Psalm 73:[3-14] 23-28 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 73:[3-14] 23-28 on biblegateway.com
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Verse 3For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Verse 4For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
Verse 5They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
Verse 6Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
Verse 7Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
Verse 8They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
Verse 9They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
Verse 10Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
Verse 11And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
Verse 12Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
Verse 13All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
Verse 14For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.]
Verse 23Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
Verse 24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
Verse 25Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
Verse 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Verse 27Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
Verse 28But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.
Devotion
“It’s NOT fair!” What parent hasn’t heard these words? They are often sputtered with quivering lip, hot tears, crossed arms, and, maybe, a stomped foot. Reading Psalm 73 (particularly vv. 3–14), I almost hear the psalmist, Asaph, lamenting, “It’s not fair!” as he looks from a society outside, across the fence into the green grass of affluence, privilege and power. As today’s socioeconomic disparity increases, it is understandable that our neighbors and, perhaps, we ourselves, may increasingly cry, “It’s NOT fair!” It isn’t fair. God is pained and angered when justice and kindness are ignored, when God’s children are disregarded.
Guided by God, Asaph resists temptation to act violently and oppress others. He decides the longed-for prosperity is not worth estrangement from God. As the parent might hold the tearful child’s hand to comfort them, Asaph feels God “hold [his] right hand.” Asaph proclaims, “it is good to be near God.” Indeed, it is good.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Parent, thank you for holding our hands and being our refuge. Guide us to hold the hands of our neighbors, share our resources, and include them fully in our communities. Amen.