Daily Devotions
Psalms
Psalm 73:13a "Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain..."
Day 15 – Psalm 73
“Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain…” Psalm 73:13a
THE LIFE OF THE RIGHTEOUS LEVITES
Asaph belonged to a group of people called “The Levites”.
1. These were technically “priests”.
2. They assisted the high-priestly family with their religious duties.
3. Their life was meant to be exemplary.
A TINT OF SORROW
Asaph struggled with feelings of sorrow as he compared the lifestyle he maintained with that of the wicked-rich.
“Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.”
Psalm 73:13
1. “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain”
a) The cleansing of the heart.
i) The righteous guard their hearts most carefully.
ii) They seek to be clean before God.
iii) They seek cleansing from sins that would defile them.
iv) The wicked had no such scruples; they sinned wantonly.
b) “In vain”
i) The effort put in to be cleansed seemed to yield no visible fruit.
ii) Their clean lifestyle did not seem to merit God’s blessing of wealth.
2. “And washed my hands in innocence”
a) Innocence was essentially blamelessness.
b) The innocent sought always to have clean hands before God (Psalm 15).
c) But to what end? All these efforts seemed to yield no material benefit!