By Marvin Duncan
Psalms 73
One of the most frequently mentioned emotional conditions in our modern day society is mental depression. In talking with others and in letters I receive, I continually hear of depression among those in our society.
With all the material blessings we enjoy today you would think there would be no reason for anyone to be depressed. Surely, we have a much easier life than our grand-parents did. Modern inventions have given us more leisure time and made travel easier and faster than any time in history. Yet, the very abundance of things seems to be the cause of much of the depression plaguing so many people.
The majority of individuals today are driving themselves to the brink of physical and emotional exhaustion, trying to get more of the things this world has to offer. When they fail to achieve their goal of accumulating what they think they must have, they become depressed. As long as their vision continues to be stayed upon the things they don’t have, they will continue to be depressed.
We usually think of the natural man as the one most vulnerable to depression but what about the Christian? Could the Saint of God ever become entangled with the things of this world to the extent that he, too, would become depressed? Sad to say, too often this is the case. To show that it is possible for even the most spiritual of God’s redeemed to have depression, we need only read the account of First Kings 19:1-4. Here we learn of Elijah’s depression and his attitude that resulted from this depressed state. Believers could save themselves much heartache if they would follow the admonition of Colossians 3:2. Paul tells these Saints at Colosse:
“Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2).
Because we live on this earth, we have need of some of the things of this world, but today it has become a religion to some to acquire as many material things as they can. Some even worship the things they possess. The accumulation of things has become an obsession with many. Some Christians have been swept up in this wave of frenzy to possess as much of this world’s goods as they can grasp. This striving for things means these Christians have gotten their eyes off the Spiritual things that are in Heaven and on the things of this earth.
When a Christian fails to obtain the goals of this life often these goals are the same as the unsaved man next door depression sets in. The Saint of God begins to feel his Christianity has become a weight about his neck that is holding him back from getting ahead in this life. This condition is what I call spiritual depression. Have you ever found yourself in this condition? Have ye ever felt the world is passing you by and you can’t do a thing about it? Do you often look at your neighbors and find that you don’t have what they have, or, that you are not able to go and do the things they do? Have you ever felt like “throwing in the towel” and saying, “What’s the use?” If you have, you have experienced the spiritual depression I want us to consider this morning.
If you have ever experienced Spiritual Depression, the message of Psalms 73 has real meaning for you. Let us look at this Psalm and see if we can learn a lesson that will help us in our Christian walk. Psalm 73 has the answer to encourage every Christian who has struggled with any form of Spiritual Depression.
You might be wondering why we should be looking at the Psalms when they were written to Israel and have their application to the kingdom program. There is much we can learn from all the Scriptures because “all scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16). Also, the things that happened to the men of old and were recorded in the Scriptures happened for a purpose and were recorded for our learning (1 Cor. 10:11). Therefore, let us not be afraid to study all the Scriptures in their entirety and learn the lessons that are there for us by way of application. There is much in Psalms 73 that we can apply to ourselves when dealing with Spiritual Depression.
In our study I’d like for us to consider three things in this Psalm. Let us notice the condition of the writer; the contrasts that are made between the writer and the natural man, as well as the conclusion the writer comes to because of the change in his vision and understanding.
The Writer’s Condition
I’m sure that many of us would have to admit that we, too, have felt the same way the writer of this Psalm felt. In fact, when we are in the position the writer is in, we can not help but see these same situations just as he saw them.
Let us begin our study of this Psalm with verse three. Starting at verse three and continuing through the next nine verses, we get the picture of what the writer sees. In as much as the writer is a saint of God, his view of things brings on the spiritual depression he finds himself in. We read in verse three that this believer was “envious” of those around him when he saw their prosperity. He also saw that they were strong and their strength was firm (verse 4). They were not in trouble as the saints of God are, neither were they plagued like the believers are (verse 5). These men are proud of their activities (verse 6) and everything is going their way; they have more than their hearts could wish (verse 7). It’s true, they are corrupt and speak wickedly, even setting their mouth against God. Yet, in spite of all this ,”waters of a full cup are wrung out to them” (verses 8-10). They question God and are ungodly, yet, they prosper in this world and increase in riches (verses 11-12).
As this writer looks at his unsaved neighbors and sees how they prosper in everything they put their hand to, he then looks at himself (verses 14-16) and thinks I have cleansed my heart but all is. in vain for all day long I have been plagued and chastened. If I even think to say some of the things these others say I know I would offend against the children of God and when I think of this, it is too painful for me.
Have you ever felt this way? Doesn’t this pretty much sum up the condition of this world? Have you ever wondered why it is that the unsaved seem to have no problems in this life, while the Christian is plagued with troubles and the trials of this life seem to be a constant companion to the Saints of God? If you have, you are experiencing spiritual depression.
What was the reason for the writer of this Psalm falling into the Spiritual Depression he found himself in? Verse three gives us the answer. He had his eyes upon men – the men of the world. He became envious of what these men had. Envy is covetousness, one of the things God commands His children not to become involved in. Because of this envying, the writer of Psalm 73 became spiritually depressed and found himself in a condition that could have been tragic. We find this tragic condition in verse two. He said, “my feet here almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” He almost fell into following; this worldly way of living. He had almost slipped from the path of righteousness to walking in the way of the world.
The answer to this condition is found in verse 17, “When I went in unto God, then I understood their end.” It is only when he got his eyes off men and. worldly things that he understood the true values for his life.
The Contrasts
This Psalm divides itself perfectly in half with contrasts. Let us notice how wonderfully this Psalm has a contrast for each verse down to the pivotal point of verse 17. In the contrasts of this Psalm we see the true condition of the saint of God and the natural man.
Starting in verse one, we read that God is good to those of a clean heart, but verse 27 tells us that God shall destroy all who are not of a clean heart.
Verse two speaks of how the believer almost fell, but the unbeliever is set in a slippery place and he will fall (verse 18).
The believer was envious of the “foolish” (verse 3), but when he got his eyes adjusted properly, he saw that he was the foolish one (verse 22).
Verse four speaks of the wicked as being strong. His strength is “firm” (in himself). The believer has no strength in himself, but God is his strength (verse 26).
The “foolish” are not troubled (verse 5) but the believer was plagued and chastened every morning (verse 14).
The “foolish” are proud of their actions (verse 6), but God shall despise their actions (verse 20).
The unsaved man has all his heart could wish for in this world (verse 7), but the believer has God. When the believer considers what he has in God, he says, “i desire nothing on this earth” (verse 25).
The unsaved are corrupt (verse 8) but the believer has cleansed his heart (verse 13).
The unsaved speak against God and get a full cup of water (verses 9-10) but if the believer even thought to speak thus, it was too painful for him (verses 15-16).
The unsaved question God (verse 11), but the believer knew it was God who was holding him by his hand (verse 23).
The wicked ones prosper in the riches of this world (verse 12) but the believer drew near to God in order that he might declare God’s works [that he might prosper in the riches of heaven] (verse 28).
The wicked are brought into desolation, utterly consumed with terrors (verse 19), but God will guide the saint and afterward receive him up into glory (verse 24).
The turning point in the experience of this believer is in verse 17. When he went in unto God he understood their end. When he saw their true condition, his |heart was grieved and he was pricked in his reigns (verse 21) because he had desired to be like them.
The Conclusion
The problem the believer in this Psalm had was that he had allowed himself to get his eyes off his Lord and onto the things around him in this world. Every time a saint of God starts looking at the conditions of this world, or the activities going on around him, he will surely fall into a spiritual depression. It is only when we get our eyes fixed upon our Lord that we can compare our position in Christ to their condition in the world. This is what the writer of this Psalm does.
Notice some of the things this writer sees as he gets his eyes focused in the right direction. He saw that it was foolish to be envious of the unsaved man because he is already set in a slippery place and he will fall. Too, the believer has God holding his hand and being his strength. Verse 24 says that God will guide the Saint and afterward receive him up into glory. Why would any Saint of God desire to be like the unsaved when he knows what he has in Christ and what awaits the unsaved? When the Saint of God truly sees what he has in Christ, he will say with the Psalmist, “i desire nothing on this earth” (verse 25). The answer to spiritual depression (and the way to prevent it) is to keep our eyes upon things above, not on things on the earth.