Psalm 73 - The Answer to Envy
- Chad Werkhoven
- 54 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Life may look way better for others, but you're being guided to glory by the LORD's counsel.

Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity (šā·lôm) of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
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.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
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 all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 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.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted
Because of
these remnants of sin dwelling in them
and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan,
those who have been converted
could not remain standing in this grace
if left to their own resources.
But God is faithful,
mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them
and powerfully preserving them in it to the end.
Summary
You've noticed what the psalmist Asaph notices here, probably more often than not. You've also envied the arrogant - those who on one hand have callous hearts, who scoff and speak with malice, and who ignore God altogether, yet who seem to have tremendous prosperity (literally: šā·lôm (shalom), the condition in which every thing is the way it's supposed to be).
Their lives are always free of care, Asaph complains, and they go on amassing wealth. Worse yet, crowds of people turn to them and drink up everything they have to say.
Asaph goes on to conclude he's been wasting his time working so hard to remain faithful to the LORD. Surely in vain, he writes, I have kept my heart pure. Yet all he seems to have gotten in return is affliction, and every morning brings new punishments.
But then Asaph snaps back into reality as he entered the sanctuary of God. Do you see how important it is for you to recenter yourself each week by going to the Lord's house and hearing His Word proclaimed? It was there, Asaph reports, that he understood their final destiny. The wicked, whose lives appear so attractive, would be destroyed, completely swept away by God's justice.
Dig Deeper
In the final stanza (v18-28), Asaph confesses his embittered senseless ignorance, and it's then that he realizes God is always with him, holding him by his right hand and guiding him with His counsel. My flesh and my heart may fail, Asaph concludes, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
And so it is with you. Asaph's prayer of confession forms a beautiful foundation for these opening articles contained in this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in you, the Canons confess, and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, you could not remain standing in this grace if left to your own resources.
But that's the beauty of Asaph's gospel here in Psalm 73! You're not left to your own resources! Your Father will guide you with His counsel and afterwards He will take you into glory!
Sunday's quickly coming once again. You have discretion as to how you'll spend your time this weekend, so make going to the Lord's house a priority, because it is good to be near God. As you make the sovereign LORD your refuge, you'll be all the more refreshed and equipped to tell of all His deeds in the week to come.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is good to the pure in heart;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the LORD will truly be the strength of your heart and your portion forever;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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