This verse serves as a warning that unrepentant pride does not last.
“Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.” (v.18) In this single verse, Asaph, a Levite musician who served during King David’s reign around 1000 BC, summarizes a sobering reality he has pondered throughout Psalm 73. Earlier in the psalm, Asaph wrestles with the apparent success and prosperity of the wicked, noting their pride and arrogance, “the garment of violence covers them” (Psalm 73:6). By verse 18, he reaches a climactic conclusion: though evildoers might flourish for a time, God places them on a precarious path—“slippery places”—that will eventually lead to their downfall.
Asaph’s use of slippery places conveys the fragility of ill-gotten success and the inevitability of divine justice. Outwardly, the wicked may appear immune from hardship, but in truth, they are one misstep away from ruin. In the immediate context of Psalm 73, Asaph realized that envying their prosperity clouded his own understanding of how God ultimately deals with pride and violence. The phrase “You cast them down to destruction” is a sobering reminder that genuine security comes from humble dependence on the LORD, rather than the fleeting gains of worldly power or wealth.
This principle is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus teaches that those who build their lives on shaky foundations ultimately collapse when trials come (Matthew 7:26-27). Just as Asaph recognized God’s sovereignty in appointing judgment for the wicked, believers today can draw encouragement that God remains just and faithful, continually calling us to trust in Him rather than be seduced by earthly success.
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Psalms 73:18 meaning
“Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.” (v.18) In this single verse, Asaph, a Levite musician who served during King David’s reign around 1000 BC, summarizes a sobering reality he has pondered throughout Psalm 73. Earlier in the psalm, Asaph wrestles with the apparent success and prosperity of the wicked, noting their pride and arrogance, “the garment of violence covers them” (Psalm 73:6). By verse 18, he reaches a climactic conclusion: though evildoers might flourish for a time, God places them on a precarious path—“slippery places”—that will eventually lead to their downfall.
Asaph’s use of slippery places conveys the fragility of ill-gotten success and the inevitability of divine justice. Outwardly, the wicked may appear immune from hardship, but in truth, they are one misstep away from ruin. In the immediate context of Psalm 73, Asaph realized that envying their prosperity clouded his own understanding of how God ultimately deals with pride and violence. The phrase “You cast them down to destruction” is a sobering reminder that genuine security comes from humble dependence on the LORD, rather than the fleeting gains of worldly power or wealth.
This principle is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus teaches that those who build their lives on shaky foundations ultimately collapse when trials come (Matthew 7:26-27). Just as Asaph recognized God’s sovereignty in appointing judgment for the wicked, believers today can draw encouragement that God remains just and faithful, continually calling us to trust in Him rather than be seduced by earthly success.