Psalm 73:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.

NIV: All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

NASB: For I have been stricken all day long, And punished every morning.

CSB: For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

NLT: I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

KJV: For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

NKJV: For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.

Those who abandoned obedience to God in favor of worldliness (Psalm 73:1–3, 10–11) excused their decision by pointing to their struggles. Earlier verses used deliberate exaggeration to highlight this complaint. The wicked are depicted as eating until their eyes bulge out (Psalm 73:7) and living lives free of any cares (Psalm 73:5), gaining wealth without much effort (Psalm 73:12). Here, the opposite is presented, with the same level of melodrama. The purpose of this vivid complaint is to voice what many of God's people feel: frustration when it seems that godless people benefit from evil, while those who obey the Lord are suffering.

"Stricken," here, uses the same Hebrew root word as verse 5 and directly contrasts that statement. The word literally means "touched," and in this context means an affliction sent from God as judgment. Similarly, to be "rebuked" is to be harshly corrected or chastened.

Yet another common human mistake is to assume that all hardship, such as illness, is God's judgment on some sin that person has committed (John 9:1–3). The disciples mistakenly thought a man blind from birth must have been guilty of some sin. Jesus squelched their reasoning. He explained the purpose of that specific man's affliction was to display the power of God. Similarly, the purpose of a believer's sickness or disability may be to glorify God. That's not an easy thing to accept, but it's part of having an eternal perspective (Hebrews 11:13–16).

Although sin certainly can lead to sickness and death (Proverbs 9:13–18), that does not mean all pain is a direct result of the suffering person's own mistakes. Often, hardship in this life is meant to draw us closer to God and to reveal His sustaining grace. If everything went smoothly for us all the time, how often would we pray? How earnestly would we pray?

In the final section of this psalm, Asaph will explain how despairing attitudes make no sense (Psalm 73:15–17).

Psalm 73:10–14 describes a kind of despair, to which God's people are often tempted. Scripture notes that following God's will is a surer path to success than rejecting Him (Proverbs 9:10–12), but those who do evil can sometimes prosper. When a godless, depraved person seems happy and healthy, a believer may be tempted to concluded it doesn't pay to serve God. Hurting people are especially sensitive to seeing the wicked prosper, while they suffer. That tempts them to conclude that their righteousness brought them nothing except trouble. The imagery in this section is deliberately exaggerated to enhance that contrast. In the next section, however, Asaph will indicate that this conclusion is wrong, and why (Psalm 73:15–17).

Seeing godless people thrive, even as they hatefully mock God, while believers suffer, leads many people to a crisis of faith. This was the case for Asaph. Using exaggerated imagery, he complains to the Lord that it seems as if evil people have easy lives, while godly people suffer. Further reflection reminds Asaph that sin does lead to consequences, both in this life and the next. He confesses his sins of bitterness and resolves to trust God more deeply.

This psalm is the first in a collection which corresponds to Leviticus and the overall theme of worship. Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73, confesses that seeing prosperity among wicked people brought him bitterness and envy. That nearly caused him to lose trust in God. Carefully considering God and His eternal truth led Asaph to a stronger faith. Job chapter 21, in which trial-laden Job also complains about the success of some wicked people, mentions many of the same ideas as Psalm 73.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.