PSALM 79: A PRAYER FROM EXILE

 

PSALM 79

This psalm is another lament. This one is for the whole nation of Israel as opposed to one person.

The Occasion for the Psalm: The Destruction of Jerusalem

79:1-4

These verses appear to describe the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Because of this, there are several connections between this psalm and the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations.

The psalm is a prayer, as the opening words are addressed to God (“O God”). The writer of the psalm must be a descendant of Asaph who is among the remnant of Israel in exile in Babylon.The first four verses have the psalmist pointing out to God what has happened.

The “nations” (v.1) usually refers to Gentiles (non-Jews) in the Old Testament. The King James Version uses the word “heathen”, a word we do not use much any more, but would refer to these people as pagans.

The psalmist laments that the Babylonians came into the land of Israel, defiled the Temple, destroyed the city, and killed many people. They left the bodies on the dead on the ground and did not bury them.

There is a covenantal undertone to these verses. The psalmist refers to God’s land, his temple, his city, and his people. Israel was God’s inheritance. They lived in a place God gave them, but which is now under the control of Gentiles. 

The temple was defiled. Gentiles were not supposed to enter the Temple. But, the Babylonians took sacred objects from it and burned it down. They also destroyed the city, breaking down all of the stone structures and burning all of the wooden ones. 

They killed many people and did not bury them. This was an act of disrespect ignominy or disgrace. Jeremiah prophesied that this would happen: “And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of the who seek their lives. their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.” (Jeremiah 34:20)

You can read about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in four places in the Old Testament: 2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36:11-21, Jeremiah 39:1-14, and Jeremiah 52. 

The destruction brought disgrace on the nation. They were taunted, mocked, and derided by the nations around them for this great loss. They had claimed to be a special people protected by God, but he let them be utterly defeated.

The Call For God To Act

79:5-7

As in many of the psalms of lament, the psalmist asks how long it will be until God gets over his anger with Israel and punishes those who destroyed it. He asks the Lord to pour out his anger on the Gentiles who do not know him or obey him. (6) He wants them punished for what they did to destroy Israel (referred to here as Jacob). 

The psalmist also mentions God’s jealousy, indicating a confession that Israel had gone after other gods\idols. God demanded total loyalty from Israel. He commanded that they have no other gods before him. (Exodus 20:3) He specifically commanded them not to create idols because he is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5) He is intent on preserving his glory and honor and will not tolerate his people worshipping other gods. In mentioning this, the psalmist recognizes Israel’s infidelity to God. They had indeed worshipped idols from other countries.

The psalmist then asked God to pour out his wrath, not on Israel, but on the nations that do not know and worship him. (6) He wants Babylon and its allies held accountable for what they have done to God’s people. Verses 6-7 are identical to Jeremiah 10:25. 

The Prayer For Forgiveness

79:8-12

The psalmist recognized that God’s wrath had been poured out on them because of their wickedness and sin (iniquities). (8) It must have been difficult to be in exile in Babylon and read the warnings God gave them through the prophet Jeremiah. He had asked them “What wrongs did your fathers find I’m that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness and became worthless?”. (Jeremiah 2:5-6) He said “…you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.” (Jeremiah 2:7)

He asked for grace, expressed as God having compassion to come quickly to their aid. (8) He asked for deliverance and atonement for sins, referring to God as “God  of our salvation”. (9) He recognized the connection between their sin and their punishment in exile. Their sin must be atoned for them to be reconciled to God and again receive his blessing and protection. 

The psalmist also asked God to act for the glory of his name. His glory and his reputation among the Gentiles was at stake in the defeat of his people. They even asked “where is their God?”. (10) The psalmist asked God to act to avenge Israel by rectifying their situation and defeating their captor and enemy, Babylon. He wanted Babylon punished sevenfold for what it had done to Israel, a complete and full retribution, because they taunted the Lord. (12)

The Promise To Do Better

79:13

In return for God’s deliverance, the psalmist promised that Israel would give thanks and praise to God forever. This is part of repentance, a turning from their sin back to God. They are the sheep of God’s pasture, his flock, and they will want to live that way again.

Takeaways

It is ok to pray for relief from distress. God answered the psalmist’s prayer, though not as soon as the psalmist wanted.

God’s ultimate answer to the psalmist’s prayer for atonement is found in Christ, who has made atonement for our sins by his death on the cross. 

Believers are now God’s people, his “own possession”. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

God will eventually give his people the whole earth, the “new earth”. (Revelation 21-22)

PSALM 78: A WISDOM PSALM

There are three divisions of the Old Testament scriptures: the Law, the Prophets, and the Wisdom writings. The Psalms are included in the wisdom writings (some commentators only classify some of the psalms as such). Psalm 78 is a wisdom psalm. It could also be called a didactic psalm because it is one of instruction. 

Introduction

78:1-4

The psalmist called for the people of Israel to listen (give ear, incline your ears) to his teaching. He will teach in parables, meaning he will tell a story of one thing to teach about the current situation. 

For example, Jesus told a story about the owner and tenants of a vineyard to illustrate a point about Israel rejecting God’s prophets and himself. Here, the psalmist will relate true stories of Israel’s past, in poetic form, to teach them about God and what he is done for them, an to emphasize the importance of passing these truths on to future generations. He called these stories “the glorious deeds of the Lord”.

The remainder of the psalm is the recitation of the Lord’s deeds as he worked with Israel, as well as Israel’s unfaithfulness to him in return.

Establishing a Covenant

78:5-8

God established a covenant with Israel, referred to as Jacob. (5) He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to himself at Sinai. (Exodus 19:4)  He chose them to be his people and entered into the covenant, which we call the Mosaic Covenant. He dictated the terms of the covenant, since he was the more powerful party to it.

Israel’s duties under the covenant were two fold: to obey God’s laws and to teach them to their children so they would also be faithful to obey. In fact, the psalmist said the should teach their children the works of the Lord so they would not be rebellious like their forefather’s were.

Disobedience of Israel

78:9-20

The psalmist pointed to the unfaithfulness of the nation He referred to them as “the Ephraimites”. 

Ephraim was one of the sons of Joseph, but Jacob blessed him and his brother, Manasseh, and made them tribes of their own as if they were Jacob’s sons.  (Genesis 48) Their allotment was north of Judah. The psalmist uses them to represent the whole nation.

Israel  did not keep the covenant. They did not obey God’s laws. (10) They forgot the things God did for them and the miracles they had seen. The psalmist listed some of these works of God, concentrating on the Exodus. 

He performed wonders in Egypt, the plagues God used to deliver them from Egypt. He parted the sea so they could escape. He led them with a cloud during the day and and the column of fire at night. He provided water even in the wilderness so they had enough to drink. (16)

Despite these miraculous works of God, the Israelites rebelled against God from the beginning. The complained about the food. They even questioned God’s ability to provide food, saying “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”. (19-20) They complained abut the lack of water.

God Gave Them What They Wanted

78:21-31

The Lord was “full of wrath” at sin and rebellion. He expressed that wrath by sending fire to consume part of the camp. (Numbers 11:1) But, despite being angry at the Israelites for their lack of faith, God gave them a bread from heaven they called “manna”. He also sent quail to them for meat. (Exodus 16 & Numbers 11)

The Unfaithfulness of Israel

78:32-37

This section shows us the sin cycle that Israel indulged in. Despite seeing all of the great things God did for them, the continued to sin. They refused to believe. So, God would punish them. They would then repent. But the repentance did not last. It was replaced with a false praise, saying the right things but not having a faithful heart. 

No time period is specified by the psalmist for this cycle, but it certainly fits the stories of the Book of Judges.

God’s Compassion

78:38-39

Even though Israel was rebellious, God did not destroy them. He had compassion and restraint. He remembered their frailty. They were “but flesh”, and suffered the weaknesses of the flesh. 

A Summary of the Exodus

78:40-55

The psalmist recognized how often the Israelites rebelled and grieved God despite his great works. He listed all of the things God did to redeem them. He listed the plagues God imposed upon Egypt, his leading them in the wilderness, and his giving the land of Canaan to them. 

Rebellion in the Promised Land

78:56-66

Once in the land God gave them, Israel continued to sin and rebel. They turned from God to worship idols. When they did, God acted upon his wrath. In once instance, he gave up Shiloh to the enemy. Shiloh was the first place the Tabernacle was kept. God let the Philistines capture the ark and defeat Israel in battle. They suffered great losses. 

Yet, after a period of time, the Lord again gave them mercy and rescued the Israelites from the Philistines and allowed them to recover the Ark of the Covenant. 

God Chose Judah Over Ephraim

78:67-72

God rejected the tribe of Ephraim and chose the tribe of Judah for leadership. The tabernacle came to Jerusalem, which was in Judah. He also chose David to be king, rejecting Saul and his house. 

David led Israel as God wanted. 

The psalm ends abruptly. The implication is this: if the acts of God in redemption and provision, judgment and mercy, are not remembered and taught to subsequent generations, the Israelites will rebel against God and face his judgment again. And, of course, they did just that.

Takeaways

We must pass the faith along to subsequent generations also.

We must live holy lives to show them how to live so as to please the Lord.

A blessing for today

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everthing good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in is sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

PSALM 77 - SEEKING THE LORD IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

 

PSALM 77 - SEEKING THE LORD IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

The Cry of Distress

77:1-3

The psalm opens with his intense cry for help to God. He says twice that he actually cries out loud to the Lord in his distress. He also stretched out his hands in supplication. He prayed through the night without getting tired. 

We do not know what the psalmist’s problem was, but he says it was a “day of my trouble”. (2)  It must have been major for him to pray through the night. And still, he could not find comfort for his soul. 

Yet, he prayed from a position of faith, not doubt, for he says “he (God) will hear me”. 

Remembering The Acts of God 

77:3-6

The psalmist then moved to remembering God’s past acts of behalf if Israel. But, it has the opposite effect than you would expect. It increases his anxiety rather than soothing it. He moans. His spirit faints. (3) He cannot sleep. (4) He cannot speak about his distress to others, although he wants to remember songs he used to sing at night.

In this meditations at night, he wants to remember God’s deliverance and find comfort. But, it seems he is approaching it as “if God acted before, why is he not acting now”.  

The Questions

77:7-9

In these verses, the psalmist asks a series of questions, attempting to figure out what the Lord’s attitude is toward Israel and why he has not delivered them. Each question is stated twice for emphasis. 

The first question is “will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? (7) Israel was the object of God’s favor when they kept the covenant. At the time the psalmist wrote, however, they were not experiencing his favor. The psalmist wondered if that would continue forever. Human beings almost always want God to act more quickly than he does.

The second question is “has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?” The words “steadfast love” translate the Hebrew word “hesed”. It refers to God’s covenantal love for Israel. God said he would show steadfast love to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Exodus 20:6) This was in the context of God forbidding the making and worshipping of idols. As long as Israel kept the commandments, and especially the prohibition against idols, God would show is steadfast love to it. But, if Israel disobeyed, God would act to discipline them. 

This commandment is repeated in Leviticus 26, where God again forbade the making of idols. He also commanded the keeping of the Sabbath and reverence for the sanctuary. If Israel kept these commandments, God agreed to bless them. If they disobeyed the commandments, they were breaking the covenants, and God would impose the curses of the covenant on them. These curses are also listed in Leviticus 26. Evidently, Israel was in a period of disobedience and discipline for breaking the covenant at the time of this psalm. The psalmist wondered how long this would go on.

The third question is “has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”. The mention of God’s anger indicates the psalmist knew Israel was being disciplined for disobedience, but wondered if it was a permanent situation.

Remembering God’s Mighty Deeds

77:10-12

The psalmist turned from asking questions to a reflection on God’s past deeds and miracles. He referred to God as “the Most High” (Elyon). It refers to God as exalted above all others. It is the name Melchizedek invoked to bless Abram after he defeated the four kings who defeated Sodom and captured Lot. (Genesis 14:19) Abram called God the “possessor of heaven and earth”, referred to God’s creating the earth and exercising sovereignty over it. 

The psalmist said he would appeal to the years of the right hand of the Most High. He was saying that he would remember the times when Israel was in God’s favor and benefitted from his power and sovereignty. They prospered economically and were safe from their enemies.

The psalmist also wanted to meditate on God’s specific deeds in the past which saved Israel. This might include the miracles God did to bring Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness. It might included David’s victories. The psalmist has thought of God’s power and the times that he exercised it for Israel’s benefit. 

Confidence in God’s Help

77:13-20

Verses 13-15 praise God for his holiness and power, his working of wonders\miracles. God has done many powerful and miraculous things for the benefit of Israel. The psalmist  specifically mentions God redeeming his people, Israel. This is a reference to the Exodus. 

But, God’s miraculous deeds include creation of the earth as he exercised his power over the waters. Genesis 1:9 tells us of God separating the waters to reveal the dry land, creating earth and sea. The psalmist described it in vivid poetic terms: thunder, lightings, and shaking the earth. All of these are terms associated with the appearance of God on the earth. For example, when God appeared on Mount Sinai, there were thunders and lightnings, thick clouds, smoke and fire. The mountain trembled. (Exodus 19)

The last verse narrows the focus of God’s past deeds to the Exodus itself. He created a way through the sea for Israel, referring to the parting of the Red Sea by Moses. 

God led his people like a flock through Moses and Aaron. God is not only the powerful Most High, he is the Good Shepherd that leads his people. The psalmist longed for the time when God would again use his power to lead Israel through its difficulties. 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd for believers. (John 10:11,14). We are his sheep, his flock. He still protects, leads, and guides us. We can take great comfort from that, even in difficult times. 

PSALM 76: God’s Presence In Israel

 

PSALM 76

God’s Presence In Israel

God is Known In Israel

76:1-2

The Psalmist begins the psalm with a declaration of God’s presence in Israel. He is known by the Israelites. They have a relationship with him through the covenant. They are thankful for his presence among them. They revere his name, saying it is great. By including both Judah and Israel in this declaration, the psalmist is including all of Israel in this declaration. 

With the construction of the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple, God assured Israel that his presence would dwell with them as a nation, as his people. David moved the ark to Jerusalem and his son, Solomon, later built the Temple there. The ark, with the mercy seat, was where God’s presence dwelt. The word “Salem” in verse two is a reference to Jerusalem. The reference to Zion is a reference to Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, where the Temple was built.

The psalmist’s statement is a statement of belief. He believed God dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem. It is also a statement of praise that God chose to dwell with the Israelites and to protect them from attacks of the Gentiles. 

As a side note, it can be difficult to interpret the word Zion as you read through the Bible. Zion comes to represent Jerusalem, then all of Israel, and, ultimately, the heavenly city promised to believers. The Isaac Watt’s hymn “Marching To Zion” captures this last concept. The chorus of the hymn is:

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The scriptural basis for this concept, and the hymn, is Hebrews 12:22:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…”.

God The Protector and Divine Warrior

76:3-9

These verses portray God defending Jerusalem from an attack. We do not know the specific event the psalmist has in mind. He might even have several in mind. 

God broke the weapons of the enemy. (3) He kept them from “spoiling” Jerusalem. (5)“Spoiling” means taking the goods and valuables of the people you defeated. He stunned them. (6) He put them to sleep. This was a rebuke to them for their attack on Jerusalem. 

This language seems to fit with God’s defense of Jerusalem against the attack of the Assyrians under King Sennacherib. 2 Kings 19:32-35 tells the story:

“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against this city, declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold these are all dead bodies.” 

In the midst of this, the psalmist praises God as glorious and majestic. (4) He said that God is to be feared (7) No one can stand before him when his anger is roused and when he utters judgment. (7-8) God was acting to save the humble of the earth, which would include Israel, from those who are arrogant because of their military power.

Praising God

76:10-12

“The wrath of man shall praise you” in verse 10 of the English Standard Version, means that God will create praise even from the actions of those men who act wrathfully. 

Even as human leaders acquire power, God can use them to bring glory to himself. The story of God forcing Egypt’s Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt is an example. God said to Pharaoh: “But for his purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16)

The psalm concludes with a call to worship. He tells Israel to make vows and keep them and to bring gifts to God. He says God is to be feared, even by the powerful on Earth. (12)

Takeaways

God is present with his people. He present with believers today in two ways. He is present when his church is gathered together. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”. (Matthew 18:20)

God is also with us individually. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” 

God defends and protects his people. He protected Israel from physical harm when they lived in obedience to him. He protects us spiritually. He gives us spiritual armor, described in Ephesians 6:10-17, so that we are able to stand against the schemes of the devil and to stand firm in the faith. 

God gives us the power to submit to him and to resist the devil, causing him to flee from us. (James 4:7)

God still deserves our praise for his glory and majesty. 

We are to fear God in the sense that we recognize his power and are reverent toward him. 

GIVING THANKS - PSALM 75

 

PSALM 75

The last two psalms showed the psalmist wrestling with theological questions, such as why the wicked prosper, as well as dealing with personal oppression and struggle. Both psalms come to expressions of faith after the struggle.

Psalm 75, in contrast, is a psalm of unmitigated thanksgiving and praise to God for his presence and his mighty acts. This is a song and may have been sung liturgically by the congregation.

75:1

Thanksgiving

The psalm begins with thanks to God for his presence with Israel as shown by his mighty deeds. To say “your name” is near is to say God is near to them, he is present among them. 

God’s presence certainly dwelled with Israel in the Tabernacle and Temple, but here the emphasis is on God’s presence in upholding Israel, such as in the Exodus or in protecting Israel from defeat at the hands of its enemies. The psalmist here says they recount God’s wondrous deeds. 

“Recount” means to give an account of. So God’s people give an account of the things God has done and recognize that his presence was with them at those times. 

We should do this in our day as well. Individually, we can recount what God has done for us. As a congregation, we can do the same, either in public prayer, testimony, or song. 

For example, we may sing the hymn “I Will Sing The Wondrous Story”, which recounts the death of Christ for us and his saving us. The first stanza says:

I will sing the wondrous story

Of the Christ who died for me.

How He left His home in glory

For the cross of Calvary.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,

Found the sheep that went astray,

Threw His loving arms around me,

Drew me back into His way. 

In contrast, a lack of thankfulness is unpleasing to God. Romans 1:21 includes the failure to give thanks as a characteristic of those who are unrighteous and futile in their thinking.

75:2—5

The “Oracle\the Words of God

In these verses, God speaks about judgment. The first thing he says is that  he and he alone will set the time for judgment. He will judge, but he will do it when he determines. How he will determine it, this text does not say. But, we get some ideas from other texts. 

First, Jesus told us that no one knows the time of his return, when judgment will occur, except God the Father. (Matthew 24:36) So, there is no point in trying to calculate a date. Conversely, there is no point in believing it will not happen, because it could happen at any time. 

Another text is Genesis 15, where God promises the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants, but they will not get there until the fourth generation that is in Egypt. The reason is that the sin of the Amorites is not yet full. (Generation 15:16) This shows us the Israelite conquest of Canaan was not only a deliverance of the Israelites, but a judgment on those who lived there, the Amorites. God often accomplishes more than one thing when he does something. Here he is granting mercy to the Amorites while he prepares Israel to take over the land. Similarly, the delay in the final judgment now is an act of mercy toward those who have not yet believed. 

Finally, there is 2 Peter 3, where Peter confronts those who scoff at the idea of judgment since the world has existed a long time and judgment has not come. Peter first reminded them that God has actually judged the world before and destroyed it with the Great Flood. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. (Genesis 6:5) And so he determined to “blot out” all living things except Noah and his family and the animals Noah preserved at God’s instruction. Peter was saying this shows God judged before and he will judge again. 

Peter also reminded us that God’s time is not our time. He is eternal and also sees the whole picture of existence. So, one of his days, figuratively speaking, might as well be a thousand years, and vice versa. He is not bound by time as we are (By the way, this is not to give us a figure for calculating the end of time and the judgment.)

Not only will God judge in his own time, he will judge “with equity” (ESV or NASB) or “uprightly” (NIV). He will both condemn his enemies and vindicate the godly. 

In the meantime, while we wait for Christ’s return and our vindication, God remains sovereign and in control. When the earth’s peoples wobble, unbalanced by evil, God protects it for coming completely apart. He keeps the pillars steady. It is the picture of a building tottering in an earthquake, but God keeping the building’s pillars from falling apart. 

In verses 4 and 5, God spoke directly to the evil people, telling them not to be arrogant. Speaking with a “haughty neck” (ESV) or “outstretched neck (NIV) is to speak with insolence, being disrespectful to God. The “horn” is a symbol of power in the old testament. So, God is telling them not to exalt their power against God (“on high”). 

 

 Prophecy of Judgment

75:6-8

The reason the wicked and arrogant should not disrespect God it that only he lifts one up and puts another one down. He is the only one who will execute judgment. And he will judge the wicked. The cup of foaming wine in verse 8 is a metaphor for God’s wrath, which he will pour out on the wicked until it is completely exhausted. 

Revelation 15-16 shows us this truth in a picture. There are seven angels with seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God. The number seven is symbolic for completeness, so the full wrath of God is poured out, resulting in the calamities described in Revelation 16. None of the wicked can escape God’s wrath.

A Final Praise

75:9-10

The psalmist ends the psalm with a praise to God, a doxology. He will forever declare that God is the one who will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous (those who believe in Jesus). He reaffirmed that the power of the wicked (“horns”) will be put down, but the righteous will be lifted up, or vindicated.

Takeaways

We believe that Christ will return, he will raise all believers to be with him for eternity. He will raise those who reject Christ to judgment. Sometimes God brings judgment upon the wicked during their lifetime. We have certainly seen some rich, powerful, and famous people called to account and their lives destroyed for their wickedness. But, even if they are not brought to account in this life, they will face God’s judgment and wrath in the next. 

We must faithfully and patiently wait for Christ’s return and the vindication of our faith in him.

We must also realize that those around us who have not come to Christ face judgment, and we should pray and witness with the goal of their salvation.

WHY DO THE WICKED PROSPER? PSALM 73

 

Psalm 73

Why Do The Wicked Prosper? 

This Psalm 73 is the beginning of the “Third Book” of the Psalms. It contains Psalms 73-89.

There are 5 “books” of the Psalms, the number chosen by Jewish scholars to match the 5 books of Moses in number. 

Psalms 73-83 are attributed to Asaph.  Asaph was a contemporary of David.

When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, he appointed some Levites to minister before the ark to sing and play thanksgiving and praise songs

Asaph was the chief of these Levites & also played the cymbals (1 Chronicles 16).  David appointed Asaph to direct the music in the temple when it was built.

 The music was provided by his sons with instruments. (2 Chronicles 25)

The psalm begins with the writer saying God is good to Israel, those who are pure in Heart. “Pure in heart” means totally committed to God. Therefore, we see that he is referring to spiritual Israel, not the whole nation. He recognizes that everyone in the nation is not committed to God. 

A good point for us is that knowing God is good, and good to his people, is the starting point for us to resolve theological issues.

The problem: why the wicked prosper

73:2-14

The psalmist was having a crisis of faith.  He had almost stumbled or slipped as he wrestled with the problem. It is the image of walking the path of righteousness and faithfulness, but stumbling over rocks in the path. (2)

The root of the psalmist’s problem was envy. (3) He was concerned with the question of why the wicked prospered when he, a man committed to God, did not. By implication, he is also a questioning God’s character here: if wickedness prospers, is God just? 

Description of the Wicked

73:3-9

In these verses, the psalmist described the wicked people of his day:

arrogant

prosperous

at ease, getting even more wealthy

not suffering any “pangs”; not in trouble or stricken; during their lifetime

proud

violent, malicious, threatening oppression

talking against God

Because of the success and arrogance of the wicked, some of God’s people turned away from God and to these wicked people. God’s people saw nothing wrong with them. (10)

Many idolized the rich & famous. We see in our time the same thing, and that promising health & wealth sells. 

In arrogance, the wicked questioned God’s omniscient knowledge: can God know everything they think and do?  (11) We know from the Bible that God is omniscient. He knows himself and all things that have been, are now, and will be in the future. But, those who had seemed to get away with being wicked thought they had escaped God’s knowledge.

All these things lead the psalmist to question the value of his purity (clean heart) and innocence (as opposed to wickedness) because he suffered

because he was stricken & rebuked. (13)

We have all been in this situation!

Faith Triumphs

73:15-28

Despite his envy and doubts, the psalmist kept silent to avoid sowing doubt in those who were pure in heart. (15) This shows that he had not given up his faith. He moved from self interest & self pity to his responsibility to protect others.  

But, he found thinking of the problem to be tiring (16) until he turned to God, entering His presence in the temple. Then, he discerned the end\destiny of the wicked. (17)

The destiny of the wicked is destruction. It may occur in their lifetime. They may fall into ruin. (18) It can happen quickly. (19) Remember the parable of the rich fool. (Luke 12:16-21) He celebrated his wealth and vowed to take it easy and party, then found out he would die that very night. 

The destruction of the wicked will definitely occur at the judgment. They shall perish. (27) God will put an end to them. They will experience “shame and everlasting contempt”. (Daniel 12:2)

The psalmist recognized his own bad attitude; it was bitterness. (21) It had led him to confusion & ignorance (22) He came to realize this and to recognize that, despite hiss troubled thinking, God continued with him, supported him, and guided him. (23-24)

 

The psalmist knew God would receive him to glory. As another psalm said, “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” (Psalm 49:15)

It was good for the psalmist to be in the Lord’s presence, making God his refuge ( a safe place). (28)when he relies on God, not comparing his life to others, he can tell of God’s works as God takes care of him (29) 

So, the psalmist realized that his relationship with God was what mattered

his own strength might fail, but God would be his strength (25)

Takeaways

1. There will be times you struggle to understand things.
2. Believers begin their analysis of problems with the belief that God is good and just.
3. You will do better when you run toward God than away.
4. God will deal with wickedness in his own time.
5. Our responsibility is to live righteously and in faith, trusting the Sovereign God.