1. Looking Across the Fence (verses 1-15)
2. Looking to the End (verses 16-20)
3. Looking to the Lord (verses 21-28)
Picture with me two fields, side by side, divided only by a barbed wire fence.
On the right hand side, we see some black cows. They are standing knee-deep in thick, rich, dark green grass. The grass looks soft and lush, almost untouched. Look at how hearty and healthy and happy the cows look. It looks as if the black cows are slowly grazing, as though they don’t have a care in the world. One cow is laying down, just looking at us. His belly is probably full of grass.
On the left side are some cows that are black and white. Their pasture has been grazed down. The grass is short and thin. In some places, it’s trampled down. None of the cows are eating the grass in their field. Some of them are merely staring through the fence at the other side. A few are pressing through the fence, trying to steal a bite of the greener grass on the other side.
If cows could talk, you can almost hear what they would say: “Look at them! Why do they get the better field?” “Why is their grass greener than ours?” “Why is their life so easy?” The cows on the right side of the fence aren’t really talking much. They are busy eating and thinking happy thoughts.
So, let me ask you, “Which of the cows would you rather be?” Certainly the cows on the right! With the greener grass, your life would be more at ease. You would be more comfortable and satisfied.
But let me take you to the end of the day, when the farmer leads the cows into their barns.
Do any of you know what sorts of cows those on the left are? They are Holstein cows. Do you know what Holstein cows are raised for? They are raised for their milk. That’s why they are going into the Milking Parlor, where they will be milked, and after that, they will be sheltered, cared for, and prepared for another day in the pasture tomorrow.
Do any of you know what sorts of cows those on the right are? They are Angus cows. Do you know what Angus cows are raised for? They are raised for their beef. That’s why they are going into the Slaughter House, where they will be killed and butchered.
Now, let me ask you the same question: “Which of the cows would you rather be?” I think that you would rather be a Holstein cow, to live another day.
This is the picture of our text this morning: Psalm 73.
For the next few weeks, I’m planning to preach through a few different passages all under the guise of “When Life Doesn’t Make Sense.” I want for us to think about the Scriptures that put forth life differently than we would expect it to happen. Psalm 73 is one of those portions of Scripture where we see life not making sense.
In this Psalm, we see Asaph, the worship leader in the temple, living on the left side of the fence. However, he looks over to the right side, and sees the greener pasture, sees the prosperity of the wicked, and how they are always at ease, and their bodies are well fed. And Asaph thinks about crossing the fence to the other side. But then, he sees the end of the wicked. They will be destroyed in a moment, just like the Angus cows. And Asaph becomes content on the left side of the fence.
My message this morning is entitled “The Greener Grass.” In Psalm 73, Asaph sees those who live in the greener pasture, he thinks about them, but comes to realize that his side of the fence is the better side.
So, let’s consider the Psalm.
Psalm 73:1-28
A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself,
you despise them as phantoms.
When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
Asaph ends right where he begins, with the goodness of God. “For me it is good to be near God.” Asaph found refuge in the Lord GOD, who was good to him. And so Asaph says in verse 28, “that I may tell of all your works.” This is what Psalm 73 is. It is a testimony. It is Asaph’s testimony of his crisis of faith.
He saw “the prosperity of the wicked” (verse 3). He saw the fat black Angus cows across the fence, enjoying all of the lush, green grass. He saw how they were “always at ease” (verse 12), never having to walk far for the lush grass. He saw how they denied God (verse 11), and yet still enjoyed the greener grass. Asaph was becoming envious of them (verse 3). And Asaph said that he almost crossed over. He almost joined them on the other side. But then he “discerned their end” (verse 17). He saw that the fat, black, Angus cows were headed to the slaughter house, and that he was heading to the Milking Parlor, a place of comfort, a place of refuge, a place of care. And seeing their end, he clearly saw the LORD.
So, let’s work through Asaph’s testimony.
1. Looking Across the Fence (verses 1-15)
This is what we all do. We live in this world. We see those who are living for the world. And things are going pretty well for the rich and famous. They walk the red carpet. They live in large mansions. They drive the best cars. They vacation in the best places. We know this because we are looking across the fence. We look on Instagram. We see on Facebook. We watch our televisions. And the world has it pretty nice.
But beyond the rich and famous, we also look at our neighbors and co-workers and friends. And they aren’t church-goers, and they have no regard for God. In fact, we hear them use his name in vain. They live only for the here and now, and, quite frankly, the here and now is looking pretty good. As I mix with the unsaved who are my age, they are beginning to retire. And I see that many times, they have it pretty easy. And I confess that I can easily be envious of them. They worked the system. They have found their cushy job. They put in their years. And now, they are enjoying their fat company pension. Life seems pretty good for them. Life seems better for them than for me.
This is what Asaph is telling us in the first 15 verses. He tells us of how he was 1. Looking Across the Fence (verses 1-15) at the “prosperity of the wicked” (verse 3), and becoming envious (verse 3).
Psalm 73:4-5
For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
He looks at the black cows, and they look content. They look healthy. Until the moment of their death, they live comfortably. They don’t have a care in the world. They don’t have troubles. They sleep well at night. Their conscience does not trouble them. Their soul is at ease. They are not losing sleep over their rebellion against God. They are not burdened by conviction of their sin. They are not wrestling with repentance. As a result, they speak in arrogance toward others.
Psalm 73:6-8
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
Pride becomes their jewelry; it’s what they adorn themselves with. They mock biblical morality. They act as if everything came from their own strength. They think money and influence makes them untouchable. In the business world, they are cruel and use intimidation. They dominate through fear, and manipulate others for profit. They have more than enough, yet they purchase larger homes and nicer cars. They have the money to pursue every passion they have. They have freedom to chase every pleasure. And instead of hiding their sin, they celebrate it publicly. They ridicule the righteous. They mock the pure. They laugh at obedience to God. From their positions of influence, they intimidate others. “If you won’t celebrate our sin, we’ll silence your voice.” “If you speak for God, we’ll make you pay.”
That’s all on the human level. They are also arrogant against God!
Psalm 73:9-11
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
The wicked do not merely ignore God, they openly defy him! They mock his authority. They ridicule his Word. They define their own truth. They live by their own rules. They parade their rebellion. And people listen to them. And nothing happens to them. They conclude: “God doesn’t see.” “God doesn’t care.” “There is no accountability.” “There is no judgment.”
And Asaph summarizes his look across the fence in verse 12.
Psalm 73:12
Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
And Asaph looks at all of this and wonders: “Why do they get the greener grass?” Being Biblically literate, Asaph knew a thing or two about how the world is supposed to work. He knew the covenantal blessings that God promised in Deuteronomy 28: if you obey, you will be blessed, but if you disobey, you will be cursed. He knew what Joshua was promised: “When you are careful to do according to all that is written in the law, then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). He knew what Psalm 1 said: the righteous man “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:3-4).
But here, it looks like it’s all flipped. The wicked aren’t being blown away like chaff! Rather, they are prospering as if they were the ones receiving the blessings that God had promised to the obedient! The wicked are enjoying the “Greener Grass.” And that is why Asaph says in verse 13.
Psalm 73:13-14
All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
Asaph says, “I have kept the ways of God. I have led the people in worship. I have prayed to the LORD. I have been careful to walk in his ways. But the blessing hasn’t come to me. The blessing has come to the wicked. I’m not sure that it’s all worth it. I haven’t received the promised blessing! I think that I have been walking the wrong path!” These are the sort of internal musings that Asaph had, and maybe you are having them as well.
“I have sought the ways of God. I read the Bible. I listen to Steve and Yvonne every day. I have tried to serve him. I have tried to keep my way pure. I have believed in Jesus. I have prayed to him regularly. And yet, my marriage is struggling. My children are doubting. My income is decreasing. Life is getting more and more difficult. Quite frankly, my life has turned out to be a disappointment. I’m not sure this God-thing is really worth it.” If you are having those thoughts, know that Asaph, the worship leader of Israel, was having those thoughts as well.
Now, for Asaph, it was all internal. He wasn’t voicing his doubts. Verse 15: “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed the generation of your children.” He didn’t say it out loud, but he was thinking about it, as he was 1. Looking Across the Fence (verses 1-15). But he never actually crossed the fence.
Psalm 73:2
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
Asaph was right on the brink of crossing over. He almost slipped. He almost fell. He almost crossed the fence to the other side. The prosperity of the wicked almost drew him away in pursuit of the same prosperity! But something turned him. What turned him was another look. He stopped looking across the fence, and looked to the end of the day when the cows returned from the pasture.
The Angus cows are going to the slaughter. This is their end. Here’s my second point.
2. Looking to the End (verses 16-20)
Psalm 73:16-20
But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself,
you despise them as phantoms.
The end of the Angus is the slaughter. The end of the wicked is the judgment. The wicked will “fall to ruin” (verse 18). The wicked will be “destroyed in a moment” (verse 19). The wicked will be “swept away” (verse 19). This is clear throughout the Bible. Those who trust in Jesus will know eternal life, not because of works that we have done, but according to his mercy, through the washing and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. But those who refuse him will experience the judgment. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). However it looks in this world, however green may be the grass they are enjoying in this life, this is the reality: the wicked will come to judgment.
This is Asaph’s affirmation: “Truly you set them in slippery places” (verse 18). This is the reality of life after the pasture. We will all give an account to the Lord. I am reminded of the story that Jesus told in Luke 16 of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Luke 16:19-26
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’”
And knowing the end of the wicked will transform your living today. Knowing the end of the wicked will encourage you to trust in the Lord today. You can see your life for what it is: “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). This is the reality of life upon earth, that judgment is coming. And the only way that you will escape it will be through faith in Jesus, who died for us. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who don’t trust in Jesus will die in their sins.
This is what Asaph sees when he is 2. Looking to the End (verses 16-20). He sees the end of the wicked. It wasn’t easy for him. We see it was a struggle. “When I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task” (verse 16). He was pondering the prosperity of the wicked and considering how futile it had been for him to serve the Lord. “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end” (verse 17). We don’t know exactly what turned him. But certainly it had to do with the people of God, the truths that he heard, and his experience in the temple.
Here’s the key: there is power in gathering with the people of God, to be reminded of the realities of God. For us, the application is clear: church brings clarity. There is something about gathering here together week in and week out, where we are reminded of these eternal things, where the fog begins to lift, where we see our sin and our need for a Savior, where we see Christ clearly, where our perspective on life is adjusted. And how does it happen? I’m not really sure. There’s something about singing together that brings heaven to earth. There’s something about praying together that brings eternity into focus. There’s something about the preaching of God’s word that brings truth to life! There is something about the fellowship that brings encouragement to our souls! We are doing this together!
All week long, we hear the world telling us, “The grass is greener over here!” “Pleasure is fulfillment.” “Success is everything.” “Power is happiness.” “Compromise is worth it.” But gathering for church each week helps us to re-calibrate.
There is a way that the gathering of God’s people helps us in a way that our Bible reading and private prayer don’t quite do. Oh, those things are good, but it’s the gathering of God’s people that gives you a taste of heaven.
I had an opportunity for evangelism this past week with someone who said he trusts in Jesus and reads the Scriptures every day. I said, wonderful, so what church do you go to? He said he doesn’t go to church, that he watches online. I’m just telling you, online doesn’t do the same work that the gathering of God’s people does. You need to gather with God’s people in the flesh. Church online won’t cut it. It’s the flesh and blood and the life on life that encourages us. This is why we ought not to forsake our assembly.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
This is a place of encouragement! This is a place of refocus! This is a place of recalibration! Coming together draws us to look to Christ! Indeed, this is what Asaph does in the last movement of the Psalm.
Asaph was 1. Looking Across the Fence (verses 1-15) and he almost stumbled. Asaph was 2. Looking to the End (verses 16-20) and he saw clearly. Thirdly, Asaph was 3. Looking to the Lord (verses 21-28).
3. Looking to the Lord (verses 21-28)
Psalm 73:21-24
When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Asaph now realizes the reality of what was taking place. He said, “Apart from the Lord, I was embittered and ignorant and sinful. But you are with me. And you uphold me.” I love the picture here. In verse 2, Asaph said, “My steps had nearly slipped.” But in verse 23, he says, “You hold my right hand.” Here’s the picture: the son is slipping, but the dad is catching the slipping son. This is the reason why Asaph “almost stumbled and nearly slipped,” but the LORD was upholding his hand. There was no way that Asaph was going to fall. God had him.
This speaks of the perseverance of the saints. I believe in the sovereignty of God over Asaph’s whole experience. God knew that he was writing Psalm 73 for people thousands of years in the future. "I’m going to take him to the brink," God says. "I’m going to hold him. He’s going to think about going over, but he’s not going over. I’ve got him." That is Asaph’s perspective looking back: "You were holding my hand all along. I wasn’t going to slip because you had me." If you are trusting in Christ, he is faithful to sustain you through your struggles.
When we see clearly what is happening on heaven and earth, we will be able to say with Asaph.
Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
This changes our perspective of the grass. It’s not the trampled-down, worn-out field that Asaph is longing for here. He is longing for the heavenly grass. This is what looking to the Lord is all about. It’s finding your satisfaction in him. Think of when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well and the disciples returned with food. He said, "“I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32). There is a spiritual nourishment that comes from God.
This about when Jesus fed the 5,000 and said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). It is not on the things of this earth that our hunger lies. There is a heavenly pasture, a nourishment that God gives, that is even better than life. As Psalm 63:3 says, “Your lovingkindness is better than life.”
So, when you think about the “Greener Grass,” Psalm 73 isn’t calling us to deny the reality. There are times when the grass on the other side is more lush. Many wicked people do prosper in this world. But we have the better grass from which we may graze. We have the heavenly grass. And even being on earth, we can enjoy such grass. Asaph says, “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” His greatest earthly desire is for the Lord in heaven. It’s not the things of earth that will satisfy us. It is God himself who will satisfy us. Find your joy and delight in the Lord!
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote a book on Psalm 73, and on this passage he comments: “The whole essence of the Psalmist’s problem, in a sense, was that he had put what God gives in the place of God himself. His trouble was that he was more interested in the things that God gives than in God himself.”[1] Is God your desire? Is God your joy? Hebrews 13:10 says, “We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.” We eat from Christ. He is our true altar. That is what we have, and those who live only for the world have no right to that at all. Do you see the greener grass from his hand?
He ends where he began.
Psalm 73:27-28
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
Paul said to those in Corinth: “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). This is what helped Asaph. He looked not to the seen, but to the unseen, to the eternal, to the Lord himself.
This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on May 24, 2026 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.
[1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Faith Tried and Triumphant: Expository Sermons on Psalm 73 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 196.