“Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[b] of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (v1-5,10,12-14,16-19,21-23,26-28)
I struggled with removing any verses from this Psalm as I was quoting it – it is so well written that very few verses could be omitted without losing the entire flavor and theme. Asaph, the author has really nailed the one of the laments of my heart – why do good and righteous people suffer in this life, when those who don’t follow God are often prosperous and unscathed? It hardly seems fair, and it’s genuinely not fair. That’s why we have cliche saying like “life’s not fair” or “stuff* happens” (*some people use a potty word here).
We’re not alone in asking this question, other biblical figures share the lament. “Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jer 12:1) “Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.” (Job 21:7-9,13) “O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.” (Psa 94:3-5)
Since we are created in God’s image, we have a sense of justice within us, and a desire to see evil vanquished. The closer we grow to God, the greater our righteous anger toward those who defy Him (ie. Satan, and those who have been steered awry by him).
What does scripture say about this completely unfair imbalance in the prosperity of those who choose evil over righteousness? Let’s look at Psalm 37, in which David analyzes and responds to this very question. We could spend all day studying this Psalm, but I’ll try to summarize with some key points.
1. Do not worry about the wicked – “Fret not… be not envious of wrongdoers! Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way… it tends only to evil.” (37:1,7-8 abr) David instructs us not to worry, don’t get worked up over it, it’s not our concern.”
2. As Jeremiah, Asaph and Job have done, David too describes the wicked (37:12,14,21,32). We can rest assured that God is not fooled by these people, He sees what they are doing.
3. The character of the righteous is described in contrast to the wicked: “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.” (37:30-31; see also v23,28; 37:21,26;)
4. David then describes the just reward for wickedness: “I have seen a wicked, ruthless man… But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. …transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.” (37:35-36,38 abr; see also v16-20,27; 37:2,9-10,13,20,28)
5. David also describes the reward for righteousness: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. …But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” (37:4,11; see also v23-24; 37:6,9,18-19,22,28-29,34,39)
6. David reminds us that any blessings and rewards we receive are not in response to anything we have done, but because God loves us faithfully and extends grace to us: “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” (37:39-40; see also v1,23-26; 37:17-18,23-25,28,33)
7. Finally, the practical instructions on how we need to behave in order to reconcile this question of the imbalance of evil and good: “Trust in the Lord, and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” (37:3-7 abr; see also v16-18,21-23,28; 37:8,27,34,37)
You may be thinking: “I’m sorry, how does that answer the question?” Well, honestly, it doesn’t. “Okay, I’m confused. I thought we were going to learn why evil prospers and righteous people are allowed to suffer?”. Well, we did learn that, in a roundabout way. “Please explain,” you may may request.
Okay, here’s my best understanding: God allows people to suffer so we draw closer to Him – our two greatest commandments are to love the Lord our God, and love our neighbors. We do that simply through submission and obedience to His will. Since scripture is clear we are to adopt a “do not worry” attitude about how evil is allowed to (temporarily) prosper in this world while the righteous suffer, and we are to leave that in God’s hands, who are we to question God’s command of surrendering that to Him? Does that mean we understand God’s sovereign will in this area? Not necessarily (Isa 55:8-9). Does that mean we have to agree with it? Well, if we love Him, we will trust Him, which means we can agree to that which we do not necessarily understand (eg. I don’t understand why some people choose to enjoy R.A.P. “music” – it drives me crazy – but it doesn’t mean I don’t love or trust them because they choose that genre [it just means I don’t let them choose the radio station :)]).
I’m sure these thoughts seem over-simplified and you may have more questions than answers at this point – it’s okay to still be unclear, David, Jeremiah and Job had a ton of questions too. But one thing that did not change for them, was their total and unwavering trust in God – understanding was not required in order for their trust in God to anchor them. Are we willing to sacrifice understanding so trust and obedience to God may prevail? Only you can answer that question for yourself – the rest of the people (both righteous and wicked) are in God’s hands.
Father God, we confess that many things in this world are beyond our understanding, and even more things are outside our control. Please help us to simply trust and love you – in doing so please teach us to release everything that you have not called us to bear into Your loving hands. May we learn to release our self-imposed burdens, and choose the light burden that You offer – to simply trust and obey, and leave everything else to You. As simple as that sounds, it’s incredibly difficult to live out, and will take us a lifetime to attempt perfecting it – and that’s okay, Your steadfast love and patience will guide us on that journey. Praise be to You Father, who loves His children so much You’ll tolerate our complaints and respond with nothing but love and grace. May we learn to only lean on You, and not on our own understanding – we fully surrender to You.
~ Conqueror in Training