The first four psalms in Book Three, Psalms 73—76, cover four matters: the personal sufferings of the seeking saints (Psa. 73), the desolation of God’s house (Psa. 74), the judgment of Christ on the desolators (Psa. 75), and the victory of God in His dwelling place (Psa. 76).

To be pure in heart is to have God as our one goal and aim. See note Matt. 5:8^1a.

Verses 2-16 are a record of the suffering of the seeking psalmist and his perplexity because of the prosperity of the wicked. Whereas Psa. 1:3-4 says that the law-keeper prospers and the wicked do not prosper, here the psalmist was puzzled (v. 16) and nearly stumbled by his own suffering (vv. 13-14) and the prosperity of the wicked, who are at ease and heap up riches (v. 12). See note Psa. 1:3¹.

The psalmist considered that he had purified his heart in vain because, instead of enjoying material prosperity, he was plagued all day long and chastened every morning (v. 14). However, the real vanity is anything besides God. Idols are vanity; material prosperity is vanity; anything other than God is vanity (Eccl. 1:2). A pure heart is one that is set on nothing but God. The psalmist realized this when he entered into the sanctuary of God (vv. 17, 25-26 see note Psa. 73:25¹ and note Psa. 73:26^1b).

The solution to the psalmist’s perplexity concerning the prosperity of the wicked was obtained in God’s sanctuary. First, God’s sanctuary, His habitation, is in our spirit (Eph. 2:22) and, second, it is the church (1 Tim. 3:15). Thus, to go into the sanctuary of God, we need to turn to our spirit and go to the meetings of the church. Once we are in the sanctuary — in the spirit and in the church — we will have another view, a particular perception, of the situation concerning the wicked (vv. 18-20). In our spirit and in the church we receive divine revelation and obtain the explanation to all our problems.

This verse reveals that God’s pure seeker would have God as his only possession in heaven and his unique desire on earth. God was the psalmist’s unique goal. The psalmist did not care for anything except God and gaining Him. In this matter Paul was the same (Phil. 3:8).

In God’s sanctuary the psalmist was instructed to take only God Himself as his portion, not anything other than God. The one who does not care for God may gain many things and seem to prosper. However, the one who cares for God will be restricted by God and even stripped by God of many things, as was the case with Job (Job 1:6-22; 2:1-10) and the apostle Paul (Phil. 3:7-8). God’s intention with His seekers is that they may find everything in Him and not be distracted from the absolute enjoyment of Himself. It is not a matter of keeping the law, as in Psa. 1, or of being right or wrong, but of gaining God and keeping God as everything. See note Job 2:13¹.