“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.” Psalm 73:28
Asaph comes to the end of His Psalm. He has been through a lot yet the test God allowed taught him a lot and the Spirit of God leads him to share this important truth with us.
But it is good for me Asaph ends with a statement of value. He started by being tempted by wealth and ease. After the journey God took him on, he realizes what he once thought was good is not. In this case, God shows Asaph the very best. Good in this verse is the superlative. This is the highest goal for believers.
To draw near to God Asaph now knows the key to true riches.
This is a critical lesson for the age we live in. We may have little of the world’s goods. We may be ridiculed and reviled. We may be placed on the “most wanted list”. In all those situations the world will look at us and say we are poor and have wasted our lives. God says, however, that true riches are to be near to him. The words “draw near to” are one word in the Hebrew indicating the idea of being in close relationship and fellowship with another but especially with God. We also note God uses the word draw. This is not a single act; it is continual – a drawing, a coming, an habitual approach, lasting as long as we are on earth. This is to be our way of life the way to true eternal riches.
Thus Asaph teaches us a principle to apply in our lives. Since “nearness to God” is to be desired and is of high value, then whatever draws us to Him is good but whatever causes us to move away from Him is bad. This applies to every aspect of our life – money, friends, work, entertainment, music. Suddenly we understand how important our choices are to our spiritual health and well being.
I have put my trust in the Lord God The word put implies a deliberate and willful action. Asaph makes a choice based on what God taught him. The wicked trust in their wealth so they devote their entire life to get as much of it as they possibly can. Asaph was drawn to that life style but nearness to God changed his focus. Now he reconfirms his faith in God alone.
That I may declare all Your works As a result of what he learned from God, Asaph wants to share God’s truth. How does he do that” He writes a song that God places in the Bible for all eternity. This is the natural result of being near to God – desiring to tell others about what a great God we have.
What can we learn? This great song of Asaph may have been what the Lord used to inspire James to write James 4:8. There James tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. Before James tells us that he writes, “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble”. This is precisely the lesson Asaph learned as he avoids the pride of the wealthy wicked and draws near to God.
Another thought to remember is that Asaph is serving God. He is the great choirmaster in Jerusalem. The sad situation is we can serve God but not near to Him. This is the situation in Ephesus (Revelation 2) where the church labors for the Lord but has left (that is moved away from) their first love of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are going to
live a victorious Christian life we must maintain a close personal relationship with the Lord. That requires separation from evil while drawing near to God through reading and meditating in His word, prayer and obedience to the leading of God. Step one? Move closer to God.