Summary: Just like many of us, Asaph wrestled with the conflict between the love of God and the many seeming injustices of life. But God eventually helped him to to get a grip on this conflict.

PONDERING WHY THE WICKED PROSPER

Text: Ps.73: 1-3, 12 & 13

Intro: As you may or may not know, not all of the psalms found in our Bible can be attributed to King David. Though David is credited with about seventy-three of the psalms, there were a number of other men who contributed to this book of the Bible.

Among those numerous authors was a man by the name of Asaph. As a matter of fact, about twelve of the psalms are attributed to this man. Asaph was one of the chief musicians under King David’s rule. That basically means that he was David’s choir leader. As such he no doubt played an important part in the worship of the temple, since music was one of the major concerns of King David, who himself was a musician.

Psalm 73 is one of the psalms written by Asaph. In it he deals with a topic that has more than likely crossed all of our minds at one time or another. He, like us, was having a hard time understanding why the wicked seemed to prosper, while many of the godly often suffered. Asaph couldn’t make any sense of it. As a matter of fact, he confessed that this seeming injustice almost got the best of him. He said, “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped” (Ps.73: 2). In essence he was saying that he was about to give up. He was almost ready to chunk the whole idea of serving God. He was beginning to think, “What’s the use! It looks to me as though the wicked are the only ones prospering, not the godly. Why does God allow the godly to suffer so much?”

Speaking about the topic dealt with in this psalm, Bro. J. Vernon McGee tells the story of how he and his wife lost their first child in the hospital. He gives the following account:

I only heard the cry of that little one. All she ever did in her life was cry. I shall never forget the day she died. Across the hall from where my wife was, there was a very wealthy couple who had a baby boy, and their rich friends came to celebrate with them. As I drove into the parking lot in my old beat-up Chevrolet, they all drove up in Cadillacs. They went into the hospital with their champagne and celebrated the birth of the little boy.

He was a precious looking little baby—all they desired, I guess. I shall never forget that night. It was summertime, and I went out on a balcony that was there and cried out to God. To be honest with you, I don’t know to this good day why God took our baby and left the baby across the hall. They have money, and, boy, they live it up! I have seen write-ups about them, and they have been in trouble several times. Their little boy is now probably thirty years old—that is how old my daughter would be.

After all these years, I still don’t have the answer…Although I don’t have the answer, I know the One who does, and He has told me to walk with Him by faith. He tests me by putting me in the dark. Then I’ll reach out my hand and take His. In His Word He tells me that I can trust Him. Someday He will explain the whys of life to me (J. Vernon McGee, Psalms, Vol. II, published by Griffin Printing & Lithograph Co., Inc., pg. 134).

Stories like that told by Bro. McGee could be duplicated a thousand fold by many other fine Christians. Good people do suffer some bad things. Though we know that people from all walks of life are susceptible to suffering, sometimes it still seems like the ungodly are reaping the best from life. It’s enough to make you want to turn your head heavenward and scream, “Why God!”

Asaph asked this question. Today I want to show you the conclusion he came to, and why.

Theme: Psalm 73 reveals to us:

I. ASAPH’S ENVY

Ps.73: 1 “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

NOTE: [1] Notice that Asaph starts off on a positive note. Actually, he is stating his conclusion first. But beginning with verse two, he begins to explain to his readers what his feelings were before he arrived at that conclusion.

[2] Envy can kill one’s spiritual life, as this story points out.

Dwight L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the bird saw a sportsman with a bow and arrow and said to him, “I wish you would bring down that eagle up there.” The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his wing.

The arrow was shot, but it didn’t quite reach the rival bird because he was flying too high.

The first eagle pulled out another feather, then another—until he had lost so many that he himself couldn’t fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, turned around, and killed the helpless bird.

Moody made this application: if you are envious of others, the one you will hurt the most by your actions will be yourself.

Source Unknown.

A. He Noted Their Seeming Comfort.

1. It seemed that the lives of the wicked were relatively without pain or problems.

Ps.73: 4 “For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.”

NOTE: [1] The word “bands” basically means, “a fetter; fig. a pain…” (James Strong, S.T.D., LL. D., Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, published by Mac Donald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia; #2784 of the Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 44).

[2] Notice also that Asaph implied that it seemed to him that when the ungodly died, their bodies weren’t ravaged by pain, causing them to waste away or suffer unnecessarily. That’s the basic thought behind the words, “their strength is firm” (v. 4b).

[3] Asaph said that the ungodly did not seem to be “…in trouble as other men” (v. 5a). The word “trouble” means, “toil, i.e. wearing effort…miserable…travail” (Ibid, #5999 of the Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 89). He went on to say that the ungodly were not “plagued” like others. That word means, “to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.) (Ibid, #5060 of the Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 76). They didn’t seem to suffer losses in life like the godly.

[4] Asaph was saying that it seemed to him that the ungodly, even in death, did not receive as much pain, or take as much of a beating from life, as did the godly.

2. They appeared to be wonderfully blessed with possessions.

Ps.73: 7 “Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.”

NOTE: Possessions and happiness don’t necessarily go together. They are not one and the same thing. The more we strive for them, the more we stand to lose. We cannot make possessions the object of our affections.

I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.

Martin Luther.

B. He Noted Their Scandalous Conduct.

1. Asaph observed that these people were devious and prideful.

Ps.73: 6 “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.”

NOTE: The word “violence” carries the ideas of, “…unjust gain:-- cruel(ty),…oppressor,…violent (dealing), wrong” (Ibid, #2555 of the Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, pg. 40). Apparently, some of the people that Asaph had observed, were taking pride in their ability to make gain by violent means.

2. Asaph observed that these people were perverse.

Ps.73: 8 “They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?”

NOTE: [1] In essence, Asaph was saying that the wicked were pompous, proud, and perverse in the way that they lived. But in spite of their wicked dealing with those around them, it seemed that life’s cup, for them, was always full.

[2] Asaph also noticed that the ungodly were so haughty that they believed they had almighty God fooled (v. 11).

II. ASAPH’S EXASPERATION

A. He Was Tempted With Doubt.

Ps.73: 13 “Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.”

B. He Was Tormented By His Lack Of Discernment.

Ps.73: 15 “If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;”

NOTE: Let me sort of boil down the thoughts of verses 13-16 for you. Asaph basically said the following:

I had begun to doubt that godliness was worth the trouble. It seemed that no matter how godly I tried to live, life just kept knocking me around. I felt like life was giving me a beating.

I would’ve liked to have told someone how I felt, but I didn’t dare, for fear that I might cause other believers to stumble.

My inability to understand why God permitted the wicked to prosper, while the godly suffered, was very confusing and painful to me.

III. ASAPH’S ENLIGHTENMENT

Ps.73: 16 “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

17a Until I went into the sanctuary of God…”

A. God Helped Him To Realize The Fate Of The Wicked.

Ps.73: 17b “…then understood I their end.

18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.”

B. God Helped Him To Realize The Foolishness Of His Worry.

Ps.73: 21 “Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

C. God Helped Him To Realize How Fortunate He Was.

Ps.73: 25 “Whom Have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.

27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”

Theme: Psalm 73 reveals to us:

I. ASAPH’S ENVY

II. ASAPH’S EXASPERATION

III. ASAPH’S ENLIGHTENMENT