July 2002 chaplain's corner

The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.

Chaplain's Corner - July 2002

Rev. Rich Hines

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Christ as their own Lord and Savior, and are serving as correctional or rescue mission chaplains within the United States.

Recently, a jail chaplain from the Detroit, Michigan area, told me "When these young men see me the first time I tell them, "Don't be so concerned about getting OUT of here, be more concerned with getting IN with God up there.' " The chaplain also said he goes on to explain to them that their case in heaven's court is much more serious than the current case they face in the earthly court. He's right! Praise God for chaplains like that, for chaplains that practice their God given responsibility to evangelize inmates.

Evangelizing is one very important aspect of a chaplain's ministry. The last six months Chaplain's Corner messages have been on that subject. Evangelism is not all a Bible -based correctional chaplain needs to do. Another very important aspect of shepherding inmates is guiding confirmed believers as they struggle with daily issues while incarcerated. A chaplain is to shepherd those God sends them.

Once an inmate, or program resident, is truly headed in the right direction with a solid faith in Jesus Christ, to take away their sin through His death on the cross and change their life by His powerful resurrection, once they've been fully evangelized, and you truly see Christ evident in them, they still have many temptations, problems and distractions that can get them off the path of righteousness.

One of the most common struggles for true Christian inmates is that of comparing their case and sentence (or potential sentence) to that of the other inmates around them. When I was a correctional chaplain and spoke with believing inmates that had this problem, I usually wanted to direct their attention to Asaph's similar problem, 3,000 years ago! We find it in Psalm 73. This month I want to draw your attention to this Psalm, so that you might use it when you counsel an inmate disciple of the Lord, who is down because he thinks he's worse off than other inmates who continue in their sinful rebellion against God. There are probably similar situations with rescue mission program residents.

PSALM 73, Asaph's inspired song consisting of a superscription and 28 verses, has THREE MOVEMENTS with TWO STANZAS in each movement or part

Outlined it looks like this:

1. First Movement: the superscription through verse 14

A. First Stanza: the superscription and verse 1

B. Second Stanza: verses 2-14 - THE COMPLAINT of a believer

2. Second Movement: verses 15-20

A. First Stanza: verses 15-17

B. Second Stanza: verses 18-20 - THE CONFIDENCE God gives a praying believer

3. Third Movement: verses 21-28

A. First Stanza: verses 21,22

B. Second Stanza: verses 23-28 - THE CONFESSION of a true believer

The FIRST MOVEMENT goes through verse 14, and gives us the COMPLAINT most believers struggle with from time to time.

The first stanza is the superscription, and verse 1. It states the believer's confidence in God.

Before we believers ever begin to pour out our complaint and perplexity to God, which Asaph did in verses 2-14, we need to affirm our confidence in His righteousness and goodness. You need to teach your sheep to practice this. Note the inspired text.

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.

Asaph, who was a choir director and a chief musician in Israel during the time of David and Solomon, understood God's special love and attention to His true spiritual children.

One of the meanings of the word "Israel" is "He whom God rules." Here, in verse 1, Asaph agreed with Paul who wrote approximately 1,000 years later, "they are not all Israel, who are of Israel" (Romans 9:6). The meaning is within national, religious Israel, there was a smaller group which was the true spiritual Israel, the true believers. Sadly, within the professing evangelical church today, the same thing is true. They are not all true Christians and saved people who call themselves Christians. The fact that Asaph and Paul gave the same truth is not from human wisdom, or insight, but because the same Holy Spirit breathed-out both statements through these human writers.

Asaph was one of the true believers, one of the truly saved people. God is always good to his eternally elect believers, even those who today are in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember, before ever complaining and stating his problem, Asaph affirmed the truth about God's goodness. Truly saved inmates or mission program residents that struggle with comparing their circumstances to others around them, need to do the same thing. They can say, "Lord, I don't understand, but I know You are righteous and good!"

In the second stanza in verses 2-14, Asaph spoke out his complaint. It was a big problem, which for him became a vexing dilemma. It was the problem of the prosperity of some of the ungodly, wicked, unbelieving people. The text even indicates in verse 27, that these wicked ones had once confessed faith in the true God. Their faith proved it was fake or false, because they deserted Him for the love of the things of this world. Asaph here confesses:

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. (A poetic way of saying I came close to really blowing my testimony)

3 For I was ENVIOUS of the boastful, when I saw the PROSPERITY of the WICKED.

Here, in verse 3, Asaph admitted he was envious or jealous of the prosperity and peace of the wicked. This word "wicked" in verse 3, refers to the category of people who have done wrong, are still living in sin, and are intent on continuing with wrongdoing.

The word "prosperity" is the Hebrew word "shalom," which has many meanings including: prosperity, peace and ease. Compare verse 12, where "shalom" is translated "ease." The problem of their prosperity was made even more difficult when Asaph, the believer, compared their state with the difficulties he experienced as one of the ones God had purified and made righteous. The Christian inmate problem of comparing themselves to others fits into this model. At times, the most ungodly people are truly blessed in this life and in this world, as the text continues in verses 4,5 - he writes:

4 For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. (from the idea of fullness, fatness, well fed - suggesting health to the ancient mind)

5 They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men.

Because of their spiritual blindness, they didn't even fear death. Because of their wealth, the normal struggles of humanity affected them little. Their wealth also served to increase their sin of pride, note it in verses 6-8.

6 THEREFORE pride serves as their necklace, violence covers them like a garment.

(The wicked show off their sin, wanting everyone to notice their pride and violent cruelty toward others)

7 Their eyes (or faces) bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish.

There are two ways to take this statement. Either they were literally fat because they ate too much, or their eyes bulged out with arrogant cruelty as they made their violent statements in verses 8,9. Either way, they were continuing in their sin and were not being chastened for it.

8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens, (they speak against God) and their tongue walks (or parades) through the earth.

10 THEREFORE his people (the family and descendants of the ungodly) return here, and waters of a full cup are drained by them. (their descendants get all the goodies)

11 And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Again, note their blasphemous thoughts and words against God! They speak against the God of heaven (see verse 9).

Asaph closed this movement of his Psalm in verses 12-14, by stating the thoughts that plagued him as he compared the blessings of these wicked men, to his own hard circumstances.

12 Behold, these are the ungodly (the same word as "wicked" in verse 3), who are always at ease; they increase in riches.

13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

(meaning, truly I have kept my heart clean in vain, for nothing!)

14 For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.

At this point in his experience, this believer was wallowing in self-pity. Inmates and homeless people can easily fall into that sin. Believers that struggle with similar thoughts can even get to the point that they begin to think God is unfair to them! But, being a true believer, God helped Asaph find the way out of this destructive, sinful attitude.

This is shown in the SECOND MOVEMENT of the Psalm, which is from verse 15 through verse 20. In the first stanza of this movement, in verses 15-17, the true believer realized his error and inability to understand the whole matter on his own. He wrote:

15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

The believer Asaph realized if he spoke what he thought, when he envied the prosperous sinners, he would cause other believers to stumble. He would betray his fellow-believers, by encouraging their flesh to also question God.

He continued:

16 When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me - (too laborious, too difficult, too tiresome)

17 UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; THEN I understood their end. (The tone of the Psalm turns on this verse!)

We need to be careful with verse 17, to properly interpret and apply it to saved inmates or residents today. The "sanctuary of God" in Asaph's time was a physical building, the temple in Jerusalem. This does not mean the ones you're ministering to can only get this encounter with God AND His gracious help in "The Chapel." The Holy Place (sanctuary) where God meets man today is in the heart of a Spirit-indwelt believer in Jesus Christ. By application, they need to be urged to get alone with God in the shrine of their own heart - the new temple of the Spirit of Christ.

The second stanza in verses 18-21, records the CONFIDENCE God alone gives believers about the future of the wicked when they seek Him in prayer and in His word.

18 Surely (the same word as "truly" in verse 1)You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.

19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awakes, so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

God's revealed truth in this matter was that He was allowing the judgement of the wicked to pile up for the future day of judgement.

By contrast, when a believer sins, God deals with them right away. In a very real sense, because He loves them as His children, He's not going to let them get away with it. Hebrews 12:7-11 is another passage that speaks about God's chastening His own during this life - for their ultimate good. Compare Asaph's experience as a believer in verse 14, "all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning." God deals with His own now, and with His enemies later. Asaph learned that lesson as he went into the sanctuary of God and met with God, and prayed and meditated on His word.

Along with these verses (Psalm 73:18-20) it is good to direct the struggling believer to verses like Galatians 6:7-10

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those of the household (or family) of faith.

The THIRD AND FINAL MOVEMENT of this Psalmis in verses 21-28. In the first stanza, the true believer CONFESSED his folly in verses 21,22.

21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. (When his heart was bitter, he was pricked or stabbed with the guilt of his sin in his thinking)

22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a (brute) beast before You.

Obviously, at this point in his experience, he confessed his sin to God. As a result, we see God moved to secure him in his mind and give him peace. So, in the final stanza of this final movement, in verses 23-28, the renewed believer confessed his firm faith in what his God was doing and would do in the future. Lesson learned!

Encourage your inmates and residents who struggle as Asaph did, to also confess and then to think and speak like Asaph did here:

23 Nevertheless (even though I've sinned like this, because You have forgiven me) I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. (this is the life of a truly saved person)

25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail; (NASB, NIV "may fail") but God is the strength of my heart and my portion (or inheritance) forever.

THESE (verses 23-26) ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST VERSES IN THE BIBLE THAT APPLY TO THE EXPERIENCE OF A TRUE CHILD OF GOD!

In closing, Asaph, the believer, restated what he was taught by God through his dilemma:

27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

(those who desert God to commit spiritual adultery in following and giving their life's pursuits to false gods won't ultimately prosper - but will be judged)

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works. (those who through saving faith have been purified by God - will ultimately experience good)

Chaplain shepherd, encourage the struggling sheep! Teach them God's word. As you do, God will bless your ministry. Our prayers are with you.

Rev. Rich Hines

Minister To Chaplains - Aurora Ministries