The Lord's Day | 2026 January 25 | Psalm 73:1–28

Introduction: Some brothers and sisters often complain that their environment is not as good as others’. They feel that God has treated them unfairly, or they think that other brothers and sisters in the church are living better lives than they are. But God has something to say. In verses 1 to 2 of this psalm, the psalmist Asaph rejoices that God preserved him and did not allow him to fall. He almost fell because he was not pure in heart, that is, because his inner heart was not clean.

I. Do not fix your eyes on others (verses 3–12).

First, the psalmist first fixes his eyes on the wicked and the arrogant. These people do not keep the law and despise God. In the psalmist’s eyes, they “enjoy great peace.” When they die, they have no pain, and their bodies are full of strength. The wicked do not suffer like ordinary people, nor do they encounter disasters like common men. The wicked prosper in everything. They act with pride and violence, completely disregarding the feelings of others.

Second, the psalmist’s description of the wicked reflects the jealousy in his heart. The wicked are fat in body, with good food, and what they gain is very abundant, even exceeding what he himself desires. Another translation says, “the iniquities of the wicked come from a numb heart.” These people have no conscience and are completely numb to sin. The wicked oppress people, blaspheme God, and slander the whole earth; they carry out their evil rule and their ideas throughout the whole land.

God’s people are continually oppressed under the hands of these wicked people who do not believe in God. The psalmist sees the arrogance of the enemies. In verse 10, there is another translation, which means “his people return to them,” that is to say, the people of these enemies also listen to their lies and drink up all their words. Both translations are possible, and both fit the context.

Third, the wicked openly humiliate the God of Israel, saying that God does not know, that God cannot understand, and that God cannot do anything to them. They commit crimes and do evil, yet their wealth keeps increasing. In the psalmist’s eyes, the wicked always live at ease and their riches keep increasing. This is the picture of the wicked in the psalmist’s eyes. Why does he first mention the situation of the wicked before their death? The psalmist wants to completely deny God’s judgment.

Asaph wants to express this: where is judgment? These wicked people not only enjoy great peace when they die, but they also live that way while they are alive. The wicked and the arrogant, those who reject God and resist God, have no suffering and no disasters. They act arrogantly, speak proudly, and God seems to have no way to deal with them.

Fourth, our hearts become filled with resentment. The resentment in the psalmist’s heart can be seen from his description of the “happiness” of the wicked. If we speak fairly, the wicked do not truly have the happiness that the psalmist describes. God’s judgment sometimes comes upon the wicked already in this life. Because of their own sins, the wicked often live in pain and fear. But the psalmist completely ignores these facts and one-sidedly describes the peace of the wicked. This precisely shows the imbalance in the psalmist’s heart.

II. Do not fix your eyes on yourself (verses 13–14).

First, after seeing the victory of the wicked, the psalmist begins to think that practicing righteousness is useless. Then Asaph begins to pity himself and thinks that he has cleansed his heart in vain and kept God’s law in vain. Why? Because he himself is suffering. He lives every day under God’s discipline. It seems that nothing goes smoothly. Although he does his best to keep the law and not to defile himself, what he receives is shame, grievance, and disasters.

Second, Asaph feels that he is especially wronged. In Asaph’s heart, those who keep the law should be blessed, and those who do not keep the law should be cursed. Is this not what God told His people in Deuteronomy? Why is it completely different in real life? Now it is reversed: those who keep the law are “cursed,” and those who break the law are “blessed.”

Third, he complains about his circumstances. Asaph uses ten verses to describe the blessing of the wicked and only two verses to describe his own innocence. He uses this structure to express his complaint before God.

Fourth, in fact, when our eyes treat earthly material things as blessings, this kind of perspective cannot be changed. Not only was Asaph like this, is it not the same today? God’s people suffer great afflictions because they keep the law, while the wicked, those who do not believe in the Lord and do not rely on God, prosper in everything, run rampant, act lawlessly, and yet receive no punishment at all. Is this not a fact?

III. Fix your eyes on our God (verses 15–24).

First, we must view problems from God’s perspective. In verses 15 to 16, Asaph realizes that there is something wrong with his perspective. He admits that he has encountered a difficult problem, and he also admits that he cannot find an answer within himself. His heart is full of struggle. He knows that his own answer is wrong, but he truly cannot find the correct explanation.

Second, when Asaph turns his eyes to God’s sanctuary and views this situation from the perspective of the sanctuary, he is suddenly set free. The turning point of the whole psalm is in verse 17: “when I entered the sanctuary of God.” What happened when he entered the sanctuary of God?

First, Asaph turns his eyes from this life to eternity. He views this life from the perspective after death and from the perspective of eternity. From the perspective of eternity, these wicked people are placed in slippery places. They will face eternal destruction, fall into eternal desolation, and be pursued forever in terror. All the glory and wealth that they enjoy in this life are nothing but a spring dream. When they wake up from the dream, that is, on the day of death, in God’s eyes they are just like a past image. Compared with eternal suffering, which is more reasonable, a few decades of happiness on earth or eternal pain?

These wicked people think that when a person dies, everything is finished. But the real situation is that as soon as they die, they will experience sudden terror, that is, the judgment of the Lord Jesus. How terrifying this is.

Second, in God’s sanctuary, Asaph begins to truly taste what is good and what is bad. His values change as his worldview shifts. In the sanctuary, Asaph sees God’s glory and the splendor of the sanctuary and understands the value of eternity. In the sanctuary, Asaph tastes that being with the Triune God is truly beautiful, and his spiritual life is greatly revived.

Seeing all this, Asaph begins to sincerely repent. His heart becomes bitter, and his inward parts are pierced. He admits that before God he was ignorant and foolish like the wicked. The correspondence between verse 11 and verse 22 shows that having only this life and no eternity is to be like the beasts. The one who complained that God had no knowledge was actually Asaph himself.

Third, Asaph remembers the grace that he has received before God. Although God’s people have afflictions, is God not still with His people? Does God not often hold his right hand? Does God not often guide him with His counsel so that he may live a holy life? Therefore, Asaph reflects on the three blessings God has given him: God is always with him, God holds his right hand, and God instructs him with His counsel. Thus he truly repents.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, as long as we change our perspective, we will see a completely different picture. If our eyes see only earthly material things, we will not see God’s blessings. On the contrary, when we go beyond material things and look at how God helps us, we will see a picture of God helping us. Therefore, a change of perspective comes from a change of values, that is, deciding what is most important to us on earth. In this life, what is most important is not material abundance, but spiritual nourishment. Asaph no longer thinks about God’s blessings on the material level, but begins to think about God’s grace on the spiritual level. Only after transcending the material level does Asaph begin to think about the spiritual benefits of God’s children.

Although in material life God seems not to give so many blessings, spiritual grace, understanding of God’s word, and God’s guidance have never been lacking. God’s leading and instruction are always with His people.

Fourth, when we come into the true sanctuary, into the Lord Jesus Christ, we are even more thankful. For we were once like the world, dead in destruction, but now, because of this true sanctuary, we can come boldly before the throne of grace.

All blessings come because of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. All blessings come from what God has given us in Christ. Without the shedding and sacrifice of Christ’s blood, we would have no blessings and no change of perspective.

IV. Delight in God forever (verses 25–28).

First, after the change of perspective, Asaph gains a completely new understanding of suffering and blessing. From the perspective of spiritual life, suffering is true blessing, and material abundance is true curse.

Second, Asaph no longer compares himself with earthly wealth and no longer covets earthly blessings. Before God’s eternal glory, Asaph abandons earthly enjoyment and the heavenly glory that he once imagined.

In heaven and on earth, the only true good is to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to know the glory of the Triune God. This glory, the glory of eternal life, is what every created being should long for. There is nothing more attractive to created beings than God’s glory. The good God is our only refuge.

The decay of flesh and heart refers to the decay of my own thoughts and strength. By myself, I cannot overcome in this life. But God is the strength of my heart and the portion of my hope. It is this strength and this hope that support me to walk the rest of my life.

Asaph praises God’s glory.

Asaph clings tightly to God’s provision.

Third, now Asaph says that from the perspective of eternity and from the perspective of the sanctuary, God’s word is true. Those who are far from God must perish. This is true death, eternal death. Those who commit sexual immorality, God will surely destroy. I will draw near to God. When we encounter suffering again, we must hide in God and take God as our refuge, so that in this life we may enjoy the peace and blessing that come from God. This blessing may not be material, but it will surely be spiritual.

And finally, when the final judgment comes, we will be made righteous by God in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fourth, therefore Asaph will proclaim all the works of God, that is, God’s work of choosing people and saving people in Christ, so that more people may rely on Christ and obtain eternal salvation in Christ. Therefore, we must boldly preach the gospel and bear much fruit.

Conclusion: We must fix our eyes on God, so that we may become people who are pure in heart.

Questions:

1. How should we view our circumstances?

2. When God leads us into the sanctuary, what do we see?

3. What benefits do we receive from God in this life?

4. What benefits will we receive after death?

Notes

Has God treated us unfairly?
Do other brothers and sisters seem to be living better lives than I am?
This feeling becomes even stronger when we look at the Gentiles: they seem to do evil, yet live in ease.
Our own lives are difficult—limited income, constant illnesses, one problem after another.

Asaph had the same struggle. Yet he gave thanks that God preserved him, so that he did not stumble because of an impure heart.

Through Psalm 73, we learn how to view our circumstances correctly.

I. Do Not Fix Your Eyes on Others

Asaph observed that the wicked and the sinful appear to enjoy peace, without punishment.
Buddhism often teaches that “evil will surely be repaid with evil,” yet Asaph saw that this was not the case.

The people of the world are strong and healthy while they live; they do not suffer as others do.
They have strength, vigor, and abundance; they eat well.
Even in their death, they seem to experience no pain.

We often think such people should not be allowed to enjoy these things.
They frequently post travel videos and happy moments on social media.
Meanwhile, we work diligently from Monday to Friday, attend study groups on Saturday, and spend the entire day in worship on Sunday.

The wicked do not seem troubled by their conscience; they oppress others freely, while God’s people are oppressed by them.
They openly mock God, believing that He is unable to hold them accountable.
Their wealth increases without disaster, and they speak with arrogance.

Therefore, the psalm reveals that Asaph was deeply envious of them; his heart was full of resentment and unrest.

Yet in reality, we often fail to see that the people of the world do not possess true peace.
A boss may appear impressive and successful on the outside, but inwardly fears financial loss.
More seriously, the people of the world are afraid of death.

We, however, live in grace—yet when we see that others have large houses, cars, and wealth, we begin to question God.
This, in itself, is sin.

II. Do Not Fix Your Eyes on Yourself

At times, we think that we have obeyed God’s law, yet we still encounter hardship.
While preparing for a sermon, our children may be disobedient; meanwhile, the children of those who do not worship God seem to be doing just fine.
What we do and what we receive appear to be out of proportion.

God says, “Be fruitful and multiply,” so we obey and have children—yet after having children, we no longer have time for ourselves.
God commands us to worship on the Lord’s Day, yet our employer may consider dismissing us because of it.
We pursue righteousness, but what we receive in return is the mockery of the world.

Some babies are “high-needs babies,” requiring a great deal of time and constant care.
In some cases, parents are even forced to quit their jobs in order to accompany and care for their children.
When we make such choices, the world mocks us, as if it were precisely because we obey God’s law that we deserve to suffer these hardships.

My wife, Wang Xing, and I welcomed our third child and shared the news on social media.
Some people congratulated us, but others were upset.
One person said, “How could you have another child?”
When you obey God’s law, the world may attack you “without any apparent reason.”

We often equate material gain with being blessed.
We tend to think that whether we are blessed depends on material abundance.
When we view God’s blessing in this way, we inevitably fall into complaint and bitterness.
If material prosperity and physical comfort were truly equivalent to God’s blessing, then Asaph’s complaint would indeed seem entirely reasonable.

III. Fix Your Eyes on Our God

God has also given us His Law. The people of the world keep trying everything, testing what might bring them peace, and in the end they discover hell. Christians, however, do not need to learn by trial and error. We simply walk according to God’s Word, and we will not go wrong. We often want to judge what is good and what is bad, but instead of making judgments ourselves, we are called to listen to God’s Law. When we connect blessing with God’s Law rather than with material possessions, we begin to see what truly matters. Spiritual nourishment is the true blessing. Asaph began to reflect on God’s grace from a spiritual perspective and discovered that what he had received was true peace. God does not necessarily grant Christians abundant material blessings, but when it comes to the knowledge of His Word and spiritual blessings, God has never been stingy toward us. Coming before Christ is the true blessing. Through Jesus Christ, we receive these blessings.

Jesus truly died, and God’s justice was truly fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God; this love was accomplished through the death of Jesus Christ for us. Although we are still tempted to commit spiritual adultery with the world and to make compromises with it, God accepts us in Jesus Christ, even though we have done nothing. In Christ, God’s justice has been fulfilled, and God accepts us solely because of His Son. In the end, God will also give us glory. The hardships, attacks, and mockery we endure because we obey God’s Law are being stored up as a great crown in heaven—this is the great reversal brought about through the cross. Jesus finished His earthly life and now reigns in the highest heaven. We are not “forcing ourselves to endure blessings we do not have,” but rather, because we believe in Jesus, we have truly received eternal life.

IV. Take Delight in God Forever

We are always enjoying the world. When we make money, we immediately start thinking about how to spend it. God shows us that material blessings are not truly blessings; more often, they become curses. Jesus was not proud—He washed the feet of His disciples. Asaph no longer desired earthly blessings, but instead confessed, “Whom have I in heaven but You?” To be restored to fellowship with God and to receive eternal glory is the highest happiness of a created being. God is our only refuge and our hope. Asaph began to cling tightly to God’s provision; God is our eternal Provider, who knows exactly what we need. From an eternal perspective, God’s Word is true: those who slander God will face destruction, but we have a perfect refuge. In this life, there will still be many disasters, yet we remain in God’s refuge—even if we must lose our lives. If war were to come, we would not need to store up gold. The blessings God gives us are spiritual blessings; they are the inheritance of the new heaven and the new earth.

In the end, Asaph proclaims that we no longer fix our eyes on ourselves. God is the One who comforts us in our weakness and brings us into eternity. I have a friend who plays tennis; he felt that his luck was poor and wanted to consult fortune-telling, but I still shared the gospel with him.