Psalm 73

"Psalm 73"

The Psalmist, either David or Asaph, speaks to us about a great temptation he faced to be envious of the prosperity of
the wicked. Though he knew that God was good, he still found himself full of jealousy toward wicked people in the
world. How is it that God sees fit to bless the people who curse him? Are we any better off, as God's people, than the
people of the world? Surely this is a common temptation for Christians today, just as it was several thousand years ago.
The Psalmist escaped this trap of envy and jealousy to find that God is indeed good to His people, indeed better to His
people than the people of the world. May we find comfort in this great truth is the aim of tonight's service.

I. The Goodness of God, the overriding principle. (v.1)

" Notice the Surety of the Statement
" Truly God is good to Israel - he is convinced, there is no doubt

" Notice the object of God's Goodness
" To Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart - to God's people, Israel or His church, those who have had their hearts
purified by Jesus' blood

II. The Temptation, to have jealousy toward the wicked of the world for their prosperity (v.2-14)

" The Psalmist Identifies the Problem (v.2-3)
" Even though he understood that God was good to Israel, he still was stricken by this great temptation (v.2)
" The problem was that he was jealous of the foolish, or the proud, when he saw how the wicked man prospered.

Sometimes we wonder why people who mock God are able to live so well. It is a
natural tendency to expect all proud people to fall into immediate condemnation. This
does not fit with reality, however. Sometimes God has Common Grace on wicked men
for reasons to difficult for us to understand.

" The Psalmist Specifies the Problem Regarding the Wicked's Prosperity(v.4-12)
" They do not seemingly have the trouble that most men do (v.4-5)
" They seem to have more of this world's goods than most men (v.6-7, 12)
" Their great abundance drives them to be proud boasters against God (v.9-12)

" The Psalmist Specifies the Problem Regarding His Own Poor State (v.13-14)
" The People of God are in affliction when they see the ungodly (v.10)
" The Psalmist felt that he had he had been walking uprightly in vain (v.13)
" The Psalmist, as well as other godly people, had suffered affliction and chastening at the hand of God (v.14)

III. Escaping the Temptation and Obtaining Victory (v.15-20)

" The Psalmist's claim that his religion was in vain was a false concept, and he kept from proclaiming it to the advantage
of future generations (v.15)

" The perplexity of these thoughts was too much for the psalmist to bear (v.16)

" The Psalmist escaped the temptation he was faced with by considering the logical end to the wicked's life (v.17-20)
" All is well that ends well, but nothing is well that ends ill.
" The Righteous may be afflicted now, but their end is sweet; The wicked may enjoy life now, but their end is bitter.
" The wicked are in slippery places, to be cast down in a moment
" The Lord despises their image, and will destroy them when he "awakes"

IV. The Psalmist is Bettered By Overcoming Temptation (v.21-28)

" The Psalmist was convicted of his sin, which brings him to the realization of the goodness of God (v.21-22)

" The Psalmist was drawn to trust in the leadership of God (v.23-24)

" The Psalmist is revealed the sufficiency of God and His strength (v.25-26)

" The Psalmist concludes that it is far better to be in the graces of God, than to be prosperous and wicked (v.27-28)

Every one of us are tempted to look at the grass on the other side of the fence with awe. It is human nature to desire
something else than what we have sitting before us. We must guard our hearts toward this temptation to desire the
bread of iniquity rather than the Holy Manna provided by our God. It is better to be poor and holy than to be rich and
wicked. Sometimes we lose sight of this until we consider the end of the wicked, and how close they are to ruin. Truly
God is good to His people, to those who are of a clean heart.