Why do the wicked prosper? [Part 2]: "It's not you, it's me."

Pray. Read. Meditate. Repeat.

Here is Psalm 73 if you haven't yet read it, or would like to refresh your memory of what it talks about. I'd suggest for one to pray and then read it before continuing on reading here. My little subheading up there is probably a fair template to follow for studying the Word. 

Psalm 73 addresses the question of "Why do the wicked prosper?". And if you have read it and are wondering, "Well, this Psalm didn't really give me an answer as to why. It just told me about a guy who was upset about bad people getting their way, and then he comes to an epiphany that God will bring them to destruction eventually..? errrrr." Perhaps the question is not "Why do the wicked prosper?", but rather something along the lines of: "Is God enough?" and "Is He trustworthy?". 

In answer to those questions, my hope and purpose is to go through Psalm 73 and to break down the attitude of Asaph, where his heart is at, what changes, what the lessons learned are, and what does this whole situation show us about God. 

Asaph's Lament

Psalm 73:12-13 summarizes the initial attitude of Asaph, and most of our attitudes at some point in our lives:

"Behold, these are the wicked;

    always at ease, they increase in riches.

All in vain have I kept my heart clean

    and washed my hands in innocence." (Psalm 73:12-13)

Asaph was an official who served under King David and this Psalm tells us of his observations of the "wicked" around him, who did not follow God and yet still seemed to prosper.  To put it succinctly, Asaph cried: "It's not fair." 

I had thought about this Psalm thinking that it must be a question of the goodness of God, however the first line put that thought to rest.The Psalm begins with a declaration of the goodness of God. Asaph clearly does not doubt that God is good, but he admits to having lost sight of it. 

"Truly God is good to Israel,

    to those who are pure in heart.

 

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,

    my steps had nearly slipped.

 

For I was envious of the arrogant

    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Psalm 73:1-3)

Right there is where you can see the problem. Asaph stopped to see how the wicked were doing, the more he saw of their successes and material prosperity the more his feet started to buckle, and the goodness of God was no longer in his line of vision.  

The verses that follow describe what Asaph's attention is on. He is apt at painting this picture of the wicked to us; the words he chooses doubtlessly express his utter disdain and disgust at their undeserved plenty. 

The turning point comes at verse 16:

"But when I thought how to understand this,

    it seemed to me a wearisome task,

 

until I went into the sanctuary of God;

    then I discerned their end." (Psalm 73:16-17)

Worrying about the plenty of these people tired Asaph out. In any situation, worrying at the success and the actions of others is a wearying practice. We were not meant to concern ourselves with the lot of others, we ourselves have enough to think about in our own lives. 

Asaph steps back and decides to enter into worship.  

He changes the scenery, physically but most importantly spiritually. This switches his focus and center from man, to God.

From there on, Asaph remembers that God is sovereign; God knows and determines the end of the wicked. Asaph also looks back on where he has just come from: 

"When my soul was embittered,
    when I was pricked in heart,
 I was brutish and ignorant;
    I was like a beast toward you." (Psalm 73:21-22)

A heart that is not set on God can be a savage thing; it is wild and untamed, coarse and angry. When focus turns away from God and onto others and their course in life, it causes us to revert into something resembling a jealous "beast". Asaph's anger and bitterness was even quite clear while he described the success of the wicked.

Asaph closes off by saying how God is his first desire, the only thing on this earth that he longs for. He declares outright that God is enough for him; God is the fully filling portion for his life. Asaph is satisfied in the Lord.

"My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)

Lessons to be learned

After quickly studying this Psalm, it becomes apparent that while we ask the question "Why do the wicked prosper?", in reality it comes down to a question we must ask ourselves of: "Is God enough?", and "Is He trustworthy?".

Keep your eyes fixed on God

When you fix your eyes on the possessions of others, or start to wonder and concern yourself about their life, you are no longer concerned about the will of God. Your focus is not on God, but rather on another person. When that happens, as was seen with Asaph, we can become bitter, angry and question the fairness of God, instead of being satisfied in Him, and satisfied with where He has put us in this moment. 

Our eyes easily wander to the prosperity of others, wicked or not. We all have a tendency to focus on what other people are up to, and we compare ourselves to them, a very unfair and imbalanced measure. Why is this imbalanced? Because you are not the other person - you are different in absolutely every dimension: physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. 

"When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?You follow me!” (John 21:21-22)

God has a specific purpose for you to complete in the whole grand scheme of His plans and purpose, you are not to be focusing in on what others are doing. "What is that to you" what other people are doing, all you are first responsible for is submitting to Jesus.

My previous entry addressed that aspect to understanding the prosperity of the wicked; simply put, life is not about you.

If you didn't realize that when you accepted Christ into your life, that you signed on to give up all rights to yourself and to your life to a good and loving God, in order that you might fulfill the purpose He has, you'd best to go back and think about things. Christianity is not an easy pill to swallow.  

We do not need to be worrying about others and whether they are prospering or not, we must be concerned about God, and His business first. Jesus was ever only and always about His Father's business (Luke 2:49). This is not to sound as if you should not care about people, of course not, but your focus must not be on them, it must be on God. 

So is God enough for you? Is God's goodness, His purpose for your life, and His love satisfying to you? Or are you too concerned with the possessions and earthly successes of others? When our hearts are set on pursuing God first, His Spirit aligns our desires with His, and we do find utmost satisfaction, joy and peace.

These things are easier said than done, but that cliché line cannot excuse the fact that we have been called to live a life that glorifies God. 

Psalm 73 shows us the goodness of God. It shows us how God fills us and satisfies our deepest desires. Asaph's question of "why do the wicked prosper?" transformed into "Is God enough for me?" "Does God satisfy?", and he had determined his answer to be "yes". He entered into worship, and as soon as his sights were returned to being set on God, he felt satisfied, he was at peace.

The problem is not with God, or with others, but with us. We must be determined, enabled by the Spirit, to set our hearts on God first: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33).