Almost Stumbled
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. Psalm 73:9 · Berean Standard Bible
Their blasphemy is bold—they speak against God Himself, and their influence spreads their corruption across the earth.
Asaph is describing open rebellion. These aren't quietly cynical people; they're publicly defiant toward heaven. Their mouths literally assault the divine, and their power ensures their words reach far and wide. They're not whisper-campaign wicked; they're brazenly, openly hostile to God.
Asaph, identifying the deepest layer of their corruption—spiritual rebellion.
This echoes the tower of Babel moment, when humanity organized itself in defiance of God. It's the spirit that Satan himself embodies—the refusal to bow, the assertion that one's own will is superior to God's.
Their blasphemy reaches cosmic proportions: they direct their mouths against the heavens themselves and strut their authority across the earth as though their dominion were absolute.
The phrase שַׁתּוּ־בַשָּׁמַיִם (šattû-ba-šāmayim)—'set their mouth against heaven'—echoes Babylonian imagery of titanic rebellion (cf. Isaiah 14 on the king of Babylon). This isn't mere impiety but eschatological defiance, positioning the wicked as cosmic rebels challenging divine sovereignty directly.
Asaph articulating how the wicked's impunity has emboldened them to express explicit theological rebellion against God's cosmic authority.
The psalter houses a vision of the wicked as would-be titans, echoing mythological patterns of rebellion against divine rule that structure eschatological expectation throughout scripture.
7From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.
10So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance.
11The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
Read all of Psalm 73 — Asaph nearly lost his faith watching the wicked prosper — until he entered the sanctuary and saw the end of the story.
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