Psalms 73 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 73

Book Three

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of Asaph.

73:1   Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.
2   But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
3   For I was envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4   For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
5   They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6   Therefore pride is their necklace;
    violence covers them as a garment.
7   Their eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
8   They scoff and speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
9   They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
10   Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find no fault in them.¹
11   And they say, “How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12   Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they increase in riches.
13   All in vain have I kept my heart clean
    and washed my hands in innocence.
14   For all the day long I have been stricken
    and rebuked every morning.
15   If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
    I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16   But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17   until I went into the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their end.
18   Truly you set them in slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.
19   How they are destroyed in a moment,
    swept away utterly by terrors!
20   Like a dream when one awakes,
    O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21   When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
22   I was brutish and ignorant;
    I was like a beast toward you.
23   Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
24   You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25   Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26   My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength² of my heart and my portion forever.
27   For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28   But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.

Footnotes

[1] 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
[2] 73:26 Hebrew rock

Commentary

Coping with the prosperity of the wicked.

v1: The psalmist knew the promises of God to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. Those who claim to know God must live lives that match that profession.

v2-3: The problem came as he considered the prosperity of the wicked; his observations and conclusions did not match his understanding of God and of His word. Such a struggle is part of life.

v4-11: See Job 21.7-21; the psalmist makes his observations:

they enjoy health, strength, and ease;
they are free from burdens and human ills;
they persist in pride and violence, thinking that they will not be held accountable;
their hearts and minds are full of corruption;
their words are scoffing, malicious, arrogant, and worldly;
they despise spiritual things.

v12: Summarising v3-11; they are carefree, and increasing in wealth.

v13-14: The temptation that comes to the godly, in light of his observations, is to reject spiritual things our himself (see Jer 44.16-19). We wonder whether all our effort and sacrifice is worthwhile. We can be honest with such doubts, but we must deal with them. In response, we may say, 'God's ways of judgment are sometimes secret, but never unjust.' Thus, we are strengthened to endure unjust sufferings.

v15: This attitude would discourage others; we must be careful when and where we express such doubts and struggles.

v16: The painful struggle to understand.

v17: The solution; the sanctuary of God, the place of fellowship and learning. The proper perspective of God and eternity; we find the answer only in Jesus Christ.

strong>v18-20: The latter end of unbelievers; and God's prerogative to judge them. This is not a prayer, rather a statement of fact and belief.

v21-22: Personal confession; in the difficult time, the psalmist had acted foolishly. Yet this was a temporary reaction, not typical of him. We may say that all Christians are prone to such, yet we must seek God's victory, and to truly walk by faith.

v23-24: The latter end of believers; we not just avoid judgment, for we enjoy God's abundant blessing. His presence and strength, His counsel and glory; this more than answers the anguish of v2-3;

my feet had almost slipped - you hold me;
I had nearly lost my foothold - you will guide me;
I envied the arrogant - I am always with you;
the prosperity of the wicked - you will receive me to glory.

v25: The on going need, to desire and to delight in the very presence of God. The observed facts may not change, but our understanding must change, as we receive grace from God. This verse shines as one of the brightest jewels in the whole book. We may read it, 'What is there in heaven I desire to enjoy but You?' The Psalmist puts us in no doubt that we must enjoy God. Beza (the Reformer) translates this verse; 'Begone earth! Oh that I were in heaven with Thee!'

v26: Human strength reaches its end, human wisdom is eclipsed by our circumstances, but God is all we need.

v27: Those who do not believer will perish, suffering loss.

v28: "For me," there is

personal assurance of God's nearness;
personal security in God; and
personal testimony of God's works.