Why Do the Wicked Prosper? Psalm 73

THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Psalm 73 (BCP, 428) is a psalm of complaint. My wife says complaining is one of my spiritual gifts, so I easily identify with today's psalmist, whose name is Asaph. Asaph has a beef with God. He looks around, and all he sees are people living in defiance of God and his laws. There's wickedness all around, both from the pagan nations around them and within the house of Israel. This was also Habakkuk's complaint in the Old Testament reading; he couldn't understand why God was putting up with lawless and wicked Israelites, covenant people acting like heathens. Like Habakkuk, Asaph is perplexed; he's beside himself: "Why do the wicked prosper?"

Everyone knows that one person who never does anything right: they cut corners, lie, steal, and cause all kinds of trouble; they're like an immoral tornado touching down in life, leaving all kinds of human debris in their wake. And they never get caught! Speaking of people who never got caught, my little brother was like this. He got away with all kinds of things! Once, when I was a kid, my middle brother and I were sitting on the edge of the pool, just minding our own business. Suddenly, out of nowhere, our little brother (to protect his identity, we'll call him "Ryan") runs by and hits me on the head with a hammer! Naturally, I fell into the pool, wailing in pain. Who do you think got in trouble? Not Ryan, me, for crying in the pool. I can still see that little grin on his face (I love my brother dearly, but he was a bit of a terror back in the day).

My life was the exact opposite of his. I tried to steal a Twinkie once, got caught, and my mom walked me through the grocery store in front of everyone, demanding to see the manager to whom I had to hand the Twinkie and apologize. I never got away with anything growing up, and I still don't! But we all know people like 'Ryan' who get away with everything; you might be dealing with one now! Now, Ryan wasn't as bad as I'd made him out to be. In fact, he’s grown up to be a respectable adult. But you know the kind of person I’m speaking of. Everything they do contradicts God's Law, yet it never catches up with them. They break all kinds of laws, even commit heinous crimes and serious felonies, and yet they never get caught; they never suffer any consequences for their actions and always seem to land on their feet. In fact, often, the wicked do more than just land on their feet; they flourish wildly in this world, amassing more money than they can spend, houses and cars. They get fired from one awesome high-paying job and, in weeks, are working somewhere better and for more money! They're always taking incredible vacations (making sure to post a million pictures on their feed), their fourth wife is younger than the last, kids dominate high school sports, her team always wins the club tennis tournament, and that guy dominates the local pickleball scene, or whatever, the list goes on and on!

Now, I've illustrated my point employing trivial things, but let's be clear: the level of evil and wickedness in Asaph's time was serious, and it's no less different and wicked today. We are surrounded by wicked people (in our lives, our community, this country, and on the world stage). And we see these workers of evil getting away with it. And underlying all our perplexities at the seeming prosperity of these wicked people, we have a more fundamental problem with God: "Why is this happening, and how can you just sit there and not do anything about it?"

Now, Asaph has no problem telling God what he's upset about, but this Psalm isn't simply about a man named Asaph complaining to God. No, this Psalm recounts a story of God's goodness and deliverance. This Psalm is Asaph's story of a time when he faced a great moral crisis: "Why do the wicked prosper God?" And how the Lord brought him through perplexity, envy, and temptation. And he doesn’t waste any time getting to the great moral crisis he is facing.

Verse 1-2, Truly God is loving unto Israel: * even unto such as are of a clean heart. "Nevertheless, [even though God loves me] my feet were almost gone, * my treadings had well-nigh slipt. Meaning I still came very close to throwing in the towel and losing any faith in God. Verse three tells us why because he's "grieved at the wicked," and all he sees around him are the "ungodly in such prosperity." What Asaph means by wicked people is not that they do wrong things; no, the Hebrew word used here refers more specifically to evil, not in its moral or judicial sense, but in its active form: more like mischief. "Cruelty," writes Asaph, "coverth them as a garment." In this sense, wickedness is evil in action, originating from a perversity of mind. They are lusty, surrendered to evil impulses residing in the heart. Their ungodly lusts are insatiable, "their eyes swell with fatness," either unconscious of sin or not caring, "they do ever what they lust."

Verse 8, They corrupt others and speak of wicked blasphemy; * their talking is against the Most High. Wickedness is progressive and contagious in its manifestation. The sinful lifestyle is attractive, especially when there are no consequences! As Asaph complained, these people are doing all kinds of evil, but "they are in no peril of death, but are lusty and strong." They are doing everything wrong, enjoying themselves, without a care in the world, receiving the world's acclaim, and without God noticing. In fact, they stretch forth their mouth unto the heaven, * and their tongue goeth through the world. Meaning it's as if God is answering their prayer for more and more worldliness, and their word or way of life seems like it's spreading and ruling across the whole earth. And "the people" observes Asaph, "fall unto them" or come to them in droves wanting the same wicked life. And those who come aren't loved, supported, or accepted; these poor saps are consumed by the prideful wicked who suck no small advantage out of everyone and everything around them.

Verse 12, Lo, these are the ungodly (says Asaph), and These prosper in the world, and these have riches in possession. Apparently, injustice and wickedness do a much better job at "delivering the goods of this world." It certainly looks like more fun. Only a dummy or a weakling would prefer justice, righteousness, and holiness. Only a fool would give herself to God's church and his people, rejecting the way of this world and choosing to walk in love and obedience to God every day. Have you ever gotten to this point in the Christian life? Perplexed at how this crooked guy, corrupt politician, incompetent manager, or bully prom queen can attain or have or do [fill in the blank]. It is so easy to allow perplexity over these apparent injustices (Why am I suffering this Christian life while the wicked prosper?) and how they cunningly lead to envy, which turns into temptation.

This is exactly what happened to Asaph. Verse 13, And I said, Then have I cleansed my heart in vain, * and washed my hands in innocency. 14 All the day long have I been punished, * and chastened every morning. This is envy speaking, and it's verging on the edge of unholy desire. "I've done what the Lord has and is asking of me. I'm leading a holy and good life, but I think I'm doing this in vain. I'm constantly being punished (my finances are terrible, my child is rebelling, my husband is cheating, I just lost my job) while the wicked are doing great!"

And now, in verse fifteen, he realizes that envy has opened the door to temptation. The temptation to throw off his faith and turn from pursuing the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and run off to that far country to feast on the world's filth at the table of prodigals. Yea, and I had almost said even as they [the wicked]; but lo, then I should have condemned the generation of thy children. Beloved, hear this: the sins of others cannot cause us to sin. We cannot allow anger over or envy of the wicked to draw us into wickedness.

Pause the movie. Asaph senses that his soul is in mortal peril, and thus, by grace, he takes stock of his thoughts before it's too late. What happened? What caused Asaph to step back from the precipice of temptation and not fall headlong into apostasy and sin? At first, it wasn't clear to him: "Then [he says in verse 16] thought I to understand this; but it was too hard for me." Restarting the movie in verse 17, "Until I went into the sanctuary of God." How did he resolve his moral dilemma and escape falling into sin? He went into the Lord's house and entered his presence.

First, he took his complaint to the source because his beef was with God. This is called Christian maturity: when you go to the one you have a problem with. Second, he realized that only God could answer his question and solve his dilemma, for it was far beyond his natural understanding; this is called Christian humility when one recognizes her limitations of reason and wisdom. Third, he went to where God especially dwells: into his house, his holy Temple; this is called Christian awareness of knowing the specific locale of God's special presence.

Perhaps he received divine clarity while singing the Psalms and worshipping the Lord. Maybe a Levite began singing a psalm of deliverance announcing the vindication of the righteous and the demise of the wicked. Or perhaps it was a Psalm of confidence like Psalm 11, or perhaps he found a pearl of great wisdom from hearing God's word read, how the Lord promises the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.

Or maybe his answer came while standing in the Temple of the Lord, with its amazing architecture and beauty, walls carved with all sorts of animals, beasts of field and air, and creatures of the sea. The ceiling, covered in dolphin skins that look like the heavenly skies, is the holy of holy, surrounded by beautiful candelabras forming a bronze garden of almond trees as if Asaph were standing in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Surrounded by the Temple, built to recreate perfect creation, it was as if the world never fell. And maybe he knew that God had promised to restore all that fell in the Garden, to reverse every injustice and punish wickedness.

Perhaps he recognized that the Temple was but a type of the new creation where everything is as it should be: God rightly worshiped by man. Man at peace with each other, exerting loving dominion over the animals and nature. No more famine, earthquakes, or floods, but every created thing ordered and beautiful, the whole earth worshipping its creator. You see, the Temple was built, appointed, and maintained for man to taste and see the Kingdom of God, Heaven on Earth, to participate in the life and worship of the new creation. And this new creation will first be ushered in with judgment.

And that's when Asaph had an epiphany, "Then understood I the end of these men." The wicked might be flourishing today, but it won't last. They are like the chaff driven in the wind, as vapor in the mist. The way of the wicked shall perish. Every wicked person will die in their iniquity, and the godless one will not come into the presence of the Lord. Thus, in verse 19, Asaph can honestly testify, in verse 20, How suddenly do they consume, perish, and come to a fearful end!" They are like a bad dream that fades with the morning sun, for God makes "their image to vanish out of the city. The wicked shall not prosper but be halted by the righteous hand of God.

But Asaph had to come into the presence of God. He had to bring himself into worshipping the Lord in his house. In other words, he had to come to church, the place where God says he will especially meet his people. In other words, the temple encounter turned perplexity into clarity, despair into confidence, turned temptation into greater fidelity. When we are at the lowest of lows, in the depths of confusion, anger, and sorrow, there, right there, in those death-like moments, Christ meets us. Because he is the God of Exodus and the God of Resurrection, that Divine cloud and pillar of fire who delivered Israel out of the pit is the God who brings us from death to life. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee.

Beloved, we have come today to the Temple not made by human hands but into the true Temple, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in his holy church, we have entered the mystery of the new creation, the new Eden, a beautiful collision of heaven and earth, right here on this plain and simple altar, because Jesus is also the new creation, and in him, we are a new creation, he is restoring us to what we will be, and in the end, he will undo all that shouldn't be, and nothing will escape his judgment. Beloved, hear and be assured, the Lord is seated upon his throne, and the wicked shall not have the victory. And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also, he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true (Rev. 21:5). Amen+