Psalm 73:1-2 (NIV)
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
Asaph was a Levite. He was a musician and led worship during the reigns of King David and King Solomon. He was a poet and a prophet and, of course, a writer; the author of 12 psalms (50, 73-83). In the passage above he acknowledges that God is good, and indeed He is. But he also had the courage to write that he almost slipped; that he nearly lost his foothold.
Centuries later we read about Asaph and discover that he was a man who is just like us. Jesus once said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7, NASB). If we were in that crowd that Jesus was speaking to, we may have been the first to walk away for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We have this in common with Asaph the psalmist.
Gal. 5:19-21 lists many acts of the sinful nature. Envy is one of them (verse 21). Asaph had already sinned by having envy for the arrogant (Ps. 73:3). Yet, at the same time, he states many traits the arrogant had that does not equate with a Godly lifestyle. The arrogant, according to Asaph, wore pride as their necklace and clothed themselves with violence (Ps. 73:6). They had callous hearts and the evil conceits of their minds had no limits (Ps. 73:7). They scoff and speak with malice (Ps. 73:8). In disgrace the arrogant say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” (Ps. 73:11). This is who Asaph envied!
Jesus spoke to His disciples as he taught them how to pray, saying, “And lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13, Luke 11:4). Jesus knew all too well the dangers of temptation when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12, Luke 4:1-13). In His wisdom, Jesus knew temptation can lead to sin, so he prayed we would never face it. It appears that Asaph had failed the temptation test as he already had envy. It also seems as though he was one step away from a dire situation as he writes, “I had nearly lost my foothold” (Ps. 73:2).
Have you ever had a similar Asaph experience; tempted to the point where you were one step away from disaster? These are the times we must resist and flee the devil (Jas. 4:7). These are times we must run to God who is our refuge; an ever-present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1). In times like this it would behoove us to be alert and self-controlled (1 Thess. 5:6) and to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Hopefully, times like this will cause us to cry out to God for help. They may also provide a future testimony about our victory in Jesus (1 Cor. 15:57)! Like Asaph, it is wise to acknowledge our near disasters. In doing so, we can make corrections and walk more in step with God.
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