The psalmist watches the wicked. And envy almost leads him astray. Almost.
Psalm 73 details what he sees. Chronicles his struggles with the why of their influence and power. Their wealth.
He wonders if the straight and narrow is worth the painful realities of his life.
Turning point
The turning point comes.
“When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless
until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny” (Psalm 73:16-17).
It seems hopeless until. Until he enters the sanctuary. The sacred place. Where the Holy of Holies is located. Reminding him of God’s holy presence.
He worships. And remembers what is true and right. Rejoicing that God is the strength of his heart, his portion.
The psalmist speaks my language. I’m right there with him. Confessing my confusion when evil seems to win. Remembering God’s presence is worth it all. (See Sanctuary: Psalm 73)
Sanctuary destroyed
Then I enter the very next psalm. Psalm 74.
“Why have you rejected us forever, God?” The psalmist cries out and walks through a stunning display. Detailing the destruction of the sanctuary by their enemies.
“Make Your way to the perpetual ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary. Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where You met with us” (Psalm 74:3-4).
The temple where he’d worshiped and sought the Lord and found answers. Destroyed.
The sacred place now rubble and ruin. The signs of His presence? Burned beyond recognition. The prophets gone. The violence ever increasing.
Devastating.
Sanctuaries today
Today I hear the stories here and there. Regularly. About places of worship destroyed with bombs or fire. Or bulldozers. Shepherds of congregations imprisoned. Banished. Killed.
These reports usually come in under the radar of major media outlets. Ignored, perhaps. Or lost in the shuffle of pressing headlines. And the blur of political correctness.
If anyone follows Him, they will be persecuted. We know this. But then the persecuted have names and faces and families.
We cry out on their behalf. We cry out.
True Sanctuary
This week I meditate again on these psalms about sanctuary.
And reflect on the One and Only Sanctuary who never changes.
I am reminded that He made His way to the ruins to save us from our enemy. The Word made flesh tabernacled among us. (John 1:14)
I remember how He sacrificed His life on the cross, was buried, and resurrected from the grave to set the captives free from their enemy.
In the midst of corruption and oppression and destruction. On the days when evil seems to win. I remember the gospel.
Rejoice in the true Sanctuary: our Savior, Jesus Christ. In Him we live and move and have our being.
Let’s recount His faithfulness and victory in the midst of the rubble.
What about you?
How has the Lord comforted and sustained you with His presence in the face of evil and oppression? What comes to mind when you think of “sanctuary”?
Related posts
Sanctuary: Psalm 73 – When I am afraid I will trust in You – Living in exile – Hidden art – Crushed – Blood and sacrifice – Tents and altars – Redeemed –