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Commentary on Psalms 73 verses 1–14
This psalm begins somewhat abruptly: Yet God is good to Israel (so the margin reads it); he had been thinking of the prosperity of the wicked; while he was thus musing the fire burned, and at last he spoke by way of check to himself for what he had been thinking of. "However it be, yet God is good." Though wicked people receive many of the gifts of his providential bounty, yet we must own that he is, in a peculiar manner, good to Israel; they have favours from him which others have not.
The psalmist designs an account of a temptation he was strongly assaulted with - to envy the prosperity of the wicked, a common temptation, which has tried the graces of many of the saints. Now in this account,
I. He lays down, in the first place, that great principle which he is resolved to abide by and not to quit while he was parleying with this temptation, Psa 73:1. Job, when he was entering into such a temptation, fixed for his principle the omniscience of God: Times are not hidden from the Almighty, Job 24:1. Jeremiah's principle is the justice of God: Righteous art thou, O God! when I plead with thee, Jer 12:1. Habakkuk's principle is the holiness of God: Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, Hab 1:13. The psalmist's, here, is the goodness of God. These are truths which cannot be shaken and which we must resolve to live and die by. Though we may not be able to reconcile all the disposals of Providence with them, we must believe they are reconcilable. Note, Good thoughts of God will fortify us against many of Satan's temptations. Truly God is good; he had had many thoughts in his mind concerning the providences of God, but this word, at last, settled him: "For all this, God is good, good to Israel, even to those that are of a clean heart." Note, 1. Those are the Israel of God that are of a clean heart, purified by the blood of Christ, cleansed from the pollutions of sin, and entirely devoted to the glory of God. An upright heart is a clean heart; cleanness is truth in the inward part. 2. God, who is good to all, is in a special manner good to his church and people, as he was to Israel of old. God was good to Israel in redeeming them out of Egypt, taking them into covenant with himself, giving them his laws and ordinances, and in the various providences that related to them; he is, in like manner, good to all those that are of a clean heart, and, whatever happens, we must not think otherwise.
II. He comes now to relate the shock that was given to his faith in God's distinguishing goodness to Israel by a strong temptation to envy the prosperity of the wicked, and therefore to think that the Israel of God are no happier than other people and that God is no kinder to them than to others.
1.He speaks of it as a very narrow escape that he had not been quite foiled and overthrown by this temptation (Psa 73:2): "But as for me, though I was so well satisfied in the goodness of God to Israel, yet my feet were almost gone (the tempter had almost tripped up my heels), my steps had well-nigh slipped (I had like to have quitted my religion, and given up all my expectations of benefit by it); for I was envious at the foolish." Note, 1. The faith even of strong believers may sometimes be sorely shaken and ready to fail them. There are storms that will try the firmest anchors. 2. Those that shall never be quite undone are sometimes very near it, and, in their own apprehension, as good as gone. Many a precious soul, that shall live for ever, had once a very narrow turn for its life; almost and well-nigh ruined, but a step between it and fatal apostasy, and yet snatched as a brand out of the burning, which will for ever magnify the riches of divine grace in the nations of those that are saved. Now,
2.Let us take notice of the process of the psalmist's temptation, what he was tempted with and tempted to.
(1.)He observed that foolish wicked people have sometimes a very great share of outward prosperity. He saw, with grief, the prosperity of the wicked, Psa 73:3. Wicked people are really foolish people, and act against reason and their true interest, and yet every stander-by sees their prosperity. [1.] They seem to have the least share of the troubles and calamities of this life (Psa 73:5): They are not in the troubles of other men, even of wise and good men, neither are they plagued like other men, but seem as if by some special privilege they were exempted from the common lot of sorrows. If they meet with some little trouble, it is nothing to what others endure that are less sinners and yet greater sufferers. [2.] They seem to have the greatest share of the comforts of this life. They live at ease, and bathe themselves in pleasures, so that their eyes stand out with fatness, Psa 73:7. See what the excess of pleasure is; the moderate use of it enlightens the eyes, but those that indulge themselves inordinately in the delights of sense have their eyes ready to start out of their heads. Epicures are really their own tormentors, by putting a force upon nature, while they pretend to gratify it. And well may those feed themselves to the full who have more than heart could wish, more than they themselves ever thought of or expected to be masters of. They have, at least, more than a humble, quiet, contented heart could wish, yet not so much as they themselves wish for. There are many who have a great deal of this life in their hands, but nothing of the other life in their hearts. They are ungodly, live without the fear and worship of God, and yet they prosper and get on in the world, and not only are rich, but increase in riches, Psa 73:12. They are looked upon as thriving men; while others have much ado to keep what they have, they are still adding more, more honour, power, pleasure, by increasing in riches. They are the prosperous of the age, so some read it. [3.] Their end seems to be peace. This is mentioned first, as the most strange of all, for peace in death was every thought to be the peculiar privilege of the godly (Psa 37:37), yet, to outward appearance, it is often the lot of the ungodly (Psa 73:4): There are no bands in their death. They are not taken off by a violent death; they are foolish, and yet die not as fools die; for their hands are not bound nor their feet put into fetters, Sa2 3:33, Sa2 3:34. They are not taken off by an untimely death, like the fruit forced from the tree before it is ripe, but are left to hang on, till, through old age, they gently drop of themselves. They do not die of sore and painful diseases: There are no pangs, no agonies, in their death, but their strength is firm to the last, so that they scarcely feel themselves die. They are of those who die in their full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet, not of those that die in the bitterness of their souls and never eat with pleasure, Job 21:23, Job 21:25. Nay, they are not bound by the terrors of conscience in their dying moments; they are not frightened either with the remembrance of their sins or the prospect of their misery, but die securely. We cannot judge of men's state on the other side death either by the manner of their death or the frame of their spirits in dying. Men may die like lambs, and yet have their place with the goats.
(2.)He observed that they made a very bad use of their outward prosperity and were hardened by it in their wickedness, which very much strengthened the temptation he was in to fret at it. If it had done them any good, if it had made them less provoking to God or less oppressive to man, it would never have vexed him; but it had quite a contrary effect upon them. [1.] It made them very proud and haughty. Because they live at ease, pride compasses them as a chain, Psa 73:6. They show themselves (to all that see them) to be puffed up with their prosperity, as men show their ornaments. The pride of Israel testifies to his face, Hos 5:5; Isa 3:9. Pride ties on their chain, or necklace; so Dr. Hammond reads it. It is no harm to wear a chain or necklace; but when pride ties it on, when it is worn to gratify a vain mind, it ceases to be an ornament. It is not so much what the dress or apparel is (though we have rules for that, Ti1 2:9) as what principle ties it on and with what spirit it is worn. And, as the pride of sinners appears in their dress, so it does in their talk: They speak loftily (Psa 73:8); they affect great swelling words of vanity (Pe2 2:18), bragging of themselves and disdaining all about them. Out of the abundance of the pride that is in their heart they speak big. [1.] It made them oppressive to their poor neighbours (Psa 73:6): Violence covers them as a garment. What they have got by fraud and oppression they keep and increase by the same wicked methods, and care not what injury they do to others, nor what violence they use, so they may but enrich and aggrandize themselves. They are corrupt, like the giants, the sinners of the old world, when the earth was filled with violence, Gen 6:11, Gen 6:13. They care not what mischief they do, either for mischief-sake or for their own advantage-sake. They speak wickedly concerning oppression; they oppress, and justify themselves in it. Those that speak well of sin speak wickedly of it. They are corrupt, that is, dissolved in pleasures and every thing that is luxurious (so some), and then they deride and speak maliciously; they care not whom they wound with the poisoned darts of calumny; from on high they speak oppression. [3.] It made them very insolent in their demeanour towards both God and man (Psa 73:9): They set their mouth against the heavens, putting contempt upon God himself and his honour, bidding defiance to him and his power and justice. They cannot reach the heavens with their hands, to shake God's throne, else they would; but they show their ill-will by setting their mouth against the heavens. Their tongue also walks through the earth, and they take liberty to abuse all that come in their way. No man's greatness or goodness can secure him from the scourge of the virulent tongue. They take a pride and pleasure in bantering all mankind; they are pests of the country, for they neither fear God nor regard man. [4.] In all this they were very atheistical and profane. They could not have been thus wicked if they had not learned to say (Psa 73:11), How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? So far were they from desiring the knowledge of God, who gave them all the good things they had and would have taught them to use them well, that they were not willing to believe God had any knowledge of them, that he took any notice of their wickedness or would ever call them to an account. As if, because he is Most High, he could not or would not see them, Job 22:12, Job 22:13. Whereas because he is Most High therefore he can, and will, take cognizance of all the children of men and of all they do, or say, or think. What an affront is it to the God of infinite knowledge, from whom all knowledge is, to ask, Is there knowledge in him? Well may he say (Psa 73:12), Behold, these are the ungodly.
(3.)He observed that while wicked men thus prospered in their impiety, and were made more impious by their prosperity, good people were in great affliction, and he himself in particular, which very much strengthened the temptation he was in to quarrel with Providence. [1.] He looked abroad and saw many of God's people greatly at a loss (Psa 73:10): "Because the wicked are so very daring therefore his people return hither; they are at the same pause, the same plunge, that I am at; they know not what to say to it any more than I do, and the rather because waters of a full cup are wrung out to them; they are not only made to drink, and to drink deeply, of the bitter cup of affliction, but to drink all. Care is taken that they lose not a drop of that unpleasant potion; the waters are wrung out unto them, that they may have the dregs of the cup. They pour out abundance of tears when they hear wicked people blaspheme God and speak profanely," as David did, Psa 119:136. These are the waters wrung out to them. [2.] He looked at home, and felt himself under the continual frowns of Providence, while the wicked were sunning themselves in its smiles (Psa 73:14): "For my part," says he, "all the day long have I been plagued with one affliction or another, and chastened every morning, as duly as the morning comes." His afflictions were great - he was chastened and plagued; the returns of them were constant, every morning with the morning, and they continued, without intermission, all the day long. This he thought was very hard, that, when those who blasphemed God were in prosperity, he that worshipped God was under such great affliction. He spoke feelingly when he spoke of his own troubles; there is no disputing against sense, except by faith.
(4.)From all this arose a very strong temptation to cast off his religion. [1.] Some that observed the prosperity of the wicked, especially comparing it with the afflictions of the righteous, were tempted to deny a providence and to think that God had forsaken the earth. In this sense some take Psa 73:11. There are those, even among God's professing people, that say, "How does God know? Surely all things are left to blind fortune, and not disposed of by an all-seeing God." Some of the heathen, upon such a remark as this, have asked, Quis putet esse deos? - Who will believe that there are gods? [2.] Though the psalmist's feet were not so far gone as to question God's omniscience, yet he was tempted to question the benefit of religion, and to say (Psa 73:13), Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and have, to no purpose, washed my hands in innocency. See here what it is to be religious; it is to cleanse our hearts, in the first place, by repentance and regeneration, and then to wash our hands in innocency by a universal reformation of our lives. It is not in vain to do this, not in vain to serve God and keep his ordinances; but good men have been sometimes tempted to say, "It is in vain," and "Religion is a thing that there is nothing to be got by," because they see wicked people in prosperity. But, however the thing may appear now, when the pure in heart, those blessed ones, shall see God (Mat 5:8), they will not say that they cleansed their hearts in vain.
“They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has passed over the earth.” We learn the meaning of “to set one’s mouth against heaven” from the younger of the two brothers, who returned to his father and said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” But those who think that freedom to sin is given to them by some inevitability of birth are setting their mouth against heaven. Such people usually spare neither heaven nor earth, that they may believe that people’s lives are governed by the course of the stars, as it were. They leave nothing to providence, nothing to good character. And would that they also had returned like that one of the two young men—the good Lord would not have denied them a remedy! And yet, even if they do not wish to be healed, the Lord keeps open the option of a return, so that those in Israel who were driven out by the blindness of their own hearts may come back through the fullness of the church. Thus they may spend the days of their lives, not in emptiness but filled with good works and faith, when the Lord has filled them with his spiritual favor. Learn how they may return. “A partial blindness only has befallen Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles should enter and thus all Israel should be saved.” But it was fitting that the mystery be fulfilled, that God should shut up all things in unbelief, that is, that he should refute and convict them. (For when two parties contend, if one is the stronger, it is said, “He has shut up the other.”)45 And thus, by his mercy, that people indeed went back among the heirs, so that the world might be made subject to God. But they were led astray by the delusion of their late wickedness, so that they would not believe that God had foreknowledge of things hidden. But that they may be redeemed at some time, the Lord has kept open for them the option of future salvation and has said, “Therefore will my people return here.” What is “here”? It is “to me, to my equity and justice, to my worship.” “And full days will be procured for them.” This you will interpret as follows, that the people who have believed are assuredly redeemed. According to this, even though those who have not believed are not redeemed, still the redemption of the people is granted as a special favor of God.
“Therefore their pride has gripped them; they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness.” Iniquity affords a bad covering, and if anyone wishes to hold it over us, we ought to remove it; else he may begin to come into judgment with us. And if anyone tries to carry off our spiritual tunic that we have received, remove the cloak of iniquity and take up the covering of faith and of patience, with which David covered himself in fasting, so that he would not lose the garment of virtue. Fasting is itself a covering. Indeed, unless a sober fasting had served to cover the holy Joseph, he would have been stripped by the wanton adulteress. Had Adam chosen to cover himself with that fasting, he would not have been made naked. But because he tasted of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil contrary to heaven’s prohibition and violated the fast imposed on him by taking the food of incontinence, he knew that he was naked. Had he fasted, he would have kept the clothing of faith and would not have beheld himself uncovered. Let us not, therefore, clothe ourselves with iniquity and wickedness; else it may be said about one of us, “He clothed himself in cursing.” Adam clothed himself badly; while he searched for coverings of leaves, he received the sentence of a curse. The Jews clothed themselves with a curse, for in regard to them it is written, “Their injustice will go forth as from fat; it has passed into the condition of their heart.” For from “fat” is derived “fatty,” that is, “rich.” For just as a soul that is fed on good things and stuffed with virtues is filled “as with fat and richness,” as it is written, so iniquity, which proceeds, as it were, from fat, is not symbolized as thin and poor but as filled with vices. In fact, they did not fall into error by some chance misstep but passed into sacrilege by plan and intent.
Hence we should know that the Holy Spirit has condemned those detestable people who hold such views. For what other people does he specifically condemn except the Arians, who say that the Son of God does not experience periods of time and years? For there isn’t anything with which that God is not familiar. If, however, Christ is God and Christ is the highest God, then he is God above all things. Notice how outraged the blessed David was with such people who limit the Son of God’s knowledge. He says, “They do not share the troubles common to human beings, and they will not be plagued like other people. They are burdened with their pride; they are clothed in iniquity and impiety. Their iniquity is proportionate with their portliness. They extend into the condition of the heart.” Without a doubt he condemns those who believe that divine things must be determined from the “condition of the heart.” For God is not subject to [any temporal] condition or order because these are things that are peculiar to human beings and according to succeeding generations. But we know that they do not always occur according to some formal plan but more often happen according to some secret and hidden mystery.“They have thought,” he says, “and they have spoken wickedly and sinfully against God. They have set their mouth against heaven.” And so we see that he condemns those who are responsible for impious blasphemy and who claim for themselves the right to arrange the secrets of heaven according to the manner of human nature.
We have seen that rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen. In this world, he reclined at table and feasted elegantly every day, while the poor man Lazarus would gather what fell from his table. When he was in torments in hell, he could not lean back and rest; but with great difficulty he lifted up only his eyes to Abraham, not his whole body, and asked him to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and to cool his tongue. Therefore “there was no rest to his death nor strength in his affliction.” For scourges have no value after death. And so, while David was in this bodily life, he made himself ready for scourges, so that the Lord might receive him as one that had been chastised. Think again, I ask you, on holy Job. He was covered all over with sores, afflicted in all his limbs and filled with pain over his entire body. He dissolved clods of earth with the corrupt matter and the liquid from his wounds, and since he could not rest in this body, he found death a repose. And so, thinking of his own case, he said, “Death is a repose for a person.” He, therefore, was not moved in his affliction, nor did he totter in the morass of his own speech, for “in all those things, he did not sin with his lips,” even as Scripture testifies. Rather, he found strength in his affliction, through which he was strengthened in Christ. And thus both Job and David, because they were scourged here, had strength in their afflictions, because “the father scourges the son whom he receives.” But those who are not scourged here are not received as sons there. And there “they are not in the toils of people and they shall not be scourged with people,” so that they may be scourged forever with the devil.
At first these men are being described. "There shall go forth as if out of fat their iniquity" [Psalm 73:7]....A poor beggar commits a theft; out of leanness has gone forth the iniquity: but when a rich man abounds in so many things, why does he plunder the things of others? Of the former the iniquity out of leanness, of the other out of fatness, has gone forth. Therefore to the lean man when you say, Why have you done this? Humbly afflicted and abject he replies, Need has compelled me. Why have you not feared God? Want was urgent. Say to a rich man, Why doest thou these things, and fearest not God?— supposing you to be great enough to be able to say it— see if he even deigns to hear; see if even against yourself there will not go forth iniquity out of his fatness. For now they declare war with their teachers and reprovers, and become enemies of them that speak the truth, having been long accustomed to be coaxed with the words of flatterers, being of tender ear, of unsound heart. Who would say to a rich man, You have ill done in robbing other men's goods? Or perchance if any man shall have dared to speak, and he is such a man as he could not withstand, what does he reply? All that he says is in contempt of God. Why? Because he is proud. Why? Because he is fat. Why? Because he is devoted for a victim. "They have passed over unto purpose of heart." Here within they have passed over. What is, "they have passed over"? They have crossed over the way. What is, "they have passed over"? They have exceeded the bounds of mankind, men like the rest they think not themselves. They have passed over, I say, the bounds of mankind. When you say to such a man, Your brother this beggar is; when you say to such a man, Your brother this poor man is; the same parents you have had, Adam and Eve: do not heed your haughtiness, do not heed the vapour unto which you have been elevated; although an establishment waits about you, although countless gold and silver, although a marbled house does contain you, although fretted ceilings cover you, thou and the poor man together have for covering that roof of the universe, the sky; but you are different from the poor man in things not your own, added to you from without: yourself see in them, not them in you. Observe yourself, how you are in relation to the poor man; yourself, not that which you have. For why do you despise your brother? In the bowels of your mothers you were both naked. Forsooth, even when you shall have departed this life, and these bodies shall have rotted, when the soul has been breathed forth, let the bones of the rich and poor man be distinguished! I am speaking of the equality of condition, of that very lot of mankind, wherein all men are born: for both here does a man become rich, and a poor man will not always be here: and as a rich man does not come rich, so neither does he depart rich; the very same is the entrance of both, and like is the departure. I add, that perchance you will change conditions. Now everywhere the Gospel is being preached: observe a certain poor man full of sores, who was lying before the gate of a rich man, [Luke 16:19] and was desiring to be filled with crumbs, which used to fall from the table of the rich man; observe also that likeness of yours who was clothed with purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. It chanced, I say, for that poor man to die, and to be borne by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham: but the other died and was buried; for the other's burial perchance no one cared....Brethren, how great was the toil of the poor man! Of how long duration were the luxuries of the rich man! But the condition which they have received in exchange is everlasting....Deservedly too late he will say, "Send Lazarus," [Luke 16:27] "let him tell even my brethren;" since to himself there is not granted the fruit of repentance. For it is not that repentance is not given, but everlasting will be the repentance, and no salvation after repentance. Therefore these men "have passed over unto purpose of heart."
Perhaps someone may say, Why did God cause Pharaoh to be hardened by sparing him, and why did he remove his scourges? At this point I reply with assurance: God removed his scourges so often because by the immense number of his sins Pharaoh did not merit to be rebuked as a son for the amendment of his life, but like an enemy he was allowed to become hardened. Such great sins of his had preceded, and he had despised God so often with wicked boldness, that in him was fulfilled what the Holy Spirit said concerning such people: “They are free from the burdens of mortals and are not afflicted like the rest of humanity. So pride adorns them as a necklace; as a robe violence clothes them. Out of their crassness comes iniquity.” Behold how a person is hardened if he does not deserve to be chastised by our Lord for his correction. Moreover, what is written concerning those whom God’s mercy does not allow to become hardened? “God scourges every son whom he receives”;28 furthermore, “Those whom I love I rebuke and chastise”; and again, “For whom God loves he reproves.” Concerning this hardening the prophet also exclaims to the Lord in the person of the people: “Why do you harden our hearts so that we do not fear you?” Surely, this is nothing else than: You have abandoned our heart, that we should not be converted to you.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 73:7 offers a stark and vivid portrayal of the wicked's apparent prosperity and unchecked indulgence, depicting their physical excess and the complete gratification of their worldly desires. This verse stands as a pivotal observation within Asaph's profound spiritual struggle, where he grapples with the perplexing injustice of the unrighteous flourishing without consequence, leading him to question God's justice until his transformative understanding is revealed in the sanctuary.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalm 73:7 is embedded within the opening lament of Asaph, the psalmist, who openly expresses a deep personal crisis of faith and profound envy concerning the wicked's seemingly untroubled and prosperous existence. The psalm begins with Asaph's near spiritual stumble, confessing that his feet had almost slipped because he was envious of the arrogant when he saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psalm 73:2-3). The verses immediately preceding verse 7 detail their lack of suffering, their robust health, and their pride, which serves as a necklace adorning them, and violence that covers them like a garment (Psalm 73:4-6). Thus, Psalm 73:7 functions as a climactic and graphic description of their extreme indulgence and self-satisfaction, intensifying Asaph's internal conflict and setting the stage for his eventual spiritual breakthrough and understanding of their ultimate end, which occurs later in the psalm when he enters the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73:17).
Historical & Cultural Context: The imagery employed in Psalm 73:7, particularly "eyes stand out with fatness," resonates with ancient Near Eastern societal observations regarding wealth and its physical manifestations. In many cultures, corpulence was often a visible sign of affluence, high status, and a life free from strenuous labor or food scarcity. It indicated access to abundant resources and a life of ease. However, when depicted as excessive "fatness," it could also carry negative moral and spiritual connotations, symbolizing gluttony, self-indulgence, and a lack of discipline, particularly from a perspective that valued moderation and spiritual purity. The notion that "they have more than heart could wish" speaks to a universal human experience of insatiable desires, often material, and the pursuit of their complete gratification. This verse encapsulates a timeless human dilemma concerning the perceived injustice of the wicked's success, a pervasive theme explored extensively in biblical wisdom literature, such as the books of Proverbs and Job, which grapple with the problem of evil and divine justice in the face of human suffering and prosperity.
Key Themes: Psalm 73:7 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes central to Psalm 73 and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it vividly illustrates Material Excess and Unchecked Indulgence, portraying a life unconstrained by want or discipline, where physical appetites are fully satiated to the point of outward manifestation. This extreme prosperity often fosters Spiritual Blindness and Arrogance, as the abundance leads to a dangerous self-sufficiency, an insensitivity to spiritual truths, and a disregard for God. The "eyes" are not merely physically bulging but symbolically closed to divine reality and the plight of the afflicted. This connects directly to the theme of False Security, where the wicked's abundance creates a deceptive sense of invincibility and leads them to openly mock God and His justice, believing "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" (Psalm 73:11). Ultimately, this verse serves to heighten the central tension of the psalm: the perplexing prosperity of the wicked contrasted with the struggles of the righteous, a tension that is only resolved through the revelation of the Ultimate Destiny of the Wicked, who are suddenly cast down to destruction (Psalm 73:18-20).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 73:7 is rich in its use of literary devices, powerfully conveying the psalmist's observation of the wicked. Imagery is paramount, with the vivid and almost repulsive depiction of "eyes stand out with fatness" creating a concrete and memorable picture of physical excess and indulgence. This physical description functions as a potent Metonymy or Synecdoche, where the condition of the eyes (a part of the body) symbolizes the entire spiritual and moral character of the wicked—their gluttony, pride, and profound spiritual blindness. The phrase "they have more than heart could wish" is a clear instance of Hyperbole, an intentional exaggeration employed to emphasize the extreme degree of their material wealth and the boundless nature of their gratification, underscoring the psalmist's astonishment at their seemingly limitless prosperity. Furthermore, an underlying Irony pervades the verse: what appears outwardly as a blessing (unbounded wealth and ease) is, in fact, a spiritual curse, leading to arrogance, a disregard for God, and ultimately, a path to destruction, a truth that Asaph only fully comprehends later in the psalm.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 73:7 encapsulates the age-old theological dilemma of the prosperity of the wicked, a profound challenge that deeply troubled Asaph and resonates throughout biblical wisdom literature. It highlights the deceptive nature of worldly success when it is divorced from godliness, revealing how material abundance can paradoxically lead to spiritual complacency, arrogance, and a profound insensitivity to divine truth and the suffering of others. This verse sets the critical tension for the entire psalm, where the psalmist grapples with the apparent injustice of God's ways, only to find resolution in understanding that true prosperity is not measured by fleeting earthly possessions but by an intimate, enduring relationship with God, and that the apparent flourishing of the wicked is ultimately temporary, leading to sudden and complete destruction.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 73:7 serves as a profound mirror, inviting us to critically examine our own hearts and perspectives on what constitutes true prosperity and a "blessed" life. In a world that frequently equates success with material abundance, outward ease, and the gratification of every desire, this verse challenges us to look beyond superficial appearances and the deceptive allure of worldly flourishing. It issues a powerful warning against the spiritual dangers of unchecked indulgence and the subtle pride that can accompany a life where every worldly desire is met, for such a state can breed arrogance, spiritual blindness, and a dangerous self-sufficiency that forgets God and His ultimate sovereignty. Asaph's initial struggle with envy reminds us how easily we can fall into the trap of comparing our lot with that of others, especially when the wicked seem to thrive effortlessly. The profound application for us is to cultivate a deep and abiding contentment in Christ, recognizing that true and lasting wealth lies not in what we possess, but in our intimate and dependent relationship with God. We are called to diligently guard our hearts against the subtle pride and spiritual dullness that can accompany success and to maintain a spiritual sensitivity that sees beyond the temporary triumphs and fleeting pleasures of this world to the eternal realities of God's unwavering justice, goodness, and ultimate judgment.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "their eyes stand out with fatness" literally mean, and what is its deeper significance?
Answer: Literally, the phrase "their eyes stand out with fatness" (KJV) or "their eyes bulge out from fatness" (ESV) depicts a physical manifestation of extreme corpulence, likely due to overeating and excessive indulgence. It paints a vivid picture of someone so well-fed and luxurious that their physical appearance reflects their abundance. However, its deeper significance is primarily metaphorical. The "eyes" represent perception, understanding, and one's outlook on life. When these eyes "stand out with fatness," it symbolizes a spiritual condition: a profound insensitivity, spiritual blindness, and arrogance that results from unchecked prosperity. Their focus is entirely on their own abundance, making them oblivious to spiritual truths, the needs of others, or the coming judgment of God. This imagery suggests that their physical ease has led to a hardened heart and a distorted view of reality, where spiritual insight is obscured by material excess, as seen in the warnings against gluttony and pride in Proverbs 28:25.
Is wealth always a sign of spiritual problems according to this verse?
Answer: No, this verse does not suggest that wealth in itself is inherently evil or always a sign of spiritual problems. The Bible contains numerous examples of righteous individuals who were wealthy, such as Abraham (Genesis 13:2) and Job (Job 1:3). Rather, Psalm 73:7 highlights the danger of wealth when it leads to unchecked indulgence, pride, and a false sense of self-sufficiency that disregards God. The problem is not the wealth itself, but the attitude toward it and the effect it has on the heart and spiritual perception. When prosperity causes one's "eyes to stand out with fatness" and leads one to believe they "have more than heart could wish" without acknowledging God, it becomes a spiritual snare, fostering arrogance and spiritual blindness, as powerfully illustrated in the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21.
How does Psalm 73:7 relate to the overall message of Psalm 73?
Answer: Psalm 73:7 is a critical and vivid component of Asaph's initial lament and spiritual struggle, which forms the central tension of the entire psalm. In the opening verses, Asaph confesses his envy and near spiritual stumble because he observes the wicked's apparent ease and prosperity (Psalm 73:2-3). Verse 7 provides a graphic description of this prosperity, emphasizing their material excess and complete worldly satisfaction, which fuels Asaph's questioning of God's justice and His apparent inaction, as the wicked openly scoff and say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?" (Psalm 73:11-13). The entire psalm then pivots dramatically in Psalm 73:17 when Asaph enters the sanctuary and gains divine perspective, understanding the ultimate, sudden, and terrifying end of the wicked (Psalm 73:18-20) and the enduring goodness and faithfulness of God to the righteous. Thus, verse 7 serves as a powerful illustration of the worldly allure that initially deceived Asaph, making the psalm's ultimate resolution and his renewed faith all the more profound and impactful.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 73:7, with its stark portrayal of the wicked's worldly excess and self-satisfied "fatness," finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the profound contrast between the fleeting nature of earthly prosperity and the eternal, true riches found exclusively in Jesus Christ. While the "eyes" of the wicked are distended by physical abundance, leading to spiritual blindness and a heart that desires nothing more than what the world offers, Jesus Christ embodies the complete antithesis of this worldly paradigm. He, though eternally rich in glory and divine nature, for our sakes became poor, that we through His voluntary poverty might become truly rich in Him (2 Corinthians 8:9). He did not come to fulfill every earthly desire or to grant material abundance, but to offer living water that eternally quenches the deepest spiritual thirst (John 4:13-14) and to declare Himself the Bread of Life, who alone satisfies the soul's deepest hunger (John 6:35). The "fatness" of the wicked leads to a false sense of security and eventual, sudden destruction, but Christ warns against storing up perishable treasures on earth, urging His followers instead to lay up imperishable treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), and to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting that all necessary things will be added (Matthew 6:33). The spiritual blindness of the wicked, whose eyes are closed by their own abundance and pride, stands in stark contrast to Christ, who came precisely to open the eyes of the blind, both physically and, more significantly, spiritually, exposing the spiritual poverty of those who claim to see but remain in darkness (John 9:39-41). In Him, we find not merely "more than heart could wish" in material terms, but an immeasurable, eternal inheritance, a peace that surpasses all understanding, and a satisfaction that transcends all earthly desires, for in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), offering a fulfillment that is truly Christ-centered and eternally abundant.