What is Psalm 73 talking about?

Answer 1

The fundamental question underlying Psalm 73 is, "How can a good God allow the righteous to suffer?" This question has puzzled saints and pleased skeptics over the centuries. This psalm and the question with which it deals is extremely important to us, both for the purpose of apologetics (defending our faith) and in order to preserve our faith in the midst of life's trials. Many Christians today seem to think that faith in God comes with a guarantee of freedom from adversity. In fact, too many of our evangelistic appeals are tainted with the false promise (implied or stated) that coming to faith in Christ will deliver men from their trials in life. When young Christians come to the realization that this is not so, their faith is sometimes severely shaken.

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Answer 2

A:Scholars say that after the Babylonian Exile, there was considerable enmity between the returning exiles and those who had been lucky enough to remain behind. The former exiles spoke as if they alone were righteousness and they alone represented 'Israel' (although this nation had ceased to exist centuries earlier), and accused those who had not been exiled of impiety and moral laxness. Psalm 73 is traditionally considered to have been written in King David's court, centuries before the time of the Exile, but scholars say that the psalms were a literary genre unknown at time of David. So, Psalm 73 was written some time after the Return.

Verse 10 talks of the people returning 'hither', while verse 17 talks of the author entering the sanctuary of the new Temple. The earlier verses talk of the foolish but prosperous wicked (those who remained behind - verse 3-9, 11-16,18). The later verses talk of those brought into desolation (the exiles - verse 19) and the author's trust in God.