Psalm 73
A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
Truly You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when You rouse Yourself, You despise them as phantoms.
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory.
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.
For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You. 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. (ESV)
1. The Crisis of Faith: The Envy of the Prosperous Wicked
1.1. The Profound Truth Almost Forsaken (v1)
1.2. The Painful Confession (vv. 2-3)
1.3. The Apparent Prosperity of the Wicked
• Physical comfort (v4)
• Freedom from common troubles (v5)
• Pride and violence (v6)
• Mockery of God (vv. 8-9)
• Questioning God’s knowledge (v11)
1.4. The Apparent Futility of Righteousness (vv. 13-16)
2. The Turning Point: The Sanctuary Perspective (v17)
2.1. The Divine Intervention
2.2. The Sanctuary as Perspective-Changer
3. The True Condition of the Wicked
3.1. The Deceptive Nature of Their Prosperity (vv. 18-19)
3.2. The Dreamlike Nature of Their Success (v20)
4. The Repentance of the Psalmist
4.1. The Confession of Foolishness (v21)
4.2. The Confession of Ignorance and Brutality (v22)
5. The True Treasure: God’s Presence
5.1. The Unchanging Presence of God (v23)
5.2. The Divine Guidance (v24)
5.3. The Incomparable Treasure (vv. 25-26)
6. The Final Resolution: The Fate of the Wicked and the Faithful
6.1. The Two Destinies (v27)
6.2. The Personal Commitment (v28)
Application
a. For the Tempted Christian
• Remember the deceptive and temporary nature of worldly prosperity
• Seek God’s presence rather than worldly success
• Trust in God’s ultimate justice
b. For the Weary Saint
• Enter God’s presence through prayer and worship
• Maintain the eternal perspective
• Remember that God is your eternal portion
c. For the Church Community
• Help one another maintain the eternal perspective
• Find satisfaction in God rather than worldly success
• Testify to God’s goodness even when His ways are mysterious
Conclusion
• Journey from valley of envy to mountaintop of worship
• Move from horizontal focus on wicked prosperity to vertical focus on God’s glory
• Find satisfaction in God alone
• Final thought:
“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”.