Psa 73:14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
All the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning
Read this in context…
Psa 73:1-14 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
This is a man of God who in witnessing the prosperity of the wicked, is very troubled. Like many of us we come face to face with the reality that fudging the truth, skimming off the top, harmless deceptions, little bitty lies, all of those will bring more prosperity than remaining true to the truth, to God.
We are told all the time there is no harm in the small evils that really don't hurt anyone and besides those who are being deceived deserve to be deceived because they are evil any way.
We justify our own evils but in truth they CANNOT be justified, not ever. Sinning can NEVER be justified. The tiniest of sins is just as deadly as the biggest of sins. Though you'll get a bunch of people in an uproar if you dare to say that a mass murderer is worthy of death just as the man who coveted his neighbors wife. Sin has wages and the wages of all sin are DEATH. When we sin we separate ourselves from God and we cannot live eternally, not ever, not without God. We need to atone for our sins and the only way we can do that is through our Savior who alone has paid the price for all sin. We need to seek forgiveness, we need to repent- ALWAYS.
Getting back to this man of God who was a witness to the well being of the wicked, the man who lamented his own righteous suffering- he spoke these words-
All the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.
We've been studying a bit about being chastened, and here is an excellent example. ALL day long plagued. EVERY morning chastened. This is a spiritual plague, a spiritual chastening. The knowledge we have when we see the wicked prospering ignites something in us that cries out- "IT'S NOT FAIR!" And it's not fair. If you're good you should be rewarded for that, right? And if you're evil you should be punished for that, right? We know it's right, but the reality is far from fair, it's distorted because of sin. Our world is tainted by sin and everything in it is subject to that tainting. Fairness is something you can strive for but have to realize that in a world governed by sin it will be something fleeting. Sinners without morals, without standards, without laws, without commandments to adhere to are free to use all manner of deceit to gain earthly pleasures and treasures.
This man of God was being chastened every morning.
How so?
What sort of chastening?
People are not always chastened in a physical way, but spiritually as well. Our spiritual chastisement can be a constant realization that we NEED CHRIST in all things all the while our flesh wars against our spirit.
We are allowed to suffer in order that we learn.
We are allowed torment so we learn.
If we want to be children of God we have to accept that God wants to teach us, God wants us to grow up in HIM. This teaching process isn't set on a time limit such as the one we give to our own children. Go to school for 13 years and you're all set for the minimum amount of education needed to be a well rounded adult. Continue on in school for a higher level of learning and you are merely adding on to that basic education every adult should have had. We've put labels on learning and time frames on expected behavior, expected educational growth. We don't expect an 18 year old to act like a five year old. We expect the years of aging to accomplish the change from child to adult. In the spiritual reality a person might not even become spiritually born until they are late in adulthood, there is no time frame, no set age for the spiritual birth. Once we are spiritually born we will grow spiritually as long as we are being spiritually nurtured towards that end. If a child is fed well we expect them to grow well. If a child is fed poorly we expect them to grow poorly. We've all heard horror stories about nine year olds weighing as much as a three year old because they've lived for years on a starvation diet, only getting enough to barely live. Spiritual horror stories are self induced when a person spiritually born stops nurturing their spirit through Christ. We need to be constantly spiritually fed. We will never get to a place where we can stop being fed spiritually, any more than an adult fully grown could stop eating and expect to live.
There is a reason our Savior started the Last Supper ritual in remembrance of life in Him. We are to remember we die spiritually without Him- without the bread and wine, the life and blood of Christ. He made the example with something that would truly hit home to us- we need to eat and drink to LIVE physically and we need to eat and drink spiritually to LIVE spiritually. Yet if we don't let this truth become a reality to us, the Lord will chasten us, hoping to get us to realize that we MUST live in Him spiritually all the time! We must feed spiritually.
We can look around us and see the prosperity of the wicked and we can lament our own poor state- but we are to learn from that, that the end of the wicked is eternal nothingness. All their wealth and prosperity now is FLEETING, truly fleeting. The end of the wicked is death ever after. So while they prosper physically now their spiritual death is certain in their clinging to their wickedness.
Psa 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Chastened. Enduring the spiritual warfare. Allowed to suffer in order to promote spiritual growth. Truly no chastening when it's happening is pleasant but…
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
...we have to comprehend that after all the chastening is over we solely, by the grace and mercy of our Lord, will have the peaceable fruit of righteousness- CHRIST'S righteousness!
The war between the mind and the flesh is a real one. The war between the spirit and the flesh is very, very real! We cannot believe otherwise. Please, Lord continue to chasten us as long as we, as YOUR children, need to be chastened, as long as we are spiritually growing up into YOU.
All by YOUR LOVE!
All the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning
Read this in context…
Psa 73:1-14 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
This is a man of God who in witnessing the prosperity of the wicked, is very troubled. Like many of us we come face to face with the reality that fudging the truth, skimming off the top, harmless deceptions, little bitty lies, all of those will bring more prosperity than remaining true to the truth, to God.
We are told all the time there is no harm in the small evils that really don't hurt anyone and besides those who are being deceived deserve to be deceived because they are evil any way.
We justify our own evils but in truth they CANNOT be justified, not ever. Sinning can NEVER be justified. The tiniest of sins is just as deadly as the biggest of sins. Though you'll get a bunch of people in an uproar if you dare to say that a mass murderer is worthy of death just as the man who coveted his neighbors wife. Sin has wages and the wages of all sin are DEATH. When we sin we separate ourselves from God and we cannot live eternally, not ever, not without God. We need to atone for our sins and the only way we can do that is through our Savior who alone has paid the price for all sin. We need to seek forgiveness, we need to repent- ALWAYS.
Getting back to this man of God who was a witness to the well being of the wicked, the man who lamented his own righteous suffering- he spoke these words-
All the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.
We've been studying a bit about being chastened, and here is an excellent example. ALL day long plagued. EVERY morning chastened. This is a spiritual plague, a spiritual chastening. The knowledge we have when we see the wicked prospering ignites something in us that cries out- "IT'S NOT FAIR!" And it's not fair. If you're good you should be rewarded for that, right? And if you're evil you should be punished for that, right? We know it's right, but the reality is far from fair, it's distorted because of sin. Our world is tainted by sin and everything in it is subject to that tainting. Fairness is something you can strive for but have to realize that in a world governed by sin it will be something fleeting. Sinners without morals, without standards, without laws, without commandments to adhere to are free to use all manner of deceit to gain earthly pleasures and treasures.
This man of God was being chastened every morning.
How so?
What sort of chastening?
People are not always chastened in a physical way, but spiritually as well. Our spiritual chastisement can be a constant realization that we NEED CHRIST in all things all the while our flesh wars against our spirit.
We are allowed to suffer in order that we learn.
We are allowed torment so we learn.
If we want to be children of God we have to accept that God wants to teach us, God wants us to grow up in HIM. This teaching process isn't set on a time limit such as the one we give to our own children. Go to school for 13 years and you're all set for the minimum amount of education needed to be a well rounded adult. Continue on in school for a higher level of learning and you are merely adding on to that basic education every adult should have had. We've put labels on learning and time frames on expected behavior, expected educational growth. We don't expect an 18 year old to act like a five year old. We expect the years of aging to accomplish the change from child to adult. In the spiritual reality a person might not even become spiritually born until they are late in adulthood, there is no time frame, no set age for the spiritual birth. Once we are spiritually born we will grow spiritually as long as we are being spiritually nurtured towards that end. If a child is fed well we expect them to grow well. If a child is fed poorly we expect them to grow poorly. We've all heard horror stories about nine year olds weighing as much as a three year old because they've lived for years on a starvation diet, only getting enough to barely live. Spiritual horror stories are self induced when a person spiritually born stops nurturing their spirit through Christ. We need to be constantly spiritually fed. We will never get to a place where we can stop being fed spiritually, any more than an adult fully grown could stop eating and expect to live.
There is a reason our Savior started the Last Supper ritual in remembrance of life in Him. We are to remember we die spiritually without Him- without the bread and wine, the life and blood of Christ. He made the example with something that would truly hit home to us- we need to eat and drink to LIVE physically and we need to eat and drink spiritually to LIVE spiritually. Yet if we don't let this truth become a reality to us, the Lord will chasten us, hoping to get us to realize that we MUST live in Him spiritually all the time! We must feed spiritually.
We can look around us and see the prosperity of the wicked and we can lament our own poor state- but we are to learn from that, that the end of the wicked is eternal nothingness. All their wealth and prosperity now is FLEETING, truly fleeting. The end of the wicked is death ever after. So while they prosper physically now their spiritual death is certain in their clinging to their wickedness.
Psa 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Chastened. Enduring the spiritual warfare. Allowed to suffer in order to promote spiritual growth. Truly no chastening when it's happening is pleasant but…
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
...we have to comprehend that after all the chastening is over we solely, by the grace and mercy of our Lord, will have the peaceable fruit of righteousness- CHRIST'S righteousness!
The war between the mind and the flesh is a real one. The war between the spirit and the flesh is very, very real! We cannot believe otherwise. Please, Lord continue to chasten us as long as we, as YOUR children, need to be chastened, as long as we are spiritually growing up into YOU.
All by YOUR LOVE!
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