“Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
Psalms 73:1-3 NKJV
In Psalm 73 we see the psalmist facing a familiar struggle: He was having a hard time, yet the wicked were prospering. And, as he meditated more on seeing himself as being the victim of injustice, he began to slip from his steadfastness.
We find a similar dilemma expressed by Jeremiah.
“Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind.”
Jeremiah 12:1-2 NKJV
Now, for Jeremiah, the issue was not his being envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Rather, he was questioning God’s judgment for allowing the wicked to prosper. Jeremiah knew that everyone was suffering because of the wickedness of the people who talked a good game, but lived lives far from the law of the Lord.
The Lord responded to his question promptly, not telling him what he wanted to hear, but rather, what he needed to hear.
““If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?”
Jeremiah 12:5 NKJV
You see, Jeremiah wanted the Lord to immediately punish the wicked. He wanted to hear the Lord say that He would quickly deal with them. But, the Lord’s answer to Jeremiah was basically that he should not be discouraged over this, but to keep his eyes open so that he would not be deceived by their treachery.
A similar admonishment is given in Psalm 37.
“Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”
Psalms 37:1-3 NKJV
Here, the admonishment is to not be upset over evildoers because their day of judgment is coming. As well, the assurance is given that the righteous will be upheld by the Lord in this life and have an eternity of peace. However, the unrighteous will be cut off.
“The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.”
Psalms 37:31-38 NKJV
No doubt, we are living in a time of great evil. And yes, it may seem that the wicked are getting by with what they’re doing. They may be even prospering while abusing and mocking those who are following the Lord.
Yes, we seem to be surrounded by cases of injustice. And in a temporal sense, righteous people are indeed being subjected to injustice. But from the heavenly perspective, the test of justice is the end of a matter. And make no mistake, the end of the matter will be glory for the righteous, and destruction for the wicked.
Child of God, focusing the wicked, for any reason, will only lead to being put on the slippery slope with them. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, remembering that He will bring righteous judgment.
Given, we will not understand all that we see in terms of how the wicked are dealt with in this life. But make no mistake, the word of God is true: the Lord will exalt the righteous and cut off evildoers.
Instead of worrying about what evil people are doing, or getting, or getting by with, let’s keep our eyes on God. Let’s worship Him. All of our questions will be answered in His presence.
“When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.”
Psalms 73:16-19, 24-26, 28 NKJV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
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