Then Understood I

Ps 73:17
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
KJV

Even the most ardent believer who believes in the economy of God (His methods, ways, rules and principles) will easily become discouraged when he or she becomes preoccupied with the apparent success of the world’s economy in comparison. And this is why we must constantly attend to the hearing of God’s Word. Consider the the contemplations of Asaph, a Levite worship leader and seer, in Psalm 73.

In Psalm 73, Asaph contemplates the apparent fruitlessness of living righteously in the face of evil men who prosper without any regard for God. This he contemplated until he went into the sanctuary of God. Since Asaph was probably writing during the period of Israel’s captivity–and thus there was no physical sanctuary to attend–it is safe to assume that there was either some spiritual haven or his own personal time when Asaph congregated with others or studied for himself to uncover the proper meaning of things according to God’s Word.

All the same, it is clear that Asaph’s contemplation suggests that the beginning of understanding the affairs of this life starts in the sanctuary including the revealed word of God: “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary…” Psalm 77:13