Missing The Boat

Psalm 73:1-6

A psalm of Asaph.

1Truly God is good to Israel,

to those whose hearts are pure.

2But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff!

My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

3For I envied the proud

when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

4They seem to live such a painless life;

their bodies are so healthy and strong.

5They aren’t troubled like other people

or plagued with problems like everyone else.

6They wear pride like a jeweled necklace,

and their clothing is woven of cruelty.

It’s not fair! Have you ever said this to God as you watch cheaters get ahead of you on the corporate ladder, immoral people gaining fame and fortune, or speeders in fancy cars zooming past you on the interstate? In those times we’ve all wondered, What’s wrong with this picture? That’s where Asaph finds himself in Psalm 73.

“Truly God is good to Israel,” he begins, but he seems to be mouthing these words. As we read on, we find that he’s not very passionate about God’s goodness. We see this in verse 2 as Asaph begins “But as for me . . .” Somehow the great promises of God don’t seem to apply to him. He sees proud and wicked people living high on the hog, while he struggles in his efforts to live a good, humble life.

We all want to believe that crime doesn’t pay, but sometimes it does, at least in the short run. But, as Asaph discovers later on, he is not looking at the big picture. Truly God is good to Israel and to those of us who have joined God’s family by faith. But he doesn’t always show us that goodness in physical or monetary terms. He gives us himself, and that’s an incomparable blessing that the proud and wicked are choosing not to receive.

How good is the God we adore,

Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!

His love is as great as his power

And knows neither measure nor end!

JOSEPH HART

Bible Networking

See Job 20:5 for an answer to Asaph’s predicament.

Notable Quotable

“Envy is a sickness that only faith can heal.”

MATTHEW A. CASTILLE