Psalm 73 • God Is Enough

Do you look around and get discouraged by the great material prosperity of the wicked? It seems they are rebelling against God and even mocking Him openly and still doing great! Then, you look at your own life with all its challenges and can easily wonder, “What do I get for following God?” Psalm 73 gives us the answer to that question and redirects our thinking to nourish our hearts. 

A Look at Psalm 73

Psalm 73 is one of a collection of psalms attributed to Asaph and his descendants. The first Asaph lived during the time of King David and was the leader of one of the choirs that led worship in Jerusalem—either in front of the tent that held the Ark of the Covenant or in front of the Temple once it was built. Asaph’s descendants continued to lead singing as the Jews gathered for worship at the Temple.

is a lament psalm. A lament is a passionate expression of grief, sorrow, or something you feel is wrong. You likely saw this as you read. It is also a wisdom psalm because it helps the reader seek trusting God above whatever their disappointment is. It is a story of ups and downs in life and how to think rightly about them. 

The Question—Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

Envying the wicked

Surely God is good to Israel,  to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:1-3)

Verse 1 is actually the writer’s conclusion at the end of his very painful struggle to find the truth as recorded in this psalm. He began by affirming God’s goodness to His people, especially those who are “pure in heart.” Pure of heart refers to a single-minded commitment to God, following Him faithfully. You see references to the heart throughout this psalm—verses 1, 7, 13, 21, and 26. 

Then, he confessed that he nearly stumbled in his faith as he compared his life with the great material prosperity of the wicked—the ones who were rebelling against God in their hearts and lives. They are mocking God openly and still doing great!

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. (Psalm 73:4-12)

The wicked are proud, violent, unrestrained, and maliciously threaten others. They also influence others to do the same and act as if God does not know or even care how they live. So they continue to prosper. They are acting like spiritual terrorists in the community. How could God ignore that?!

Feeling useless

Then, he expresses his feeling in light of those observations.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. (Psalm 73:13-16)

The psalmist is asking the age-old question, “Why do the wicked prosper?” His basic response to what he sees around him is this, “What do I get for following God?” It is easy to look around and see wicked people prospering while you are not. Doesn’t God see?

To the people of Israel, God had promised general blessings on the faithful and curses on the wicked (Deuteronomy 28). The psalmist wasn’t seeing this around him and in his own life. He is expressing doubt. Doubt is a mind struggling to believe but wanting to believe. That is different from the unbelief of the wicked. Unbelief is an unwillingness to believe in God and surrender to Him. 

The writer is troubled by his own suffering. Instead of prospering, he sees only problems that plague him daily—perhaps chronic illness, poverty, etc. He is perplexed about God’s lack of punishment of the wicked. He isn’t saying that he wants to be like the wicked. He is feeling that there should be a reward for being good. 

The question he seems to be asking is, “What do I get for following God?” Are you asking that same question?

Have you ever felt that there should be a recognizable reward for being good, but you are not seeing it? How did that affect you?

Asaph wisely chose not to declare his feelings publicly and thus cause mischief to others’ faith. He would have misled them because he was not considering all the facts. We likewise must be careful with whom we express our doubts. Talk it out with God and other strong Christians but not to new or young Christians who are still trying to break away from the world’s influence. Then, give your doubt to God and choose to trust Him. 

Remembering God’s perspective

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuaryof God; then I understood their final destiny. (Psalm 73:17)

Asaph went to God’s sanctuary—the Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. If he was a priest, he could go inside the actual structure. If not a priest, he could stand in front of it in the court of the Israelites. Either way, he was in God’s presence. There, he began to view life according to God’s perspective. He remembers that there is another life after this one. And God gets the final say. 

Today, God’s presence dwells in His people by His Holy Spirit, and we who know Him are ourselves His temple (see 2 Corinthians 6:16). As believers in Jesus Christ, we can confidently approach God’s presence, referred to in Hebrews 4:16 as His ‘throne of grace.” We enter God’s presence today through His Word and through prayer. There, we can also get His guidance on any part of life that puzzles us. 

The Answer—Knowing God Is Far Better!

The slippery ground of the wicked

At first the psalmist saw himself on slippery and uncertain ground, but now he sees the situation differently. It is the wicked who are on the slippery slope. 

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. … Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. (Psalm 73:18-20, 27)

God gives freedom to the wicked to live as they choose. But their way of life is like walking on ice. It can and will result in an eventual fall. Like a dream that vanishes upon wakening, the lives of the wicked will vanish one day. They will be cast down, destroyed, swept away, and despised. At the end of this life, they will stand before God. His justice will condemn them. I heard someone say that this is the only heaven they will ever know. That is very sad, isn’t it? 

The danger of bitterness

The psalmist looked back on his time of doubt and sees himself in a different light.

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. (Psalm 73:21-22)

He was dense and full of bitterness—senseless and ignorant of God’s guidance. He was wallowing in self-pity. He couldn’t think straight. Holding onto anger and bitterness at the unfairness in this world only hurts us and blinds us to the truth. We lose perspective. We cease to trust God. 

The psalmist remembers his relationship with God and what it means to know Him. The words he used next are so personal.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:23-26)

These are absolutely beautiful words for every one of us to meditate upon and remember when we start feeling sorry for ourselves. They require a closer look. 

You Hold Me by My Right Hand

I can say along with the psalmist, “You hold me by my right hand.” I’ve experienced that deep father’s love. My earthly father loved me dearly so I have had no difficulty believing that God truly loves me as a Father. Through the years, God my Father has held me up when I just couldn’t hold myself up just like He did for the psalmist.

There have been times when I felt too weak to measure up to whatever I was supposed to be. I looked at all my inadequacies—all that I couldn’t do right or as well as others could. I felt afraid. I know my God was holding me up during those times just to give me that extra strength to stand. And, He has whispered in my ear—through His Word, His Spirit, or someone’s teaching. Those words were just what I needed to know for that moment.  

The psalmist said, “you hold me by my right hand.” That is truth. He does that for you. 

You Guide Me with Your Counsel

The psalmist also said to God, “You guide me with your counsel.” God is always with you, guiding you with His counsel from His Word—the Bible.

I remember the first time I went to a small group Bible Study. All I had was the Bible I was given as a child when I joined the church. I had memorized Psalm 23 and Psalm 100 for Vacation Bible School one year. And I knew where to find and read the Christmas story. But I had never opened up the Bible to study what it said to me. I was ignorant of its truth to guide me to God’s way of approaching life rather than the world’s way. 

In that first small group gathering, I discovered a treasure as my leader showed me how to find verses in the Bible. She asked me questions that led to my understanding of what those verses said. That began an insatiable appetite for God’s truth in me. I desire God’s counsel to me so I can approach life His way rather than my own. And I know confidently that when I open the Bible. I am getting God’s counsel. He can guide me with it. 

The psalmist said, “You guide me with your counsel.” That is truth. God does that for you. 

You Will Take Me into Glory

The psalmist then said, “and afterward you will take me into glory.” God will hold my hand all the way through this life and past this life into the glorious next one. I have a future with God in heaven. One day, Jesus will come for me—either through the Rapture if I am still alive or to take my soul with Him to heaven when I physically die. 

I have complete confidence in what the psalmist says, “you will take me into glory.” One day, Jesus will come for you too. You and I have a future with God in heaven.

God Is My Strength and My Portion

For now, the psalmist declares this, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

God is your strength 

God is your strength for your heart. You can choose God every day that you are on this earth. As you grow older, your flesh and your heart may fail. But God is your strength now and will continue to be your strength. I have that confidence. 

God is your portion

God is also your portion. The Hebrew word for “portion” has to do with a ration or a part of something divided like an inheritance. When a biblical writer says, “God is my portion,” they mean that God is the source of their happiness and blessing. They are content with all that the Lord is and provides. 

Nothing is as valuable as the promises of God—not riches, not honor, not friends, nor fame. If God is our portion, we need nothing else. That is a promise but difficult to embrace in our materialistic world. 

The psalmist is willing to go without the great material advantages of the wicked because he had an enduring relationship with God. He knows that he has the best inheritance imaginable and decides not to seek any possession or comfort outside of God. He is content with all that the Lord is and provides. That was enough for him. 

We lack no good thing when we have God. That is what Asaph declared in verse 25. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

Jesus’ disciples recognized the same thing and asked a similar question, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God (John 6:68-69).” 

You can persevere through anything in this life if you believe that when you have God, you need nothing else. He loves you dearly. And like a good father, He grabs your hand to give you comfort and strength. Picture yourself sitting with Jesus, holding out your hand for Father God to take hold and whisper in your ear, “Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.”

What difference does (or would) having this perspective in your relationship with God make in your life?

Being with God Is Enough

After considering what he has with God, the writer concludes this,

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:28)

In Psalm 73:15, the psalmist refrained from speaking to others because he knew what he would say would not be right and good. As he comes to his conclusion in verse 28, he now has something to say. Being with God is enough.

Asaph once envied the wicked but now pities them. He has far more than they will ever have. They are missing out on the greatest blessing of all because they refuse to believe in the God who is real and wants a relationship with them. 

What do you get for following God? You get HIM! 

What more do you really need? He is your refuge against the wicked and against your own self-pity. He is enough. 

Read all the articles in our Psalms series. 

All of the above information is covered in our Songs of the Heart That Light My Way Bible Study covering selected psalms.

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