Chapter II.
From the very beginning of the psalm, I discovered David's correction: that God is always good to the righteous, because if they are afflicted by adversity, they are revived by the hope of future reward, and they always consider themselves to suffer lesser sins, and they cannot be deprived of their wisdom by any punishments. However, God is also good to the wicked, but they do not want to experience all His goodness prepared for everyone.
How good is the God of Israel to those with upright hearts (Psalm 73:1)! The progress of correction becomes clear from the beginning. For no one can truly acknowledge God as good unless they recognize His goodness not from the successes of their own goods, but from the depth of heavenly mysteries and the heights of divine disposition: which should be considered not by the appearance of present things, but by the usefulness of future things. Therefore, God is always good to the righteous: even when the body is tormented by pains and afflicted with the harshness of punishments, He always says: If we receive good things from the hand of the Lord, why should we not endure the bad things (Job 2:10)? He congratulates himself in being worn down, so that he may find consolation in the future; knowing that whoever receives good things in this life has his reward; he who has not struggled or been exercised in the contest of various battles will not be able to hope for future rewards. But he who is afflicted, whether justly or unjustly, in this world, congratulates himself either because he pays the price for his own sins, or because he knows that there is greater grace with God if he suffers anything bitter for His name's sake or for some good work, as it is written: For there is no glory if you are punished and suffer as sinners, but if you do good and endure patiently, this is grace with God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-23). Therefore, even if a righteous person is on the cross, he is always righteous, for he justifies God and says that he can endure lesser suffering for his sins. He is always wise, for the true and perfect wisdom is not taken away by the torments of the cross. He does not lose what he has, for he excludes fear by the desire and purpose of love. As a wise person, he knows how to say that the sufferings we endure in this body are unworthy of the reward of future glory, and all the passions of this present time cannot compare to the coming reward. Therefore, God is always a bonus to this person, who knows when to reap. And thus, like a good farmer, this person plows their field with a plow of rigorous self-restraint; they weed out vices with a cutting scythe of virtues; they fertilize the soil by humbling themselves to the ground, knowing that God raises up the lowly from the earth and lifts up the poor from the dung heap. In conclusion, the Apostle Paul, if he had not esteemed himself as dung, could never have acquired Christ. Here he guards his fruits, so that he may safely store them there. Therefore, God is always good to him, because he always hopes for good things from God.
Take another example: How good, he says, is the God of Israel to those with pure hearts! Is God not good to everyone then? Indeed, He is good to everyone, because He is the Savior of all, especially the faithful; and for this reason the Lord Jesus came, to save what was lost: He came to take away the sin of the world, to heal our wounds. But because not everyone seeks the medicine, but many refuse it, lest the force of the ulcer be aggravated by the remedies, He who desires to heal does not compel the unwilling. Therefore, those who seek medicine receive health; but those who reject the physician and do not seek him cannot perceive the goodness of the physician whom they have not experienced. However, he who is treated is also healed; therefore, the physician is good to those whom he has healed. Therefore, God is good to those whom he has forgiven their sins; but how can one estimate a good physician whom they reject, who has an incurable wound in the ulcer of their mind? Therefore, the Apostle explained excellently, as we have stated, that God is good to all, for he wishes all men to be saved (I Timothy 2:4); and this privilege of divine goodness is especially preserved for the faithful, to whom the will of God helps and the grace aids. But the Psalmist, saying: How good is God to Israel, to those who are of upright heart! related it to their sentiment, who do not think otherwise about God, except that He is good in all things and in everything.