Psalm 73:1

Psalm 73:1

The pure in heart

This Psalm begins a new collection of songs, the first eleven of which are credited to Asaph. Aspah led one of David’s three levitical choirs, the other leaders were Heman and Jeduthun (also known as Ethan). These three men represented the three families of the Levites so it could be that the songs were from the Asaph family album and not necessarily all from Asaph himself. 

This Psalm is so typical of us all; when troubles and trials come it is so easy to become self-pitying and to look at how the wicked prosper. The good news is that despite his misgivings, the Psalm-writer keeps faith and realises that if he has the Lord God, he is richer than any of his unrighteous contemporaries. 

 

V1        This is a statement of faith, a pronouncement upon which the rest of the Psalm is based. “If, as the nation of Israel, we have the Lord God with us. If we are pure in heart and seek to serve and follow Him then surely, He will be good to us.” 

Jesus said, in His beatitudes address, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Purity of heart was an ideal pursued by the ancients of Israel and it is a quality that goes hand in hand with following Yeshua. Purity that comes from rejecting the world. Purity that arises from a heart that is not in slavery to sin. Purity that is borne out of suffering and spiritual warfare. Purity that says that knowing God and His ways, are more important than indulging our senses. If we pursue purity, then we should expect to experience the goodness of our God. 

We have commented before that our hearts are at the very centre of our spiritual beings, just as the physical heart is at the centre of our natural beings. If our natural heart beats and pushes blood around the body, we will live. If our spiritual hearts beat and push purity around our spiritual beings, then we are alive! It’s too big a study for this moment but let me encourage you to think about each physical organ in your body and how there is a spiritual counterpart! Think too about the appetites and needs of the body and that these also have a spiritual equivalent. Hallelujah!

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