ASAPH’S STRUGGLE AND REALIZATION
Key verse: 24
NIV
BOOK IIIPsalms 73–89Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(A)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
3 For I envied(D) the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free(F) from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
7 From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
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.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
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(S) all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
then I understood their final destiny.(U)
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
I was a brute beast(AD) before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
and my portion(AM) forever.
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(A)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
3 For I envied(D) the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free(F) from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
7 From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
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.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
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(S) all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
then I understood their final destiny.(U)
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
I was a brute beast(AD) before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
and my portion(AM) forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
- Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
- Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
Cross references
- Psalm 73:1 : S Ps 24:4; Mt 5:8
- Psalm 73:2 : S Dt 32:35
- Psalm 73:2 : Ps 69:2; Eph 4:27
- Psalm 73:3 : Pr 3:31; 23:17; 24:1-2
- Psalm 73:3 : S Job 9:24; S 21:7; Jer 12:1; Mal 3:15
- Psalm 73:5 : ver 12; Eze 23:42
- Psalm 73:6 : S Lev 26:19
- Psalm 73:6 : S Ge 41:42; SS 4:9; Eze 16:11
- Psalm 73:6 : S Ge 6:11; S Pr 4:17
- Psalm 73:7 : S Ps 17:10
- Psalm 73:8 : Ps 41:5; Eze 25:15; Col 3:8
- Psalm 73:8 : Ps 17:10
- Psalm 73:8 : S Ps 10:7; S 12:5
- Psalm 73:12 : S ver 5
- Psalm 73:12 : S Ps 49:6
- Psalm 73:13 : S Job 9:29-31; S 21:15
- Psalm 73:13 : S Ge 44:16
- Psalm 73:14 : ver 5
- Psalm 73:16 : Ecc 8:17
- Psalm 73:17 : Ex 15:17; Ps 15:1
- Psalm 73:17 : S Job 8:13; Php 3:19
- Psalm 73:18 : S Dt 32:35; Ps 35:6
- Psalm 73:18 : S Ps 17:13
- Psalm 73:19 : Dt 28:20; Pr 24:22; Isa 47:11
- Psalm 73:19 : S Ge 19:15
- Psalm 73:20 : S Job 20:8
- Psalm 73:20 : Ps 78:65; Isa 29:8
- Psalm 73:20 : Pr 12:11; 28:19
- Psalm 73:22 : Ps 49:10; 92:6; 94:8
- Psalm 73:22 : Ps 49:12, 20; Ecc 3:18; 9:12
- Psalm 73:23 : S Ge 48:13
- Psalm 73:24 : S Ps 48:14
- Psalm 73:24 : S 1Ki 22:5
- Psalm 73:25 : Ps 16:2
- Psalm 73:25 : Php 3:8
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps 84:2
- Psalm 73:26 : S Ps 31:10; 40:12
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps 18:1
- Psalm 73:26 : S Dt 32:9
- Psalm 73:27 : S Ps 34:21
- Psalm 73:27 : S Lev 6:2; Jer 5:11; Hos 4:12; 9:1
- Psalm 73:28 : Zep 3:2; Heb 10:22; Jas 4:8
- Psalm 73:28 : Ps 9:9
- Psalm 73:28 : Ps 26:7; 40:5
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Book ThreeGod Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of (A)Asaph.73 Truly God is good to (B)Israel,
to those who are (C)pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 (D)For I was (E)envious of the arrogant
when I saw the (F)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not (G)stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
violence covers them as (I)a garment.
7 Their (J)eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and (K)speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find (L)no fault in them.[a]
11 And they say, (M)“How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they (N)increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I (O)kept my heart clean
and (P)washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been (Q)stricken
and (R)rebuked (S)every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed (T)the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me (U)a wearisome task,
17 until I went into (V)the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their (W)end.
18 Truly you set them in (X)slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed (Y)in a moment,
swept away utterly by (Z)terrors!
20 Like (AA)a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AB)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was (AC)brutish and ignorant;
I was like (AD)a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you (AE)hold my right hand.
24 You (AF)guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will (AG)receive me to glory.
25 (AH)Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 (AI)My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is (AJ)the strength[b] of my heart and my (AK)portion (AL)forever.
27 For behold, those who are (AM)far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is (AN)unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to (AO)be near God;
I have made the Lord God my (AP)refuge,
that I may (AQ)tell of all your works.
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Footnotes
- Psalm 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
- Psalm 73:26 Hebrew rock
Cross references
- Psalm 73:1 : See Ps. 50, title
- Psalm 73:1 : John 1:47
- Psalm 73:1 : See Ps. 24:4
- Psalm 73:3 : See Job 21:7
- Psalm 73:3 : Ps. 37:1; Prov. 23:17
- Psalm 73:3 : [Ps. 37:7; 92:7; Jer. 12:1]
- Psalm 73:5 : [Isa. 53:4]
- Psalm 73:6 : [Judg. 8:26]
- Psalm 73:6 : [Ps. 109:18]
- Psalm 73:7 : See Job 15:27
- Psalm 73:8 : [2 Pet. 2:18; Jude 16]
- Psalm 73:10 : [Job 15:16]
- Psalm 73:11 : See Job 22:13
- Psalm 73:12 : [ver. 3]
- Psalm 73:13 : [ver. 1]; See Job 34:9
- Psalm 73:13 : See Ps. 26:6
- Psalm 73:14 : [See ver. 5 above]; [Isa. 53:4]
- Psalm 73:14 : Rev. 3:19
- Psalm 73:14 : [Ps. 101:8]
- Psalm 73:15 : [Ps. 14:5]
- Psalm 73:16 : Eccles. 8:17
- Psalm 73:17 : Ps. 20:2
- Psalm 73:17 : Ps. 37:38
- Psalm 73:18 : Ps. 35:6
- Psalm 73:19 : [Num. 16:21]
- Psalm 73:19 : See Job 18:11
- Psalm 73:20 : See Job 20:8
- Psalm 73:20 : Ps. 78:65
- Psalm 73:22 : See Ps. 49:10
- Psalm 73:22 : Job 18:3; [Job 11:12]
- Psalm 73:23 : Ps. 63:8; [Ps. 41:12]
- Psalm 73:24 : Ps. 32:8
- Psalm 73:24 : See Ps. 49:15
- Psalm 73:25 : Ps. 16:2; [Phil. 3:8]
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps. 40:12; See Ps. 84:2
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps. 18:2
- Psalm 73:26 : See Ps. 16:5
- Psalm 73:26 : [Dan. 12:3]
- Psalm 73:27 : Ps. 119:155
- Psalm 73:27 : Ps. 106:39; Ex. 34:15; Num. 15:39; James 4:4
- Psalm 73:28 : James 4:8; [Heb. 10:22]
- Psalm 73:28 : See Ps. 14:6
- Psalm 73:28 : See Ps. 118:17
73 Truly God is good to (B)Israel,
to those who are (C)pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 (D)For I was (E)envious of the arrogant
when I saw the (F)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not (G)stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
violence covers them as (I)a garment.
7 Their (J)eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and (K)speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find (L)no fault in them.[a]
11 And they say, (M)“How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they (N)increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I (O)kept my heart clean
and (P)washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been (Q)stricken
and (R)rebuked (S)every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed (T)the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me (U)a wearisome task,
17 until I went into (V)the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their (W)end.
18 Truly you set them in (X)slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed (Y)in a moment,
swept away utterly by (Z)terrors!
20 Like (AA)a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AB)you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was (AC)brutish and ignorant;
I was like (AD)a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you (AE)hold my right hand.
24 You (AF)guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will (AG)receive me to glory.
25 (AH)Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 (AI)My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is (AJ)the strength[b] of my heart and my (AK)portion (AL)forever.
27 For behold, those who are (AM)far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is (AN)unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to (AO)be near God;
I have made the Lord God my (AP)refuge,
that I may (AQ)tell of all your works.
Footnotes
- Psalm 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
- Psalm 73:26 Hebrew rock
Cross references
- Psalm 73:1 : See Ps. 50, title
- Psalm 73:1 : John 1:47
- Psalm 73:1 : See Ps. 24:4
- Psalm 73:3 : See Job 21:7
- Psalm 73:3 : Ps. 37:1; Prov. 23:17
- Psalm 73:3 : [Ps. 37:7; 92:7; Jer. 12:1]
- Psalm 73:5 : [Isa. 53:4]
- Psalm 73:6 : [Judg. 8:26]
- Psalm 73:6 : [Ps. 109:18]
- Psalm 73:7 : See Job 15:27
- Psalm 73:8 : [2 Pet. 2:18; Jude 16]
- Psalm 73:10 : [Job 15:16]
- Psalm 73:11 : See Job 22:13
- Psalm 73:12 : [ver. 3]
- Psalm 73:13 : [ver. 1]; See Job 34:9
- Psalm 73:13 : See Ps. 26:6
- Psalm 73:14 : [See ver. 5 above]; [Isa. 53:4]
- Psalm 73:14 : Rev. 3:19
- Psalm 73:14 : [Ps. 101:8]
- Psalm 73:15 : [Ps. 14:5]
- Psalm 73:16 : Eccles. 8:17
- Psalm 73:17 : Ps. 20:2
- Psalm 73:17 : Ps. 37:38
- Psalm 73:18 : Ps. 35:6
- Psalm 73:19 : [Num. 16:21]
- Psalm 73:19 : See Job 18:11
- Psalm 73:20 : See Job 20:8
- Psalm 73:20 : Ps. 78:65
- Psalm 73:22 : See Ps. 49:10
- Psalm 73:22 : Job 18:3; [Job 11:12]
- Psalm 73:23 : Ps. 63:8; [Ps. 41:12]
- Psalm 73:24 : Ps. 32:8
- Psalm 73:24 : See Ps. 49:15
- Psalm 73:25 : Ps. 16:2; [Phil. 3:8]
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps. 40:12; See Ps. 84:2
- Psalm 73:26 : Ps. 18:2
- Psalm 73:26 : See Ps. 16:5
- Psalm 73:26 : [Dan. 12:3]
- Psalm 73:27 : Ps. 119:155
- Psalm 73:27 : Ps. 106:39; Ex. 34:15; Num. 15:39; James 4:4
- Psalm 73:28 : James 4:8; [Heb. 10:22]
- Psalm 73:28 : See Ps. 14:6
- Psalm 73:28 : See Ps. 118:17
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
This chapter begins a new section containing psalms written by Asaph, a Levite and skilled musician whom David appointed as a worship leader for the tabernacle (1Ch 6:31-32, 39). This psalm expresses a genuine inner struggle in which Asaph was tempted to doubt the Lord’s goodness after seeing how the wicked seemed to prosper. Evil people appeared to be wealthy and healthy (3-4); they seemed to have no troubles and to live carefree lives, even as they spoke proudly and mocked God (5-9, 12).
Asaph was tempted to think that all his efforts to keep his heart pure and his life holy were a waste of time (13-14). What could he do, and what can we do, when such a dark attitude comes over us? We can come personally into the presence of God (17). When we draw near to God through Jesus, he will teach us to see from his perspective, and we will know that God is on the throne and that he is always good to those who live before him with a pure heart (1). We will see that, even though our life contains much suffering, God is teaching us with his counsel and leading us into his glorious presence (24). He is our one true desire (25), and he will keep us strong to the end! (26)
Prayer: Father, thank you that I can come into your presence when I am struggling and receive joy in the vision of your good leading in my life.
One Word: God teaches me and leads me to glory
