Psalm 73 Verse Mapping Study (verses 25-26)

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth

that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:25-26

 

DESIGN:

"Whom have I in heaven [but you]? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.  My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever." (AMP)

"Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.  My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever." (NLT)

DEVELOPMENT:

Verse 25: 

chaphets - desire, to delight in

im - with, besides = excepts (here = and beside thee I delight not upon earth)

 

Verse 26:

sheer - flesh (next to the skin, body

lebab - inner man, mind, will, heart (here = inner man in contrast with the outer, my flesh and my heart doth fail).

tsur - rock, cliff (here = as support and defense of his people) figuratively a refuge, strength

cheleq - portion, tract, territory (here = as possession of his servants, in spiritual sense), inheritance

FIND:

Philippians 3:8 - "Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing owrth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

Psalm 63:3 - "Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you."

Psalm 16:5-6 - "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

2 Corinthians 4:16 - "So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."

Isaiah 40:29 - "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increase strength."

MANKIND:

Mankind is weak.  Our bodies wear out and our emotions and human understanding fail us.

GOD:

God is the only Source of true strength.  Everything apart from God will fail and end.

ASK/APPLICATION:

God is to be our true desire.  When we delight in Him the grip of all this world holds is loosened.  Everything here on earth from our inner man/emotions/will to our physical bodies will eventually fail, weaken, disappoint and perish.  Only God will be with us forever.  He is our rock, our refuge and our strength.  He is our support and defense.  He is our eternal inheritance and "portion forever".  Again here, we are reminded to keep our focus on God and not the thing of this world.  We are to live to glorify Him in all we do so that when our time here is over others would "see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)

PRAYER:

 

Oh LORD when I turn my focus to you I am overwhelmed by your love and faithfulness.  I praise You for who You are; my Father, my portion...all I need...my strength.  Thank you for being the constant in this changing world; for your faithfulness.  For being my rock and strength in my weakness. Oh Lord, may my desire and delight be always in You.  Thank you for the many blessings you have given me here on earth; may they always and only point to You.  Lord keep my focus on You.  I love the phrasing "he is mine forever".  To try and fathom the truth of that phrase, that You, Creator of Heaven and Earth are mine forever is too much to comprehend.  I'm so thankful because I know how unworthy I am; yet You in Your great love have chosen me and called me beloved.  Thank You Father, Amen.