What's this all about? Part 4

So, last time we learned some pretty sobering news. Sometimes we can get so clouded by this world's pleasures that we can forget about God! We get so carefree that we stop caring about what (actually Who) really matters.

The psalmist describes this:

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
Psalm 73:13-14

He's saying, "Look at how carefree they are! I'm sitting here trying to do the right thing, but it doesn't matter! I'm not prospering, so all this innocence and purity has gone to waste! Why be good at all?"

He continues to agonize:

If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppresive to me
Psalm 73:15-16

So, what do we usually do when we're faced with an issue like this? We're seeing the wicked prosper and we see them carefree. Do we join them? Do we agonize and give up? Where do we turn? This next part is incredible:

till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny
Psalm 73:17

The writer's been asking why God hasn't been throwing him a bone in life and agonizing over why he should even follow God in the first place, but he still enters the sanctuary of God for answers! See, this guy realized something we all need to know. If we're ever mad at God, questioning God, or disowning God, the worst thing we can do is run away from God. The only way we'll ever find answers is to run towards God! Now, after asking God, he realized the destiny of these prosperous wicked...what is that destiny?

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies."

Psalm 73: 18-20

Yeesh! That's pretty harsh! There's a good passage in 1 Timothy about this and a great explanation of it by John Piper that we'll examine next time.

To be continued...

What's This All About? (Part 3)

Wow, so it's been a long and eventful time since the last post, but let's get right into it.

So...where did we leave off? Oh yeah, we've been talking about Psalm 73 and our journey through it has shown us what happens when people use wicked means to prosper. It also shows us what happens when we see the wicked prospering! We get jealous and wonder why God hasn't intervened.

The last post (verses 6-8) helped explain what happens to those that pursue wealth and comfort at any cost. They get prideful, arrogant, and violent! They scoff and threaten oppression! But that's not the worst of it. Check out verse 9:

"Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth"
Psalm 73:9

That's bold! Pride is such a nasty beast that left unfettered it will fool us into thinking we own the world. We'll lay claim to heaven and take possession of the earth! I guarantee you that you can think of somebody you know or somebody famous that reflects this attitude. The sad part is that we're all capable of it. Moving on...

"Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance"
Psalm 73:10

This tells us something funny about us. What would you do if someone told you they owned the world? You'd say they're crazy, right?! Well, unfortunately, we don't do that! We run into people whose mouths lay claim to heaven and earth all the time. But we don't tell them they're crazy. We end up following them! They're so prosperous that we start drinking the waters of their abundance. We trade in the living water from Christ for the murky, toxic, and deadly water of the world.

Now here's the zinger:

"They say, 'How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
Psalm 73:11

They are so blind, so secure, and so trusting in their wordly prosperity that they start doubting the One who provides real prosperity. Do you see why pursuing wealth at any cost and taking credit for God's gifts are so dangerous? They cause us to forget about God! And then the cycle continues:

"This is what the wicked are like--always carefree, they increase in wealth"
Psalm 73:12

Carefree. Comfortable. Fat and happy. These are dangerous places to be.

To be continued...