Psalm 73:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

NIV: You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

NASB: You will guide me with Your plan, And afterward receive me to glory.

CSB: You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory.

NLT: You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

KJV: Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

NKJV: You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.

Asaph was grateful not only for the Lord's presence but also for His guidance and assurance of heaven. That guidance is what helped him recover from a crisis of faith (Psalm 73:2–3) to return to a fuller understanding of God's truth (Psalm 73:15–18, 23).

The Lord has a purpose for the lives of His people. He is readily available to guide them to the successful completion of His purpose. Proverbs 3:5–6 says: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way." Romans 12:1–2 gives the requirements for knowing the Lord's will. The first requirement is to present one's body to the Lord as "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable." The second is to refuse to be conformed to the world. The third is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. In verse 2 God's will is described as "good and acceptable and perfect."

When a believer's life on earth ends, he enters heaven to be with the Lord forever (see 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:20–23).

Psalm 73:15–28 gives a fitting resolution to Asaph's complaint (Psalm 73:2–3). He was disturbed by the contrast between the seemingly prosperous wicked and the difficulties of the righteous. Many today feel the same conflict. An eternal perspective gave the answer he needed to those hard examples. In short, wickedness does come with risks, and earthly life is not all there is to our existence. Even in the context of the natural world, evil invites negative consequences and disaster. In eternity, judgment on godlessness is absolutely guaranteed.

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.