"For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end" —Psalm 73:3,17
It is not often that we select our "Nugget," in this fashion, but in this instance it will best serve our purpose to do so, and the reader is advised to give careful attention as well to the verses in between, which describe the Psalmist's struggle with the "the prosperity of the wicked," which may be a timely subject for our consideration. The depth of that struggle may be appreciated by noting v.16, "When I thought to know [understand] this, it was too painful for me…"
What we must note is the condition that gives rise to this consternation; it is his contemplation of the cultural phenomenon. His observation of the prosperity of the wicked was not merely in passing, but had become a fixed focus, with dire results: "But as for me, me feet were almost gone; my steps had well night slipped (v.2)." He lingered over the situation long enough to be nearly consumed by it. In our day it is almost impossible to ignore the strange ways of the culture around us, given the presence and power of the media, but we need desperately to be aware of the danger of allowing the world around us to consume our time and fill our minds.
While transfixed by the prosperity of the wicked the psalmist went into an emotional tailspin that took him nearly to the destruction of his faith. "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency (v.13). Translated into our time frame, he is saying, "It doesn't pay to be a Christian."
So, where does deliverance come from? "Until I went into the sanctuary of God." It was, in other words, in the place where God revealed Himself that the psalmist found the ability to put things in proper perspective. For you and me that "sanctuary" has to be the scriptures. Unfortunately, God may or may not be found in the local church, given the state of the church today, but He has ever revealed Himself in his word, and it is through "the word of God and prayer" that we can find deliverance from the perplexities which confront us in a world out of order, and where as often as not things "just don't add up."
Strong emphasis must be placed on the word "until." His struggle continued until he went into the sanctuary. As long as he lingered on the fringes and focused on the world, there was not only no relief, but a worsening of the situation, and so will it be for you and me.
It was in the sanctuary that he discovered the answer, when there was revealed to him "their end." It is not how much we have, but how much we will have left when we stand before God that measures true wealth. "Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castest them down into destruction (v.18)." It is in the word of God that we discover Jesus' saying, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth [Luke 12:15]." And again, "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. [Ps. 37:16]." The man who, in Jesus' parable, had to buiild bigger barns to store all his worldly goods could have carried his spirituial wealth in a change purse with room to spare!
Let us then be mindful of the importance of fixing our focus not on the world, but upon the Lord and His word so that we may keep things in proper perspective from the divine point of view. In the New Testament context, we are to "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal[II Cor. 4:18]."
"Though the wicked are in prosperity, and are not in trouble as other men; yet the godly, though in affliction, are in a state infinitely better, because they have God for their portion. They need desire nothing else: he that hath God hath all." —Spurgeon
In the interest of true riches,
"Pastor" Frasier
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