Where Do You Stand?

Psalm 73:2 says, “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.”

The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington was erected in one year. It was completed the day before the 1962 World’s Fair opened. The top floor is over 500 feet from the ground. An elevator goes up through the center of the structure to the revolving restaurant on top. As a fourteen-year-old boy, I got to ride that elevator up to the top. Looking out of the windows over the city took my breath away. I could see the outer ring encircling the tower. It had a down slope to it. What really horrified me was a man standing on the edge of that ring. He was a painter. His job was to paint the bottom side of the ring. A cage had been constructed that allowed him to climb over the edge and sit under the ring and paint the underside. When I saw him he was on his lunch break, walking around the edge of the ring, eating a sandwich, and watching the people 500 feet below. It made my skin crawl. What if he would slip?

If we could see into the spiritual realm, I wonder how many we would see carelessly fooling around on the very rim of hell. The fall is far greater. It is called the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1). I wonder how often you and I have stood there, maybe not realizing the danger.

In Psalm 73, the psalmist realized how close he came to slipping over the edge. As he reflected on the near-fall, he made several observations. First, he realized that God is good (vs.1). Not only is He good to Israel, but to everyone that has a clean heart. It is so important to have a clean heart. A clean heart allows God’s goodness to protect us.

When the psalmist looked around at the wicked, he became envious of them. It appeared that they had it so good. Casinos make a lot of money on this illusion. They advertise people laughing and having a great time as they are winning tons of money. I went into one once and noticed few people were there. The ones I saw looked depressed and desperate. Many lose their motorhomes, their pay checks, and their marriages. 

In the end, the psalmist was able to see their desolate end (vs. 19). The reason he was able to see through this falsehood was that he went into the sanctuary of the Lord (vs.17). We usually get cleaned up to go to church. More importantly, we need to go to church to get cleaned up. In God’s sanctuary there is truth preached and taught. In God’s sanctuary there is an altar. In God’s sanctuary there is help, restoration, and victory over sin. The psalmist felt safe from danger because God was holding his right hand (vs. 23). He was assured of heaven (vs. 24). He no longer desired the world (vs. 25). He could feel the strength of God in his heart (vs. 26).

Being snatched from the very edge of hell, his feet so close to losing a foothold, he drew a very wise conclusion. “But it is good for me to draw near to God” (vs. 28). In time, this can become consistent behavior for the Christian. 

Jesus’ parable of the sower in Mark 4 warns of the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (vs. 19). This is a picture of a seed springing up and being choked. New Christians are easily choked out. Satan makes riches very attractive. Anyone can be fooled. Solomon wasn’t able to handle temptation in the end. Enough said? Watch your step!