Read Psalm 73 at Bible Gateway.
This psalm forms a chiastic structure:
Psa 73:1-28
1a) Psa 73:1, God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart;
1b) Psa 73:2, My feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped;
1c) Psa 73:3, I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked;
1d) Psa 73:4, For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm;
1e) Psa 73:5, They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued as other men;
1f) Psa 73:6, Pride serves as their necklace, violence covers them like a garment;
1g) Psa 73:7-10, Their eyes bulge with abundance, they have more than their heart could wish;
central axis) Psa 73:11, “The ungodly say, ‘How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?’”;
2g) Psa 73:12, Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease, who increase in riches;
2f) Psa 73:13, Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence;
1e) Psa 73:14, For all day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning;
2d) Psa 73:15-20, You set them in slippery places and cast them down to destruction;
2c) Psa 73:21-26, There is none upon earth that I desire besides You;
2b) Psa 73:27, Those who are far from You shall perish;
2a) Psa 73:28, It is good for me to draw near to God, I have put my trust in the Lord God.
The dilemma of the prosperity of the wicked, is such a dilemma that it caused the psalmist pain (vs. 16). He couldn’t explain it to the generation of the Lord’s children (vs. 15). It is such a dilemma because the Torah promises blessings for the obedient and curses for the disobedient (Deu 28). But the psalmist rightly observes that it is the wicked who seem to inherit every blessing, and the righteous who are plagued and chastened every morning.
But the end of the wicked is destruction, while the end of the righteous is glory. In the mean time, let us draw near to God for our good, and put our trust in the Lord our God! The just shall live by faith!
Leave a Reply