Week 6 - Fall Focus 2024
Week Six: Envy and Desire
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)
Icebreaker Question
What is your favorite dessert?
Opening Question
Can you think of a time you were frustrated with God?
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Read verse 1
What does he affirm at the start off the Psalm?
V. 2-12
What is his complaint throughout these verses?
What does he envy?
What does his envy do to him?
What does he assume about the people around him?
How are these assumptions upsetting him?
Look at verses 18-20.
What does he realize?
V. 13-17 - In these verses he expresses his regret and doubt.
What do you think of his perspective of life?
Why do you think the Bible includes this apparent denial of faith? Can anyone relate to these thoughts?
According to verse 17 his doubt and despair lead him to seek God.
What can we learn from this?
V. 23-28 describe his spiritual breakthrough.
What strikes you about his words?
How would gaining hope like this help us deal with our disappointments?