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Day 23

Psalm 73:21a "Thus my heart was grieved..."

Day 23 – Psalm 73

“Thus my heart was grieved…” Psalm 73:21a

A NEW CANDID LOOK AT THE HEART

The psalmist Asaph now looked into his heart candidly. This time round he looked at how he felt with greater understanding.

“Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.”
Psalm 73:21-22

1. The heart and mind

a) The heart felt grief.
b) The mind was angry.

2. Reasons for this state of heart and mind

a) Foolish thoughts were entertained.
b) Ignorance had been allowed to prevail- at least for a while.

3. Remembering the fears and the doubt felt

a) Where there was envy of the wicked (Psalm 73:3).
b) Where there was virtual regret of a life of innocence (Psalm 73:13).
c) Where there was actual pain felt when the psalmist seemed to indulge in self-pity (Psalm 73:16).

4. I was like a beast before You

a) A beast has no acquired knowledge of God (only instincts).
b) A beast cannot speak of a faith-relationship with God.
c) A beast is a lowly creature compared to man who was made in the image of God.
d) This confession was a release of all the pent-up feelings of anger and sorrow directed at God; the anger was now directed to self!