Psalms 73:23-28
Verse 23. I am continually with thee] I now see that myself and my people are under thy guardian care; that we are continually upheld by thee; and while in thy right hand, we shall not be utterly cast down. Verse 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel] After we have suffered awhile, receiving directions and consolations from thy good Spirit, by means of thy prophets, who are in the same captivity with ourselves; thou wilt grant us deliverance, restore us to our own land, and crown us with honour and happiness. Any sincere follower of God may use these words in reference to this and the coming world. Thy counsel-thy WORD and SPIRIT, shall guide me through life; and when I have done and suffered thy righteous will, thou wilt receive me into thy eternal glory. Verse 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee?] The original is more emphatic: mi li bashshamayim; veimmecha lo chaphatsti baarets. "Who is there to me in the heavens? And with thee I have desired nothing in the earth." No man can say this who has not taken God for his portion in reference to both worlds. Verse 26. My flesh-faileth] I shall soon die: and my heart-even my natural courage, will fail; and no support but what is supernatural will then be available. Therefore, he adds,- God is the strength of my heart] Literally, the rock of my heart. And my portion] Allusion is here made to the division of the promised land. I ask no inheritance below; I look for one above. I do not look for this in the possession of any place; it is GOD alone that can content the desires and wishes of an immortal spirit. And even this would not satisfy, had I not the prospect of its being for ever, leolum, "to eternity!' Verse 27. They that are far from thee shall perish] The term perish is generally used to signify a coming to nothing, being annihilated; and by some it is thus applied to the finally impenitent, they shall all be annihilated. But where is this to be found in the Scriptures? In no part, properly understood. In the new heavens and the new earth none of the wicked shall be found; for therein dwells righteousness-nothing but God and righteous spirits; but at the same time the wicked shall be in their own place. And to suppose that they shall be annihilated, is as great a heresy, though scarcely so absurd, as to believe that the pains of damnation are emendatory, and that hell-fire shall burn out. There is presumptive evidence from Scripture to lead us to the conclusion, that if there be not eternal punishment, glory will not be eternal; as the same terms are used to express the duration of both. No human spirit that is not united to God can be saved. Those who are FAR FROM THEE shall perish-they shall be lost, undone, ruined, and that without remedy. Being separated from God by sin, they shall never be rejoined; the great gulf must be between them and their Maker eternally. All them that go a whoring from thee.] That is, all that worship false gods; all idolaters. This is the only meaning of the word in such a connexion. I have explained this elsewhere. Verse 28. It is good for me to draw near] We have already seen that those who are far off shall perish; therefore, it is ill for them. Those who draw near-who come in the true spirit of sacrifice, and with the only available offering, the Lord Jesus, shall be finally saved; therefore, it is good for them. I have put my trust in the Lord God] I confide in Jehovah, my Prop and Stay. I have taken him for my portion. That I may declare all thy works.] That I may testify to all how good it is to draw nigh to God; and what a sufficient portion he is to the soul of man. The Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic, and Arabic, add, in the gates of the daughter of Sion. These words appear to make a better finish; but they are not acknowledged by any Hebrew MS. ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTY-THIRD PSALM The prophet shows the grief that many good men feel at the prosperity of the wicked, and the distresses of the godly; but at last, consulting the will of God, he finds that the felicity of the wicked ends in wretchedness, and the crosses of the godly are the way to happiness; and, with this consideration, he gains quiet to his troubled mind. Let the question be, Who is the happy man? The godly or ungodly? And then the parts of the Psalm will be as follows:- I. The arguments produced for the happiness of the wicked, Ps 73:1-9. II. The impression these arguments make in carnal minds, Ps 73:2, 3, 10-14. III. The rejection of these doubts and impressions, Ps 73:15-17. IV. The refutation of the former arguments, Ps 73:18-20. V. The psalmist's censure of himself for his precipitate judgment, Ps 73:21, 22. VI. His full resolution of the doubt, after the full examination of the reasons on both sides. That true happiness consists in union with God; and therefore the wicked, who are far from him, however they flourish, are unhappy, Ps 73:23-28. But, more particularly, the Psalm is divisible into the following parts:- I. There is, first, an assertion: "Certainly, God is good to Israel, to such as are of a clean heart," Ps 73:1. But can this comport with their present afflicted state? With this he was greatly harassed, Ps 73:2. He saw the wicked in prosperity, which he states in several particulars. II. What carnal minds think of them. 1. They have no conflicts in their death, Ps 73:4. 2. They are not troubled like other men, Ps 73:5. 3. They are proud and haughty, Ps 73:6, and yet are not punished. 4. They are oppressive tyrants: "Violence covereth them." 5. They feed luxuriously, Ps 73:7. 6. They speak evil against the poor, Ps 73:8. 7. They even speak against God, and all the dispensations of his providence: "Their tongue walketh through the earth," Ps 73:9. 8. They assert that he takes no cognizance of their ways, Ps 73:10, 11. III. The evil conclusion formed from these premises refuted. 1. It is the ungodly that prosper in the earth, Ps 73:12. 2. If so, then of what avail are my religious observances and sufferings, &c.? Ps 73:13, 14. He resolves the question,- 1. From the testimony of ALL the godly, Ps 73:15. 2. He tried to solve it by reason, but did not succeed, Ps 73:16. 3. He consults with God, and the whole is made plain, Ps 73:17. From him he learns,- 1. That the happiness of the wicked is unstable, Ps 73:18. 2. They stand on a precipice, and are cast down, Ps 73:19. 3. Their desolation comes suddenly and unexpectedly, Ps 73:19. 4. Their ruin is fearful: "They are consumed with terrors." 5. Thus it is demonstrated that their happiness was vain, empty, as unsubstantial as a dream, Ps 73:20. IV. He now acknowledges that he had formed an erroneous judgment. 1. That he gave way to animosity. 2. That he acted rather like a beast than a man, in looking only to the present life, Ps 73:21, 22. He now receives instruction and encouragement. 1. The godly are not neglected: "They are continually with God," Ps 73:23. 2. They are tenderly led as by the hand of a loving father, Ps 73:23. 3. They are directed by the word and Spirit of God, Ps 73:24. 4. They are often crowned with signal marks of God's esteem, even in this life, Ps 73:24. V. His resolution to live to God, as he sees that such alone are happy. 1. He expects nothing in heaven but God: "Whom have I in heaven," &c. 2. He will seek no other portion on earth: "There is none on earth," Ps 73:25. 3. I will cleave to him in life and death: "When my flesh and my heart fail." 4. My confidence in him shall be unshaken, Ps 73:26. VI. He draws two conclusions from what he had learned:- 1. They that are far from God perish. 2. They that draw nigh to him are saved, Ps 73:27. Therefore, I will so trust in God that I shall be able to declare his works, Ps 73:28.
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