Following Jesus When You Want to Give Up Devotional

73:title A song See note on 3:title.

of Asaph As with the affiliation of particular psalms with David, this affiliation with Asaph does not necessarily indicate authorship (see note on 3:title).

David and the Psalm Titles

73:1 Surely The Hebrew word used here, akh, expresses certainty. It shows the psalmist’s sense of conviction following his crisis. Compare v. 18.

those pure of heart The psalmist distinguishes fidelity to God from simple national identity.

73:2 But as for me The psalmist focuses on his individual experience as a way to approach the issue of the prosperity of the wicked (v. 3).

my feet had almost stumbled A term expressing disaster. The psalmist will identify his own envy (v. 3) and bitterness (v. 21) as the source of his near ruin.

73:3 the well-being of the wicked Though many passages in the ot depict God punishing evildoers, ot writers often struggle when they see the wicked experience good things.

73:5 as other people Indicates that everything seems to go well for the wicked.

73:6 violence The Hebrew word used here, chamas, can refer to injustice or exploitation as well as physical attacks.

73:9 They set their mouth against the heavens The wicked openly speak against God.

73:14 I have been plagued The Hebrew word used here, naga' (which may be rendered “to strike” or “to rebuke”), is sometimes connected to God’s discipline (see Prov 3:12).

Ps 73:15–20

In this section, the psalmist presents the process of decision-making, which eventually leads to understanding. The psalmist ends his lament and identifies it as internal musing (v. 15). He chooses to view the continued prosperity of the wicked through the experience of worship, where he is able to understand a bigger picture (v. 17). He then depicts the eventual punishment of the wicked (vv. 18–20).

73:15 If I had said Indicates that the tirade of vv. 4–14 was an internal lament for the psalmist; he did not express it publicly.

your children’s generation The psalmist describes his complaint as a betrayal of His people—Israel. Compare 24:3–6.

73:17 until I went into the sanctuary of God The psalmist gains a new perspective after he enters God’s sanctuary to worship. Psa 73 depicts several choices the psalmist makes in the face of his despair; the choice to worship is crucial to the new outlook he develops.

Then I understood their fate As long as the psalmist remained bitter, he was unable to see the situation correctly (vv. 21–22).

73:18 Surely The use of the Hebrew word akh here echoes the opening of the psalm, where the psalmist affirms God’s goodness to Israel (see v. 1 and note).

you set them on slippery places The psalmist expresses his conviction that God will judge evildoers.

73:21 I felt stabbed in my kidneys The Hebrew word used here, kilyah, literally refers to the kidneys. Ancient Israelites thought of the kidneys as the center of a person’s emotional being.

73:22 I was brutish and ignorant The psalmist’s resentment and mistrust had misconstrued his perceptions of God and reality.

73:23 you have hold of my right hand The psalmist is portraying God as very near.

73:24 afterward you will take me into honor The psalmist may be contrasting his fate with that of the wicked, who will eventually be punished and destroyed (vv. 17–18).

73:26 reward The Hebrew word used here, cheleq, is also used to describe the allotment of the land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel (Josh 14:5; 18:2). The psalmist describes God as his share (or portion) in the present world.

73:27 will be ruined The psalmist reaffirms his conviction that the wicked will be punished and also provides a contrast with those who are pure in heart (Ps 73:1).

73:28 But as for me, the approach to God is for my Expresses the psalmist’s new sense of peace in terms that recall his earlier crisis (compare v. 2).

tell all your works The psalmist proclaims that he will publicly tell of God’s works.