November 3
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GOD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE PURE
God certainly is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
5 They are not in trouble like other people,
Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
9 They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth. – Psalm 73:1-9
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In this verse, Asaph compares the wicked with the pure. In verse 1, he acknowledges the goodness of God who blesses and favors those who are pure. In verse 2, he confesses that he was tempted to sin and in verse 3 he admits the envy he had over those who were prosperous and proud. In verses 4-5, he continues to admit his jealousy over the seeming conveniences and easy lives these wicked people live. In verse 6-7, he enumerates his observations of the proud people. They show off their arrogance as if it were a jewelry to boast about. In verse 7, he exposes how you can clearly see their lusts of the belly and how they feed so much on their own imagination. In verse 8 Asaph adds on to the character of the wicked. They love to put down and belittle others and put themselves high up on a pedestal. In verse 9, he exposes how they blaspheme God and rebel against all that God represents. It is important to recognize the ways of the wicked, so we can examine our lives and guard against impurities from them.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to stay pure as a believer?