Wesley's Explanatory Notes
Psalms 73:13
In vain — Hence I was sometimes tempted, to think that religion was a vain, unprofitable thing. True religion is here described by its two principal parts, the cleansing of the heart, and the hands.
In vain — Hence I was sometimes tempted, to think that religion was a vain, unprofitable thing. True religion is here described by its two principal parts, the cleansing of the heart, and the hands.
Verse Psalms 73:13. _I HAVE CLEANSED MY HEART_ IN _VAIN_] It is no advantage to us to worship the true God, to walk according to the law of righteousness, and keep the ordinances of the Most High....
VERILY I HAVE CLEANSED MY HEART IN VAIN - That is, There is no advantage in all my efforts to become pure and holy. It does not assist me in obtaining the favor of God; and it would be just as well to...
III. THE LEVITICUS SECTION: BOOK THREE: PSALM 73-89 The third division of the book of Psalms corresponds in character to the third book of the Pentateuch, the book of Leviticus. That is the book of th...
BOOK III. PSS. LXXIII.- LXXXIX. LXXIII. The Hope of Immortality. Here the Psalter reaches its highest elevation. Job, in Job 19:25 f.*, believes that God will vindicate his innocence even after death...
VERILY. See note on "Truly", Psalms 73:1. I HAVE CLEANSED. This is the result of occupation with _others._ Distraction. Compare Structure, above....
Faith tried by the sight of the prosperity of the wicked....
The Psalmist's temptation as he contemplated the scene. Some commentators regard these verses as the continuation of the speech in Psalms 73:11, giving the thoughts of the followers of the wicked, the...
_Verily_ The same word _ak_as in Psalms 73:1. R.V. Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart. If the wicked prosper thus, his endeavours after holiness have been wasted. There is no reward for the right...
THE PSALMS BOOK THE THIRD Psalms 73 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Temptation, arising from the Prosperity of the Lawless, Triumphantly Overcome. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 73:1-5, Under Protest, the Psalmist...
Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. -The mental conflict which resulted in the Psalmist's mind from the anomalous prosperity of sinners. Verse 12. BEH...
BOOK 3 There are two groups of Pss. in this book, Psalms 73-83 being Psalms of Asaph, and Psalms 84-88 (except 86) Psalms of the Sons of Korah. The likeness of the title of Psalms 89 to that of Psalms...
Psalms 73:89 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ THE PSALMS OF DAVID (BOOK 3). NOW I UNDERSTAND PSALMS 73 Jesus said, "Make sure that your valuable things are in *heaven". ...
(11-14) The mutual relation of these verses has been the subject of many conflicting opinions. The following is the arrangement that seems preferable — “And people say, How shall God know? And does t...
אַךְ ־רִ֭יק זִכִּ֣יתִי לְבָבִ֑י וָ אֶרְחַ֖ץ ב
Psalms 73:1 THE perennial problem of reconciling God's moral government with observed facts is grappled with in this psalm, as in Psalms 37:1; Psalms 49:1. It tells how the prosperity of the godless,...
DECEPTIVE PROSPERITY Psalms 73:1 The opening psalms of this third Book of Psalms are by Asaph; see 2 Chronicles 29:30. The r.v. margin substitutes _only_ for _surely_ in Psalms 73:1. There is none go...
The marginal reading, "Only good is God to Israel," indicates the real value of the song. Israel has no other good, and needs no other. Yet it is not always easy to realize this, and the psalmist tell...
The sea firm. By making the waters of the Red Sea stand like firm walls, whilst Israel passed through; and destroying the Egyptians, called here dragons, from their cruelty, in the same waters, with t...
He here draws the outlines of the prosperity of the wicked: they have all carnal enjoyments, the good things brought forth by the sun, and the precious things put forth by the moon: they have plenty o...
BOOK 3 - PSALMS 73-89 In the Third Book we get out into a larger sphere than the state of the residue of the Jews in the last days, whether in Jerusalem or driven out; and hence we find much less of t...
VERILY, I HAVE CLEANSED MY HEART IN VAIN,.... Which supposes that his heart had been unclean, as every man's is, and which appears by what is in it, and by what comes out of it; that it was now cleans...
Verily I have cleansed my heart [in] vain, and washed my hands in innocency. Ver. 13. _Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain_] For all is to little purpose, if the cards play on this fashion, if th...
_Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain_, &c. Hence I have been tempted to think, that religion is a vain and unprofitable thing; that “all my faith, my charity, and my devotion; all my watching and...
Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, in view of the offense given by the prosperity of the ungodly, AND WASHED MY HANDS IN INNOCENCY, making diligent efforts to live a holy life before the Lord....
The Believer's Trust at the Realization of the Truth...
1-14 The psalmist was strongly tempted to envy the prosperity of the wicked; a common temptation, which has tried the graces of many saints. But he lays down the great principle by which he resolved...
Hence I was sometimes tempted to think that religion was a vain and unprofitable thing, at least as to the happiness of this life, which yet God had promised as a reward to piety. True religion is her...
Psalms 73:13 cleansed H2135 (H8765) heart H3824 vain H7385 washed H7364 (H8799) hands H3709 innocence H5356...
Psalms 73:13 Notice I. How forgetfulness of God leads us to chafe under the painful dispensations of human life. It is an honest confession which we find in the third verse: "I was envious at the foo...
Psalms 73 First, there is in this Psalm a description of the prosperity of the wicked, and of that hauteur and pride which they in their prosperity manifested, then of the afflictions of the godly, o...
You may have noticed that the 73 rd Psalm and the 37 th Psalm are on the same subject; it will help you to recall this fact if you remember that the figures are the same, only reversed. Psalms 73:1....
Here you have the psalmist in a fainting fit. He has allowed the flesh to conquer the spirit. The observant eye of reason has for awhile rendered dim the clear vision of faith. Psalms 73:1. _Truly Go...
The psalmist here works out the problem of the prosperity of the wicked. He was troubled in his own mind about it; he knew that he feared God, but he also knew that he was greatly tried, whereas he sa...
«A Psalm Of Asaph.» He was a great singer, but he could not always sing. In the first part of the Psalm he felt rather like groaning than singing; and you shall find that those who sing the sweetest t...
CONTENTS: The temptation to envy the prosperity of wicked people and how to fortify ones self against it. The awful fate of the ungodly. CHARACTERS: God, Asaph. CONCLUSION: Observing that many wicked...
The third book of Hebrew psalms begins here. It opens with a psalm of Asaph, the noble singer and musician of the temple. 1 Chronicles 6:39; 1 Chronicles 25:1. Eleven other psalms bear his name. Hezek...
_Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency._ TRUST AND TROUBLE The innocent suffer with the guilty, often suffer for them, that so the guilty, spared, may be led by Go...
_Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches._ PAGANIZED CHRISTIANITY The trouble with us is that in our everyday life we do not make our faith vital enough. We b...
_Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart._ THE TROUBLE OF ASAPH In human biographies men are wont to cover up their heroes’ imperfections. They see no reason why they should...
PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 73:1. This is a wisdom psalm. God’s people should trust him even when it seems unbelievers do not suffer because of their sin. They should remember the contrasting outcomes...
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 73:13 ALL IN VAIN HAVE I KEPT MY HEART CLEAN. The singer feels that it has been worthless to practice faithfulness. The faithful are STRICKEN, all the day long
INTRODUCTION _Superscription.—“A Psalm of Asaph,”_ or, as in the margin, “_for Asaph_.” See introduction to Psalms 50. _Subject_.—The mental difficulties arising from the contemplation of the tempora...
EXPOSITION THIS is the first of the "Psalms of Asaph," whereof the present book contains eleven. They are characterized by a preponderating use of the name "Elohim" over that of" Jehovah," by a great...
Psa 73:1-28 begins with an affirmation of a basic foundational truth concerning God. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart (Psalms 73:1). It is important that we have basi...
Hebrews 10:19; James 4:8; Job 21:15; Job 34:9; Job 35:3;...