“Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. 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. 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. 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! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. 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. 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. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 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. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. 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.”
Psalms 73:1-28 NLT
The Proverbs note that there is a way that seems good to a man but it leads to death. Asaph gives us an honest depiction of the thought process that we all go through as we encounter disordered things. The first thing is generally a quick rejection, but as we see swift judgment upon it withheld we are confused by it. Perhaps we keep looking because we are built with minds that want to turn chaos to order? For whatever reason, instead of simply dismissing it or rejecting it with prejudice, we continue to stare at it until curiosity develops and this triggers Asaph’s slippery slope. He describes himself as almost falling off a cliff. It is barely stated because of his brevity, but he cites the reason for this quick dissent as ultimately his own disorder welling up within him. He is jealous, not because it makes sense to be, as these behaviors lead to death, but because he is a rebellious creature. He is jealous because he is not giving God praise for what he has not is he thanking God for what he doesn’t have. This conclusion is a helpful one. It is a conclusion that many Christians fail to conclude because they forget that salvation is the first step in the process of sanctification. We ought to be careful to question our own hearts before we decide to indulge our passions, believing them to be reasonable. In the end, it won’t be God who is wrong.
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