Matthew Henry Commentary Psalms 73:21-28

"For my soul was grieved, And I was pricked in my heart: So brutish was I, and ignorant; I was [as] a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: Thou hast holden my right hand. Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; [But] God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, [departing] from thee. But it is good for me to draw near unto God: I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge, That I may tell of all thy works." — Psalms 73:21-28 (ASV)

God would not allow His people to be tempted if His grace were not sufficient, not only to save them from harm but also to make them gain from it. This temptation, the working of envy and discontent, is very painful. In reflecting upon it, the psalmist acknowledges it was his folly and ignorance to trouble himself in this way. If good people, at any time, through the surprise and strength of temptation, think, speak, or act wrongly, they will reflect upon it with sorrow and shame.

We must attribute our safety in temptation, and our victory, not to our own wisdom, but to the gracious presence of God with us and Christ's intercession for us. All who commit themselves to God will be guided by the counsel of both His Word and His Spirit—the best counselors here. They will also be received into His glory in the next world. The believing hopes and prospects of this glory will reconcile us to all difficult providences. And the psalmist was thereby moved to cling more closely to God.

Heaven itself could not make us happy without the presence and love of our God. The world and all its glory vanishes. The body will fail through sickness, age, and death; when the flesh fails, conduct, courage, and comfort fail. But Christ Jesus, our Lord, offers to be all in all to every poor sinner who renounces all other sources of satisfaction and objects of reliance. By sin, we are all far from God.

And a profession of Christ, if we continue in sin, will increase our condemnation. May we draw near, and keep near, to our God by faith and prayer, and find it good to do so. Those who with an upright heart put their trust in God will never lack reason for thanksgiving to Him. Blessed Lord, who has so graciously promised to become our portion in the next world, prevent us from choosing any other portion in this world.