The health and wealth of the ungodly

The health and wealth of the ungodly

Psalm 73

It is clear in life that the ungodly are often prosperous (verses 3 and 7), healthy and often don't have too many troubles (verses 4 and 5). To human reason this seems wrong for God to allow, especially seeing the ungodly may do well outwardly all their lives. It results also in the ungodly being proud and imagining they don't need God.

It's a situation that believers in Christ often find difficult to come to terms with. The psalmist certainly found the health and wealth of the ungodly in comparison to often the sickness and little the people of God had, very painful and upsetting (verses 2, 10, 14). Believers if not careful can be envious of the health and wealth of the ungodly, and begin to doubt the value of being right with God through faith in Christ Jesus. They find it disturbing when the godly die young while those rebelling against God live a long healthy and wealthy life.

The psalmist realises how foolish he was to feel this way (verse 22 ) when he sees how God feels about the ungodly (verse 20b) and their separation from God (verse 27a) and the terrible eternal future they face (verses 18, 19, 27). He realises unlike the ungodly, God is with, supporting and guiding him (verses 23 and 24a). He sees wealth doesn't satisfy a soul but God (verses 25 and 26). He also knows unlike the awful eternal future of the ungodly, he will have a glorious eternal future (verse 24b).

Knowing how wrong he had been in his thinking, the psalmist now knows that the best thing a person can do in their lives, is to draw near to God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.