Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
My flesh and my heart may fail
The phrase "My flesh and my heart may fail" acknowledges the frailty and mortality of human existence. In Hebrew, the word for "flesh" is "בָּשָׂר" (basar), which often refers to the physical body, emphasizing our temporal and perishable nature. "Heart" in Hebrew is "לֵב" (lev), which not only refers to the physical organ but also symbolizes the center of emotions, thoughts, and will. The psalmist, Asaph, recognizes that both his physical body and his inner self are susceptible to weakness and failure. This acknowledgment is a humble admission of human limitations and the inevitable decline that comes with life. Historically, this reflects the ancient understanding of human vulnerability and the need for divine support.

but God is the strength of my heart
The conjunction "but" introduces a contrast, highlighting a shift from human frailty to divine strength. The Hebrew word for "strength" is "צוּר" (tsur), which can also mean "rock" or "fortress," symbolizing stability, protection, and enduring power. This metaphor suggests that while human strength is fleeting, God's strength is unchanging and reliable. The phrase "of my heart" reiterates the focus on the inner self, indicating that God provides emotional and spiritual fortitude. In the scriptural context, this reflects a deep trust in God's unwavering support, a theme prevalent throughout the Psalms, where God is often depicted as a refuge and source of strength.

and my portion forever
The term "portion" in Hebrew is "חֵלֶק" (chelek), which can mean a share or inheritance. In ancient Israel, land and inheritance were crucial for survival and identity, and the Levites, who served in the temple, had God as their inheritance instead of land (Numbers 18:20). By declaring God as his "portion," the psalmist expresses a profound contentment and satisfaction in God alone, surpassing any earthly possession or inheritance. The word "forever" underscores the eternal nature of this divine relationship, contrasting with the temporary nature of human life. This eternal perspective is a cornerstone of conservative Christian theology, emphasizing the believer's hope and security in God's everlasting presence and provision.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Asaph
The author of Psalm 73, Asaph was a prominent Levite singer and seer in David's court. He is known for his honest and heartfelt psalms that often explore themes of justice, faith, and the struggles of the righteous.

2. The Sanctuary of God
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the sanctuary is a pivotal place in Psalm 73 where Asaph gains understanding and perspective on the prosperity of the wicked and the ultimate justice of God.

3. The Heart and Flesh
These terms symbolize the entirety of human existence, encompassing both physical and emotional aspects. The "heart" in Hebrew (lev) often refers to the inner self, including mind, will, and emotions.
Teaching Points
Acknowledging Human Frailty
Recognize that both our physical bodies and emotional states are prone to failure. This acknowledgment is not a sign of weakness but a step towards relying on God's strength.

God as Our Strength
Embrace the truth that God is the source of our strength. In times of weakness, turn to Him for renewal and support.

God as Our Portion
Understand that God is our ultimate inheritance and satisfaction. Earthly possessions and achievements are temporary, but God is eternal.

Eternal Perspective
Cultivate an eternal perspective that values spiritual growth and relationship with God over temporary worldly success.

Trust in God's Sovereignty
Trust that God is in control, even when circumstances seem overwhelming. His plans and purposes are perfect and for our ultimate good.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does acknowledging our human frailty help us grow in our relationship with God?

2. In what ways can you practically rely on God as your strength in daily life?

3. How does viewing God as your portion change your perspective on material possessions and worldly success?

4. Can you identify a time when your heart or flesh failed, and how did you experience God's strength during that time?

5. How do the themes in Psalm 73:26 connect with the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament about reliance on God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Corinthians 4:16
This verse speaks about the outer self wasting away while the inner self is renewed, echoing the theme of physical weakness contrasted with spiritual strength found in Psalm 73:26.

Philippians 4:13
This verse emphasizes finding strength in God, similar to how Asaph declares God as the strength of his heart.

Lamentations 3:24
This verse also refers to God as one's portion, reinforcing the idea of God being the ultimate source of satisfaction and inheritance.
A Common Fact and a Special PrivilegeHomilistPsalm 73:26
ImmortalityCanon Liddon.Psalm 73:26
The Believer's Consolation in DeathT. Hannam.Psalm 73:26
The Failing Flesh and the Strengthening GodS. Conway Psalm 73:26
A Perplexing Problem, and Satisfactory SolutionG. Woodcock.Psalm 73:1-28
Asaph's Trial and DeliveranceS. Conway Psalm 73:1-28
Bad Men in Good Circumstances, and a Good Man in a Bad TemperHomilistPsalm 73:1-28
The Asaph PsalmsA. Alexander.Psalm 73:1-28
The Goodness of God to IsraelEvangelical PreacherPsalm 73:1-28
The Grievous Conflict of the Flesh and the SpiritS. Conway Psalm 73:1-28
The Solution of a Great ProblemC. Short Psalm 73:1-28
The Trouble of AsaphE. Bersier.Psalm 73:1-28
DoubtHenry Varley.Psalm 73:15-28
Searching and Finding Relief in the Right DirectionHomilistPsalm 73:15-28
The Problem of SufferingBp. F. E. Ridgeway.Psalm 73:15-28
God the Only Adequate PortionN. Hill.Psalm 73:25-26
God the Only Adequate Portion of the SoulH A. Boardman, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
God the Only Happiness of ManJ. Tillotson, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
God the Only PortionA. Raleigh, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
Moral Character Tested by the Estimate of God, the Chief GoodHenry Melvill, B. D.Psalm 73:25-26
Reasonable RaptureA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
Tenderness of DesireE. Garbett, M. A.Psalm 73:25-26
The Believer's Portion in His GodW. E. Light, M. A.Psalm 73:25-26
The Desolate Soul Finding Rest in GodS. Charters.Psalm 73:25-26
The Discipline of DesireW. R. Britton.Psalm 73:25-26
The Good Man's RewardPsalm 73:25-26
The Home of the HeartA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
The Necessity of an Infinite Being to Make Men HappyN. Marshall, D. D.Psalm 73:25-26
Why Should a Man Love Jesus ChristG. B. Austin.Psalm 73:25-26
People
Asaph, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Age, Consumed, Eternal, Fail, Faileth, Fails, Flesh, Forever, Heart, Heritage, Portion, Rock, Strength, Wasting
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 73:26

     1205   God, titles of
     5017   heart, renewal
     5500   reward, God's people
     5701   heir
     5705   inheritance, spiritual
     6166   flesh, sinful nature
     6647   eternal life, experience
     8107   assurance, and life of faith
     8413   edification

Psalm 73:23-26

     8604   prayer, response to God

Psalm 73:23-28

     5945   self-pity
     8131   guidance, results

Psalm 73:25-26

     8632   adoration

Library
Nearness to God the Key to Life's Puzzle
'It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works.'--PSALM lxxiii. 28. The old perplexity as to how it comes, if God is good and wise and strong, that bad men should prosper and good men should suffer, has been making the Psalmist's faith reel. He does not answer the question exactly as the New Testament would have done, but he does find a solution sufficient for himself in two thoughts, the transiency of that outward prosperity, and the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Reasonable Rapture
'Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.' --PSALM lxxiii. 25, 26. We have in this psalm the record of the Psalmist's struggle with the great standing difficulty of how to reconcile the unequal distribution of worldly prosperity with the wisdom and providence of God. That difficulty pressed more acutely upon men of the Old Dispensation than even upon us,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"Let us Pray"
Nevertheless, prayer is the best used means of drawing near to God. You will excuse me, then, if in considering my text this morning, I confine myself entirely to the subject of prayer. It is in prayer mainly, that we draw near to God, and certainly it can be said emphatically of prayer, it is good for every man who knoweth how to practice that heavenly art, in it to draw near unto God. To assist your memories, that the sermon may abide with you in after days, I shall divide my discourse this morning
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

What is Meant by "Altogether Lovely"
Let us consider this excellent expression, and particularly reflect on what is contained in it, and you shall find this expression "altogether lovely." First, It excludes all unloveliness and disagreeableness from Jesus Christ. As a theologian long ago said, "There is nothing in him which is not loveable." The excellencies of Jesus Christ are perfectly exclusive of all their opposites; there is nothing of a contrary property or quality found in him to contaminate or devaluate his excellency. And
John Flavel—Christ Altogether Lovely

How to Make Use of Christ, as Truth, for Comfort, when Truth is Oppressed and Born Down.
There is another difficulty, wherein believing souls will stand in need of Christ, as the truth, to help them; and that is, when his work is overturned, his cause borne down, truth condemned, and enemies, in their opposition to his work, prospering in all their wicked attempts. This is a very trying dispensation, as we see it was to the holy penman of Psalm lxxiii. for it made him to stagger, so that his feet were almost gone, and his steps had well nigh slipt; yea he was almost repenting of his
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Of a Low Estimation of Self in the Sight of God
I will speak unto my Lord who am but dust and ashes. If I count myself more, behold Thou standest against me, and my iniquities bear true testimony, and I cannot gainsay it. But if I abase myself, and bring myself to nought, and shrink from all self-esteem, and grind myself to dust, which I am, Thy grace will be favourable unto me, and Thy light will be near unto my heart; and all self-esteem, how little soever it be, shall be swallowed up in the depths of my nothingness, and shall perish for ever.
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Bride, the Lamb's Wife
"Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee."--Ps. lxxiii. 25. Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Thus speaks the Bride whose feet have trod The chamber of eternal rest, The secret treasure-house of God, Where God is manifest: "Created things, arise and flee, Ye are but sorrow and care to me." This wide, wide world, so rich and fair, Thou sure canst find thy solace there? "Nay, 'neath the flowers the serpent glides, Amidst the bravery
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

My God
J. Tauler Ps. lxxiii. 25 As the bridegroom to his chosen, As the king unto his realm, As the keep unto the castle, As the pilot to the helm, So, Lord, art Thou to me. As the fountain in the garden, As the candle in the dark, As the treasure in the coffer, As the manna in the ark, So, Lord, art Thou to me. As the music at the banquet, As the stamp unto the seal, As the medicine to the fainting, As the wine-cup at the meal, So, Lord, art Thou to me. As the ruby in the setting, As the honey in the
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

The Two Awakings
'I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.' --PSALM xvii. 15. 'As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when Thou awakest, Thou shalt despise their image.'--PSALM lxxiii. 20. Both of these Psalms are occupied with that standing puzzle to Old Testament worthies--the good fortune of bad men, and the bad fortune of good ones. The former recounts the personal calamities of David, its author. The latter gives us the picture of the perplexity of Asaph its writer, when he 'saw the prosperity
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Joy of the Lord.
IT is written "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Every child of God knows in some measure what it is to rejoice in the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ must ever be the sole object of the believer's joy, and as eyes and heart look upon Him, we, too, like "the strangers scattered abroad" to whom Peter wrote shall "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. i:8). But it is upon our heart to meditate with our beloved readers on the joy of our adorable Lord, as his own personal joy. The
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Of the Trinity and a Christian, and of the Law and a Christian.
EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. These two short treatises were found among Mr. Bunyan's papers after his decease. They probably were intended for publication, like his 'Prison Meditations' and his 'Map of Salvation,' on a single page each, in the form of a broadside, or handbill. This was the popular mode in which tracts were distributed; and when posted against a wall, or framed and hung up in a room, they excited notice, and were extensively read. They might also have afforded some trifling profit to aid
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Great Gain of Godliness
'And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 26. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27. And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. 28. Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Meditating on the Future Life.
1. The design of God in afflicting his people. 1. To accustom us to despise the present life. Our infatuated love of it. Afflictions employed as the cure. 2. To lead us to aspire to heaven. 2. Excessive love of the present life prevents us from duly aspiring to the other. Hence the disadvantages of prosperity. Blindness of the human judgment. Our philosophizing on the vanity of life only of momentary influence. The necessity of the cross. 3. The present life an evidence of the divine favour to his
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Present Life as Related to the Future.
LUKE xvi. 25.--"And Abraham said, Son remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." The parable of Dives and Lazarus is one of the most solemn passages in the whole Revelation of God. In it, our Lord gives very definite statements concerning the condition of those who have departed this life. It makes no practical difference, whether we assume that this was a real occurrence, or only an imaginary
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting Adapted to the Moral Constitution of Man.
The law of God originates in his nature, but the attributes of his creatures are due to his sovereignty. The former is, accordingly, to be viewed as necessarily obligatory on the moral subjects of his government, and the latter--which are all consistent with the holiness of the Divine nature, are to be considered as called into exercise according to his appointment. Hence, also, the law of God is independent of his creatures, though made known on their account; but the operation of their attributes
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Cæsarius of Arles.
He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saone, A. D. 470. He seems to have been early awakened, by a pious education, to vital Christianity. When he was between seven and eight years old, it would often happen that he would give a portion of his clothes to the poor whom he met, and would say, when he came home, that he had been, constrained to do so. When yet a youth, he entered the celebrated convent on the island of Lerins, (Lerina,) in Provence, from which a spirit of deep and practical piety
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer
The Noble Results of this Species of Prayer Some persons, when they hear of the prayer of silence, falsely imagine, that the soul remains stupid, dead, and inactive. But, unquestionably, it acteth therein, more nobly and more extensively than it had ever done before; for God Himself is the mover, and the soul now acteth by the agency of His Spirit. When S. Paul speaks of our being led by the Spirit of God, it is not meant that we should cease from action; but that we should act through the internal
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

The Nature of Spiritual Hunger
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness Matthew 5:6 We are now come to the fourth step of blessedness: Blessed are they that hunger'. The words fall into two parts: a duty implied; a promise annexed. A duty implied: Blessed are they that hunger'. Spiritual hunger is a blessed hunger. What is meant by hunger? Hunger is put for desire (Isaiah 26:9). Spiritual hunger is the rational appetite whereby the soul pants after that which it apprehends most suitable and proportional
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
1. The Hebrews reckon but three books as poetical, namely: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which are distinguished from the rest by a stricter rhythm--the rhythm not of feet, but of clauses (see below, No. 3)--and a peculiar system of accentuation. It is obvious to every reader that the poetry of the Old Testament, in the usual sense of the word, is not restricted to these three books. But they are called poetical in a special and technical sense. In any natural classification of the books of the
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Unchangeableness of God
The next attribute is God's unchangeableness. I am Jehovah, I change not.' Mal 3:3. I. God is unchangeable in his nature. II. In his decree. I. Unchangeable in his nature. 1. There is no eclipse of his brightness. 2. No period put to his being. [1] No eclipse of his brightness. His essence shines with a fixed lustre. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.' James 1:17. Thou art the same.' Psa 102:27. All created things are full of vicissitudes. Princes and emperors are subject to
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

This State of Prayer not one of Idleness, but of Noble Action, Wrought by the Spirit of God, and in Dependence Upon Him --The Communication Of
Some people, hearing of the prayer of silence, have wrongly imagined that the soul remains inactive, lifeless, and without movement. But the truth is, that its action is more noble and more extensive than it ever was before it entered this degree, since it is moved by God Himself, and acted upon by His Spirit. St Paul desires that we should be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. viii. 14). I do not say that there must be no action, but that we must act in dependence upon the divine movement. This
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Of Meditating on the Future Life.
The three divisions of this chapter,--I. The principal use of the cross is, that it in various ways accustoms us to despise the present, and excites us to aspire to the future life, sec. 1, 2. II. In withdrawing from the present life we must neither shun it nor feel hatred for it; but desiring the future life, gladly quit the present at the command of our sovereign Master, see. 3, 4. III. Our infirmity in dreading death described. The correction and safe remedy, sec. 6. 1. WHATEVER be the kind of
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life

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