Psalms 73:2 Commentary: When Faith Nearly Fails

The psalm is attributed to Asaph, a Levite appointed by David as a chief musician (1 Chronicles 16:4, 5). It belongs to the wisdom tradition, wrestling with the ancient problem of theodicy: why do the wicked flourish while the righteous suffer? In ancient Israel, material blessing was widely understood as a sign of divine favour (Deuteronomy 28:1, 14). The wicked prospering was not merely a social puzzle but a theological threat: it seemed to call God’s justice into question.

The opening verse (“Surely God is good to Israel”) is programmatic. Keil & Delitzsch argue that the Hebrew particle akh (“surely”) is a word of defiant faith, the psalmist asserts God’s goodness against the evidence of his eyes. But verse 2 reveals the raw honesty of the struggle: the poet’s feet “almost turned aside” (Hebrew natu). The verb natah means to bend or incline, and here it is used in the sense of departing from the right path. The image of slippery ground was common in Hebrew poetry (Psalm 17:5; 94:18).

The crisis described in this verse sets up the psalm’s dramatic movement: from near-fall in verse 2 to restored perspective in verse 17 (“until I went into the sanctuary of God”). This literary arc suggests that the psalmist’s struggle was not a passing doubt but a sustained assault on his faith. The historical context, a community where covenant faithfulness was supposed to bring blessing, makes the temptation all the more acute. This was not a theoretical question; it was the raw, daily experience of the faithful.

The Masoretic Text presents two minor variants in this verse. The first concerns the verb for “had turned aside” (natu): the Kethib (written form) reads netuy or netiy (a participle), while the Qere (read form) is natu (perfect). Keil & Delitzsch argue that the perfect is necessary for the narrative context, as a participle would be out of place in a sequence of past events. The second variant involves “had been poured out” (shuppeku): the Kethib has the feminine singular shuppekah, while the Qere is the masculine plural shuppeku. Because the subject “my steps” is masculine plural, the Qere is likely correct. These are well-known scribal issues but do not affect the meaning of the verse. No other significant text-critical debates are noted in the supplied sources.

This verse has been a touchstone in Christian reflection on the problem of evil and the fragility of faith. In the early church, commentators such as Augustine saw the psalmist’s confession as an example of the inner struggle between flesh and spirit, a battle every believer faces. During the Reformation, Calvin’s exposition drew heavily on this verse to argue that even the saints are subject to severe temptations and that God’s goodness must be believed despite appearances. Puritan writers like Matthew Henry used it to counsel those tempted to envy the ungodly, urging them to see the difference between God’s temporal gifts to the wicked and his saving love to his people. In modern hymnody, the theme of near-fall appears in songs like “He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock” (Kate B. Wilkinson, 1914), which echoes the psalm’s confidence that God keeps those who are almost overcome. The verse has also been a foundation for pastoral care, reassuring believers that doubts and near-falls do not disqualify them from God’s covenant love.

Three-Point Outline

1. The dangerous drift: The psalmist’s crisis began not with a sudden rejection of God but with quiet envy of the wicked’s prosperity (v. 3). Small resentments can pull feet from solid ground.
2. The metaphor of poured-out water: The Hebrew for “slipped” (shuppeku) means “poured out.” Faith had no more consistency than spilled liquid. This paints spiritual collapse not as a dramatic fall but as a gradual loss of shape and strength.
3. The turn toward the sanctuary: As verse 17 will show, the way out of this crisis was not trying harder but entering God’s presence, seeing the end of the wicked and the secure portion of the righteous.

Five-Point Outline

1. Honesty about the question: The psalmist does not pretend to have it all together. He names his near-fall, making space for other believers to admit their own.
2. The specific trigger: Envy of the arrogant (v. 3). This is a common pastoral issue: comparing our inner life to others’ outer appearance.
3. The physical language of faith: Feet, steps, slipping. Faith is not a disembodied idea but a walk that requires stability.
4. The “almost” of grace: The psalmist does not deny the near-fall, but the fact that he writes this psalm proves he was kept. “Almost” is a testimony to God’s mercy, not to human resolve.
5. The gospel overtone: In Christ, our slipping feet are restored (Psalm 37:24; Jude 24). The psalmist’s experience anticipates the secure standing that Christ wins for his people.

Illustration Hooks

• A gardener watching a neighbour’s untended plot produce bumper crops while his own carefully weeded rows struggle, a picture of how circumstance can mock faithfulness.
• A faithful employee passed over for promotion in favour of a colleague who plays politics and cuts corners. The temptation to stop trying, to give in to cynicism, becomes almost overwhelming.

Questions Your Congregation Is Asking

• Why do dishonest people seem to thrive while I try to do right and still struggle?
• Is it wrong to feel angry or disappointed with God when life doesn’t seem fair?
• How can I know if my doubts are a normal part of faith or a sign that I am slipping away?

This verse invites us to be honest about how hard faith can be when life’s circumstances seem to contradict God’s goodness. The psalmist’s near-fall is not a mark of weak faith but of real faith, one that wrestles and is kept by God. Use these questions to help your group explore the tension between what we believe and what we see.

Discussion Questions

1. Read verses 1, 3 together. What specific situation triggered the psalmist’s crisis? How does this compare to things that shake your own confidence in God?
2. The psalmist says his feet “were almost gone.” Have you ever felt that close to losing your faith? What did that experience feel like?
3. Look at the Hebrew metaphor behind “slipped”, poured out like water. Why do you think the poet chose this image? What does it say about the nature of his temptation?
4. How does the rest of the psalm (especially verses 17, 23, 26) show the way out of this crisis? What role did the sanctuary play in restoring his perspective?
5. Is there a difference between being “almost” gone and actually falling? What does this verse teach about God’s faithfulness in keeping his people?
6. How can we help one another when we see a brother or sister beginning to slip in their faith?
7. What would it look like for you to “enter the sanctuary” this week, to bring your doubts and frustrations before God rather than letting them fester?