Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
Psalms 73:1-28.-God is always good to the true Israel (Psalms 73:1); contrary appearances once shook his faith: the ungodly prosper in life and in dying, so they are proud, as if God knew not their wickedness (Psalms 73:2-11); his mental conflict (Psalms 73:12-16); his victory over doubt when he went into the sanctuary, and understood their end (Psalms 73:17-20); he condemns his beastlike folly: his confidence in God, his present Guide and future Glorifler (Psalms 73:21-24); his satisfaction with God, his grand Portion, contrasted with the destruction of all who go from God (Psalms 73:25-28). Whereas in Psalms 37:1-40 the Psalmist teaches in calm faith the same lesson, this psalm depicts the conflict itself before calm faith was attained. Compare Jeremiah 11:18-20; Jeremiah 12:1-6.
Title. - A Psalm of Asaph - David's chief Musician.
Truly God is good to Israel - Hebrew, 'Only' х 'ak (H389)]. 'God is only good,' not, as unbelief arising from our judging by some outward appearances, also evil in some respects and instances. God is never otherwise than just and good (Lamentations 3:25). God's goodness to His people exemplifies His absolute and universal goodness. Awaking, as if out of a reverie in which he had been agitated with conflicting thoughts, the Psalmist begins abruptly with stating the conclusion to which better thoughts in the sanctuary (Psalms 73:17) had led him.
(Even) to such as are of a clean heart. This limits the meaning of "Israel," in the former and parallel clause, to the true Israelites in whom there is no guile (Psalms 73:13; Psalms 24:6, note; John 1:47). Those who are Israelites in nothing but appearance are classed with the pagan.