The great moral truth contained in Psa. 73 is as directly applicable to the Christian as to the Israelite. In the first fourteen verses of Psa. 73 we have the Spirit of God laying bare the soul and detailing the exercises of a pious man who takes his stand on earth and reasons upon what he sees around himself. And what a sight it is! The people of God have a full cup wrung out to them, while, on the other hand, the wicked triumph and prosper. This seems a riddle to the godly soul. Why does God in His good and wise government allow this? Is He taking cognizance of all that is transpiring?
Then, in the bitterness of his soul, he says to himself. "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency." Psa. 73:13. As if he had said, what is the use, what the value, of practical righteousness? What profit is there in seeking to stem the torrent of wickedness? Such are his thoughts, but there is enough piety left to restrain his feelings, and not to cast a stumbling-block before others by giving expression to these unbelieving thoughts. Such I take to be the meaning of Psa. 73:15. "If I say, I will speak thus: behold, I should offend against the generation of Thy children.”
Now, what is the resource for all this? Change the viewpoint. Now I view things and persons depends very much upon where I view them. Now, the Christian's observatory or viewpoint is the "Sanctuary"- the Lord's immediate presence. There only can a true judgment be formed of all that is passing around us. When we are in God's presence we cannot have false judgments, because if one sees as God sees, then necessarily all is clear. "God is light," and ye are "light in the Lord." 1 John 1:5; Eph. 5:8. Hence, if we take our view in the presence of men and circumstances, and think and speak as we there view things, it must be an utter impossibility to have a divine perception of the value of all that is before us and around us. Here clouds obscure the sun, and mixed motives enter into our thoughts and actions. Beloved, get into the Sanctuary, and then we will learn the eternal and divine issues of good and evil. "Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end." Do you think I can go astray in thought or action if I am in God's sanctuary? Impossible! The presence of God is at once my safety and blessing. Not only do I there learn the solemnly-pronounced judgment of God upon evil and evil men (Psa. 73:17-20), but I learn another lesson, and one of deepening importance in these days. I learn what I and "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee." Psa. 73:22. That is, the "beast" that I am, and one who has been acting without feeling or conscience.
What a wonderful place God's Sanctuary is; what holy lessons are there learned! Confession and humbling before God are the blessed fruits of divine grace working in the soul, and producing a true and righteous judgment of self. It is when the low place is taken before God that I learn a lesson of matchless grace. "Nevertheless I am continually WITH THEE." Psa. 73:23.
If you turn to Psa. 77, you get the value of the "Sanctuary" in another way. There, it is the blessed refuge of a soul troubled by what is found within (Psa. 77:1-9). Beloved in the Lord, you will find it to be for the everlasting blessing of your souls to abide in the Sanctuary. The remedy for evil without and sorrow within is the presence of the Lord; get into it and abide there. "I call to remembrance my song in the night." Psa. 77:6. The remembrance of past songs won't give present relief. Yesterday's manna won't do for today's feeding; you must gather it fresh every morning (Ex. 16:19-21). Again, you have self-judgment -"And I said, This is my infirmity.” Psa. 77:10. I am sure it is a great mercy that God exercises the hearts of His people. He would have us walk in habitual self-judgment. The more thorough and unsparing we are in this holy and wholesome exercise, although naturally unwelcome, the less fuel there will be for the fire (1 Cor. 3:13), and less work for the judgment-seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10).
Now the soul turns from all that is within to God, "I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember Thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings." Psa. 77:10-12. No remembrance of past favors and of midnight songs is in these beautiful verses. No, God and His works and doings are alone the strength and blessing of the soul.
“Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary." Psa. 77:13. Precious truth. But there are also ways not traceable-there are depths we cannot fathom. For example, can you understand why God put His hand upon your suffering child? Or why He stripped you of everything, and left you nothing to lean upon save His blessed self? Even the very gourd which His mercy prepared as a shelter for Jonah from the burning sun of affliction-He prepared His worm to smite, and it also withered. I might say, why all this? Beloved, God wants you all for Himself. There are divine ways and divine dealings which one cannot comprehend. "Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps arc not known." Psa. 77:19. If you cannot see and cannot understand God's ways with you, at least you can have confidence in His unchanging love. Surely there is all the more need for the sorrowing hand to take a Father's hand and trust a Father's heart.
His wisdom ever waketh;
His sight is never dim;
He knows the way He taketh,
and I will walk with Him.
Believers Almanac 1877