Psalm 73 “GOD, IT’S NOT FAIR!” The Suffering of the Righteous and the Success of Sinners
It’s all perspective!
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with
the firm purpose of showing his son how
poor people live. They spent a
couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor
family. On their
return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad.
" "Did you see how poor people live?"
the father asked. "Oh Yeah" said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son
answered, "I saw that we have one
dog and they had four. We have a swimming pool that reaches to the
middle of our garden and they have a
creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and
they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and
they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and
they have fields that go beyond
our sight. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect
us, they have friends to protect
them."
With this the
boy's father was speechless. Then his son
added, "Thanks, dad, for
showing me how poor we are." It’s all
perspective!
Our friend Asaph was ready to quit. He was ready
to throw in the towel and just walk away from God. However, he
learned to look at things, not from a faulty human perspective, but from the
perspective of God.
Asaph - a
Levite, a leader of David’s choir. 1 Chron.25 He wrote a
dozen Psalms, 50 & 73-83. The Psalms
are refreshingly honest. Ex. Asaph &
David (They tell it like it is!”) They do not give the false view that if you’re a
believer, life will be trouble-free and you’ll go around saying, “Praise the Lord!” all the time.
True, the Psalms are full of praise to God and they teach
us that we should be people of praise. But they are very realistic in showing that such praise
does not come without a struggle. The psalmist here
admits that he almost slipped (73:2).
But he shows us how he worked through his problem of questioning God’s fairness in light of the prosperity
of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous.
OUTLINE: Psalm falls into two halves:
1. Asaph
shows that there are many times when it seems that
life isn’t fair, because the wicked prosper and the godly suffer (73:1-14).
2. His conclusion at this point was that he was
wasting his time trying to live a godly life, because all he experienced was
trouble (73:13-16).
3. Then (73:17-28) he shows from his own hard-won victory that the way out of the
“life isn’t fair” pity party is to gain God’s eternal perspective on these
matters.
INTRO:
Vs.1 - the
Key to the whole Psalm. What a wonderful affirmation of faith! EYES ON GOD!
1 Truly
God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.
In this first verse, we see Asaph standing on Solid Ground. He has been taught about the goodness of God.
He has been taught that the Lord is nothing but good. He has been taught two great truths...
A. God Blesses
His People
B. God Blesses
The Pure . (Msg- good –hearted)
Asaph had
learned the truth about God, but what he
experienced in life seemed to contradict what he had learned. This brought
him to a place of confusion and doubt concerning God.
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
Here we have
“Spiritual Slippage” at its finest! We see Asaph standing on Slippery
Ground. The problem
for Asaph is the same problem we all face from time to time. We
misinterpret the goodness of God! We often think that goodness translates into
blessings. Why not ask
Job about the logic of this? …not always…(my next message) However, in
the end, he had been brought closer to the Lord and he was blessed by God for
his faithfulness!
For too many
years, a kind of "health and wealth Gospel" has been preached
in our churches. People have
been led to believe that if they live the right kind of lives and do the right
things, then the Lord
is obligated to bless them and give them good things. My friends,
that kind of teaching is a lie! God is not obligated….
Often, the
Lord will allow things in our lives that are hard to bear. He will place
loads on our shoulders that will literally break us under their weight. This isn't a
pleasant thing, but it is a necessary thing! What we
forget is that the Lord is molding us into His image.
At stake in the “life isn’t fair” complaint are God’s
goodness and His sovereignty in governing the world. He was really questioning whether God is good and whether
He is in control of the world. If He is both good and powerful, then why do good
people suffer and wicked people prosper?
When you begin to doubt either God’s goodness or His
sovereignty over bad things that happen, you’re on the slippery slope toward doubt
and sin. Asaph had
learned the truth about God. But, I repeat, what he had learned about God did
not go along with what he had experienced in the world.
As a result, he was confused by several
things. Notice what Asaph was confused about:
V. 3 By The Prosperity Of The Sinner
- It bothered Asaph that the wicked prospered while the children of God did
without.
3 For I envied the proud when I saw
them prosper despite their wickedness.
V. 4 By The Peace (healthiness) Of The Sinner - He watched the wicked live their
lives in sin and slip off into eternity with no problems at all. He was amazed
at the peace they had in death.
They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and
strong.
4 For there are no pains in their death; And
their body is fat. (NASB)
The Hebrew text insinuates that the psalmist
saw the ungodly dying peaceably. They don’t fear judgment, because Satan has
lulled them into thinking that God will overlook their faults and reward their
virtues. So “they glide into eternity without a
struggle” (C. H. Spurgeon).
The reference to having a “fat” body (73:4, 7)
in that culture was a positive thing. They didn’t know about heart disease and the
risk of diabetes for the overweight. (friends in India, Indonesia) For them, the wealthy were fat because they
had all the food they could eat.
V. 5 By The Pleasure Of The Sinner
- He was astounded that the wicked could live lives of such sin and do so
without trouble. Their good times just seemed to roll on and on!
They don’t have troubles like other
people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
8 They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush
others.
V. 6-11 By The Pride Of The Sinner
- Because they live the lives they do, and there is never any opposition from
God, they are filled with pride before Him.
They wear pride like a jeweled
necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.
Because they’re successful, they proudly
attribute it all to their own hard work and ingenuity. If they were interviewed on Oprah, they would
say, “I got to where I’m at because I believe in myself!” Sure, they had to step
on a few people to get there (73:6, 8), but that’s life!
9 They
boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the
earth.
They’re even arrogant enough to speak out
against God (“the heavens,” 73:9): they didn’t need His help. They succeeded on
their own. Their attitude toward God, if they think of
Him at all, is, (73:11),
11 “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
11 “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
He hasn’t interfered with their climb to
success thus far, so He must not know or He doesn’t care.
V. 12-16 By
The Progress (wealth) Of The Sinner –
12 Look
at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
I don’t think that the psalmist envied the
arrogance and ruthlessness of the rich and powerful, but he
did envy their easy lifestyle and fact that they had plenty of money to enjoy
the finer things of life (73:12). Sometimes things aren’t what they seem! He saw all the “good” things his neighbor had.
But we must realize that what we call
“good” isn’t always what God calls “good”!
At such times we’re all tempted to cry out,
“God, it’s not fair! Why do You allow the wicked to prosper, while
the godly suffer? Why do evil scoundrels live long and happy
lives, while Your saints suffer? It’s just not fair!”
EYES ON HIMSELF! (13-16) When Asaph took all this in, it caused him
to become bitter in his heart.
1.He looked at the life he had been living for
the Lord, v. 13.
13 Did
I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I
keep myself innocent for no reason?
2.He looked at his own share of sorrow, v.
14.
14 I
get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.
He felt as though he had actually wasted his
time in serving the Lord. Is it really worth it to be a dedicated
Christian? Is it really worth it to be obedient? Especially when we see so many
who disobey “better off”? (What great questions!) How
many have truly felt that way?
When the trials of life begin to pile up on
us, we are tempted to think that we would have been better off living like the
rest of the world. That there is no benefit in serving the Lord.
The problem with this line of thinking is that
life is viewed from a human perspective. When we look at life and its problems from a
human perspective, we will always focus
our attention on self. Everything will always come down to,
"How does this affect
me?"
"What problems will I face
now?" "When will I ever have relief?"
"Who cares about what I am facing?"
Natural thinking always results in disaster
because it allows you to stand in the wrong place and see things from the wrong
angle. If you allow yourself to fall into the trap of
looking at life from a human perspective you, like Asaph, will find yourself in
a place where you will begin to doubt what you know to be true about the Lord. That is
a dangerous place to be! At this point, he wasn’t viewing his trouble
by faith in God
We have to join Joseph, who viewed all of the
bad things that came upon him as good from the hand of God for a higher purpose
(Gen. 50:20). And, with Paul (Rom. 8:28-36), we must affirm
both God’s sovereignty and His love, believing that He works all things
together for our good. So by faith, resist the temptation to doubt
the blessings of following God.
3.He was afraid to admit how he felt, because
he did not want to lead others down the same path of despair he was walking on,
v. 15
15 If
I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor
to your people.
We are responsible, not only to God, but also
to one another. What we say can impact our families or those
in the family of God or those who are still outside the family of
God for good or for evil. If we
grumble and impugn God’s goodness in the hearing of our children, we may turn them against following the Lord.
It’s a sobering thought to me that as a
pastor, if I were to fall into sin, it
would damage many of God’s children who look to me as an example! Although you may not be in a leadership
position,
there are those around you who look at your
example.
So before you spout off your complaint against
God, stop and face your responsibility as a believer to others.
4. He looked at a life lived for the Lord and
it broke his heart, v. 16.
16 So
I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it
is!
The psalmist says that he “pondered to
understand this.” The answers did not come to him immediately,
because he adds that it was troublesome in his sight.
PART 2
EYES BACK ON GOD! (17-28)
III. V. 17-28 WHAT
ASAPH ENCOUNTERED
Beginning in verse 17, the mood of the Psalm
changes. Asaph moves from the Slippery Ground of a Human Perspective and steps squarely unto Shouting Ground of a Heavenly Perspective.
Vs. 17 – the Answer he found. The lights
turned on when he turned to God Himself.
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
Roy Clement(pastor of Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge, England): “Worship…puts God at the center of our vision…it is virtually important because it is only when God is at the center of our vision that we see things as they really are.”
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
Roy Clement(pastor of Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge, England): “Worship…puts God at the center of our vision…it is virtually important because it is only when God is at the center of our vision that we see things as they really are.”
When life seems unfair, take time to worship
& get your spiritual vision properly focused. Asaph
made a trip to the Temple. The psalmist did not get things sorted out until he
went into the sanctuary of God. He got his muddled thinking cleared up by
meeting with God.
The sanctuary refers to the tabernacle (later
the temple), where God manifested His holy presence. It is certainly true that we need God’s Word
to get His perspective on how to deal with trials and with the difficult issues
of life. There, he talked with the Lord, and he allowed
the Lord to talk with him. As he did, he was able to get his eyes off of
himself and the problems he faced. He was able to lose his Human Perspective and replace it with a Heavenly Perspective.
Take
time to meet with God and His people (73:17). But God’s sanctuary is also the place where
His people gathered for worship. Isolation feeds self-pity. Coming into the
sanctuary, he saw others who believed in God and walked with God, in spite of their
trials. (Opposite of avoidance)
Perhaps
he was able to talk with some of them about his problem and gain a fresh
perspective. Don’t keep to yourself if you’re struggling
with doubt or some other problem. Get to the sanctuary!
We need private time in the Word and in
prayer, asking the Spirit to give us understanding in these things. And, we
need the teaching of gifted men to help us as well. Take time to meet with God in His holy place.
Notice what became clear to Asaph when he went
to the Temple.
A.v. 17b-20 The
Future Of The Sinner –
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
(NASB: Then I saw the whole picture)
He saw “their end”, or “their afterward”,
‘their future” that will unmake everything they have lived for. The question isn’t “Where are you?” but “Where
are you going?” He learned that it is not what you own
or enjoy…but where you’re going! Then he perceived the end of the wicked, that
God will bring them into certain judgment.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
These proud, defiant, powerful sinners thought
that they were invincible. But in God’s sovereign time, He sets them in
slippery places. Like people who step on a patch of ice and go
down, these proud men were strutting along with no
problems. The next second, they crashed to the ground,
mortally wounded.
19 In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. ( In the blink of
an eye, disaster! NASB )
Asaph came to realize that the wicked may have the best here. They may live it up and enjoy life to the fullest, but that dream existence they are living will end when the breath leaves their body! … an eternity in Hell to be separated from the Lord forever. Before we allow ourselves to become too jealous over the lives the wicked are living, we need to consider the fact that this is the only Heaven they will ever know.
Asaph came to realize that the wicked may have the best here. They may live it up and enjoy life to the fullest, but that dream existence they are living will end when the breath leaves their body! … an eternity in Hell to be separated from the Lord forever. Before we allow ourselves to become too jealous over the lives the wicked are living, we need to consider the fact that this is the only Heaven they will ever know.
Isn't that depressing? They… us…. need to get right with God! We may be enjoying your life today and think
that you have it made. In truth, you are living on borrowed time! One day, the clock will run out for us and we
will find ourself in Hell. Is that what we really want?
It does not have to end up that way! Jesus died to pay for your sins. If you will
call on Him now, He will save you and take you to Heaven to live eternally with
Him. What do you want out of life?) It may seem to the godly and ungodly alike
that God is now sleeping.
But when He is aroused, these wicked will be
“destroyed in a moment,” “utterly swept away by sudden terrors” (73:19).
20 When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. (We
wake up and rub our eyes... Nothing. There's
nothing to them. And there never was).
Gain God’s eternal perspective on death and
judgment (73:18-22, 27). He sums this up again in verse 27, “For, behold, those who are far from You will
perish; You have them destroyed all those who are
unfaithful to You.”
Verse 20 shows “how utterly inconsequential
the lives of such men really are”. They thought that they were all-important, but
God brushes them aside like a dream. So, to get out of the “life isn’t fair”
pity-party, face your responsibility as a believer. Take time to think biblically about what
really matters before you act. Meet with God and His people.
Gain God’s eternal perspective on death and
judgment. Finally,
B. V. 21-22 The
Foolishness Of Self - Now, Asaph confesses the fact that he has
been looking at everything through a faulty set of lenses. He deals with the
matter of his own heart. (Ill. There are many of God's children who
would have to admit that they have looked at life the wrong way. Instead of
trusting the Lord and believing His Word, we have been guilty of looking at our
circumstances and doubting the Word of God!
21 Then
I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
We have been guilty of saying:
1. God doesn't care!
2. God doesn't hear!
3. God isn't even there!
It is foolish to forget God in the middle of
our trouble! Are you guilty of allowing the trials of life
to eclipse the face of God? Asaph realizes he was looking in the wrong
direction! You can’t look around, or within, but “up” for
answers! Asaph also was looking with the wrong
perspective!
He was looking at the natural man & not
the spiritual man.
He was looking temporal & not eternal.Good self-awareness. Asaph finally came to see that the problem was not that God is unfair or that the wicked prosper. His problem was his own self focus and self-pity. He had become “senseless and ignorant,” like a beast before God (73:22).
His focus was on himself. “What did I get out
of being pure? Nothing but trouble! Poor me!”
If we do not live in light of this eternal
perspective, we are like senseless beasts that live and die without any thought
of eternity (73:22).
C. V. 23-28 The
Fulness Of The Savior - As Asaph communed with the Lord, he
began to see everything more clearly. He not only looked into the future of the
sinner and the foolishness of self, but he was able to see clearly the fullness
of the Savior as well.
He came to realize that as a child of God, he
possessed spiritual blessings that towered above anything enjoyed by the
wicked! Notice some of the things Asaph discovered.
1. V. 23 The
Presence Of God - Asaph realized that even in the midst of his
trials, he had never been alone!
23 Yet
I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.
Even
when he could not see God, the Lord had been holding to his hand. God had
always been there. The fact that our Lord is ever wit h His
children is a blessing beyond description. It
means that we are never alone! It means that in ever valley, ever dark night
of the soul, every illness, every situation in life, we have the blessed
presence of the Lord to sustain us and comfort us! He is always there.
The fact that he got through it was not due to
his strong grip on God, but to God’s strong grip on him.
2. V. 24 The
Protection Of God - Asaph recognizes that even though the
storms of life may rage all around him, his life was under the control and
direction of God.
24 You
guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
He also acknowledges that God will counsel and
guide him, and afterward receive him to glory (73:24). The same Hebrew word translated “receive” is
used of God’s taking Enoch and Elijah to heaven (Gen.
5:24; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 9, 10; also, Ps. 49:15). So I understand the “glory” here to be the
eternal glory of being with God. He knew that God would guide him through this
life and would eventually bring him home to heaven.
(Ill. Friend, we enjoy the same protection
enjoyed by Asaph! While we endure the storms of life.
He knows about our storm, and He allowed, it
to come our way. We need to realize that the storms of life,
horrible as they may be, can never rip us from the hand of God. He will guide
us through them and will bring us into glory when this life is over.
3. V. 25-26 The
Person Of God - Asaph comes to the conclusion that the Lord is
all he needs in this life or in the life to come.
25 Whom
have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
In the final analysis the only thing that
really matters for us is God. He is all we have & all we need. He sustains us here, & afterward he will
receive us into glory! Asaph realized that because he had God as his
friend, he needed nothing else. He had more than the wicked, & what he had
would last forever!
He has forgotten about the pleasure filled
lives of the wicked and names the greatest blessing that he enjoys: a personal
relationship with God Himself! God's children need to learn that a heart that
desires nothing but the Lord is a heart that will never be disappointed! When we get our eyes off the Lord and start to
lust after the things of the world, we will become dissatisfied and discouraged.
26 My
health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine
forever.
Asaph had come to realize that his flesh was
weak, but his Lord was strong. Time and words fail me to do justice to the
wonderful truth of verses 25 & 26, that God is our chief treasure, both on
earth and forever in heaven. I don’t
know how many of us can honestly say,
“Besides You, I desire nothing on earth,” but as Martyn Lloyd- Jones states (p. 194), this “is the highest level to which we can
ever attain. Indeed, in these two verses we see the goal of salvation.” Earlier, the psalmist’s trouble stemmed from the
fact that he was following God for what He could give him.
When he saw that the wicked had more good
things than he did, he became disillusioned and thought that he had followed God in vain. But now he comes to see that God Himself is
enough. God is the treasure. Yes, He gives us many blessings, but He is the
main blessing. If you have Him as the strength of your heart
and your portion forever, you have it all.
As Asaph sums up (73:28), “the nearness of God
is my good.” Can you say that?
V. 27-28 The
Perception Of God - Finally Asaph arrives at the place where he
can see things from God's perspective. No longer does he look upon the wicked
with envy.
27 Those
who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 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.
28 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.
Now he knows that they are doomed. Now he knows that the saints have reason to
shout even when things look their bleakest. Asaph has come to the place where he knows
that Gods way is the only way. He now knows that it pays to be a child of
God!
(Ill. My friends, that is the place we must
all come to is we are to enjoy victory in the difficult days of life. We have
to get to the place where we can see things like they really are, and not like
we think they are. We have to come to the place where we lose the human
perspective and adopt the heavenly perspective. Basically, it boils down to
changing the place where we are standing.
How do we get to this place?
By Worship, By Prayer,
By the Bible, By Grace, By Faith, By God’s people
Asaph
started w/“God is good”; He ends w/“it is good”.
Q: But how did he get back to this? Draw near!
(opposite of vs.27 “far from you”) I have put my Trust in the Lord God! Not in my imperfect vision, not my neighbors,
not on myself!
Now what do I do with this info? – 28b Go
declare it!
Conclusion:
Do we have any Asaph's present today? Sure we do! There are people in this room who feel like
giving up from time to time because of the load they are carrying through life.
I would like to challenge you this morning to do what Asaph did. Come and commune with God about the situation.
Ask Him to give you His eyes so that you can
look at things His way.
Ask Him to bring you to the place where you,
like Asaph, can say, "I have put my trust in the Lord
God." Make the effort today to get the heavenly
perspective on your problems, and come to see things the right way: God's way! Some are lost here this morning.
You can get that big problem solved right here
right now, if you will come to the Lord and allow Him to come into your life. This altar is open! God is here and He is
meeting needs this morning. Will you allow Him to meet your?
To sum up Asaph’s insight on the problem of
the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous…The prosperity of the wicked is short-lived
and their doom is eternal, but the
blessings of the godly are eternal, whereas their trials are short-lived.
Resources Taken
from: Allan Carr, Brian Bill, Steven J.
Cole & Bob Deffinbaugh
