“Almost Slipping” (Psalm 73:2-3)

Back
in the day when I was a high school band and choir director, I remember walking
in front of the school with my wife Patty when I slipped on some mud that had covered
the sidewalk.  As amazing as it sounds, I
“surfed” across the surface of that mud and earnestly tried to avoid falling in
the mud.  Although it wasn’t graceful and
it certainly wasn’t pretty, I stayed on my feet and we got a good laugh out of
that time when I almost slipped.  I haven’t
always been so fortunate.

Sometimes
life has a way of throwing mud on the sidewalk and we have to trek across
it.  As we slip and slide through these
moments in life, we can have a tough time trying to keep our feet under us.  It can be very difficult staying upright when
the mud is so slippery.  This is the idea
we find ourselves in with Psalm 73:2-3. 

² But as for
me, my feet had almost slipped;

I
had nearly lost my foothold.

³ For I envied
the arrogant

when
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm
73:2-3

The
Hebrew underlying our English word translated “but” in verse 2 provides a
distinct contrast to verse 1.  In the
opening of this Psalm,  Asaph (see blog about this verse) declares His core belief
in the goodness of God Almighty.  The
contrast to God’s goodness is the struggle of us humans when we see the “prosperity of the wicked.”   Asaph’s honesty reaches so far as to say, “I envied the arrogant.” 

With
these confessions, he says he almost loses his way.  Although we have a certain understanding of
why Asaph is struggling, let’s really keep this in its Biblical context.  This was not just your average “religious”
guy.  He was a priest in Israel.  He was a musician and worship leader during
the “glory days” of the nation: the reign of King David.  He knew the Scriptures.  Asaph wasn’t just complaining because he
didn’t understand the truth of God’s Word or because he was ignorant to the
sovereignty of God.  If he was not
Biblically literate, it wouldn’t be such a striking contrast between verse 1 and
these verses.

Asaph
knew the Word of the Lord.  He knew the
truth of Proverbs 3:34 “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and
oppressed.”  He meditated on truths like “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a
fall” (Proverbs 16:18).  He might have even composed a worship song using
expressions like Psalm 1:3-6:

Psalm
1:3–6 (NIV)

³ That person [a righteous person] is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they
do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows
away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners
in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way
of the wicked leads to destruction.

But
this isn’t what is happening around Asaph and so he begins to slip into the
darkness of doubt.  Now let’s be clear,
dear friends, doubt is NOT the same as unbelief.  Doubt means we’re struggling with
something.  Unbelief means we’ve made up
our mind.  Truthfully, “unbelief” means we have hardened our hearts and refuse
to surrender to the Lord.

Yes
he doubts, but Asaph still believes. 
Yes, he confessed a sin by being jealous for the “prosperity of the wicked.”  The word used for “prosperity” is the Hebrew word
(transliterated) “shalom.”  This word, with a wide range of meaning,
refers to “completeness, wholeness, welfare, peace, tranquility, and/or
wealth.”   We also have to note: Asaph
said his feet almost slipped.  He
still believed.  His belief expressed in
verse 1 is still strong: he serves God Almighty.  And He hasn’t changed.

Dear
one, we all feel like this sometimes. 
I’ve never met a single Christian who didn’t struggle through the same
feelings.  Why do those who seem so far
away seem the most fulfilled?  Why do they
seem so happy and well off?  Although
there are no quick answers, I do have a few things to keep in mind (at least,
they help me.)

It’s
okay to almost slip.  Just don’t
slip into mud, all right?