Day 149

Psalm 73: Read here – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2073&version=NASB

This amazing psalm is one of my favourites! Psalms 37, 49, and 73 have the same theme – the perennial problem of reconciling God’s moral government with the observed facts. How can an infinitely powerful God be good and yet allow the wicked to prosper and the righteous to go unrewarded? As we read this psalm the question we must ask ourselves is, “How do you respond to corruption.” If the righteous go unrewarded and the wicked are enriched, surely there is something wrong with the moral government of the world? This is what caused Asaph’s feet to ‘almost’ stumble & slip.’ (V2). 

Who was Asaph? There are 12 of his psalms in the psalter – Psalm 50 and 73 -83. Asaph was a Levite who was commissioned as a young man by David to be a singer, poet, and musician in the house of God. (1Chron15:17-19, 16:5-7, 25:6. 1Chron25:1.)  2Chron 5:12 and 2Chron29:30 adds that Asaph was a prophet in his musical compositions. He would have been an older man as he transitioned to the reign of Solomon. He was involved in the dedication of Solomon’s temple. In this time frame, Asaph would have seen a lot of corruption and intrigue that would have included: Saul’s obsessions, David’s infidelity, and murder, Absalom’s rebellion, Joab’s political exploits, as well as all the things that troubled David as he faced the exploits of his political enemies that we have just spent the most part of 72 psalms reflecting on. This psalm is a reflection of Asaph’s spiritual struggle. 

This deep and thought-provoking psalm may be best understood by the dominant pronouns within. When Asaph is troubled by the fate of the ungodly (verses 1-12), the dominant pronoun is they. When he describes his own frustrated thinking leading to the resolution (verses 13-17), the dominant pronoun is I. When he finds resolution of the problem (verses 18-22), the dominant pronoun is You, in the sense of God. When He proclaims the assurance of his faith and fellowship with God (verses 23-28), the dominant pronouns are a mixture of You and I. Try highlighting the progression.