There's a question asked among the people of God that never seems to really get answered by any biblical reference I've ever heard. The question is "why do evil people appear to prosper while the good suffer." Part of the question is bad thinking for all we as believers think we aren't good people we are still sinful people. We are however cleansed by Christ's righteousness because we have none of our own to claim. 2 Peter 3:9 answers a little of the question about why evil people remain on earth. "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness but is patient towards you, not wanting for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." God wants evil people to turn an seek him. In Psalms 73 Asaph deals with our questions and frustrations.
1. "Truly God is good to Israel to those whose hearts are pure." It's an observation.
2. "But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping and I was almost gone." There come points in our lives when we question things we say we believe and we get rattled. Peter had them along with David and Thomas.
3-9. Asaph describes all the ways evil people prosper and seem to have no care in the world. We ask the same questions. We see things go on and think I'm struggling but those wicked people go on with no care in the world. Hey what gives?
10-12. "And so the people are dismayed and confused drinking in all their words. `What does God know?' They ask. `Does the Most High even know what's happening?' Look at these wicked people enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply." We see Asaph asking "Hey is God even paying attention?"
13-14. "Did i keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long. Every morning brings me pain." I've been here watching people prosper claiming how great their life is getting drunk and having sex outside of marriage and wondered am I missing something. But I wasn't. For someone who has dealt with those thought please don't give in to them you will keep yourself from heartache.
15-16. "If I had really spoken this way to others I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!" Asaph and I see this problem and we don't get it.
17. Here's the shift changing verse where we and Asaph start getting the answers we need. "Then I went to your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked." See part of the solution to the question is this we're looking at the wicked prospering and we've gotten our eyes off of God! There's a rule I was taught in motorcycle safety school that applies here. "Where you look is where you go." You look at a wall for too long suddenly you see you're headed towards it. When you take your eyes off God sin becomes more enticing and easier but Asaph went to God's sanctuary and his perspective changed.
18. "Truly you put them on a slippery path and sent them sliding over the cliff to destruction." The wicked won't always prosper God knows their destination and he's called us to point them to God.
19-20. "In an instant they are destroyed completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning." God gave Asaph a view of things to come.
21-22. "Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant-- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you." God lets Asaph see the error of his own ways and thoughts.
23. "Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand." If God is holding your hand that is a great comfort.
25-25. "You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. Asaph gets his eyes fixed back on God and all he wants is more of God's presence. "And my heart turns violently inside of my chest I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us Oh how he loves us."
26. "My heart may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. See also Romans 8:31
27-28. "Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."
So evil people seem to prosper so what. They won't last God showed Asaph that fact but in the process we as well as Asaph got our eyes fixed back on God and that's what really matters. In light of eternity and God's love for us does it really even need to matter that evil people prosper. What matters is did you point them to God?
