Psalms 73:3–9

For I was envious at the arrogant (fools), seeing the peace of wicked (men). For there are no pangs in their death, and their strength is firm... Therefore has pride enchained them, a garment of violence covers them.

What was the snare? He describes it. It was the prosperity of the wicked, and their unabashed arrogance. Things it seems were flourishing with them, having more than heart could wish (3-9). All of that had a terrible effect on others. It drew people aside into a seemingly easier path — people who should have resisted the temptation.

Though he was a believer in the goodness of God, he was envious of those who could boast of wealth and prominence. This is a very real test for everyone. What is the motive behind this envy? It is plain, obvious selfishness! How much better to weigh this matter from God's viewpoint rather than our own.

Alas, it is this envy that lies at the bottom of the fretting. We are under trial, and the worker of iniquity seems to be having such an easy time. We cannot bear it! We are like a child in a nursery who pouts and frets because the other child has an apple a size larger than the one given to it — and the owner of the big apple was the naughty child of the nursery! Oh, what mischief envy can work in the heart of a saint! And what misery too it can produce, and what sin!

We see the ungodly having their way, so that God seems to have forgotten, and the heart is envious. But too often it shows that our heart still wants its portion here — at least a portion here as well as one to come. Sorrow at the power of evil in the world is right. But in our minds it mixes with a liking for our own way and our own judgment in setting that evil aside. When our own will mixes into the sense of evil's success, we grow irritated or discouraged. Then we give up persevering in good.

It is no great surprise that in a world without God the ungodly prosper. The surprise is that godly people are so often upset when they see it. There was some excuse for Asaph, for he lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed... We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed. As Christians we have been plainly told that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

There is also the solemn reminder: if we go without the discipline that all sons share, then we are illegitimate children and not sons... Asaph did not understand this, and so he says, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked... They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind." But of himself he says, "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning."

The fact that God dealt with those people shows that they were His saints. God doesn't deal with the world in that way. That is the great thing in Psalm 73.

Asaph stepped away from the world and its confusing circumstances so that he might get in touch with God. Looking around, he nearly stumbled. It looked as if God were favouring the ungodly and punishing the righteous. But in the sanctuary he caught a glimpse of things that lie far outside this world, and his perplexities ended.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember this: it is a description of the wicked as seen by a believer who, for the moment, is out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, but it is not the full truth.

He was taken up with evil while out of touch with God. So he had a limited and twisted view of that evil. He saw how well the wicked were doing, and he saw the hardship of the godly. As a result he envied the lot of the wicked, he looked down on the lot of the godly, and he almost lost confidence in God.

Even in the death of the ungodly there seems to be no suffering like that of many others (v. 4). They seem to stay as firm in their rebellion against God as they have been all their life... Of course, this is not true of all the wicked. Some suffer great trouble because of their sins even on earth. But many keep God out of their lives and live in selfish pleasure with almost no trouble. Job spoke of this to his three friends (Job 21:7-17), and none of them could tell him why such men were left to live out their whole lives in selfish pleasure.

One man dies quietly surrounded by wealth, as the psalm says, "The wicked have no bands in their death." Another is cut off in misery. Both reach the same end in the grave. Since that is so, how wrong it is for his friends to lay down a fixed rule: that trouble in this life is always a sign of sin in the person who suffers it, and prosperity always a sign of righteousness.

If a wicked man seems to have peace at death, it is not from the knowledge of his happiness, but from the ignorance of his danger.

You who have neglected the gospel may well come to your deathbed with no word of warning from your conscience. For the wicked have "no bands in their death, but their strength is firm." Yes, you may come to your deathbed with no fear of dying, and still be without Christ and unsaved. Why? Because you have silenced your conscience so long that at last it gives you no warning cry. Then mourning friends dry their eyes and say, "He died like a lamb, died like a lamb!"

There is also the solemn reminder that if we are without the discipline all sons share, then we are illegitimate children and not sons... Asaph did not understand this truth, and so he says, "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."... His difficulty went away when he went into the sanctuary of God, and the Holy Spirit also answers and explains it in this scripture. (Heb. 12:8.)

There is nothing very surprising in the fact that in an ungodly world there should be worldly prosperity for the ungodly: it is rather surprising that the godly should so often be upset as they behold it. There was some excuse for Asaph, for he lived in a day when heavenly things were not clearly revealed... We live in a day when heavenly things are clearly revealed, and when we have been plainly told as Christians that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

Outside the sanctuary he looks at evil without God. Inside he sees everything, and everyone, with God. What a difference this makes! Outside, he had seen everything in relation to time. Inside, he sees everything in relation to eternity... Man is always short-sighted and can take only a short view. God, whose sight reaches far, sees the end from the beginning.

The psalmist goes on to describe the prosperity of the wicked. Apparently they are better off than the people of God. Death causes them "no pangs," and life has for them no plagues. They treat pride as an ornament, and everyone can see their violence, which they wear like a garment. Their eyes show their self-satisfaction and the gratification of every wish.

Their character is plainly wicked, yet so often they escape the troubles that afflict other people. Of course, this is not true of all the wicked. Some suffer great trouble because of their sins even on earth. But there are many who keep God out of their lives and live in selfish pleasure with almost no hardship. Job spoke of this to his three friends. Not one of them could tell him why such men were allowed to live out their whole lives in selfish pleasure.

We must remember, though, who is describing them. This is the wicked as seen by a believer who is, for the moment, out of communion with God. So all that he says is true, but it is not the full truth.

Still we often do exactly what Asaph did. We look around us, and seeing the prosperity of the wicked we become envious of them, and as a result our feet are almost gone, our steps have nearly slipped. In this we disobey the instructions of Psalm 37. We fret ourselves because of evildoers. We are envious of wrongdoers, and we end by fretting ourselves in such a way as "to do evil." Asaph could find no clue in this world to explain God's dealings, and neither can we.

There is also the solemn reminder about chastisement, which all sons share. If we are without it, then we are illegitimate children and not sons… God chastises His children. "To be without chastisement therefore," says the Spirit, "is a sign that you are illegitimate and not sons." Asaph did not understand this truth, and so he says, "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… They are not in trouble as others are." But of himself he says, "All the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning." His difficulty vanished when he went into the sanctuary of God.

It looked, indeed, as if the psalmist was the one in the slippery places. Had not his steps nearly slipped? The wicked, on the other hand, looked firmly settled on a rock. Did they not prosper in the world and increase in riches? In fact the godly soul was on the rock, though shaking; and the wicked were in slippery places, though prospering… Away from God, the prosperity of the wicked looked very real and lasting. In the sanctuary it was only an evil and passing dream.

They may not be in trouble like other people, and very possibly have no plagues in their death… till at last they "pass away" altogether, and are not. They reach their end in time. They may die rich, only to spend a poor eternity… Oh, the wisdom of knowing and enjoying the favour of God day by day! Oh, the wisdom of seeking, by grace, to walk in godliness and practical righteousness! Then, if we are persecuted for Christ's sake, or afflicted and tried by the good and unerring hand of God our Father, we may at least realise that we are "not forsaken."

Because God is patient in not bringing swift judgment on their ways, their pride only grows, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake God's patience for indifference, and violence is a major part of their life (v.6).

Yet this blessing did not bless them: it only confirmed them in their evil. They displayed pride as if it were an ornament on their necks, holding themselves erect with self-consciousness. Their violence sought no hiding place. It was like the clothing they wore, visible to everyone.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember who is drawing it. This is the wicked as seen by a believer who, at that moment, was out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, it is true that the wicked are marked by "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression."

Their prosperity did not intoxicate only them. People from among the professing people of God went over to them and, encouraged by what they saw, gave themselves up to loose living. For, they argued, how can God know? How can the Most High have any knowledge? Are not these admittedly the "wicked," whom He condemns? and yet, see how they live at ease, and their wealth increases?

In the light of the sanctuary everything became clear to him. He saw that he could only judge the path of the godless rich, and the path of the plagued and downtrodden believers, rightly once the end of each came into view. A few moments before, he had almost fallen himself, because envy at the prosperity of the wicked had eaten him up. Now he exclaims, "How they are destroyed in a moment!"

The statements "They have corrupted themselves," "Destruction and misery are in their ways," "Violence covers them as a garment," are still true. But the question for us Christians is this: are these things absent from our walk when we deal with the world? If we are wronged or slandered, if we have personal grievances against others, what do we show? Is it a peaceful or a violent spirit?

In Scripture fat is always the symbol of a prosperous condition. But it can be the kind of earthly prosperity that leaves the soul in the opposite state. In his last prophetic song the lawgiver says: "Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation." The Psalmist's description of the wicked is connected with this.

Yet this blessing did not bless: it only confirmed them in their evil. They displayed pride, as if it were an ornament on their necks, held erect with self-consciousness. Their violence sought no concealment, but was like a garment on them, plain to everyone. Their insolent eyes stood out with fatness. They exceeded even their own imaginations of success.

Men corrupt themselves under His mercies. Feeding their hearts as in a day of slaughter, they store up treasure for the last days. The progress a man can make in worldly improvement and prosperity never fails to harden his heart against God. It is impossible to be rich in one's own esteem and rich toward God at the same time.

God is patient and does not bring swift judgment on their ways, so their pride only grows, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake His patience for indifference, and violence fills much of their life. "Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies." No doubt God allows this as a test. They never see it, so they fail the test completely.

But remember: this is a description of the wicked as seen by a believer who, for the moment, is out of communion with God. So everything he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression" do mark the wicked.

In a world that ignores God, it is no surprise that those who ignore Him prosper. The surprise is that godly people are so often upset as they watch it. Asaph had some excuse. He lived in a day when God had not yet made heavenly things clear, and when He did speak of blessing Israel, His people, in their basket and in their store. We live in a day when God has made heavenly things clear. He tells us plainly as Christians that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Asaph saw this too. He records it in Psalm 73:3-9, and in verses 16-17 he adds that it "seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end." He learned that God does not settle His accounts in this life. There is a future to consider.

They exceeded even their own imaginations of success. This put them beyond all bounds. They scoffed at the idea of anyone checking them, and poured out malicious thoughts in violent words, as if they were above all other men. "They set their mouth in heaven," so lofty are they. "Their tongue goes through the earth," as if they owned all of it. Yet this delusion only made their emptiness plain.

God is patient and does not bring swift judgment on their ways, so their pride only increases, like a necklace to adorn their stiff necks. They mistake God's patience for indifference. No doubt God allows this as a test. They do not realise it, so they fail the test completely. They scoff at the oppression of the poor instead of feeling that attitude to be wickedness (v. 8). They speak with contempt of those they consider lower than themselves. They even speak "against the heavens," as though they were superior to God (v. 9).

People often try to bend God's word to fit what they want, so that conscience will approve aims that are purely selfish. Human nature tries this at a certain stage of turning away from God. But this is not its final form. The goal of unbelief is atheism… A human will that accepts no restraint always goes together with a complete denial of God. This is how the Spirit of Christ views the character and conduct of the ungodly, who prosper in the world and increase in riches.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. But we must remember who is speaking. This is a description of the wicked as seen by a saint who is, for the moment, out of communion with God. So all he says is true, yet it is not the full truth. Still, "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression" do mark the wicked. Not only do they persecute the godly, but they are blasphemers who "set their mouth against the heavens."

Watching evil go unpunished makes a believer fretful, unless his soul rests on God day by day. That feeling often produces a willingness to go along, more or less, with what his conscience still judges to be against God — and he does it for the sake of ease and personal advantage. So much evil makes love grow cold even in a saint, while his heart is filled with the evil rather than with Him who is above it.

Faith looks further on, and with Asaph says, "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end."

No doubt God allows their prosperity as a test, and they do not realize it, so they fail it completely. They speak with contempt of those they consider lower than themselves, and even "against the heavens," as though they were superior to God! (v. 9). "Their tongue walks through the earth," free to go where it pleases in mockery and self-will.

They exceeded even their own imaginations of success. This put them past all restraint. They laughed at the thought of being held back in the malicious thoughts they poured out in violent words, as if they stood above all other men. "They set their mouth in heaven," so lofty are they; "and their tongue goes through the earth," as if they owned it all. Yet this delusion only showed how empty they were.

In verses 4 to 12 he draws a solemn picture of the wicked. We must, however, remember this is a description of the wicked as seen by a saint when, for the moment, out of communion with God; so that, while all that he says is true, it is not the full truth. Still it is true that the wicked are characterized by "pride" and "violence," "corruption" and "oppression." Not only do they persecute the godly, but they are blasphemers who "set their mouth against the heavens." They say God takes no notice of what men do, and that there is no knowledge in the Most High — and yet they still prosper and increase in riches.

A human will that allows itself no restraint always goes together with a complete denial of God. This is how the Spirit of Christ judges the character and conduct of the ungodly, who prosper in the world and increase in riches.

Proud and cruel Sennacherib, and his arrogant, blaspheming captain were of that generation spoken of in Ps. 76. "They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walks through the earth." Surrounded by such strong and ruthless enemies, God's people might well fear the outcome of so unequal a fight. But, in answer to Hezekiah's prayer, as also in reply to the enemy's taunts, God Himself intervened in power.

The godly man was perplexed at the prosperity of the wicked, and his feet almost slipped. In the sanctuary of God, where His mind was revealed, all became plain. As a dream when one awakes, so all their pretensions would disappear when once God awoke.