Psalms 73:1-3

Asaph began this psalm by affirming God’s goodness to His people, specifically those whose hearts are pure because they seek to follow God faithfully (Psalms 73:1). This verse provides the key to the psalm by highlighting attitude as most important. Purity of heart means being totally committed to God. References to the heart appear in Psalms 73:1; Psalms 73:7; Psalms 73:13; Psalms 73:21; Psalms 73:26 (twice). One writer referred to this psalm as a meditation on the heart. [Note: Martin Buber, Right and Wrong, pp. 37-38.]

However, Asaph confessed that he almost stumbled in his walk as a faithful believer when he thought about the great material prosperity of the wicked. The wealth and easy living of those who do not follow God’s will strictly tempted Asaph to abandon his commitment to living by God’s Law.

"Doubt comes from a struggling mind, while unbelief comes from a stubborn will that refuses surrender to God (Psalms 73:7). The unbelieving person will not believe, while the doubting person struggles to believe but cannot." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 222.]

Another distinctive feature of this psalm is the recurrence of the phrase "but as for me" (Psalms 73:2; Psalms 73:28; Psalms 73:22-23 in the Hebrew text).