lord could have prevented Peter's abject failure; Satan had gotten permission to "sift him like wheat," and God didn't have to grant that demand. After all, all He had to say was "Begone!" and Satan would have had to flee. But in His wisdom, God knew that this would teach Peter (and us) an extremely painful but necessary lesson. 

It was going to teach Peter that he was not as strong as he thought he was. He had protested loudly (and kinda proudly, if the truth be known) that even if all the others fell away, he would stand firm. (If you want to refresh your memory of this, you can check out Mark 14.)  Peter had to fail. He had to learn not to trust in himself - our lives as believers sometimes include getting knocked off our feet. Why? so that we learn not to trust in ourselves, but totally trust in the Lord.

Peter also learned something about the love of God for us; we'll discuss that part, tomorrow.