Psalm 73 starts the 3rd book of the Psalms. It is a Psalm of Asaph. It discusses the prosperity of the wicked, the chastening of the righteous, and God’s view of wickedness. It is easy for us to overlook the goodness of God in our lives. This is because what we think is good to have and to be like, and how to be treated is based on the things we see around us and are taught of in this worldly like.
1 (A Psalm of Asaph.) Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
So when we see the wicked prosper and how quickly they are rewarded for their evil works, we can become envious of their lifestyles. We see the corruption of the politicians who mock God and steal from the poor and line their pockets, openly violating the laws and yet there seems to be no consequences, no justice. They speak evil of God and of holy things, and yet they are not punished. Their violence is rewarded with great plunder at the cost of the lives of the weak and defenseless.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
It seems that the righteous have sanctified themselves in vain. The righteous are plagued and chastised continuously. They are mocked by the corrupted. Victimized by the aggressors and the sinful. In turning the other check the Christian is often forced to face humiliation, physical harm, emotional distress, and even death. When scripture says to present ourselves a living sacrifice, it is often very literal. For the ones who look at the world and how the wicked prosper it seems futile to remain chased. There seems to be no point in remaining innocent of blood. If the payment for sin is so lucrative, then what is the downside? However, when we turn our eyes away from the world and look to the Lord, we see his sanctuary. This is a place of rest, and security. It is a place of safety.
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
For God does not see the exploits of the wicked in the same manner as the world does. The Lord tell us in Proverbs, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12). The lifestyle that the wicked live in is a slippery slope that only leads to destruction. The very things that they are rewarded with are temporary. They lead them astray, and give them false confidences. The Word of the Lord again states, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” (Proverbs 23:4). The wicked are blinded by their own desires. When they finally see their end, it is too late. We see that the Lord does not reward them, he despises the wickedness of their hearts. He leaves them to their own ends. Their end is death eternal. This is the fate of the wicked as recorded in Revelation 21:8 – “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
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 thy works.
But the ones who seek righteousness. They are filled through the steady leading of the LORD. For he does chastise in order to correct in love. His chastisement brings wisdom, in the fear of the LORD and the working of his hands. When his flesh is tired and worn out, the LORD is his strength to continue on the way of righteousness, which delivers him from the wrath of God. This grooming by the Lord God is what brings a man to Jesus Christ the righteous. Those who see the value of the sacrifice made for them by the death, burial, and resurrections of Jesus Christ have this righteousness imputed to them. So this very chastisement is a sanctuary protecting us and causing us to continue in righteousness. It keep us close to the heart of God. But those who do not listen to the chastisement of the LORD, they are far from him. They do not fear him. They do not seek his righteousness in Jesus Christ. Instead they follow the god of this world. Instead of seeking eternal peace with God they seek the temporary rewards of this dying world. Scripture calls them idolaters, adulterers who whore themselves out to Satan. All those who whore themselves after the god of this world, they “shall perish”. So as Asaph declares, “it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust it the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”. God has provided a pardon and dismissal of your unrighteousness in Jesus Christ, and only Jesus Christ. This is the declaration of the work of God. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
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