WEBVTT - Psalms 73-74

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>John Stangi, and today we're in Psalms seventy three and

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<v Speaker 1>seventy four, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation.

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<v Speaker 1>Psalm seventy three, a psalm of Asath. Truly, God is

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<v Speaker 1>good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But

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<v Speaker 1>as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet

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<v Speaker 1>were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied

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<v Speaker 1>the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

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<v Speaker 1>They seem to live such painless lives. Their bodies are

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<v Speaker 1>so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people.

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<v Speaker 1>They're not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear

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<v Speaker 1>pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.

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<v Speaker 1>These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for.

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<v Speaker 1>They scoff and speak only evil. In their pride, they

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<v Speaker 1>seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens,

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<v Speaker 1>and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the

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<v Speaker 1>people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.

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<v Speaker 1>What does God know? They ask? Does the most high

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<v Speaker 1>even know what's happening? Look at these wicked people enjoying

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<v Speaker 1>a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I

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<v Speaker 1>keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself

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<v Speaker 1>innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all

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<v Speaker 1>day long. Every morning brings me pain. If I had

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<v Speaker 1>really spoken this way to others, I would have been

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<v Speaker 1>a traitor to your people. I tried to understand why

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<v Speaker 1>the wicked prosper, but what a difficult task it is.

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<v Speaker 1>Then I went into your sanctuary, Oh God, and I

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<v Speaker 1>finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put

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<v Speaker 1>them on a slippery path and send them sliding over

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<v Speaker 1>the cliff to destruction. In an instant, they are destroyed,

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<v Speaker 1>completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, oh Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>you will laugh at their silly ideas, as a person

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<v Speaker 1>laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that

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<v Speaker 1>my heart was bitter and I was all torn up inside.

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<v Speaker 1>I was so foolish and ignorant. I must have seemed

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<v Speaker 1>like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong

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<v Speaker 1>to you. You hold my right hand. You guide me

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<v Speaker 1>with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom

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<v Speaker 1>have I in heaven? But you I desire you more

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<v Speaker 1>than anything on earth. My health may fail and my

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<v Speaker 1>spirit may grow weak. But God remains the strength of

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<v Speaker 1>my heart. He is mine forever. Those who desert him

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<v Speaker 1>will perish for you destroy those who abandon you. But

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<v Speaker 1>as for me, how good it is to be near God.

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<v Speaker 1>I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, and I

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<v Speaker 1>will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. Psalm

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<v Speaker 1>seventy four a psalm of asaf O God, Why have

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<v Speaker 1>you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so

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<v Speaker 1>intense against the sheep of your own pasture? Remember that

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<v Speaker 1>we are the people you chose long ago. The tribe

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<v Speaker 1>you redeemed is your own special possession. And remember Jerusalem,

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<v Speaker 1>your home here on earth. Walk through the awful ruins

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<v Speaker 1>of the city. See how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

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<v Speaker 1>There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries. There they

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<v Speaker 1>set up their battle standards. They swung their axes like

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<v Speaker 1>woodcutters in a forest. With axes and picks, they smashed

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<v Speaker 1>the carved paneling. They burned your sanctuary to the ground.

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<v Speaker 1>They defiled the place that bears your name. Then they thought,

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<v Speaker 1>let's destroy everything, so they burned down all the places

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<v Speaker 1>where God was worshiped. We no longer see your miraculous signs.

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<v Speaker 1>All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell

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<v Speaker 1>us when it will end. How long, oh God, will

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<v Speaker 1>you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let

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<v Speaker 1>them dishonor your name forever? Why do you hold back

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<v Speaker 1>your strong right hand. Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them. You,

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<v Speaker 1>o God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation

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<v Speaker 1>to the earth. You split the sea by your strength

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<v Speaker 1>and smash the heads of the sea monsters. You crush

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<v Speaker 1>the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.

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<v Speaker 1>You cause the springs and streams to gush forth, and

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<v Speaker 1>you dried up rivers that never run dry. Both day

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<v Speaker 1>and night belong to you. You made the starlight and

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<v Speaker 1>the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth, and

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<v Speaker 1>you made both summer and winter. See how these enemies

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<v Speaker 1>insult you, Lord. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't let these wild beasts destroy your turtle doves. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>forget your suffering people forever. Remember your covenant promises, for

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<v Speaker 1>the land is full of darkness and violence. Don't let

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<v Speaker 1>the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead, let the poor and

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<v Speaker 1>needy praise your name. Arise, oh God, and defend your cause.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember how these fools insult you all day long. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>overlook what your enemies have said, or they're growing uproar.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's pray. Lord. We thank you for your word, and

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<v Speaker 1>we thank you for the privilege to be able to

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<v Speaker 1>look at it together today. And Lord, we're grateful for

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<v Speaker 1>these Psalms that you've allowed us to read together today.

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<v Speaker 1>And Lord, we're grateful that, just as the Psalmist implores

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<v Speaker 1>you to do that, you remember your covenant promises. And Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>when we look in the Book of Jeremiah, just a

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<v Speaker 1>few books away from the Book of Psalms, we see

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<v Speaker 1>that you promised you were going to usher in a

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<v Speaker 1>new covenant, and you've done that through your son Jesus Christ.

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<v Speaker 1>You remember your covenant promises, You keep your covenant promises.

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<v Speaker 1>And now, as believers in your son Jesus Christ, under

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<v Speaker 1>this new covenant, we know, Lord that we've received the

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<v Speaker 1>gift of your salvation and we have the promise of

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<v Speaker 1>your presence in our lives for us. So Lord, we're

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<v Speaker 1>grateful for these things. We're grateful for your love, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're grateful Lord that you're right here with us today.

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<v Speaker 1>We commit this day to your care, and we thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for all of these things, and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.