PSALM 73. THE EFFECT OF THE SANCTUARY. "Until I went into the Sanctuary of God, then understood I their end." (Vs.17) This psalm was written by Asaph the seer, or prophet. All Israel used to sing songs written by him and David. Martin Luther said of this psalm, "It is a psalm that instructs us against that great offence and stumbling block concerning which all prophets have complained, that is, the wicked flourish, they enjoy prosperity and increase in abundance, while the godly suffer cold and hunger and are afflicted and spat upon, being despised and condemned." This and the following sixteen psalms compose the third book of psalms. There are two aspect of this particular song. First; before going into the Sanctuary. Then; after going into the Sanctuary. Today, when people doubt the value of going into the sanctuary where God is worshipped, it is of great value to consider the comparisons made in this psalm. To those who say, "Why go to Church?", this psalm is a wonderful answer. Asaph had looked around, had seen what was happening to other people, and his feet had well nigh slipped. So often this happens to us. I is the effect of seeing others seemingly enjoying themselves whilst believers are going through the mill. Asaph had been through this experience where he felt, "What is the use of being good?" Everything in his life was going wrong. So he describes his condition before he went to the sanctuary. He says his steps were slipping. "My feet had almost gone and my steps had well nigh slipped!" He felt that there was no foundation in his faith. With the wicked around him, everything seemed to be so tangible, all was going well for them, and he had nothing to be happy about. Time and time again the enemy of our souls will come and whisper in our ear, "Is it worth while? You are getting nothing out of living right. There's nothing in it for you. Look around you and see those who prosper!". Asaph confesses that he had almost lost his footing over that problem. His stumbling was caused by envy. He was envious of the wicked. Jealous of the Love God showed toward all men, which was proven by His goodness toward all men. Why should God bless the wicked?. Such a question corrodes the soul. Envy is a terrible thing. It is good to thank God for His goodness to us and to all men. He is good to all because He is the God of Love. Asaph specified the things he envied. They were, the prosperity of the wicked, and the way the wicked died with ease. We are often grieved to see the children of God suffer for a long time and then die. We know we have a God who can heal diseases our diseases, or take us home very quickly. Asaph continues his complaint about the wicked, "They are not in trouble as other men are." This phrase 'as other men are' is quite deceptive. It begs the question. What OTHER men are meant?. That is the core of the argument. Asaph felt that there was an invidious distinction. The wicked person's exemption from trouble seemed to last for a long time. He seemed so full of pride, and violence, fatness and loud speaking; always on the top. Then Asaph looked at his own situation in contrast to the wicked. "All day long I have been plagued. They never get into trouble like me. I am chastened every morning, The restraining hand is always there." At one time during my ministry when I travelled frequently to the Continent from Britain, each time I went through Customs, I seemed to be the only person stopped and examined. On no occasion was I breaking the rules. One dear man offered me consolation with these words,"Well I think it must be that you look very much like a villain." How encouraging; but not enlightening. Asaph continued to complain, "All day long I have been touched." He felt a hand upon him every morning and through the day. It is a cause for gratitude when we feel that constraining hand upon us. But Asaph goes on, "I feel I have cleansed my heart in vain and I have washed my hands in innocence without any purpose." In today's vernacular we would say, "What's the use of trying to be good, when the wicked get away with everything?" That is how Asaph kept on thinking until he went into the Sanctuary of God. What a lovely word Sanctuary is. It applies to all the Holy places of God. Your own room where you pray, or the Mighty Cathedral dedicated to His Worship. They are both the sanctuary; and many more places in between in which we meet God. We should GO IN to the Sanctuary as often as we GO IN to the world around us. God's Word is kept in the Sanctuary. There is Vision in the Sanctuary. Truth abides in the Sanctuary. Understanding is born in the Sanctuary. Asaph is positive that it was going into the Sanctuary that brought him an understanding of those things he had observed but had not understood. When he went to the place where the Word of God was kept he found understanding, not an excuse nor an explanation, but an answer from God. In days of old it was in the Sanctuary that God spoke by the Urim and Thumim. Most scholars think that those two words describe the flashing of a holy light upon the gems on High Priest's Breastplate. Twelve jewels inset in his breastplate represented the twelve tribes before God. Those twelve jewels reflected the light of the Glory of God's Presence in a special way. The flashing light signalled a message intelligible to the High Priest. What it signified was that there was Vision in the Sanctuary; there lies the answer to many a problem. If we want to see things as they really are, we have to spend time in the presence of God. He will let you know what He can see. The last time I went to see my son in British Columbia, we went fishing with an Indian brother. The three of us were in a boat in the middle of a large lake. : Look at that fish!", shouted the other two, and I was left seeing nothing. I felt such an idiot. I stood up and gazed and could see nothing. My son grew angry but I still could see nothing. Then the Indian came and stood by my side, pointing to the water behind the boat. "I want you to see what I can see." he said, "Now look along my arm to that shadow in the water behind the boat. Can you see it?" I gazed in the direction he pointed, and told him I could see the shadow. "Now," he said, "Look beyond it!" There is was; the biggest fish I had ever seen. For a moment, there, I saw what he saw. In the Sanctuary, God makes us see what He can see. Maybe it is only the shadow of it; maybe only the promise of it; we cannot see the fullness of it, for e alone sees that. But there is Vision in the Sanctuary, and it is wonderful to come out of God's Presence saying, "I can see it now!" In the Sanctuary there is TRUTH. After 68 years of following the Lord I can affirm that whatever He has said has always been the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. There have been times when it has seems to be unbelievable. Then, your heart cries, "It cannot be Lord!" Yet later you discover that it was just as the Lord had revealed. Asaph said, "Then understood I their end." After he had been in the Sanctuary he understood all those things which puzzled him so much before he went in. How true it is that we fail to find the answer to the world's problems in the worldly sphere. The answer is in the Sanctuary - in the Presence of God. When these vain shadows which puzzle us now have passed away, they will be of no consequence at all. What our critics cynically call, "Pie in the sky when we die!", will be a glorious revelation in the Presence of Almighty God. Copyright (c) 1996, Hedley Palmer. 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