Mike Eells 07-14-2019 // Psalm 73 - The Remedy for Spiritual Myopia

Myopia; We all have it in some sense.  Some suffer from this condition physically, and we all suffer from it spiritually.

Myopia is simply the medical term for nearsightedness or shortsightedness.  The dictionary defines myopia as a visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred.  It can also mean a lack of discernment on long-range perspective.

In today's lesson in Psalm 73, Asaph invites us into his journey through spiritual myopia.  Asaph was the chief Levite appointed  by David to be the worship leader for Israel.  In Psalm 73, Asaph admits to losing perspective in relation to the lives of the wicked, who seemed to prosper while he, in striving to live righteously is met with suffering.  Only when he gazed upon who God is could he see the world around him in a proper perspective.  As it were, spiritual myopia is corrected through the corrective lens of the character and nature of God.

The journey takes takes us through three phases:

1. Orientation - Asaph confesses that God is good to Israel and to the pure in heart
2. Dis-Orientation - But if God is good to the pure in heart, then why do the wicked prosper but the righteous suffer
3. Re-Orientation - As Asaph enters into the sanctuary of the Lord, his vision is corrected and he is reoriented in regards to the wicked and their destiny.  But he is also reoriented regard God, concluding that "As for me, the nearness of God is my good.