I Want You God, This Much
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73.25-26).
These words penned by Asaph speak of a hunger for God. Asaph, the writer of this Psalm, was a musician and song writer who God inspired to write His Word. His words here reflect an intense appetite. Do you have a hunger for God like Asaph? Do you have a strong desire for the glory of God?
As we begin this new year may our hunger, desires and appetite for God be renewed. May the practice of prayer and fasting along with the Scriptures be the starting point for a year of new and fresh longings after God. That is the desire of our week of prayer (January 1-8) that it would be a launching pad into a year with God as the supreme hunger of our heart - that we would say today, O God, I want You, this much.
I don't know about you, but I nibble too much on the temporal food of this world. I need a renewed longing for the glory of God. My personal prayer for this week of prayer is that I would not stuff my soul this year on small things, but feed on the greatest of all goods - God!
First, is your heart completely His? According to this Asaph it seems that Israel and the pure in heart are the same (73.1). So, we need to ask what Asaph means by Israel?
When we look throughout Scripture we see that Israel is the people that God chose to use as His instrument to extend His name and glory to the nations. They are the descendants of Jacob, the nation of the Hebrew people or the Jewish people. A good place to help us define the true Israel is Romans 2.28-29, which says, For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
So, Israel is not necessarily those who are Jews by where they are born or by circumcision. Instead a true Jew, the true Israel depends on what has happened on the inside, who has received the circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit. Circumcision is the removal of the flesh, but also refers to the removal of spiritual impurity.
To further develop our definition, stop off in Ezekiel 36 and here God speaks to the promise of the new covenant and the gracious renewing work He will do in lives. Look at verses 25-27: Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
This is the inside work, the circumcision of the heart, that makes one a true Jew, the true Israel. We know that this work is the kindness and mercy of God, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, who He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3.4-6).
This is Israel, a true Jew and the pure in heart – those, whose hearts are completely His. So that is who Israel is, those who have been transformed and changed by God through Christ. Now we could say much more, but let me just add one more thing to our definition of the pure in heart and it comes from a secular source that I believe is right on to what Scripture says.
The Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard wrote a book called, Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. That is a pretty good definition, with the one thing being the glory of God, meaning our heart is completely His. Psalm 24.3-6 says, Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? (ie, Who may see God or be admitted into His presence?) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face – even Jacob.
The generation who seeks Him are the pure in heart! Whose hearts are His! A pure heart has nothing to do with falsehood and it is free from deceit. To not lift up your soul to falsehood, is the idea that you will not lift up your soul to another and you will not have a dual allegiance. Deceit is when you know one thing is true, but you do or desire on the inside what is false - it speaks of willing two or more things, not one. To be deceitful is to have an impure heart because you have a divided heart instead of willing after one thing. Purity of heart is willing one thing - to seek the Lord’s face (24.6), His glory!
Now more, according to Psalm 73.1, the pure in heart have knowledge of something that keeps them grounded. It is the sacred principle that God is good. As we are going to see in this text, Asaph held fast to this principle and this is what the pure in heart must do, for we have seen His goodness toward Israel when He delivers them out of Egypt, taking them into a covenant with Himself, giving them His laws and ordinances and the various other gracious workings of His Sovereign Grace AND likewise He is good to the pure in heart. This truth was huge to Asaph and so must it be with us, as we tarry on in a world that is not pure, not clean, not righteous, and wills after many other things other than the one true God and His glory. So, as we look out and around us there are temptations and stumbling blocks all around those who are pure in heart, so it was with Asaph as he continues in his Psalm to share the temptations he battles with (73.2-16).
Asaph says, he was almost gone (73.2). He was tempted to fall away from walking with God and willing after one thing, the glory of God, as Hebrews 6 speaks of. Matthew Henry says, There are storms that will try the firmest anchors. He says his temptation was, as he looked out and around, envy, jealousy, and even coveting of the life of the arrogant and wicked (those opposite of the pure in heart) because they have great prosperity. He wanted what others had (73.3). So, his temptation was to throw in the towel and say, what is the point, for those outside of Christ are just as happy and God is just as good to them as He is the church.
So, what does he see in the world that is a stumbling block to Him? He sees the great outward prosperity of the wicked (73.3b). 73.4a: He sees peace in death for the wicked, though it is outward only (73.4a). As C.H. Spurgeon says, Men may die like lambs yet have their place with the goats. He sees that the wicked eat well and do not go hungry (73.4b). The wicked also seem to have the least shares of calamity and trouble (73.5). We must not forget that the Lord causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5.45). It is His common grace. The wicked dress well, as fashion is more important than people to them (73.6). They don’t care about the harm they bring to other people for they care just about themselves and their gain. The wicked think about the comfort and ease of life (73.7). It is all that they look for and it overflows from their life. Their tongues and speech are wicked, as they are disrespectful toward others and God (73.8-9). The wicked are greedy and grab up everything they need and more (73.10). They are atheistic, not believing there is a God OR at least a god that is all knowing, as our One True God is (73.11). This is how Asaph sees the wicked, life is easy, they are rich and their wealth seems to be ever increasing (73.12).
As Asaph is tempted, he thinks that his change of heart and spiritual cleansing was not real. He doubts the authenticity of His faith (73.13). His doubt and struggle is caused because he sees what the wicked have and experience and yet he and the pure in heart don’t (73.14). He believes things are tangled up. Spurgeon portrays Asaph’s thoughts like this: There are crowns for the reprobates and crosses for the elect. Strange that the saints should sigh and the sinners sing. Rest was given to the disturbers, and yet peace was denied to the peace makers. This makes Asaph question and wrestle with His own faith and as well with the goodness of God. There is so much fighting for our affections, devotion, time, resources and appetite. Will we just settle for nibbling at the table of the world getting stuffed with small things like the rest of the world instead of feasting on that which is the greatest?
Though he battled inside with this and these were his thoughts he did not speak of it to the church for fear of his struggle causing others to stumble or fall away (73.15-16). It is not that he was not willing to be transparent, but it is that he does not want to sadden or weaken the hands and feet of the church. But when he stops and ponders he is embarrassed and realizes that on his own he cannot conquer this temptation by the strength of his own reasoning. The pure in heart will face such temptation, but what we do when tempted, is so important.
Asaph says, Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end (73.17). This is what he thought and how he believed everything was, until he came into the sanctuary of God. What did Asaph mean by this phrase? Asaph applies himself to devotions; listening to the priests and the attributes of God – so he reads the Word of God; he hears the Scriptures and the exposition of them from trusted men of God; he studies and mediates on the characteristics of God. He prayed and perhaps fasting was part of his discipline also.
It seems Asaph got away from these practices and disciplines or they were not as much a priority. Things around him seem like they have choked these things out of his life. What about us? Let me encourage you to take this first week of the year as a time of renewal when it comes to reading the Word, prayer and fasting. Make this first week a starting point for a new and an awakened hunger for God.
It is only when he came to meet with God that Asaph perceived their end (73.18-20). He considered the miserable end of the wicked. Though they seem like life is great and glorious now, they will not stay long in that place. Their prosperity is just a vain show; a fashion show in a world that passes away. It is not real or true, but imaginary, so do not admire or envy what God despises.
Then he considered the joyful end of those who are pure in heart (whose heart is completely God’s), for they shall see God (73.21-24). Asaph confesses that even though he was tempted, struggling and even pondered to desert God, he realizes that God was right there with Him the whole time, that God will be with Him through life’s afflictions and He will continue to, according to His Sovereign will, until he is received into glory one day.
Then he considered that the pure in heart have much more in having their only portion as God, even though others seemed to have much more because their portions were many (73.25-28). This is the testimony of the renewal of Asaph’s allegiance to God alone (the change of Asaph’s thinking). Even though, he may not understand all that God was and is doing or allowing, Asaph will never cease to trust Him and will make God His refuge alone, telling of His works – for God is good.
So, what about us?
When we look out and about and see what others have, whether be it clothes, the food or drink they get to eat, the houses they live in, the cars they drive, the stuff they have - will we be envious and jealous or will we be content with willing after one thing, having God as our portion alone?
When the temptation and lust for the temporary pleasures of life get us thinking that they are better than seeking after God’s face and His will alone - will we choose purity and holiness or will we allow our weak flesh to give in to the falsehood and deceitfulness of instant gratification?
When things get bad around us, as lawlessness increases, yet it seems the wicked don’t have anything bad happen to them, but Christians do - will we still trust in God and His goodness or will you throw in the towel?
Do you see how important the Word of God, prayer, fasting and even corporate worship is to keeping a pure heart, our heart steadfast and hungry for God? As the Psalmist says, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word (Psalm 119.9). I have hidden your Word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You (Psalm 119.11). Come into the sanctuary of God this week – get in the Word of God, pray, and join us in fasting privately and corporately this week.
Will we will after one thing and say each day, like Asaph did? But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works (73.28).
