Psalm 73 - The Seemingly Greener Grass of the Wicked
- Chad Werkhoven
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Why does it seem like the wicked prosper so much more than you?
BOOK 3
PSALM 73
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their body is fat.
5 They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot.
8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
9 They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return to this place,
And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
11 They say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
And washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken all day long
And chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.
16 When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my sight
17 Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
18 Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.
21 When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
Heidelberg Catechism
Q&A 95
Q. What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is
having or inventing something in which one trusts
in place of or alongside of the only true God,
who has revealed himself in his Word.
Summary
Asaph begins Psalm 73 by reassuring himself of what he certainly knows to be true, that surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Yet it doesn't take long for a but to slip in. Asaph is stumbling, losing his foothold as he enviously looks at the prosperity [shalom] of the wicked. He notices that they have no pains; they are not in trouble as other men.
And the wicked have no desire to glorify God with their 'blessings.' They're full of pride, and are clothed with a garment of violence. Their imaginations of their heart run riot. Not only do they not thank God, but they set their mouth against the heavens, mocking that the Most High doesn't know anything.
Asaph knows that this isn't the way things are supposed to be. He knows the psalm at the beginning of the Psalter - the one that sets the tone for the rest. Psalm 1 indicates that the man who delights in the law of the LORD is the one who should be prospering, while the chaff filled lives of the wicked are supposed to be driven away by the wind.
You've likely felt - or maybe even feel - just like Asaph. You've worked hard to keep your heart pure and keep your hands innocent, yet as you look out over the fence surrounding your life, the grass seems quite a bit greener on the other side in the yards of the wicked. It all makes God's Word so hard to swallow when the reality that surrounds you seems so incongruous with it.
Dig Deeper
But Asaph comes to his senses - or maybe it's better to understand that he got hold of his senses. And don't miss where this happens! Everything he saw and thought was troublesome in his sight... Until he came into the sanctuary of God! This is why it's so important for you to physically get yourself surrounded by God's people in a place that's separated from the world's allurements and distractions on a regular basis. Responding to God's call to worship on the Lord's Day helps break the spell of enviousness that the world seeks to ensare you with.
It was in the sanctuary of God that Asaph perceived the end of the arrogant. He begins to notice that although their lives look secure, God has set them in slippery places. The moment things turn against them, they're utterly swept away by sudden terrors.
It was time in the LORD's sanctuary that set Asaph free from embittered senseless ignorance. It's there he realized that God's counsel will guide him through the transitory troubles of this world, and that afterwards, God will receive him to glory. Having been released from his envy, Asaph realizes he desires nothing on earth besides God.
You've once again made it to Friday, but if you're like Asaph (and most of us are), this past week has filled you with envy and bitterness. But even though your flesh and heart may fail, remember that God is the strength of your heart and your portion forever. Join with His people this coming Lord's Day to bask in the good nearness of God as you make the Lord GOD your refuge, so that in this coming week you may tell of all His works.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who takes hold of our right hands;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for inviting you to his sanctuary, and pray that God will prepare your heart to experience His nearness on the Lord's Day;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
