All but one of the Psalms in book 3 (73-89) are associated with the Levites. Psalm 73 summarizes the message of the entire book of Psalms. It emphasizes that blessedness is more about being assured of God's presence in them midst of difficulty than about material prosperity. This is similar to Psalm 49.
This Psalm addresses the age-old question: Why should good men suffer, and bad men prosper? Doesn't this contradict God's righteousness?
He contrasts his envy with God's goodness—73:1-3 1) A Psalm of Asaph. 2) His conclusion 3) His shame
He subjectively describes the prosperity [shalom] of the wicked—73:4-12 1) External prosperity 2) Insolent attitudes 3) Summary
His two-fold response to deceptive prosperity—73:13-17 1) His initial Selfward response 2) His delayed Godward response
He displays his confidence in God's judgment of the wicked—73:18-20 1) The wicked lack a solid foundation 2) The wicked will be destroyed in an instant 3) The wicked cannot avoid the judgment of the Sovereign God whom they mockingly reject 4) We cannot follow the wicked into the afterlife. We cannot see what happens to them beyond the grave. Our knowledge is limited.
He acknowledges the soul-satisfying nature of God—73:21-26 1) His previous irrational thinking 2) His corrected Godward thinking 3) The One whom (not what) the true believer possesses will last for eternity.
He deliberately chooses to trust God, regardless of his perceptions—73:27-28 1) Recognition of God's punishment for sin 2) Recognition of God's presence and power
Take-home truth: God's judgment of the wicked is guaranteed, even if it is delayed.
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By God's amazing grace alone, Phil was drawn to salvation in Jesus Christ as a college freshman. He began his pastoral ministry as an assistant pastor (working specifically with youth and music) in 1983 while in seminary. He became the senior pastor here at Calvary in December...
