Friday, September 4, 2009
Sorry it came late, had to rush back to camp last week. Was kinda busy. Haha.. Anyway, heres last weeks lesson.
To Suffer In Silence.
Remember Asaph from Psalms 73?
Why was he suffering?
Asaph, like most of us today, saw injustices in the world.
He was so bitter against people who didnt deserve the things they had that he wrote:
Psalms 73:4-9
Interpretations
V4: There is no pain in their death, they die full and satisfied, enjoying life to the max.
V5: They aren't troubled or plagued like other people, and are immune to normal difficulties, struggles and troubles.
V6: Their pride and violence are rewarded by wealth.
Asaph was taught to believe that people who rejected God would suffer the consequences of their wrong choice, but as he observed life, it seemed that those who were proud and oppressive were honored and rewarded.
V7: Their abundance is unimaginable
V8&9: Their speech is filled with mockery, pride and arrogance. Not only did they mock the righteous, but also God.
These people felt secure, believing that they had no reason to know God, because they thought that they were protected from the normal pains of life (Verse 4-6), so they assumed they were invulnerable to everything, including the divince. (Verse 11)
Verse 12: Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease, they increase in riches. (Summary of Asaph's view of the wicked from verses 4-9)
This statement made by him affirms his statements, showing his strong emotions regarding the issue.
What Asaph felt --> No wonder he was frustrated! He thought that bad people were prospering and were immune to life's problems. They could even mock God and get away with it.
This caused his confession in verse 3: For I was envious of the boastful, when i saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Look familiar?
But! Being frustrated is one thing.. How he responded to it was another entirely...
Asaph's Doubts! Psalms 73:13:
Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence.
Asaph wondered if his pursuit of living for God had been worthless.
Verse 14: for all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.
He probably had this question on his mind: 1) What do I get out of it?
Asaph was feeling resentful and bitter towards God.
His doubts and envy for others made him ready to give up and desert God.
& just when it seems that all was LOST!!!!?!!!
Verse 15: If I had said," I will speak [thus]," behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your Children.
[ ] = Verses 13-14
He wanted to declare his discontentment with God and his way of handling life. But even as he was about to, something stopped him from doing it. What?
Remember that Asaph was a PnW leader, King David's Chief musician, a songwriter and a prophet. (1 Chronicles 16:5, 25:2, 2 Chronicles 29:30)
What Asaph did was that he looked ahead before abandoning all he had been committed to, and saw the negative impact his choice would have on those around him. He would have caused others to fall away, and would have caused great hurt and disillusionment in the people of God he was responsible for.
We all have a responsibility for others that can provide restraint and self control as we work through our own anger and resentment and sense of betrayal. But we also can share our thoughts with others whom are able to build us up and support us, such as our higher authorities.
So what did Asaph do? He chose another path, and suffered in silence (V16), all the while thinking this: -When will there be answers for my questions?
- When will there be relief from the suffering?
-When will there be justice in the world?
- When will it all make sense?
And this is where the lesson ends. Yeahyeah, i know its a dark place to end at... But its a lot of material ok, gimme a break. You wanna find out the answers, come for CG on the 13th of September! =)
To Be Continued
Joelll, signing off.
To Suffer In Silence.
Remember Asaph from Psalms 73?
Why was he suffering?
Asaph, like most of us today, saw injustices in the world.
He was so bitter against people who didnt deserve the things they had that he wrote:
Psalms 73:4-9
Interpretations
V4: There is no pain in their death, they die full and satisfied, enjoying life to the max.
V5: They aren't troubled or plagued like other people, and are immune to normal difficulties, struggles and troubles.
V6: Their pride and violence are rewarded by wealth.
Asaph was taught to believe that people who rejected God would suffer the consequences of their wrong choice, but as he observed life, it seemed that those who were proud and oppressive were honored and rewarded.
V7: Their abundance is unimaginable
V8&9: Their speech is filled with mockery, pride and arrogance. Not only did they mock the righteous, but also God.
These people felt secure, believing that they had no reason to know God, because they thought that they were protected from the normal pains of life (Verse 4-6), so they assumed they were invulnerable to everything, including the divince. (Verse 11)
Verse 12: Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease, they increase in riches. (Summary of Asaph's view of the wicked from verses 4-9)
This statement made by him affirms his statements, showing his strong emotions regarding the issue.
What Asaph felt --> No wonder he was frustrated! He thought that bad people were prospering and were immune to life's problems. They could even mock God and get away with it.
This caused his confession in verse 3: For I was envious of the boastful, when i saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Look familiar?
But! Being frustrated is one thing.. How he responded to it was another entirely...
Asaph's Doubts! Psalms 73:13:
Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence.
Asaph wondered if his pursuit of living for God had been worthless.
Verse 14: for all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.
He probably had this question on his mind: 1) What do I get out of it?
Asaph was feeling resentful and bitter towards God.
His doubts and envy for others made him ready to give up and desert God.
& just when it seems that all was LOST!!!!?!!!
Verse 15: If I had said," I will speak [thus]," behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your Children.
[ ] = Verses 13-14
He wanted to declare his discontentment with God and his way of handling life. But even as he was about to, something stopped him from doing it. What?
Remember that Asaph was a PnW leader, King David's Chief musician, a songwriter and a prophet. (1 Chronicles 16:5, 25:2, 2 Chronicles 29:30)
What Asaph did was that he looked ahead before abandoning all he had been committed to, and saw the negative impact his choice would have on those around him. He would have caused others to fall away, and would have caused great hurt and disillusionment in the people of God he was responsible for.
We all have a responsibility for others that can provide restraint and self control as we work through our own anger and resentment and sense of betrayal. But we also can share our thoughts with others whom are able to build us up and support us, such as our higher authorities.
So what did Asaph do? He chose another path, and suffered in silence (V16), all the while thinking this: -When will there be answers for my questions?
- When will there be relief from the suffering?
-When will there be justice in the world?
- When will it all make sense?
And this is where the lesson ends. Yeahyeah, i know its a dark place to end at... But its a lot of material ok, gimme a break. You wanna find out the answers, come for CG on the 13th of September! =)
To Be Continued
Joelll, signing off.
what we could have been, 7:39 AM.
