Asaph sings of how the wicked “have an easy time until they die.” (Psalm 73:4) They appear to lead lives of luxury. “They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people.” (Psalm 73:5) “Look at them — the wicked!” laments Asaph. “They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth.” (Psalm 73:12)
Asaph recognizes his own embittered state. He knows that his “innermost being is wounded.” He is aware that he “is stupid and doesn’t understand; [he] is an unthinking animal toward [God].” (Psalm 73:21-22) He keeps this bitterness toward God to himself, going into the sanctuary to understand the destiny of the wicked.
And in the midst of his own wounded state, he remembers the presence of his God. He sings,”Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but You.” (Psalm 73:23-25)
The easy state of the wicked is an illusion. Asaph knows God “puts them in slippery places; [He] makes them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors. Like one waking from a dream.” (Psalm 73:18-20)
Grace Partakers 