“THE PERPLEXITY OF AN ASAPH” PSALM 73:1-28

Psalm 73, can be classified as a didactic psalm. This psalm basically teaches that faith in God is always needed to gain the proper perspective of life. If your faith is wavering, you will doubt God’s goodness, especially when you are undergoing crises in your life. The trials of this life can be very overwhelming; and if they are not withstood with genuine faith in God, you can doubt and almost slip in confidence in God as Asaph does in our text. Even the best of God’s saints like Abraham, Moses, Job, and Habakkuk were guilty of doubting God. In the midst of the prevailing evil of his day, Habakkuk wanted to know why God wasn’t doing anything about Judah’s wickedness. God’s answer puzzled the prophet greatly, for God’s answer was to send the Babylonians to chastise Judah (Habakkuk 1:2-11). Not accepting God’s answer, Habakkuk’s problem increased because he wanted to know the answer to this question: “Why would a righteous God use a vile people like the Babylonians to chastise Judah?”

Like Habakkuk, every time we try to solve life’s issues apart from God, it only brings out the frustration in us. So, in the midst of this cruel and unjust world of our time, we need to get in our bibles and trust God, for the latter part of Habakkuk 2:4 says, “the just shall live by his faith.” Even if the limited resources you have amassed have been depleted; if your faith in God is firm, you can praise God anyhow, for Habakkuk 3:17-19 states, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hind’s feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.” Amen! Amen! Amen!

As we view our text, in verses 1-4, we find Asaph asserting that God was indeed good to Israel; nevertheless, this Levite musician almost slipped in his confidence in God. This man Asaph had a real problem, for he was envious of the prosperity of the wicked. The wicked of his day seemed to be better off than the righteous. This fact caused him to really waver in his faith. Asaph admits, “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3). Continuing to be plagued by the prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist declared that the wicked do not seem to be troubled like other people (vv. 4-5); they are obsessed with pride and violence (v. 6); they carry out evil schemes and even speak evil, in a haughty fashion (vv. 7-9).

These prosperous wicked ones influence others, thinking that God does not know about their evil and arrogant ways (vv. 10-12). Continuing to be puzzled about the prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist declared that in vain he had cleansed himself; in other words, there was no value in living righteously. Asaph is definitely plagued about the prosperity of the wicked in relation to the struggle of the righteous (vv. 13-14).

However, in verses 15-20, Asaph gains the right perspective as he considers the destiny of the wicked. After making a confession to the congregation, Asaph found his answer in the sanctuary, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction” (vv. 17-18). He found out that the wicked are really in slippery places and that their destiny was one of ruin. After confessing his utter foolishness (vv. 21-23), Asaph was confident in knowing that God was always with him and that God was his guide even in death – “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (vv. 24-25). Asaph also affirmed that the Lord was his strength and portion. Although the wicked may prosper, only those who are near to God will find security (vv. 27-28). Asaph’s final resolve in verse 28 states, “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”

May God Bless!