You might remember that I have
been telling you the story of Jerry Sittser.
Jerry lost his mother, his wife and his four-year-old daughter when a
drunk driver swerved across the road and careered into their minivan. He writes about it in a brilliant book
called, ‘A Grace Disguised.’
Eight months after the accident
the alleged driver was charged with manslaughter. Jerry had to attend the court proceedings as
a witness. He dreaded having to see the
accused in court. In fact he was so
anxious about it that it caused him to throw up. He did not want revenge, but he did want
justice.
The defence attorney claimed that
no one could actually prove who the driver was, since both the accused and his
wife had been thrown from the car in the accident. The burden of proof lay upon the
prosecution. A witness was brought
forward who saw the accused get into the driver’s seat ten minutes before the
accident. Another person testified that
the accused had admitted to being the driver after the accident. However, the defence created suspicion of
these two witnesses and so the accused was acquitted. Jerry was enraged. No one had been brought to justice for the
reckless death of three of his family.
During the next few months a
legitimate anger at injustice turned to bitterness. Jerry fantasised of reading that the accused
had died horrendously in an accident or committed a crime that put him behind
bars for life. He even imagined been in
an accident, that was the accused fault, and was witnessed by hundreds of
people who would testify against him.
Asaph, the writer of Psalm
seventy-three struggled with a similar sense of bitterness. He wanted the wicked to get what they
deserved, but instead they prospered.
Asaph eventually realises that his soul had become hardened against
God. Yet God shows him great grace and
gives Asaph a new perspective that enables him to be content in life and
assured that justice will be done.
Be
glad that we don’t get what we deserve (1-9)
Asaph begins this psalm by
admitting that when saw the prosperity of the wicked he almost lost his
foothold. I envied the arrogant. But
such envy, as Tim Keller points out, is rooted in self-righteousness.
Do you really want what you
deserve? What do you deserve as someone
who has been an enemy of God? What do
you deserve as someone who did not care that he had sent his Son to die for
your guilt? What do you deserve as a
person who has repeatedly let God down?
We deserve nothing! In fact we
deserve less than nothing. Yet God in
his grace is good to all that he has made.
He gives us life and breath and joy in our hearts. In his grace he shows infinite love towards
those who trust in him.
When we suffer we ask, ‘why
me?’ When others suffer we don’t ask
‘why not me?’ Do we deserve our
health? Why should someone else struggle
with cancer when we don’t? What did we
ever do to live in a part of the world where we have a high life-expectancy and
so many luxuries to take for granted?
Most of all look at all the influences in our lives that led us to
experience the forgiveness and love of God.
The world might not always seem fair, but we cannot deny that we have
been treated far better that we deserve.
Asaph tells us that the wicked don’t
see their need for God. They believe
that if there is a heaven, they have earned their place in it. Their
mouths claim heaven (9). Beware of
such pride that is evident so deep within us.
We should ask, ‘who am I that you should be so good to me?’ We were among the boastful wicked. We foolishly thought we were good enough for
God. We were ignorant of the holiness of
God and the wickedness of all people.
But God opened our eyes to the beauty of the cross. He changed our hearts so that we would love
him. He has given us the pearl of great
price! Thank God, that we have got what
we did not deserve and have not got what we did! As the song says, ‘Count your blessings, name
them one by one.’
Be
glad that God has given us that greatest of gifts (10-28)
Asaph reveals a fundamental flaw
in his spiritual life. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure and
have washed my hands in innocence (13).
He believes that God owes him.
‘His obedience was not a way of pleasing God but rather a means of
getting God to please him’ (Keller). Do
you remember the accusation that Satan made against Job? ‘He only serves you because you are good to
him!’ Is that true for us? There is a deep problem in our Christian
lives when we say to God, ‘I will serve you if you bless me.’ It shows that like the prodigal son we do not
love the father, we simply want the stuff that he can give us. May God change our hearts so that he becomes
our treasure and joy!
Change comes to Asaph’s resentful
heart as he turns to worship. In the
presence of God his sight begins to clear and he sees the long-term
perspective. He realises that justice
will be done and he becomes glad that God has given him the greatest of all
treasures—he has given us himself!
One day those who have become rich
by evil will become poor through justice (18). All the world’s wealth and favour are like a
dream (19). They are short lived, and there
is a much more significant reality to be faced.
This world may seem unfair, but we are heading to a great day of justice. On that day no slippery lawyer will find a
loop-hole to let the guilty go free. On
that day no-one will be able to claim that they deserve heaven. Living in the light of that day enables us to
sing, ‘the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of your glory
and grace.’
Asaph also becomes aware of his
own wickedness. He realises that he had
become embittered, senseless and ignorant.
I was a brute beast before you
(22). He had already realised that his
attitude could hurt those around him. If I had spoken out like that, I would have
betrayed your children (15). How often we hurt those close to us because
our words are full of self-righteousness, self-justification, bitterness and
pride? How we damage those who look up
to us when we fail to let the gospel of grace shape the way we speak?
Yet the whole concept of grace
now dawns upon him. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand (23). In his amazing mercy, God holds on to his
bitter, envious and accusing children.
But he will not let us stay in a state of bitterness. He leads us into an understanding of
grace. Do you really want what you
deserve? Look at the cross and see Jesus
take the punishment of your sin upon his shoulders. Hear him cry out ‘my God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?’ Then realise all the
grace that was poured out for you so that you could have him. God treats us as we do not deserve, even as
we demand that others get what they should deserve.
A day is coming when justice will
be done. Thank God that Jesus has
satisfied justice for our guilt. Those
who thought that they could earn their way into heaven will be in for a
terrible fall. But not only will the day
of judgement sort everything out, in this life those who trust in God are infinitely
blessed. We may be accused of hoping for
pie in the sky when you die, but we actually enjoy stake on the plate while we
wait.
You see we have the great
treasure of friendship with God. Who have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you …
as for me, it is good to be near God. I
have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge, I will tell of your deeds. There is no better thing in life and death
than peace with God. We should never
envy those who are spiritually poor, even if they are materially rich! There may be pain in this life, but put it in
the perspective of eternal bliss.
Conclusion
When Jerry Sittser realised that
he was descending into bitterness, he decided he needed to change his way of
thinking. While he knew that he had done
nothing to deserve the death of three of his loved ones, he also knew that he
had done nothing to deserve the blessing they had been to him. He continues to mourn. The pain doesn’t simply disappear. The injustice still hurts. It is right to grieve. But there are still many things to be
thankful for. He learned to give thanks
for the happy memories. He learned to be
thankful for the many friends who stuck by him in spite of the fact that he
really struggled. He was glad for the
friends who cared enough not to give him loads of advice. He had a new appreciation for his remaining
children. He now makes a point of
tucking his children in as they go to bed, and before he goes to bed he sneaks
into their rooms and prays a blessing over them (something his wife used to
do). Most of all he is thankful that
since the accident he has experienced God with a reality that he had not known
before. He feels less of a burden to prove
himself to God and more of a delight in serving him. While he might not be able to explain why
tragedy struck at his door, he has learned to trust more in the God of grace.
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