Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
The psalmist battles carnal reason itself, contending against what the eye sees: the wicked gorged in wealth and pleasure while mocking God, and the righteous crushed under troubles. He nearly cast off all care for religion at this sight. But he reproves his own rashness in judging from the present state alone, and learns that when God's providence runs its course as He has determined in secret counsel, the righteous will not be cheated of their reward, nor the wicked escape the judge.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 73:1-28
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain. They are as great in their own esteem as if they were aldermen of the New Jerusalem; they want no other ornament than their own pomposity. No jeweller could sufficiently adorn them; they wear their own pride as a better ornament than a gold chain. Violence covereth them as a garment.
He had been brooding on the wicked's prosperity until the fire burned in him; then he checked himself: Yet God is good. That word settled him. We must anchor ourselves to truths that cannot be shaken, His goodness, His justice, His holiness, and believe that all His ways, though we cannot now trace them, stand firm upon these rocks.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 73:1-14