Catholic Commentary on Psalm 73

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Psalm 73:25)

The Envy of the Prosperous Wicked

Psalm 73 is one of the great wisdom psalms, and it describes with rare honesty a crisis of faith. Asaph opens with the theological conclusion: Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But then the admission: But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. The psalmist has been watching the wicked prosper. They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong, they are free from the burdens common to mortals. They scoff at God and mock heaven. And they get away with it. Their wealth increases.

The crisis is personal: have I kept my heart pure in vain? Have I washed my hands in innocence for nothing? All day long I have been afflicted; every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken like this publicly, I would have betrayed the next generation. The psalmist's faith was shaken to the point where even speaking honestly about it felt like a betrayal. This is the darkest form of the prosperity problem: when the visible evidence not only contradicts but almost destroys the faith.

Until I Entered the Sanctuary

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. The shift happens in worship, in the presence of God, in the sanctuary. Not in intellectual analysis, not in philosophical argument, but in the encounter with God. There the perspective changes: the wicked stand on slippery ground, their dream is over when they wake, they are destroyed in a moment. The long view that the sanctuary provides changes everything. St. Augustine wrote that Psalm 73 describes the movement from the City of Man, where the wicked seem to win, to the City of God, where the final reckoning is already visible.

Whom Have I in Heaven

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The crisis of faith has been resolved, and the resolution has produced a deeper and purer faith than the one that was shaken. The person who has faced the prosperity of the wicked and survived the crisis knows something about God that can only be known from that place: there is nothing else, in heaven or on earth, that can substitute for him.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, if you have been troubled by the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the faithful, you are in Psalm 73. Enter the sanctuary. Go to Mass. Adore the Blessed Sacrament. In the presence of God, the perspective that the world cannot give becomes available. Then say it: whom have I in heaven but you? There is nothing else.

Prayer

Lord God, when my feet nearly slipped and my faith was shaken, you brought me into your sanctuary. There I understood. Whom have I in heaven but you? My flesh and my heart may fail, but you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. It is good to be near you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

BOOK III
73
Psalms 73—89
Surely God Is Good to Israel
 
A Psalm of Asaph.
 
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
 
4 They have no struggle in their death;
their bodies are well-fed.
5 They are free of the burdens others carry;
they are not afflicted like other men.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
a garment of violence covers them.
7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;* 73:7 Literally Their eye bulges with fatness; Syriac From their callous heart proceeds iniquity
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongues strut across the earth.
 
10 So their people † 73:10 Or His people return to this place
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked—
always carefree as they increase their wealth.
 
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;
in innocence I have washed my hands.
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
then I would have betrayed Your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was troublesome in my sight
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary;
then I discerned their end.
 
18 Surely You set them on slick ground;
You cast them down into ruin.
19 How suddenly they are laid waste,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 Like one waking from a dream,
so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
 
21 When my heart was grieved
and I was pierced within,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before You.
 
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and later receive me in glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And on earth I desire no one besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength ‡ 73:26 Hebrew rock of my heart
and my portion forever.
 
27 Those far from You will surely perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may proclaim all Your works.

*73:7 73:7 Literally Their eye bulges with fatness; Syriac From their callous heart proceeds iniquity

†73:10 73:10 Or His people

‡73:26 73:26 Hebrew rock

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