Psalm 073

Introduction

You might recall that we studied the first 72 psalms between 2019 and 2021. And when we reached Psalm 72, we took a break and studied the Attributes of God and then the Song of Songs and then Matthew’s gospel. And having finished Matthew’s gospel last week, I thought it was time to return to the psalms.

You might also recall that I said the psalms are divided into five books. And Psalm 73, which we’re studying this evening, is the first psalm in Book 3. We’re told that it’s a psalm of Asaph. Many of the psalms in Books 1 and 2 were psalms of David. However, Psalm 50 was also a psalm of Asaph. According to 1 Chronicles 6, he was a Levite who, along with others, was appointed by David to provide the music for the worship of God in the tabernacle and temple. And as well as providing music, he wrote a few of the psalms, including this one.

The psalm can be divided into three parts: verses 1 to 12; verses 13 to 17; and verses 18 to 28. All three parts begin with the word ‘surely’: ‘Surely God is good to Israel’ in verse 1; ‘Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure’ in verse 13; and ‘Surely you place them on slippery ground’ in verse 18. In the first part, he describes the prosperity of the wicked. This leads to a crisis of faith which he describes in the second part. And then, in the third part, he remembers that it will not always go well for the wicked, but glory awaits God’s people in the life to come.

Verses 1 to 12

Let’s turn to the first part in verses 1 to 12. The psalm begins with a confession of faith: ‘Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.’ The pure in heart are the people in Israel who are devoted to God. If you were able to see into their hearts, you’d see that their devotion to God was pure and sincere and genuine. There was nothing false about their love for the Lord. And the psalmist believes that such people can expect good from the Lord.

However, even though he believes this is the case, his own faith almost gave way. And so, he says that his feet almost slipped. That is, he almost stumbled and fell away from the Lord when he noticed the prosperity of the wicked. The Hebrew word translated ‘prosperity’ is that word shalom which conveys the idea of peace and well-being and wholeness and that all is well in the world. So, the psalmist almost stumbled and fell away from the Lord, because it occurred to him one day that you know what? The people who are doing well in the world, the people who succeed and who prosper and who are content, are the wicked.

And he goes on to describe what their life is like. They have no struggles; and their bodies are healthy and strong; and they are free from the burdens of life; and they’re not plagued by human ills. So, they’re healthy and their lives are trouble-free. And they’re proud, not humble. And they’re violent, not gentle. And by saying their pride is like a necklace and their violence is like a coat, he’s saying that they don’t hide their pride or violence. They don’t try to cover it up. The wear it like a necklace or a coat for all to see. And they scoff and speak with malice; and they’re arrogant and they oppress people.

When he mentions heaven in verse 9, he’s probably referring to God; and when he mentions the earth, he’s probably referring to the people on the earth. And so, according to the psalmist, the wicked lay claim and take possession of them. That is, it seems to them that no one, not even God in heaven, can stop them from doing what they want to do.

And when the psalmist says that people turn to them, he perhaps means that other people are emulating them. Other people are copying their example of wickedness.

And the wicked say: ‘How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?’ In other words, since God hasn’t done anything to stop me, he mustn’t know what I’m doing.

And the psalmist brings this part of the psalm to a close by saying that this is what the wicked are are carefree and they are rich.

Along with the rest of God’s people, he confessed that God is good to the pure in heart. But when he looked out over the world, he couldn’t help but notice that very often it is the wicked, and not the righteous, who have a carefree, trouble-free, healthy, happy life. And it’s the same today, isn’t it? Yes, from time to time, we hear about some wealthy celebrity or business person who goes too far and loses his job or loses his wealth or ends up in prison. But there are many others who do not believe and they live long, prosperous, happy lives.

Job spoke about this in Job 21. Do you remember? He was responding to Zophar, one of his so-called friends, who said that the mirth of the wicked is brief and the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. And Job replied that no, the wicked don’t get weaker, but stronger. And they get to see their children grow up and do well. And their homes are safe and their farms prosper. God’s rod never falls on them. And they spend their years in prosperity and die after a long and full and happy life. That’s what Job saw. And our psalmist saw it too.

Verses 13 to 17

And so, it led to a crisis of faith, which he tells us about in the second part of the psalm.

It seemed to him that he had kept his heart pure in vain. In other words, what did he get for his devotion to God? He washed his hands in innocence. That is to say, he kept himself innocent by resisting sin and by doing what is right. There was no guilt on his hands. But what was the point? What did it get him? All day long, he says, I have been plagued. I have been punished every morning, he says in verse 14. It seemed to him that though he kept himself from sin, God was still punishing him. So, he was suffering affliction and trouble, despite his godly life. God was disciplining him. The wicked were enjoying a carefree, trouble-free life, while he was struggling every day.

That, at least, is what he thought for a moment, when he suffered this crisis of faith. Now, when he wrote the psalm, the crisis was over. And so, he tells us in verse 15 that if he had said out loud and in public what he had been thinking at that time, it would have been to betray God’s people, because it would mean that he had turned away from God’s people and that he now sided with the wicked against God. That would have been a massive betrayal.

However, go back to verse 2 for a moment, where he said that his feet almost slipped. He almost slipped, but he didn’t actually slip. He almost betrayed God’s people, but he didn’t actually betray them. Before it was too late, he entered the sanctuary of God. That’s in verse 17. In other words, he went into the temple. And then he understood the final destiny of the wicked. He doesn’t tell us what it was about the temple or what he saw there or experienced there that helped him to see this clearly. But something happened which enabled him to understand.

Verses 18 to 28

And so, we come to the final part of the psalm which is verses 18 to 28. Having described the prosperity of the wicked in the first part, he now describes how God has placed them on slippery ground. While they go on living on the earth, they may continue to prosper and do well, and they may live long, carefree lives of plenty. But though they don’t realise it, they’re standing on slippery ground. And what happens when we’re on slippery ground? What happens when you’re walking over ice? Everything is fine for a while. It’s fine for a while. But eventually you fall. And you fall with a thud, don’t you? And eventually God will cast the wicked down to ruin. And he says: how suddenly they are destroyed and how completely they are swept away by terrors. And their life will be like a bad dream. You wake up from a bad dream and you know it was a bad dream. But then you get up and get washed or you get your breakfast and you forget all about it. And so, the psalmist is saying in verse 20 that the wicked are like a bad dream, because the day will come when God will forget all about them.

And notice, of course, that it is God who will bring them down. So, God has placed them on slippery ground. God is the one who will cast them down. God is the one who will despise them as fantasies. The wicked thought that God did not know what they were doing on the earth. But God knows all about them. And the day will come when God will repay them for what they have done. It may not have happened yet, but it will surely happen.

And in verses 21 and 22, the psalmist admits that when he envied the wicked, he was being senseless and ignorant. He was being like a brute beast which understanding nothing that its master is doing. And yet, despite his spiritual stupidity, he knows that ‘I am always with you’. That’s in verse 23. And he says that God held his right hand. So, he almost fell, because of his spiritual stupidity and his crisis of faith. But just as a mother holds her child’s hand, so God held his hand to keep him from falling. And God guided him with his counsel. So, perhaps when he went into the temple, he heard God’s word; and something in the reading reminded him of the final destiny of the wicked and the goodness of the Lord to his people. In any case, God kept him from falling and showed him the right way to take. And then, afterwards, after this life is over, God will take him into glory.

So, the final destiny of the wicked is to be cast down into ruin. But the final destiny of God’s people is to be brought into the presence of the Lord. And so, we all need to remember that there’s this life and there’s the life to come. And this life is only temporary, whereas the life to come is eternal. The wicked may prosper in this life, but it’s only for this life. And the righteous may suffer in this life, but it’s only for this life. It’s only for this life; and then there’s the life to come when the wicked will suffer eternal ruin, but God’s people will enjoy eternal glory in the presence of God.

And so, the psalmist says in verse 25: ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you?’ In other words, you’re all that I want. The wicked are distracted by lesser things; and they may spend their lives seeking those things; and they will do whatever they can in order to get those things. But the psalmist says that God is all that he wants. And God is all that he needs, because though his flesh and heart fail, God is the strength of his heart. God will strengthen him inwardly to face all the troubles and trials of this life. Yes, he may be plagued all day long, as he said in verse 14. But God is with him to strengthen him and to uphold him and to enable him to persevere right to the end of his life. And when he refers to God as his portion in verse 14, we’re to think of a hungry man who receives his dinner and his hunger is satisfied. And we have God forever; and that’s enough for us.

The wicked will ultimately perish, because God will destroy all who are unfaithful. That’s in verse 27. But as for me, the psalmist says, it is good to be near God and to have you as my refuge and to be able to recount your deeds and all that you have done for me.

Conclusion

It’s interesting that the psalmist understood these things once he went into the temple. The temple was God’s dwelling place on earth; and it was an earthly copy of the true, heavenly temple, where God and his people will dwell forever. And so, entering the earthly temple in Jerusalem foreshadowed how we will enter the heavenly temple one day to dwell with God forever.

And, of course, when the people entered the earthly temple, they offered animal sacrifices to God to cleanse them from their guilt. And we can look forward to entering God’s heavenly temple, because of Christ our Saviour, who offered up his life on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to cleanse us from our guilt forever. And whoever believes in him receives forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. And so, while those who do not believe will be cast down and ruined for all that they did wrong in this life, all who believe in Christ can look forward to entering God’s heavenly temple in the life to come, where we will behold God’s glory in the face of Christ and where we will be glorified in his presence and made perfect forever. And so, while we may suffer trials and troubles in this life, nevertheless because of Christ our Saviour, we can look forward to eternal happiness in the presence of God in the life to come.