This psalm (with the ten succeeding psalms, together with Ps. 50 - twelve in all) is ascribed to Asaph, unless the reading in the margin, "for Asaph" be correct. The most natural sense of the expression in the title, however, is that they are psalms of Asaph; that is, that they were composed by him. See Introduction to Ps. 50. It has been maintained that a part of these psalms, particularly Ps. 74; Psalm 79:1-13; 80; could not be his, for it is alleged that they refer to events long subsequent to his age. There seems to be no objection, however, to the supposition that this psalm was composed by him, as it has no particular reference to any particular age or country, but is made up of general reflections, which might have arisen in any age, or in any land.
Respecting the particular occasion on which the psalm was composed we have no information. It was in view of the prosperity of the wicked, and suggests the reflections which troubled the writer in regard to the divine administration in view of that prosperity. The thoughts which are recorded are such as might occur to any mind, and do often occur, arising from the fact that wicked people are so successful and so happy in the world, living in prosperity, and dying apparently without pain or alarm, while So many of the good are poor and sorrowful in their lives, and their whole course on earth is one of so much grief and sorrow. Such thoughts as are expressed in this psalm will often cross the mind, and the question will arise why God permits this; whether there is any advantage in being good; and whether that God who sees this, and permits this, can be just and benevolent - the friend of the righteous, and the enemy of the wicked - or whether there is any God. The psalm describes these feelings, and shows how the difficulties were solved in the case of its author, suggesting as the solution, that this is not the world of retribution; that there is a future state where exact justice will be done, and where all the inequalities of the present system will be adjusted. In that future world - "in eternity" - there will be ample time and room to make such an adjustment; to do exact justice to all. The "idea" in the psalm is, that these things cannot be explained except on the supposition that there is a future state; and the psalm, therefore, is an argument for a future state of existence. The affairs of earth cannot be explained, and the character of God cannot be vindicated, except on that supposition.
The psalm in its general structure and design bears a strong resemblance to Ps. 37, though there is no evidence that the author of this psalm had that before him, or in his eye. The expressions are not the same, nor does one appear to have been copied from the other. They contain independent reflections on the same general subject, suggesting the same perplexities, and finding a solution of the difficulties in the same way - in looking to the future, to a just retribution in the end. In this case - Ps. 73 - the psalmist says that he learned the solution of the problem by the instructions of the sanctuary Psalm 73:17; in the former case - Ps. 37 - the solution was found by an observation of the comparative effects of a wicked and a religious life, Psalm 37:10-11, Psalm 37:20, Psalm 37:23-25, Psalm 37:35-37. The idea in both is, that the ultimate effect of goodness or piety must be happiness; the ultimate effect of sin must be misery. The author of one of these psalms finds this solution in the present life; the author of the other, in the life to come. In either case, the character of God is vindicated, and the troubled feelings of the soul calmed down.
The general "idea" in the psalm is stated in the first verse, that "God is good to Israel, to such as are of a clean heart;" that is, that he is the true friend of the righteous, or that his administration is in favor of virtue, or in favor of those who are righteous. The psalm states the process by which the writer came to this conclusion; the mental conflicts through which he passed before this result was reached; his own agitation of mind, and the difficulties he saw in the subject, in view of the facts which exist in this world. His mind had been greatly perplexed when he had meditated on the subject, and the mental conflict had gone so far with him as almost to lead him to abandon the idea that there was a God, or that there was anything in religion, and to conclude that it was all a delusion.
The psalm, therefore, consists of the following parts:
I. The statement of the general proposition that the divine administration is favorable to virtue, or that there is a God who presides in the affairs of people, Psalm 73:1.
II. The facts which the psalmist had observed, out of which his doubts had sprung, or which had given him so much perplexity and trouble, Psalm 73:2-14. Those facts were, that the wicked seemed to be prosperous and happy; that they lived without trouble, and died without any tokens of the divine disapproval; that their eyes stood out with fatness, and that they had more than heart could desire; that they set their mouths against the heavens, and were proud blasphemers, while God took no notice of them, or manifested no disapprobation; that they contemned God, and yet were prospered in the world, while, on the other hand, he himself - the psalmist - was chastened, and afflicted, and plagued - suggesting the idea that there could be no advantage in piety, and that all his anxiety to have pure hands and a pure heart was in vain.
III. The statement of his purpose to conceal his feelings on the subject, lest he should do injury to those who had not these troublesome thoughts, but who endeavored in humility to serve God, Psalm 73:15. He had thoughts which he did not consider it proper to make known to others - thoughts which would only pain them, or unsettle their faith in God, without doing any good.
IV. The means by which his mind had been made calm on the subject, and his difficulties solved, Psalm 73:17-20. He had gone to the sanctuary; he had looked at the end of these things; he had seen what was to be the result; he had been instructed to look forward to a time when all these inequalities would be adjusted, and when, in the punishment of the wicked, it would be seen that there is a God, and that he is just.
V. He now condemns his own former folly, and sees that his conduct had been wholly irrational; that his views had been short-sighted; that he had been stupid, like a beast, in the low conceptions which he had taken of God, Psalm 73:21-22.
VI. In view of all, the psalmist now commits himself to God. He sees that there is reason to trust in him. He resolves to murmur or complain no more. He finds his portion in God. He believes that God will guide him by his counsel, and ultimately receive him to glory. He says that there is none in heaven or on earth that he desires beside him. He is cheered with the thought that when his strength and heart should fail, God would be the strength of his heart, and his portion forever. He would, therefore, henceforth, confide in the Lord God, Psalm 73:23-28.

The psalmist speaks of God's goodness to his people, Psalm 73:1; shows how much he was stumbled at the prosperity of the wicked, and describes their state, Psalm 73:2-12; details the process of the temptation, and the pain he suffered in consequence, Psalm 73:13-16; shows how he was delivered, and the dismal reverse of the state of the once prosperous ungodly man, by which his own false views were corrected, Psalm 73:17-22; his great confidence in God, and the good consequences of it, Psalm 73:23-28.
This is the commencement of the Third Book of the Psalter; and the Psalm before us has for title, A Psalm of Asaph; or, as the margin has it, A Psalm for Asaph. The title in the Hebrew is מזמור לאסף mizmor leasaph; "A Psalm of Asaph:" and it is likely that this Asaph was the composer of it; that he lived under the Babylonish captivity; and that he published this Psalm to console the Israelites under bondage, who were greatly tried to find themselves in such outward distress and misery, while a people much more wicked and corrupt than they, were in great prosperity, and held them in bondage.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 73
A Psalm of Asaph. It seems by the title that Asaph was the penman of this psalm, as it is certain that he was a composer of psalms and hymns; see 2-Chronicles 29:30, though it may be rendered, "a psalm for Asaph", or "unto Asaph" (a); and might have David for its author, as some think, who, having penned it, sent it to Asaph, to be made use of by him in public service; see 1-Chronicles 16:7, and so the Targum paraphrases it,
"a song by the hands of Asaph;''
the occasion of it was a temptation the psalmist fell into, through the prosperity of the wicked, and the afflictions of the righteous, to think there was nothing in religion, that it was a vain and useless thing; under which he continued until he went into the house of God, and was taught better; when he acknowledged his stupidity and folly, and penned this psalm, to prevent others falling into the same snare, and to set forth the goodness of God to his people, with which it begins.

(Psalm 73:1-14) The psalmist's temptation.
(Psalm 73:15-20) How he gained a victory over it.
(Psalm 73:21-28) How he profited by it.

Temptation to Apostasy Overcome
After the one Asaph Psalm of the Second Book, Ps 50, follow eleven more of them from Psalm 73-83. They are all Elohimic, whereas the Korah Psalm divide into an Elohimic and a Jehovic group. Psalm 84:1-12 forms the transition from the one to the other. The Elohim-Psalm extend from Psalm 42-84, and are fenced in on both sides by Jahve-Psalm.
In contents Psalm 73 is the counterpart of pendant of Ps 50. As in that Psalm the semblance of a sanctity based upon works is traced back to its nothingness, so here the seeming good fortune of the ungodly, by which the poet felt himself tempted to fall away, not into heathenism (Hitzig), but into that free-thinking which in the heathen world does not less cast off the deisidaimoni'a than it does the belief in Jahve within the pale of Israel. Nowhere does there come to light in the national history any back ground that should contradict the לאסף, and the doubts respecting the moral order of the world are set at rest in exactly the same way as in Ps 37; Ps 49, and in the Book of Job. Theodicy, or the vindication of God's ways, does not as yet rise from the indication of the retribution in this present time which the ungodly do not escape, to a future solution of all the contradictions of this present world; and the transcendent glory which infinitely outweighs the suffering of this present time, still remains outside the range of vision. The stedfast faith which, gladly renouncing everything, holds fast to God, and the pure love to which this possession is more than heaven and earth, is all the more worthy of admiration in connection with such defective knowledge.
The strophe schema of the Psalm is predominantly octastichic: 4. 8. 8. 8; 8. 8. 5. Its two halves are Psalm 73:1, Psalm 73:15.