Read Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Go Deeper
From the time we are on the playground to the time we are in retirement, we struggle with good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people. We wonder why mean people win and get all the glory while nice people seem to lose and get all the grief. When this happens it’s enough to make us ask the question, “Why work so hard to be good when those who behave badly succeed?”
The writer of Psalm 73, Asaph, gives voice to this same struggle in verse 3: “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” We hear you, Asaph! But what are we supposed to do with this frustration? Verses 16 and 17 tell us: “When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”
What Asaph knew and we must remember is that we are playing the long game: running a marathon, not a sprint. As humans, it is easy to focus on the here and now, crying out to God to fix our present problems. We may be ignorant of others’ hearts and needs as we rush to judgment in our own fear and failures. We see only the unfairness of the situation when we view it through our own lens rather than trying to view our situation from God’s perspective. We can forget that God sees all dimensions of the past, present, and future in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:3-14).
We can’t forget what we know:
- We know this world is not our home (John 15:19).
- We know that we are called to a higher purpose (Romans 8:28).
- We know we are in the midst of spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:12).
- We know that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33).
- But we also know to be encouraged because Jesus has overcome the world! Praise God! What the world offers cannot compare to what God offers us in Himself.
May we declare verses 26-28: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
Questions
- What has been a time of affliction for you? How did you handle the frustration of seeing the wicked win?
- What are some practical ways to remind yourself of the things we know listed above?
- If you believe these things to be true, how should they be reflected in your actions during times of affliction?
Listen to This
Listen to the song “My Portion” from Shane & Shane based on Psalm 73.
Leave a Comment below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
3 responses to “Psalm 73”
BUT GOD
We all, I believe, struggle with faith and all the questions. It is like a roller coaster, up one minute down the next. Where do we find the answers? Not man, our knowledge is in and of this world. God can and does speak to us and He spoke to holy men who wrote down this book we read. Our source for answers is in the sanctuary, with God, on our knees, shema hearing, with obedience. We, as humans are so fickle. The evil one is on the attack and tells all the lies that are tickling ears want to hear. We have to stand firm and fast to His Word to fight the fight. Put on our armour Eph 6.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB
God thank You for being able to go into the “sanctuary” to be with You any where, any time. God thank You for Your word that directs my path. God thank You for helping me to shema hear You. God thank You for standing firm on what I know that I know Your word says and that I will not be moved. Thank You for those convictions to not compromised what Your word says. God I believe You are black and white with what I need to know and it is written. God continue to guide me with kindness, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, patience and self control. God I need Your help in some of those areas. God thank You for these minutes of this day, that I speak about You to whomever needs to hear and that my actions follow the love I have for You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One thing I’m noticing while reading through the book of Psalms is the brutal honesty the writers brought to God. We can do the same. The haze of turmoil clears in light of his glory and grace.
Agree. I am marveled by the honesty and the relevancy. These psalms were written thousands of years ago but still apply to today’s world. It is a reminder that all scripture is God breathed.
Praise God!