Psalm 76:1-12 To the Chief Musician. On Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

 ¹In Judah God is known;

His name is great in Israel.

²In Salem also is His tabernacle,

And His dwelling place in Zion.

³There He broke the arrows of the bow,

The shield and sword of battle. Selah

⁴You are more glorious and excellent

Than the mountains of prey.

⁵The stouthearted were plundered;

They have sunk into their sleep;

And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.

⁶At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

⁷You, Yourself, are to be feared;

And who may stand in Your presence

When once You are angry?

⁸You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

The earth feared and was still,

⁹When God arose to judgment,

To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

¹⁰Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;

With the remainder of wrath

You shall gird Yourself.

¹¹Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;

Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

¹²He shall cut off the spirit of princes;

He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

Preamble: Psalm 75 warned of God’s Judgment and Psalm 76 now celebrates it (KJV Bible Commentary). The historical setting is God’s complete routing and then plundering of the boastful Assyrian army outside Jerusalem in 701 B.C. (see Isaiah 36-37).

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹In Judah God is known;

His name is great in Israel.

²In Salem also is His tabernacle,

And His dwelling place in Zion.

When God destroyed the invading Assyrian army, (the then most powerful nation on earth), the armies of Sennacherib, He became known in Judah, the tribe and land where Jerusalem was. Indeed, His fame went throughout all of Israel for His mighty work of deliverance on their behalf. Salem (the place of peace) where His Temple resided was also confirmed to them all as being His Tabernacle. For He once again made His dwelling place in Zion, the city which David built.

Vs. 3 “There He broke the arrows of the bow,

The shield and sword of battle. Selah”

For it was there when Jerusalem was surrounded that He came down and destroyed all the weapons of the invading Assyrian armies. And this He did with not even so much as lifting a finger, to turn them away from His people (Isaiah 37:33-38).

Vs. 4 “You are more glorious and excellent

Than the mountains of prey.”

Here metaphoric language is being used to worship the Lord God for His Great Goodness by declaring that His Person is exceedingly greater and higher than the mountains of prey, that is all the mighty Gentile nations and their kings and rulers.

Vs. 5-6 ⁵The stouthearted were plundered;

They have sunk into their sleep;

And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.

⁶At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

For God Himself plundered all the Assyrian stout-hearted warriors, He Himself by the Angel of the Lord gave them over to the sleep of death. None of them was able to resist Him, for at His command both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. The significance being that chariots were the battle tanks of the ancient world, and Israel at that time had neither horses nor chariots to defend themselves. Thus, God saved them, for at His command He brought all their might to nothing!

Vs. 7 “You, Yourself, are to be feared;

And who may stand in Your presence

When once You are angry?”

Because of this God Himself is to be feared, His people then through this event relearned the fear of the Lord. For as they observed no one can stand in His Presence when once His anger is aroused!

Vs. 8-10 ⁸You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

The earth feared and was still,

⁹When God arose to judgment,

To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

¹⁰Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;

With the remainder of wrath

You shall gird Yourself.

These verses then celebrate God’s deliverance of them, of His rendering His Judgment from heaven on earth in their very presence. Now this He did and does do to deliver all the oppressed of the earth, as they were then. Because of this they see that even the wrath of man shall praise Him, for God Himself can turn anyone in anyway He wishes, and those who retain their wrath He will gird Himself with their wrath as Victor over them all! God does not fear anyone or anything is the point, for He is Lord of all! 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them;

Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

¹²He shall cut off the spirit of princes;

He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

The psalm now closes out calling all people to make vows to Him and pay them, in essence to commit themselves to Him alone who is to be feared (Vs.11). For He shall cut off the spirit of princes, who do not honor Him, for they do not keep themselves alive or in their places, only He does. Therefore He is awesome to the kings of the earth who honor and hallow Him alone, amen.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

Psalm 75 To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” a Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

 ¹We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

²“When I choose the proper time,

I will judge uprightly.

³The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;

I set up its pillars firmly. Selah

⁴“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’

And to the wicked, ‘

Do not lift up the horn.

⁵Do not lift up your horn on high;

Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”

⁶For exaltation comes neither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

⁷But God is the Judge: He puts down one,

And exalts another.

⁸For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,

And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;

Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth

Drain and drink down.

⁹But I will declare forever,

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰“All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,

But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

Commentary

Vs. 1 “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”

Unlike Psalm 74, Psalm 75 is a Psalm of victory, of God triumphing over all His enemies. Therefore, as a worship leader Asaph now leads the congregation in giving all of their thanksgiving towards Him. For it is by His wonderous works that He has made His Name known, that He Himself has now drawn near!

Vs. 2 ²“When I choose the proper time,

I will judge uprightly.

³The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;

I set up its pillars firmly. Selah

God Himself now speaks to the people, promising us when He chooses the proper time, He will judge all the world, all nations, all people, with uprightness. As a consequence, no one is able to stand before Him. Even so He will establish its pillars firmly, which maybe indicating that in His Reign and Righteousness He will re-establish a very just and lawful society, all those institutions then that were corrupted by man will be reformed, better transformed, by Him.

Vs. 4-7 ⁴“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’

And to the wicked, ‘

Do not lift up the horn.

⁵Do not lift up your horn on high;

Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”

⁶For exaltation comes neither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

⁷But God is the Judge: He puts down one,

And exalts another.

The boastful, the arrogant and self assured, the wicked are now all warned. For God now Reigns and He is now ready to repay all their boastful words swiftly. Therefore they are warned not to exalt themselves in their pride. nor speak with a stiff neck neck, that is unrepentantly. For their exaltation by their own hand or anyone else’s will now end. For God is the Judge and He puts down one and exalts another. His Sovereignty over the affairs of mankind then will be known by all!

Vs. 8 “For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,

And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;

Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth

Drain and drink down”

The warning continues, now declaring God’s coming judgment upon all the wicked on the earth. For in His hand is a cup that all the wicked of the earth will drink down, (consider Jer. 25:15). And so here the metaphor of a cup filled with red wine is to exemplify the fierceness of His wrath, even the dregs, all the undesirable sediments that fill the bottom of the cup, they will surely drink down! Thus there will be no portion or part of God's judgment that they will all be made to drink down!

Vs. 9-10 ⁹But I will declare forever,

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰“All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,

But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

Here then we get a foretaste of the joy of the redeemed, on God's Day, of everyone who turned from their sins and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, who thus were made and declared righteous by Him. And so there will joy and songs filling our hearts on the Lord’s Day, when all the strength of wicked is cut off, and when all the of righteous are exalted in strength by our God and Savior, amen.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

Psalm 74 A Contemplation of Asaph.

 ¹O God, why have You cast us off forever?

Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

²Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,

The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—

This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

³Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

⁴Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;

They set up their banners for signs.

⁵They seem like men who lift up

Axes among the thick trees.

⁶And now they break down its carved work, all at once,

With axes and hammers.

⁷They have set fire to Your sanctuary;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

⁸They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.”

They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

⁹We do not see our signs;

There is no longer any prophet;

Nor is there any among us who knows how long.

¹⁰O God, how long will the adversary reproach?

Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

¹¹Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.

¹²For God is my King from of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

¹⁴You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,

And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵You broke open the fountain and the flood;

You dried up mighty rivers.

¹⁶The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷You have set all the borders of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,

And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.

¹⁹Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

²⁰Have respect to the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

²¹Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!

Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

²²Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.

²³Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;

The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

Preamble: This psalm was written during the Temple’s destruction by the then Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and his armies, roughly 586 BC. Its destruction came about because of Israel’s ongoing idolatry and sins against the Lord.

Commentary

Vs.1-2 ¹O God, why have You cast us off forever?

Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

²Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,

The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—

This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

The psalmist now decries the nation being overrun by the Babylonian invaders. But God had warned them through His prophets, (especially Jeremiah who was then a contemporary with the people), that this was going to happen to them. It is then in the midst of that terrible time, of national ruin, and of the highest symbol of their being God’s people being completely desecrated, that this psalm is written. To begin then the Psalmist can only ask, “O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?” However, the question need not be answered, for Israel had for centuries paved the way for their own ruin, by their own ongoing deeds which had violated God’s Law and were completely contrary to His person. Nonetheless the question comes from a broken place, from a contrite spirit, from someone who was interceding on behalf of the nation as God would have them do. Therefore, they ask that God remember His congregation, the people which He purchased from old. Which is so important for us to always remember and recall that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid the purchase price of all of our redemption by the Crucifixion death of Himself. Therefore the Psalmist asks that the Lord remember the tribe of His inheritance, His people which He has redeemed, and that He remember His Mount Zion, the very place where He made His Presence and His Throne to be established for Himself on earth.

Vs. 3-4 ³Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

⁴Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;

They set up their banners for signs.

The Psalmist now calls upon God to lift Himself up and see the perpetual desolations which the enemy has done, how they have ruined everything in the sanctuary. How they roar in the midst of His sacred meeting place, while they loot and destroy everything in their sight. For they even set up their own banners within as an act of conquest of it. Thus, they do regard His Holy dwelling place. But again, it was Israel’s own disregard of Him, that has brought about this day on them.

Vs. 5-7 ⁵They seem like men who lift up

Axes among the thick trees.

⁶And now they break down its carved work, all at once,

With axes and hammers.

⁷They have set fire to Your sanctuary;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

Such was their overthrow of it that they seemed to Psalmist like woodsmen with axes felling large trees, falling one upon another until the forest is laid bare. And so it was that they broke down everything within the Temple, all its magnificent carved work they destroyed with hammers and axes. And having completely looted it they then set fire to it, defiling the dwelling place of God’s Name to the ground. And for a man of worship like Asaph, who reverenced this holy place, this was more than he could bare to see. But there he was powerless in the midst of it all, thus his only weapon was his pen and ink and his heart of prayer towards God for Him to save them from them all.

Vs. 8 They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.”

They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

Asaph now recalls to God the arrogant strength of the Babylonian invaders. How in their hearts they said, “Let us destroy them altogether.” How they have not only destroyed the Temple, but every meeting place of God in the land, what we would call synagogues and churches. Then then left nothing untouched where God was truly worshipped. 

Vs. 9 “We do not see our signs;

There is no longer any prophet;

Nor is there any among us who knows how long.”

Such then was God’s turning away from His people, again because of their ongoing sins, that the land that was once filled with signs (like with the Urim and Thummim which guided the High Priest) and the words of the prophets which God gave to encourage the people when they walked with Him, they no longer saw, nor heard these anymore. And no one amongst them knew just how long this was going to be, at least not until Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy of their captivity, which of course would come later.

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰O God, how long will the adversary reproach?

Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

¹¹Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.

In desperation then Asaph now asks God to stop the enemy from reproaching them, from even blaspheming His Name, because people with righteous hearts cannot endure hearing the blasphemy of God’s Name. Therefore, in his frustration he also asks God, “Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.” But God will not destroy them yet, not until His people’s judgment is completed.

Vs. 12 “For God is my King from of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.”

Having made his supplications to God, Asaph now turns from great despair to great faith! His declaration here should be mine and yours as well when we too go “under the rod” for correction as well. “For God is my King from of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.” And so even though everything looked lost, still he had the Spiritual wisdom to see that our God is still our King and that he is working salvation in the midst of the earth. Working out our salvation when we have done everything to ruin it. For that is the heritage of us all who believe in Him, in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ

Vs. 13-17 ¹³You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

¹⁴You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,

And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵You broke open the fountain and the flood;

You dried up mighty rivers.

¹⁶The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷You have set all the borders of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

These verses then recall just how God has worked salvation in the midst of the earth for His people. Notice that every line opens with You, that is it was God alone who had done this for them. From dividing the Red Sea so that His people could pass through safely, to breaking the head of Leviathan (an ancient sea monster, that is often used metaphorically to describe God’s people’s ancient enemies, here the Egyptians who perished when they pursued them into the Red Sea. To His providing life saving water for them while they were in their rebellion years in the wilderness. To His drying up the Jordan river so that Joshua could lead the people out of the wilderness and into the promised land. Therefore, in recalling God’s mighty works for His people, Asaph also declares that it is God who owns the day and the night, that He in His Sovereignty He sets all the borders of the earth, the geographical boundaries, that He alone makes summer and winter, for He alone controls the climate, all the seasons on earth.

Vs. 18 “Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord,

And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.”

Asaph now returns to the current distress and asks God to remember how the enemy has reproached them, how a foolish people, a people who does not fear Him, yet He gave them all the success that they have had, has now in their self-sufficient arrogance they have blasphemed His Name.

Vs. 19 ¹⁹Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

²⁰Have respect to the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

²¹Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!

Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

Therefore, Asaph asks God to remember His people; here described as a turtledove, whose middle eastern variety is smaller and more timid than regular doves, thus it is a gentle bird that often feeds on the ground, and yet here it is being hunted down by the wild beast. i.e., Nebuchadnezzar’s army, a people so cruel that there has never been any like them, before them. Therefore he asks that God not forget the life of His poor forever, who are so completely defenseless against them. For God is the defender of the poor, that is His Nature (vs. 19). That God respect the covenant He made with them when He took them as His own people, and all that the entails, that parenthood entails. For as the Scripture says, the dark places of the earth (that is those places where God is not known nor believed in are full of the haunts of cruelty, vs. 20). Therefore the prayer is for God to intercede for them, for all the oppressed (consider Psalm 10:14, 18; 103:6; 146:7), so that the poor and needy could once again praise His Name (vs. 21).

Vs. 22-23 ²²Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.

²³Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;

The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

In his finial appeal for God's intercession, Asaph now asks that God plead His own cause, that He remember how the foolish man (the arrogant unbeliever) reproaches Him daily. For though Israel may need to pass through the fire before His deliverance of them, still God will not allow His enemies to continually exalt themselves against Him. For though they increase their tumult against Him daily, He will deal with them all, and He will be most justified when He judges and fully repays them all, amen.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.

Psalm 73:1-28 A Psalm of Asaph.

 ¹Truly God is good to Israel,

To such as are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

My steps had nearly slipped.

³For I was envious of the boastful,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴For there are no pangs in their death,

But their strength is firm.

⁵They are not in trouble as other men,

Nor are they plagued like other men.

⁶Therefore pride serves as their necklace;

Violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes bulge with abundance;

They have more than heart could wish.

⁸They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;

They speak loftily.

⁹They set their mouth against the heavens,

And their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰Therefore his people return here,

And waters of a full cup are drained by them.

¹¹And they say, “How does God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

¹²Behold, these are the ungodly,

Who are always at ease;

They increase in riches.

¹³Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,

And washed my hands in innocence.

¹⁴For all day long I have been plagued,

And chastened every morning.

¹⁵If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

¹⁶When I thought how to understand this,

It was too painful for me—

¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

Then I understood their end.

¹⁸Surely You set them in slippery places;

You cast them down to destruction.

¹⁹Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

²⁰As a dream when one awakes,

So, Lord, when You awake,

You shall despise their image.

²¹Thus my heart was grieved,

And I was vexed in my mind.

²²I was so foolish and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.

²³Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

²⁴You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

²⁶My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;

You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

²⁸But it is good for me to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

That I may declare all Your works.

Preamble: This section of the Book of Psalms begins with a Psalm from Asaph, his second; Psalm 50 was his first; but now there are eleven in a row from him. Asaph himself was a seer (2 Chr. 29:30), and a chief musician, (1 Chr. 16:5) who was appointed by David along with two other Levite families to lead worship in the Temple, which he did with his sons during Israel’s most important kingdom era, the reign of King David. As such he was a compatriot of King David under his authority (1 Chr. 15:16-19; 16:7, 37-42; 25:1-2, 6, 9; 25:1-2; 26:1; 2 Chr. 5:2-14, vs.12; 20:14; 35:15; Nehemiah 12:46-47 etc.). Now his sons would also carry on this legacy right until the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 2:41; 3:10; Nehemiah 7:44; 11:15-17; 12:32-36 etc.). And like Psalm 49 this Psalm deals with one of the most unsettling topics for those who seek to live righteously, and that is the prosperity of the wicked.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Truly God is good to Israel,

To such as are pure in heart.”

Asaph opens this psalm with a bold declaration of God’s goodness towards Israel. For truly God is good to Israel, to everyone who is pure in heart, as Jesus Himself has said: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” ^{Matt. 5:8} 

Vs. 2-3 ²But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

My steps had nearly slipped.

³For I was envious of the boastful,

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Asaph now takes a personal turn in this Psalm, describing his own struggles in the faith which began when he saw how those who are boastful, and those who live wicked lives are often free of the plagues and troubles of other men.

Vs. 4-9 ⁴For there are no pangs in their death,

But their strength is firm.

⁵They are not in trouble as other men,

Nor are they plagued like other men.

⁶Therefore pride serves as their necklace;

Violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes bulge with abundance;

They have more than heart could wish.

⁸They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;

They speak loftily.

⁹They set their mouth against the heavens,

And their tongue walks through the earth.

For as he observed they pass away easily, that they're lives are often free from the pain and suffering that often afflicts others, indeed their strength is firm. Nor do they find themselves with the troubles that descent folk often do, for they are not victims of anyone, no they make victims and prosper while doing so. Nor are they plagued like other men who work hard but never get ahead. For they are ever so skillful at always ensuring their own prosperity and peace, at making sure their cup is always full, even when this comes at the expense of others unjustly, yet they still get ahead. Therefore, pride serves as their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment. For that is how they live and proser by the strength of their own hands, schemes, and maneuverings. So, when Asaph saw their prosperity, he was greatly discouraged, because their eyes bulge with abundance, and they have more than heart could wish. Such then is their self assurance and arrogance that they think they will continue to prosper no matter what they do or say. Therefore they openly scoff at living righteously, and speak wickedly concerning oppression, for it brings them success then they are all for it. Indeed they treat and hold the people they use and abuse in utter contempt. Therefore, they speak loftily like they are kings. though they themselves are only dogs and swine. They even set their mouths against the heavens, speaking all  manner of blasphemy against Almighty God, while their tongue boastfully walks through the earth like they are the owners of it all, for they fear no one. 

Vs. 10 “Therefore his people return here,

And waters of a full cup are drained by them.”

Because of their wicked manner of life God’s people (all people who live righteously) often end up as their victims, as people who have been robbed of their dignity, prosperity, and peace by their self serving works and ways.

Vs. 11 And they say, “How does God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

In their arrogant unbelief they even openly deny God’s Person and Existence, for they do not believe that He is, that He observes all their ways, for they do not experience His Hand upon them, for good or for harm, therefore they say is there any knowledge in the Most High.  

Vs. 12 “Behold, these are the ungodly,

Who are always at ease;

They increase in riches.”

When Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked, he concluded that the ungodly are always at ease, that they always increase in riches. This though is not a given. Yes, the ungodly of this world very often prosper, just look at the icons of pop culture. And with all the world under Satan’s influence its easy to see how he has a hand in prospering those who do his bidding, who serve him in leading or better misleading others to their own destruction as well. But for every prosperous sinner, there are several more who are wallowing in the fallout from their own sins. Again, Asaph wrote this during a time of his own ongoing affliction, when he thought he would not see God’s goodness again in his life (think Job here). Therefore he felt compelled to decry the apparent injustice of suffering while wicked people do not. 

Vs. 13-14 ¹³Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,

And washed my hands in innocence.

¹⁴For all day long I have been plagued,

And chastened every morning.

Asaph’s frustration continues as he recalls how he cleansed his own heart, how he disciplined himself to keep away from his sins and not yield to temptations. And yet all day longed he found himself plagued and chastened every morning, which again is but a season in our lives, just as the wicked prosperity is, for in the end the Lord delivers those who live righteously out of them all!

Vs. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

Asaph even refrained his mouth from speaking out his frustrations in the presence of his brethren lest he should discourage their hearts. For prayer is the place for that as we will see.

Vs. 16-17 ¹⁶When I thought how to understand this,

It was too painful for me—

¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

Then I understood their end.

In considering all of this, Asaph’s own heart could not resolve or settle the manner, it was just too painful for him to contemplate anymore, that is until he went into the sanctuary of God, removed from this world’s noise and confusions he found the peace and understanding he was looking for.

Vs. 18-20 ¹⁸Surely You set them in slippery places;

You cast them down to destruction.

¹⁹Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

²⁰As a dream when one awakes,

So, Lord, when You awake,

You shall despise their image.

And so it was there in the sanctuary of God that Asaph not only regained his perspective, but also his faith grew as well. For he saw that God Himself deals with them all, that He appoints the time and the means for their own downfall and ruin. Therefore when He awakes they are brought to desolation in moment and they are utterly consumed with terrors. For when the Lord awakes to render His judgment there is no recourse, there is no escape. For God Almighty shall despise their image. Therefore their end always comes, suddenly without any recourse, He deals with them all.

Vs. 21-22 ²¹Thus my heart was grieved,

And I was vexed in my mind.

²²I was so foolish and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.

Asaph now feels like a fool for ever doubting the justice and righteousness of God. Indeed, he now feels like his previous understanding was no better than that of a wild beast. Like an animal that only lives by its senses, and not by faith in God.

Vs. 23-24 ²³Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

²⁴You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

Asaph now realizes the longsuffering patience that God has been extending towards him during all of this, that He remained right beside him through all this unsettling time for him. That He has been the One upholding, and He will continue to be the One who upholds him. For our God will guide us by His counsel and afterward He will receive us into His glory. We are most blessed then to have His counsel  given us so that we may escape all the lies of this world that always turns against Him. 

Vs. 25-26 ²⁵Whom have I in heaven but You?

And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

²⁶My flesh and my heart fail;

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

What a breakthrough Asaph has now had! From questioning God’s goodness towards him, to now wanting no one but Him! Unshakable faith then does not come by the road of ease and comfort, but by the road of affliction and sorrow.

Vs. 27 “For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;

You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.”

Asaph now knows that those who reject God shall perish. That those who desert Him for harlotry, for their own heart’s idolatry, He shall destroy.

Vs. 28 “But it is good for me to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

That I may declare all Your works.”

Having resolved all his inner dilemma, Asaph has but one thought now, to draw near to God. For I have my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all Your works are the words of man now fully settled in his faith. Therefore, turn to God in your troubles and do not be like those who turn against Him when affliction or evil finds them. For if you do He will bring you through to the other side, where new and everlasting life is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.