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A study on Psalm 73 started May 30 and completed June 11, 2010

Verse One: Only God is truly good to Israel even to those who are pure in heart

The writer is reflecting upon himself realizing that he has not been pure in heart; he has not had the right attitude and proper motive. His thoughts, motivations, and actions have not been completely centered on God. He realizes, a bit late, that God not only cares for a nation but for the individual person as well. ~ Psalm 24:4

Verse Two: I almost tripped over my own two feet, I almost left the right path of living completely.

The psalmist is admitting that he chose to walk away from God and not follow His direction. He had chosen not to listen to God's voice for direction. ~ Isaiah 30:21

Verse Three: I became painfully aware of wht others were enjoying desiring the same kind of prosperity they were experiencing.

The writer was not satisfied with what God had provided for him. ~ Hebrews 13:5

Verse Four: Others suffer no violent pains; their bodies are well nourished.

Envious eyes can only see partial truths. Envious eyes can only see what is outwardly true for others; they can't see what is happening emotionally and spiritually inside a person. ~ 1 Samuel 16:7; Job 21:7-14

Verse Five: Their lifestyle appears to be one of ease and few, if any, difficulties. They are not troubled like most people are.

The psalmist had a lasp in judgement. He was also, at one time, unaware that people who ignore God have no rest and they have no lasting inner peace. He is forgetting that God is leading him, that things are not by chance.. ~ Isaiah 57:20,21; Proverbs 16:9

The writer of the Psalm now reflects on what he observed.

Verses Six through Eleven:
Pride is clearly a visible part of their lives like a necklace adoring an attire; they don't hesitate to enhance their lifestyles by distortion, infringing on others, or by irreverence for God.

They see things they don't have and want it; while they have more than is needed, their mindset is that they need more.

They know how to persuade people with what they say. They are crafty and skillful at it. They entice others with what they say and they pervert Christian liberty. They know the godly language and use it to their own advantage. While they may say they are believers in the Lord God, their lifestyles say differently. Subtly they mock God and His standards. ~ 2 Peter 2:18-20

Confused by their thinking, people accept the philosophy of theses godless people just like a thirsty man gulps down a glass of water, without reservation and too fast to think of the consequences. Even godly people are deceived by it. ~ Matthew 24:24; 1 Peter 5:8

The people scoff God. They think of Him as being far off and therefore not capable of knowing everything that occurs or even caring. They also feel that if He did exist He would have demonstrated His concern by now over their actions. ~ Psalm 10:11; Ps. 94:7,9,10; Isaiah 29:16

The writer now goes back to how he felt.

Verses Twelve through Fourteen:
Ungodly people, unchurched people, non-believers, and even “religious people” have it easy. They have what they want and need. And they continually have more while all along ignoring God.

So why do I try to be right before God, why do I try to have the right attitude and proper motives? Why do I watch my actions so carefully?

The writer is bothered by how his life is compared to others. It doesn't seem fair to him and it doesn't seem right. He feels like he is being punished for doing what is right and believing in God. While those around him are being rewarded for their lifestyles, however ungodly they are; for being religious without a true belief, and for being ungodly and ignoring God altogether. The writer has reached a point of depression because he has lost his focus. ~ Hebrews 13:5

He was focused on worldly attainment and satisfaction, what he could have, instead of what God could teach him and give him. ~ Colossians 3:2

The writer has lost the understanding that the love of pleasures, possessions, and money leaves one spiritually poor. ~ Proverbs 21:17

He has overlooked that people who know God personally and live for Him have a future the other people don't have. ~ Proverbs 23:17,18

Verses Fifteen and Sixteen: Talking about how a person feels when going through circumstances could lead others to avoid God altogether. That thought should cause us alarm.

The psalmist reflects on his feelings and what he has written and realizes that if he had spoken about his feelings during his depression, that he could have caused others to avoid God altogether by misleading them. He also realized that such an error would not only affect the people he came in contact with but their descendants as well. ~ James 1:12, 19-21; I Tim. 4:12

Verse Seventeen: Coming back to God and focusing on Him puts things in a whole new perspective. ~ Hebrews 10:22-25; 2 Thessalonians 3:5

When we stop to think about God, He helps us to understand, at some point, why things are the way they are for us. That understanding may come at a later time or for now it might just entail the realization that without God things could be spiritually, mentally, and physically worse.

Verse Eighteen: God places us on a path that is solid or slippery depending on our choices.
“ I steadier step when I recall that though I slip God does not fall.” (Author unknown) God is constantly trying to get us to follow Him and any path that is going away from Him is slippery. It is that way because it causes us to fall into sin. ~ Psalm 35:5,6; Deuteronomy 32:18,35

Verse Nineteen: No one knows when calamity will hit them. Things can happen in just a moment. No one knows when God will say enough is enough.
People who follow themselves, living their life the way they choose, ignoring God, have no hope for the future or hope to help them through calamities. ~ Proverbs 24:20,22; Isaiah 47:6-15; Revelation 18:5-8

Verse Twenty: There will come a time when those who ignore God will realize the error of their choices; it will be like they work up from a dream but it will be too late. God does not sleep, but He gives us time to change our ways. To us, as humans, that time seems more than long enough, so much so, that we often say “God is asleep and doesn't see.”

In Scripture, there are lots of parts of speech used for emphasis. Hyperbole is one part of speech used when the phrase “God is asleep” or “God awoke from His sleep” are used. The hyperbole contrasts the difference between God's timing and reaction and our timing and reactions. ~ Psalm 78:65,66; Ps. 44:23; Isaiah 29:6-8; Psalm 121:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Ecclesiastes 9:12

Verses Twenty-one and twenty-two: When we focus on things and self and not on God, we become bitter, we loose directions, we display our ignorance and re just like the animals: reasonless.

We need to remember that all people come to the same end on earth and that only God can save our souls. ~ Psalm 49:7-14; Psalm 92:6; Psalm 94:8-11; Ecclesiastes 3:19; James 4:14

Verses Twenty-three and twenty-four: Despite our poor judgement of temporarily thinking “Things are greener in the other pastures” God does not throw us aside. He still goes with us and hold onto us. He will try to counsel us as we walk opposingly to Him AND He will counsel us when we willingly turn to Him and ask. He will bring us back to fellowship with Him.

The sense of God's presence is so vivid to us that we truly can experience Him holding our hand and helping us walk, helping us “cross the street” (Street of Difficulty; Street of Pain; Street of Envy, etc.)

God will lead us to not only eternity with Him, but to a constant sense of His presence while going through our circumstances. ~ John 10:28; Psalm 34:18; Psalm 37:24; Psalm 63:8; Psalm 139:10; Isaiah 41:13 He promises to hold our right hand.

Verse Twenty-five: Who can really help us?
There is a friend who is closer to us than any family member ever will be. ~ Proverbs 18:24
While the writer of the psalm had envied those prosperous people around him, he now realizes that he has all he needs in the Lord God. Nothing is to be more desirable than Him. ~ John 6:68; 2 Chronicles 15:15

Verse Twenty-six: I can not live life on my own. I will fail. God alone is my source of strength, my very life. The writer now acknowledges that he is dependent on God for not only what he needs to live but for life itself - not only physically but spiritually. ~ Psalm 16:5; Galatians 2:20

Verse Twenty-seven: People who have never drawn close to God and those who are spiritual whores are never going to experience eternity with God. Their destiny has been determined.
The writer of the Psalm is very blunt. Those who do not accept to live for God, who constantly reject Him, and live for themselves and what they can attain are spiritual whores. They have given themselves over to the god of the world - Satan. ~ Psalm 34:21; Jeremiah 5:11-14; Hosea 4:12; Luke 16:13; John 8:44; Jeremiah 32:19

Verse Twenty-eight: It is good to get closer to God, to trust Him, and to talk about Him with others.

Going through periods of doubt and /or difficulty can be good for us if they bring us into a closer relationship with God. The experience may not be good but the closeness to God is. Trusting God gives us a peace that others can not understand. Telling others what God means to us or has done for us, may help them to experience His goodness as well. ~ Isaiah 57:18; Psalm 119: 71,72; Psalm 34:16-19; Psalm 143:10; Psalm 145:3,18; Isaiah 55:6; Mark 5:19; Psalm 34:3