Psalm 73

Story Snapshot

Asaph confesses that his feet nearly slipped because he envied the prosperity of the wicked, who seem untroubled and grow richer. He admits concluding he had kept his heart clean for nothing, since he was plagued daily. Understanding this was too painful until he entered God's sanctuary and saw their end. He recognizes his own bitterness and ignorance, and affirms that God holds his hand and is his portion forever.

Main Characters

Story Summary

The psalm opens with a conclusion reached only at the end, truly God is good to Israel, to those pure in heart, and then immediately admits how nearly that was lost: but as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had nearly slipped. The reason is stated without embarrassment, I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. He describes what he saw, they have no struggles in death and their bodies are healthy, they are free from ordinary human burdens, so pride is their necklace and violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance, they have more than the heart could wish, they scoff and speak with malice and set their mouths against heaven, and people turn to them and drink their words. They say, how does God know, is there knowledge in the Most High? Behold, these are the wicked, always at ease, increasing in riches. Then comes the crisis: surely I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence, for all day long I have been plagued and punished every morning. He notes that he did not say this aloud, because he would have betrayed the generation of God's children. When he tried to understand it, it was too painful, until he went into the sanctuary of God and considered their end. There he sees it differently, God sets them in slippery places and casts them down to ruin, they are destroyed in a moment, swept away like a dream when one awakes. Then Asaph turns on himself, my soul was grieved and I was embittered in my heart, I was senseless and ignorant, a brute beast before You. And immediately, the psalm's turn: nevertheless I am continually with You, You have held my right hand, You guide me with Your counsel and afterward will receive me to glory. The famous lines follow, whom do I have in heaven but You, and there is no one on earth I desire besides You; my flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. It closes affirming that it is good to draw near to God, having made the Lord GOD his refuge, that he may tell of all His works.

Timeline

• The ConfessionMy feet had almost slipped.
• The EnvyWatching the prosperity of the wicked.
• Their EaseNo struggles, pride as a necklace.
• The CrisisI have kept my heart clean in vain.
• Too Painful to UnderstandReasoning alone fails.
• Into the SanctuarySeeing their end differently.
• I Was a Brute BeastRecognizing his own bitterness.
• You Held My HandGod as the strength of his heart and portion forever.

Themes

What This Story Means

Psalm 73 is one of the most honest psalms in the Psalter about the experience of nearly losing faith, and it is worth reading alongside Psalm 37. Where Psalm 37 advises against envy from settled maturity, Psalm 73 reports from inside the failure. Asaph does not resolve his problem intellectually. He says explicitly that trying to understand it was too painful, and the change comes when he enters the sanctuary, that is, when he places himself in God's presence rather than continuing to reason alone. What he gains there is perspective on the end of things, but more importantly he gains a realization about the present, that he had been held the entire time. The psalm's final claim is not that the wicked will be punished, though it says that, but that God Himself is his portion. The wicked have things; he has God. That reframing, arrived at through crisis rather than around it, is why the psalm is so widely loved.

Bringing It Home

• Nearly losing faith is a real experience worth admitting out loud.
• Some problems are not solved by reasoning but by presence.
• Bitterness distorts perception before it changes conclusions.
• The final answer is not that the wicked fall but that God Himself is our portion.

Key Verse

Did You Know?

• Psalm 73 opens the third book of the Psalter.
• Asaph was a temple musician and the named author of twelve psalms.
• The psalm's turn happens in the sanctuary, not through argument.
• It pairs closely with Psalm 37, which gives advice about the same problem.

Read Next

What This Shows Us About God

• God holds His people even while they are doubting Him.
• God gives perspective in His presence that reasoning alone cannot reach.
• God offers Himself as our portion rather than merely our provider.

What This Shows Us About People

• We envy people whose lives look easier than ours.
• We conclude our integrity was wasted when it costs us.
• We are held long before we notice we are being held.

A Question to Sit With

When my faith is nearly slipping, do I keep reasoning alone, or do I go where God is?

Prayer

God, my feet have almost slipped. I have looked at people prospering without You and wondered whether any of my effort mattered. I was bitter and did not see clearly. Thank You that even then You were holding my right hand. Be the strength of my heart and my portion, because I have nothing else I want more. Amen.