Why Did the Wicked Prosper? — Chuck Smith

The Prosperity of the Wicked in Psalm 73

We're gonna change our reading in the Psalms this week from the bulletin. We're gonna read Psalm 73 this morning. I'll read the first the odd-numbered verses. Pastor Brian will lead the congregation in the reading of the even-numbered verses through Psalm 73.

Let's stand as we read the Word of God. Truly God is good to Israel. Even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me my feet were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped for I was envious at the foolish When I saw the prosperity of the wicked for there are no bands in their death.

But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men and neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compassionate them about as a chain. Violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes Stand out with fatness.

They have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt and speak wickedly. Concerning oppression they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth therefore his people return hither and Waters of a full cup are rung out to them and they say How does God know and is there knowledge in the Most High?

Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in Innocency for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened.

If I say I will speak thus Behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God and then Understood I there and Surely doubt did set them in slippery places.

Now cast them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment? They are utterly consumed with terrors as a dream when one awakeneth. So Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image and thus My heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins.

So foolish was I an ignorant. I was as a beast before thee nevertheless I am continually with thee. Thou is holding me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon the earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For lo they that are far from thee shall perish and thou has destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.

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 thy works. Let's pray Lord indeed, it is good for us to draw near to you. And that's why we are here today That we might draw near to you.

And Lord that we might find answers. For some of the problems that we face in life as we seek to understand Lord some of the Different things that do not really seem to add up as far as the world in which we live.

There seem to be inequities and we are troubled Lord by what we see and so we ask Lord that you would speak to us today through your word and That you might give us Lord a little insight into the future and What you've planned as far as the eternal plan of God is concerned.

So bless now our study in Jesus name. Amen. This morning. We'd like to draw your attention to the twelfth chapter. There in verse 1 Isaiah, I mean Jeremiah said to the Lord Righteous art thou O Lord When I plead with thee.

Yet, let me talk with thee of thy judgments. Wherefore doth thy Doth the way of the wicked prosper. Wherefore are all they that are happy that deal very treacherous. Lee. Then down in verse 5 he said if thou is the Lord answers if you have run with the footmen.

And they've wearied thee then how can you contend with the horses if in the land of peace wherein you have trodden? entrusted they have wearied thee. Then how will you do when you are in the wilds of Jordan.

Walking by Faith When God Does Not Explain Himself

One of the problems of our Christian life is that God requires that we walk by faith and not by sight. God does not always explain himself to us. But so often just answers our questions by saying Trust me.

Just trust me. Many times it takes years for us to understand particular events that happen in our lives. Events which at the time we looked at as great tragedies. But as the years rolled by and we saw things in a broader perspective.

We were able then to see the purpose That God had when he allowed us to experience that time of sorrow or grief suffering or pain. I Do believe that there are things that happen to us that we will not understand this side of eternity.

That when we get to heaven we will get a much broader than understanding as we look back on our experiences in life and we can see every detail and the Purpose in the plan of God in all of the things that transpired.

God said to Isaiah My ways are not your ways. My ways are beyond your finding out. And we seem however to be constantly trying to find out Why God allows certain things? Jeremiah Happened to be in this very predicament.

He was asking God Why does God allow? the wicked to prosper. You see the men in Jeremiah's hometown of Anathod. They didn't like Jeremiah speaking to them About God's judgment that was going to come upon them because of their wickedness.

Jeremiah had been predicting That God's hand of judgment was going to come strong against the nation because the nation had turned from God and As the result of their wickedness God was going to judge them, but these men of his hometown didn't want to hear that and So they began to plot to put Jeremiah to death so that they wouldn't have to hear these pronouncements of Judgment that was going to come upon them.

Jeremiah's Warning to a People Who Reject Judgment

People who are living in sin Do not like to hear that God hates the sin that they are committing. They don't want to be told that they are sinners. They don't want to hear that God is going to punish them for their sin.

They want to sin without any feelings of guilt. People prefer to hear lies Rather than the truth they want to be comforted in their sin. Back in chapter 5 Jeremiah said the prophets prophesy falsely and The priests are in it just for the money and the people love to have it.

So Tell me I'm alright. Tell me how wonderful I am. Tell me that I can do all of these wicked things and God doesn't really care that you know He is so soft and so Graceful and all that I can get by with the evil that I wish to commit.

But if you tell them no That's wrong. That's a sin. God hates that and God will punish you. If you continue in that sin people don't want to hear that. But that's what Jeremiah was doing to the people there in Anathoth and they were tired of it.

The wicked men of Anathoth actually said to Jeremiah Don't prophesy to us anymore in the name of the Lord or we're going to kill you we don't want to hear what you've got to say and so Jeremiah Has come to the Lord here in chapter 12 that happened in chapter 11 but in chapter 12 Jeremiah comes to the Lord and He begins by saying Lord.

I know That you are righteous. He wants to know once God to know that he's not challenging God in this. I know what you're doing. Lord is right, but I have a problem. I Don't understand Lord the things that I see happening around me.

You know Jeremiah is very careful as he talks to the Lord not to bring an accusation against God. But he's very careful to say Lord. Now. I know that what you're doing is right, but I don't know What's right about it?

I don't understand. I I'm and I'm at a loss here I sort of cringe when I hear people say of how they talk to God. I Told God that I didn't think that that was right and I told God and I told God and I told God and I whoa I wouldn't dare to speak to God like that.

I Like the way Jeremiah approaches it Lord. I know you're right. But would you mind explaining something to me? I'd like to get some understanding. I'd like to understand just Why these things are allowed by you?

I would like to talk to you Lord about your judgments. I Have a problem understanding. I Know you're right But I don't really know why you allow the wicked to prosper. And this is a real problem, isn't it as we look at the world in which we live we see so often very wicked people Who speak blasphemously against God who speak? contemptuously of God.

We see them prospering and we wonder why would God allow those wicked people? To prosper in the psalm that we read this morning. That was exactly the problem that ASAP the writer of the psalm had He said I almost Slipped up over this.

It stumbled me. When I sought to understand it, it was actually too painful for me. Why God allows the wicked to prosper? These men who are so corrupt. They're so blasphemous and yet they seem to have more than what they could ever Need or desire.

Why does God allow this? Here I am seeking to live a righteous life and it looks like I have problems every day that are almost Insurmountable and here is this wicked neighbor of mine and he has more than his heart could wish.

Why is it That God allows those in Hollywood to prosper Who are polluting the minds of people throughout the world? How is it that they seem to be so happy when they are so treacherous? How is it that they can live in palatial mansions?

They can drive around in limos and people worship them wherever they go and yet They are guilty of corrupting our whole world. When we see the wicked prospering it's hard for us to rationalize it in our own minds.

Some times God allows his wonderful saints To just barely eek by a living living almost from hand to mouth well Prosperous wicked people spend millions of dollars for in Purchasing some stupid picture that you can't even understand when you look at it and It doesn't seem right.

It doesn't seem equitable and that was Jeremiah's problem. Lord I know you're right, but I've got a problem. I Have a problem Understanding why you would allow this why you would allow the wicked to prosper.

Eternal Perspective on Suffering and Judgment

Jesus told the story of a certain rich man Who fared sumptuously every day and of a poor man a beggar named Lazarus? Who was at his gate daily? Surviving on the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table and the poor man died and Was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.

The rich man also died but in hell he saw Abraham and Lazarus being comforted there in Abraham's bosom and Begged Abraham to send Lazarus to him to bring some water to him that he might be comforted in the heat the wicked the righteous.

It doesn't always pan out during our life cycle here on earth. But the answer finds when we see things from the eternal perspective. This particular psalmist that wrote Psalm 73 He said when I sought to know these things it was too painful for me until I went Into the sanctuary of God and then I saw their end.

I saw the end result of a life of wickedness and I saw the end result of a life that is lived serving God and Therein lies the answer in Eternity. We who have lived for Jesus Christ Have a hope of an eternal future of glory and bliss forever and ever and ever and ever.

Those who live wicked lives are Going to face the judgment of God and forever and ever and ever be separated from God's love and from God's kingdom. Paul the Apostle who had suffered so many things in his proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Threats on his life attempts to take his life. Riots created at men actually conspiring and taking oaths that they wouldn't eat until they had killed him. Paul said for I reckon That the sufferings of this present time are Not worthy to be compared with the glory that's going to be revealed.

Lay them in the balance the present suffering against the eternal glory That will be revealed again to the Corinthians. Paul said for our light affliction Which is but for a moment Works for us a far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory.

Well, we don't look at the things which are seen because they are temporal but the things which are not seen Because they are eternal. But the things Which we look at we realize They're not gonna last.

It's the eternal things and I'm living for the eternal for we know that when this Earthly tabernacle or this body is dissolved And we recognize that that's going to happen one of these days this earthly body will have served its purpose and Our spirit will move from this earthly body and our body at that point will dissolve.

But when this body returns to dust I have a new body a building of God Not made with hands Eternal in the heavens. So then we who are still living in these bodies Paul said often grown Earnestly desiring to move out of them not to be an unembodied spirit But to be clothed upon with the body which is from heaven for we know that as long as we're at home in these bodies We are absent from the Lord.

But we would choose rather that we might be absent from these bodies that we might be present with the Lord. The present sufferings which are but for a moment working eternal weight of glory. It's interesting to me That when Jeremiah brought his question to God The problem that he saw in the prosperity of the wicked and in the happiness of treacherous people that God Did not seek to explain to him the answers.

Humility Before God's Sovereign Wisdom

When I was a child in church, they used to sing a song. The lyrics went like this. We'll talk it over in the by and by. We'll talk it over my lord and I I'll ask the reasons. He'll tell me why when we talk it over in the by and by.

I Don't think that's so. I Don't think when we get to heaven we'll say Lord. I want to talk to you for a few minutes. Now do you remember back in? 2004 and you know these things why did you allow that to happen to me?

Listen I'm gonna be so overjoyed just being there. The toils of this world will seem nothing. When I stand in the presence of Jesus Christ enter into the eternal joys and glory of his presence in his Kingdom, I think that it is the height of audacity.

For me to try to tell God how he ought to run his universe. I Really have no right to even question God as Paul wrote in Romans 9 verse 20. Who are you to challenge God? Shall the thing that is formed say to him that formed it.

Why have you made me like this? God said to Job in Job 40 verse 2. Shall he that contends with the Almighty? Instruct him. How many times we contend with God and seek to correct God. Lord you should have done it like this don't you think this would have been a better way.

And I think of the audacity of here me. Mortal man trying to tell God how he ought to do things. Rather than answering the question of Jeremiah as to why the wicked prospered. The Lord asked Jeremiah a couple questions down in verse 5 the Lord said if you have run with the footmen and They have worried you.

How are you ever going to contend with the horses. Jeremiah you haven't seen anything yet. Yeah, you're complaining and yeah, it's not easy. But things are gonna get much worse. Jeremiah before they get better.

You've been running with the footmen. You're gonna have to contend with the horses. It's interesting how the the scriptures tell us in these last days that evil days are going to wax worse and worse. God doesn't promise us a bed of roses a life of ease a life of popularity with the world a Life of the world telling us what wonderful people we are.

But the world often like those men of anathos hate the message that we have to bring to them of God's displeasure with their wickedness. God said if in the land of peace. Wherein you have trusted you've been worried.

Then how will you ever get by when you are living in the wild areas of Jordan. Living in the land of peace. Surrounded in a the shelter of a walled city and yet you're worried. What's it gonna be when you're out in the open when you're exposed to the wild beast and all there along the Jordan River.

If you're barely hanging on now, what are you gonna do when it really gets bad? Back in the early 50s. I was pastoring a church in Tucson, Arizona. There was a elderly lady in the church her name was mrs. Owens.

Her husband worked for the Southern Pacific Railway. He was tough he was mean Henri. He never did attend church while I was there. But I did happen to have a chance to visit with him once in his home and He was gruff he was just tough and mean and as we were conversing and I don't know how the conversation came to this but He said well, they'll never put that mark on me, you know I'll die before I'll let them put a mark on me.

And so I knew that he had some kind of a background with the Bible. He knew a little bit about the mark of the beast and how they're gonna force people to take it and whoever takes it. There's no hope for their salvation.

So I recognized that he had heard something about it. He knew he had some kind of a background. But I thought to myself here you are you think you're so tough and so, you know gruff if you can't live for Christ now.

How in the world do you ever hope to die for him then? And I think today. You know, we are still surrounded in a fairly Friendly environment. When we come to church, we're in a totally friendly environment.

We come here and we worship the Lord together and there's that camaraderie that has developed between us as we Together are serving the Lord and we realize that we're all in this one body serving the Lord and it's a glorious Kind of a strengthening place and for many a sanctuary out in the world during the week.

It's a real Blessing to be able to come and to be surrounded by people who are Like-minded to us in our desire to live for God and to serve the Lord. But some people are having difficulty serving the Lord even in this Environment in which we are living today.

Endurance Through Commitment and Trust in Christ

The Lord is saying to Jeremiah how you ever gonna survive. Jeremiah when things really get tough unless Unless you put your complete faith and trust in me. And that's the secret. But this is where it gets hard for us.

It's hard for us to understand so many things of life where God just says trust me. Just trust me Jeremiah if you can't trust me. When you're running with a footman. How you ever gonna survive? When the battle really gets tough.

Some of you have been running with a footman and you've become weary but I think of what the future holds. The Bible likens the Christian life to a race and It gives us instructions on how we're to run this race.

First of all, it tells us to lay aside every weight and sin which doth so easily beset us. Get rid of all of the extraneous things of your life lay aside every weight and Run, it says with patience. The race that is set before us.

And then it tells us that we are to keep our eyes on the goal looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith and Then it tells us in another place. That though there are many who are running the race.

Only one receives the prize so run that you might obtain. In other words, it is telling you to put everything you have Into running the race run to win. Don't have the attitude. Well, I can just make it into heaven boy.

That's all I need and I'll be satisfied and happy if I just make it in by the skin of my teeth. Paul said oh, no, that's not the attitude with which you should run the race. You should run this race putting everything you have into it run to win.

The lessons that we can learn from this story here in Jeremiah is That serving the Lord is not a bed of roses. The world doesn't want to hear the message that God is going to judge them for their sin.

It actually hates that message. The world will seek to silence the messenger with threats or with actual persecution. We live in a world that's controlled by darkness. It's not really our permanent home.

We are aliens here. We're just passing through. So we don't look for our rewards here on earth. But we will receive the rewards when we get to heaven. Paul the Apostle said he prayed for the church in Ephesus.

That God's Holy Spirit might reveal unto them. What is the hope of their calling? The hope that God has given to us of being with him in heaven forever and ever. So We shouldn't be weary in well-doing in due season.

We will reap if we don't faint. Don't expect things to get better. Know that they're going to get worse Before the Lord comes for us and so be prepared to make that full commitment unto the Lord and Full trust in him.

And though you may not understand How God will allow certain things to transpire know that he is in control and that It will all eventually work out for good for those who have Committed their life to Jesus Christ.

Trusting God Through Unanswered Questions

Father we thank you for the hope that we have for the future. And we thank you Lord that though things transpire in our lives that we don't understand it only drives the roots of faith deeper as We know Lord that you are righteous and that what you do is Right, and so Lord may we just put our trust in you today we realize that there are people here Lord that are going through difficult situations and Today like Jeremiah They find themselves in a real quandary as they can't understand why certain things Have been allowed by you to transpire.

Reverses and painful things suffering and Lord they have questions. But we pray father that You will give to them that faith that trust. That they need To know that you are in control and that you're going to bring good out of this situation and Thus may they be sustained today Lord through this heavy trial.

Until you show the victory that you have through Jesus our Lord. Amen.