Why Do the Wicked Prosper - Matt Oglesby

Why Do the Wicked Prosper and the Righteous Suffer?

I. Introduction.

a. Situations. i. Earthquake in Haiti. ii. Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center.

iii. Hurricane Katrina. iv. Natural disasters (floods, tornadoes, fires, etc.)

b. Where is God? i. Some doubt the existence of God. ii. Shakes the faith of many.

iii. Why does God allow suffering to occur?

c. Bigger question. i. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? ii. Why does God allow good things to happen to bad (evil) people?

iii. It seems as though more good things in this life happen to immoral and ungodly people.

iv. This is not new. 1. Scripture records the suffering of God's people throughout the ages. a. Israel as slaves in Egypt. b. Prophets of God mistreated and oppressed. c. The Son of God crucified. d. The apostles and early Christians severely persecuted. 2. "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." ~ 2 Timothy 3:12

v. It doesn't seem fair. 1. Here I am, trying to live a godly life, and it seems that all I get for my efforts is suffering. 2. While I watch these immoral people on television living it up, living the high life.

d. More questions. i. Why did I lose my job and my next door neighbor (who drinks, swears, and is an Atheist) gets a promotion and a big raise? ii. Why does this church who tries to do everything by the authority of the Scriptures remain small while the liberal church across town grows by leaps and bounds?

iii. Why can't my wife and I have any more children when there are countless individuals who don't want the children that God gives them?

iv. Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? e. This isn't a new question.

i. It's been asked several times in Scripture. ii. Job 21:7, "Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become

mighty in power?" 1. Wouldn't that be on your mind if you had experienced the loss of your possessions, your family, and your health?

iii. Jeremiah12:1, "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?" 1. As a prophet of God, Jeremiah suffered severe persecution: life threatened, plots devised against him, imprisoned in a dungeon (Jer. 37).

iv. Asaph. 1. Psalm 73.

f. Text for the lesson. i. Read Psalm 73.

II. This fact can cause the righteous to stumble. Vs. 1-15

a. This Psalm gives us insight into the thoughts of a righteous man. i. A godly man. ii. Yet a man who is capable of slipping.

iii. Vs. 2, "my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped." iv. What caused him to almost fall?

1. Vs. 3, "for I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."

b. Do you think Asaph was alone in his thoughts? i. We already know that men like Job and Jeremiah had these thoughts. ii. I think we've all heard people raise questions like these. 1. there was an editorial in the Times Daily a couple of weeks ago regarding this question.

iii. Probably many of us have probably felt like Asaph at times.

c. Look at how Asaph describes what he sees happening. i. Vs. 4-10 ii. Firm strength. Vs. 4

iii. No trouble or plagues. Vs. 5 iv. Causes them to be proud and violent. Vs. 6

v. Abundance, more than heart could wish. Vs. 7 vi. Scoffing and wicked speech. Vs. 8 vii. Look at the description of pride in vs. 9.

1. "they're walking around like they own the place." d. Do we not see people like this all around us?

i. Wicked speech. ii. Violent actions. iii. Arrogance. iv. All of this and it seems they're living the life of luxury, without a

care in the world.

e. We need to be careful of how we look at these people. i. Because if we're not, we can fall because of it. ii. Notice the dangerous thought process we can fall into.

iii. Vs. 11-14. 1. Questioning God. Vs. 11 2. Look at the ungodly: at ease and rich. 3. And then compare it to ourselves. a. I'm righteous. Vs. 13 b. And I get plagues and chastening. Vs. 14

iv. Notice the effect on Asaph in verse 16. 1. "When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me."

III. The answer is found in the sanctuary of God. Vs. 16-20 a. The key part of the chapter is found in verse 17. i. "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end." ii. Two parts to this verse: 1. Going into the sanctuary of God. 2. Understanding the end of the wicked. iii. Let's consider both.

b. Until I went into the sanctuary of God. i. In other words, he went into the dwelling place of God. ii. Or he went into the presence of God.

iii. When we have difficulty in our lives, where do we need to go? 1. We need to go into God's presence.

iv. When we have troubling thoughts, where do we need to go? 1. Into God's presence.

v. When we have trouble understanding something, where do we need to go? 1. Into the sanctuary of God.

vi. God has the answers. 1. Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 2. Look to God, and our minds can be at peace. c. Then I understood their end. i. Asaph explains what he means by that beginning in vs. 18. ii. Read vs. 18-20. iii. What prevented Asaph from stumbling at the prosperity of the wicked? 1. He realized that God would take care of the wicked. 2. He understood that God would make everything right. 3. I think He remembered that God works in His own time. iv. The wicked would be punished and the righteous would be rewarded. 1. in God's time. v. The reason we have problems with this issue is because we focus so much on the here an now. 1. We walk by sight instead of by faith. 2. 2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." vi. So, before we envy the prosperity of the wicked, we would do well to remember their end.

IV. Put your trust in God, and don't question His wisdom. Vs. 21-28

a. Thinking too much. i. Sometimes we get in trouble when we think too much. ii. We see something that doesn't look right or fair to us, and our mind gets to thinking. 1. If God is love, how can He allow these bad things to happen? 2. If God is fair and just, why does He allow these wicked people to prosper? 3. Why does He allow the righteous to suffer?

iii. When these thoughts start occurring, we allow ourselves to question God. 1. Asaph came to understand that he needed to trust in the wisdom of God.

b. Vs. 21-28. i. Notice how his questioning affected him once he realized what he had done. Vs. 21 ii. He realizes his inferiority in comparison to God. Vs. 22

iii. He acknowledges that he needs the guidance of God. Vs. 23-24 iv. He professes his confidence in God. Vs. 25-26 v. Vs. 27-28 serve as a summary of it all.

1. God has and always will punish the wicked. Vs. 27 2. Drawing near to God is worthwhile. Vs. 28

a. Compare back to vs. 13. 3. Put trust in God. Vs. 28

c. Why does God allow the wicked to prosper and the righteous to suffer? i. We could probably come up with some valid reasons. ii. But do you realize that we don't have to know the reason.

iii. All we need to do is to trust in God. 1. He has His reasons. 2. And His reasons are right.

V. Conclusion.

a. Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? i. Asaph is not told a direct answer, nor does he offer one. 1. But he does give us the only answer we need. 2. Psalm 73:17-18, "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." ii. What about Job? What was his conclusion? 1. Job 21:30, "For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom; they shall be brought out on the day of wrath."

iii. Jeremiah? How did he answer the question? 1. Jeremiah 17:18, "Let them be ashamed who persecute me, but do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, and destroy them with double destruction!"

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