Psalms 73

BOOK III. Psalms 73-89.

A Psalm of Asaph.

This psalm, which begins the third book of the Hebrew Psalter, opens, Psalms 73:1, with an expression of faith in the doctrine that “God is good to Israel,” which the author had been tempted to doubt. In Psalms 73:2-11 he describes the prosperity and insolence of the wicked as contrasted with the lot of the righteous, which had caused such severe trial of his faith. In Psalms 73:12-15 he gives a frank confession of the depth and danger of his temptation to reject the doctrine of a rewarding Providence. In Psalms 73:16-20 he goes to the sanctuary and learns the end of the wicked, whereby his eyes are opened and the spell of the temptation broken. In Psalms 73:21-22, he reflects with sorrow and astonishment upon his stupidity and blindness in being thus envious of the prosperity of the wicked, and shudders at the imminent peril so narrowly escaped. Being now restored, he professes, in Psalms 73:23-26, his quickened faith in God, and his confident expectation of future divine guidance, and of final reward and blessedness. In Psalms 73:27-28, he reiterates the fearful end of such as are far from God, and his own blessedness in drawing near to him, with the purpose to witness hence-forward to the equality of God’s ways.

That the times in which this psalm was written were disastrous; that the sufferings of the people had now been of long continuance, and were national; that they were such as seemed to contradict the covenant promise of God toward Israel, see Psalms 73:10; that the enemies of Israel were haughty, proud, oppressive, and of heathenish type, contemning God, note Psalms 73:6-11; all these things are too manifest to admit of doubt. And though in other respects similar, yet in these it is strikingly dissimilar, to Psalms 37, 49. It was the oppression by a godless race against Israel, not a mere backsliding or division of Israel against Israel, which is here described. The times of David present no public state of things answerable to this picture, and there is no valid ground, from historic or internal evidence, to date it earlier than the troublous times of Hezekiah’s reign. 2 Kings 18:0; Isaiah 36, 37. It could not be dated later, for the “sanctuary” (Psalms 73:17) was yet standing. If the national character of the psalm be admitted, which seems strongly probable, “and has been maintained by Theodoret among the ancients, and by several modern critics, it should be regarded as having reference to the circumstances of the Jewish people in the midst of their heathen oppressors.” Thrupp. In such a case the chief difficulty of accepting the date above given vanishes. It must be remembered that the temple singers, like Asaph, never put forth, as David was wont, their own private experiences, but were the simple mouthpiece of the Church. To all which it must be added that most of the psalms of this third book of the Hebrew Psalter (ending Psalms 89:0) refer to events in the reigns of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah, and the period of the captivity. See notes for further evidence.

TITLE:

A psalm of Asaph Asaph is the name of a prefect of the temple-music in David’s time, (1 Chronicles 15:17; 1 Chronicles 15:19;) his descendants bore his name. Twelve psalms are ascribed to their authorship. Their style is didactic, serious, and reflective, not destitute of animation and pathos, but lacking the originality and freshness of the songs of David. See on title of Psalms 1:0