Psalm 73
by Pastor David Groendyk
Right above Psalm 73 in my Bible is a header that says BOOK THREE. The Psalms are broken down into five Books. The first three Books get progressively darker in tone until we get to Psalms 88–89 which are some of the darkest chapters in Scripture. Then the last two Books begin to pick up again as we see God respond to the problems and laments in Books 1–3. That being said, Psalm 73 is at the head of the darkest section of Psalms.
At the outset, the psalmist is questioning God’s justice. What exactly is he questioning? He thinks it’s unfair that the wicked people in this life seem to succeed so much while the righteous people of God are trampled. The author here is brutally honest. It seems like the wicked have zero problems in life (v. 4); it doesn’t feel like there’s any reason to continue living the way God wants us to (v. 13); it’s wearying and impossible to understand why it’s happening (v. 16). When it feels like the church is oppressed and crushed and constantly losing, isn’t it a comfort to know that we’re not experiencing anything different from the rest of our brothers and sisters throughout history? So many times as I read through the Psalms I’ll find certain phrases and verses that resonate perfectly with what I’m experiencing in life. It’s a comfort to read even verses 1–15 of this psalm, because it’s a reminder that God knows exactly what we’re going through.
But here is the psalmist’s great solution to his own doubts and questions: he fixes his eyes on eternity. The wicked people that the psalmist sees succeeding won’t ever necessarily come to justice in this life, but they will certainly all be wiped out in a single moment when the Lord returns (v. 19). We believers need to rest on God’s own strength and guidance to persevere and endure in this life, and our great promise of deliverance is being brought into glory with God forever (vv. 24, 26). As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:17–18: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Having the right perspective, to me, is the greatest lesson in this psalm, but there are many others. First, it is communion with God that gives us this godly perspective (vv. 17, 28). Whether it’s corporate worship with our brothers and sisters on Sunday or personal devotional time with God every day, simply spending time with and near God will help us gain a godly perspective on our hardships. Second, God should be our primary desire in this life (v. 25). Although it’s not explicitly stated, we can see that the psalmist is perhaps envious of the life of ease and comfort of the wicked. The true child of God must keep his earthly desires in check and desire God above all else. Third, we have to guard ourselves against arrogance, pride, and bitterness (vv. 21–22). As natural as it can be to question God and his justice at times, we have to remember that that is the height of pride. And if we’re not careful, bitterness against God will take root. Fourth, God is the strength and protection and guidance we must rely on in this life (vv. 24, 26). Our own power will fail constantly. God is our only hope to make it through this journey. Rest and rely on him.
Which of these five lessons stands out to you the most? Spend some time praying through them.