Looking at Psalm 73, we've begun
looking at this last week and the lament of the psalmist is
as he is seeing the prosperity of the wicked and this is causing
him great consternation. And this theme carries forward in this psalm as he recognizes the place that men
are by nature and the fact that the Lord does indeed cause the
wicked to prosper in some ways. And he says here, but then there
are disadvantages to them as well. I'm gonna begin reading
here in verse eight. He said, they are corrupt and
speak wickedly concerning oppression, they speak loftily. They set
their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through
the earth. And therefore as people return
hither and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they
say, how does God know and is there knowledge in the most high?
Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They
increase in riches. Verily, I have cleansed my heart
in vain and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long
have I been plagued and chastened every morning. If I say I will
speak thus, behold, I should offend against the generation
of thy children. When I thought to know this,
it was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of
God, then understood I their end." Now, he's speaking of course that
the wicked men in this world, they don't have any consideration
of the goodness of God. Most men think that they've gotten
where they are in the world because of their ability, their devotion,
their stick-to-itiveness, you know, they've picked themselves
up by the bootstraps and all these different things. I mean,
you know, men write books about how you can achieve the same
success they did by doing these things and all of that, and there's
a certain measure of wisdom of the world in all of those things. But the thing that is detrimental
about all of that is that it causes a person to take their
eye off of that which is true. And, you know, we certainly would
not ever seek to tell men to be lazy or to be indolent or
not to be industrious or not to go about things in a, you
know, straightforward fashion with gusto and all of that. I
mean, all that's great. But a man can do all of those
things and miss the mark. because we must never lose sight
of the fact from whom all of our blessings come. And if a
man's not lazy, it's not because he decided not to be lazy. It's
because the Lord called him not to be lazy, because every man
by nature is lazy. Men don't like to think about
that, and they like to say, oh, well, not me, I'm not that way.
But all men, love leisure and pleasure more than they love
effort. And I mean that's just true.
You shouldn't even spend any time saying that because it's
just an obvious fact that that's the way men are by nature. And
so unless the Lord comes in His mercy and causes us to be industrious,
We will not be an industrious people. But you cannot assure
your success in this world by being industrious. Because unless
the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain to build it. And
that's the thing that men of the world don't see. They can
see all of the other things. They can see the ingredients
that it takes to be successful insofar as men count what success
is. Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than their heart
could wish. He said their pride compasses
them. as a chain, violence covers them
as a garment. In other words, they're really
getting in, they get into that. They know what it takes to be
successful, but they speak wickedly. They speak loftily. They set
their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through
the earth. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that they lift
their hand in defiance against God, it's just that they believe
God has His place. You know, they say, well, you
need to, it's all right to believe in God, but you don't need to
be so heavenly minded that you're not any earthly good. You've
all heard that little gem of wisdom. You know, and that's
exactly opposite to the truth, because it's impossible for a
man to be too heavenly minded That is, to be concerned more
with heavenly things than those things which are of the earth.
I mean, the Lord rebuked Martha, did He not? When she said, Lord,
you know, here I am doing all this stuff which was needful
things. I mean, it was things that should
be done, no doubt. What she was doing was a good
thing, but it wasn't the best thing. And so, The Lord said,
Martha, you are troubled about many things. He didn't say they're
wrong. He said, but you're concerned
about these things, but he said, Mary hath chosen the better part. So it is better to be heavenly
minded and of little earthly good than to be vice versa. So
that gem of wisdom sounds good to men. You know, because men
are concerned about the things of this world. But the Lord said
that we are not of this world, did He not? He said He didn't
take us out of the world, but we are not of the world. He said,
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
Because if any man loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. They set their mouth against
the heavens in that fashion, and their tongue walketh through
the earth. That is, their conversation is
of the things of the earth. That is the place of their conversation. They don't mind you having a
little bit of religion. That's okay, you know, you go
down there on Sunday, and you have you a little bit of religion,
but don't let that disrupt things. I mean, you know, religion shouldn't
disrupt commerce. You know, that's the most important
thing, isn't it? I mean, you know, to keep business
going, that's the most important thing. Now, whether you, you
know, this is a small thing, and I'm not an advocate per se
of keeping days and seasons, but there are certain businesses
that stand true to their, these principles against the course
of the world. I think of the company Chick-fil-A. And now, you know, whether you
go along with this or not, you have to respect at least the
concept that somebody would say, we're going to not run our business
on this day because we believe in obedience to the Lord that
we shouldn't do that. And the world says, well that's
foolish, just think how much more money you could make If
it was open on Sunday, I've even been hungry and driving down
the road on a Sunday and say, well, you know, I'll pull in
here to Chick-fil-A and I've been aggravated that they haven't
been open. Until I remember, well, wait a minute, you know.
So the world's wisdom is the world's wisdom and it is not
of any use in the Kingdom of God. And so men will never comprehend
that. They think that's foolish. They set their mouth against
him, their tongue walketh through the earth, they are of the earth,
and so that's where their realm of conversation is. Therefore
his people return hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung
out to them. Now he says in light of this,
he says, seeing the prosperity of the wicked, and seeing the
way of the wicked, He said the people of God, therefore His
people return here and the waters of a full cup are rung out to
them. These things do cause us to weep sometimes. When we look
at the prosperity of the wicked and we say, well why is it? that
the Lord is blessing these people. I mean, look at the wickedness
that they're setting forth. Why is that? The cup that is
we're made to weep, the waters of a full cup are wrung out to
us. And they say, how doth God know,
and is their knowledge in the Most High? Now, you know, reading
this Psalm, This is kind of confusing in
a way, but if you understand the context of the psalm, I think
it's pretty plain. What he's doing is, he said as
he began, his whole thought was he was weary at the prosperity
of the wicked. He started off, he said, but
as for me, my feet had almost gone, my steps had well nigh
slept, for I was envious at the foolish. He said, that's the
way I was. And so he's still expressing
this. This is still where he is. He says, you know, these
things cause God's people trouble. Don't say that it doesn't. Because
you know it does. I mean, when you see God's people
tried and troubled, and you find yourself in that same situation,
and then you look at somebody that just going along and ain't
got a trouble in the world. You know, everything is going
great. And they got more time for everything in the world than
they do in thinking on the things of God. And it's just the way
of man. That's the way we are, dear brethren.
We're troubled by these things. And they say, how does God know? Or, doesn't God know this? I mean, that's really what the
question is. I mean, we say, well, Lord, don't you see this?
Now, in reality, we know that He does, but it still doesn't
keep us from asking the question, does it? Lord, don't you know
that this is going on? Is there knowledge in the Most
High? Lord, have you closed up heaven? I mean, are you looking
down? Are you seeing the prosperity
of the wicked here? I mean, is that going on? Behold, these are the ungodly
who prosper in the world. Lord, don't you know it? Well,
we know that He does, but that's the way we think, isn't it not?
These are the ungodly who prosper. They increase. Lord, verily,
I have cleansed my heart in vain, washed my hands in innocency.
Now, I believe he's speaking a little bit in a kind of a self-righteous
way because all of us are self-righteous by nature, are we not? I mean,
do we not sometimes say, well, Lord, we've been out here serving
you? I mean, didn't Peter come to
the Lord and say, well, Lord, you know, what's going to be
to those like us Who served you? I mean, we've been with you from
the beginning. What's it going to be to us? And the Lord rebuked
him, and He gave him the parable of the vineyard, the workers
in the vineyard. What a blessing it is to be called
of God to work in His vineyard at sunrise and to labor in that
vineyard all day. But, by in the flesh, do we not
look sometimes at those that have come along, Johnny come
lately, and we think, well man, you know, we've been here faithfully
going along, here they come. They get all the glory. What
do we get out of it? See, that's the way of men. Fairly,
I've cleansed my heart in vain, washed my hands in innocence.
See, I've tried to say, you know, I'm innocent. I've tried to say
that these things are what it is. For all day long have I been
plagued and chastened every morning in spite of all of those things.
And if I say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend thus
against the generation of thy children. If I really came out
and said the things I was thinking in my heart, this would be an
offense unto the people of God. See, if we knew what each one
was thinking, we'd be amazed until we thought about the fact
that we're thinking the same thing. I mean, that's just the
way people are. What's done in secret is in secret. When I thought to know this,
it was too painful for me. I tried to think about it. I
tried to make sense of it. And if you can make sense out
of everything that goes on in the world without just coming
back and resolving that it's in the hand of the Lord to do
as He wills, then I applaud you. But I don't think you can. because
these things are too high for us. We can't understand. I don't
know why the Lord prospers the wicked. I don't know why it is.
Well, I do know why, in the overall sense. I mean, I do understand
that it is according to his purpose that this is so, but nonetheless,
it does cause us a consideration of trouble. And when I thought
to know this, it was too painful for me. The good that I would,
Paul says, I do not, and that which I would not, that I do.
It's too painful for us to think about that. I mean, that's just
the way that it is. But then listen, he says, it
was too painful for me until, now here's where he shifts gears.
See, he's been lamenting about that place of wondering why all
these things go on and not, and being in unrest in his soul about
it. But he said this, until I went
into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end. At that
point in time, he said, when I came into the presence of the
Lord, and the Lord was pleased to remind me who he was, as Brother
Al read that scripture this morning, and he said, but I am the Lord
thy God. Be ye holy. Now see, he wasn't
trying to get them to do something. He was giving them a decree.
He said, Be ye holy. You're holy because I'm holy.
I've set you apart. And so the psalmist says here,
I couldn't get this until I went into the sanctuary of God, that
is, into the presence of God, and then I understood Therein,
you see, when we look at these things in the light of the Word
of God, the promises of God, and we recognize and taste and
see the mercy of God poured out upon sinners, such as we are,
then we can understand. And then our breath is taken
away from us, and we say, You know, I should have known this
to start with, until I went into the sanctuary of God, and then
I understood their end. See, I understood why the Lord
prospered to wicked. Why was Pharaoh raised up? Now, you know, Pharaoh was a
cruel man, but he was raised up as the leader of Egypt, and
I don't know how many years he ruled over Egypt, But he was
raised up there to rule and he had these people in slavery and
he had no concern for them. He was a wicked man. And I'm
sure that a lot of those Jews, they said, Lord, why have you
prospered this man? Why is he ruling over us? But then the psalmist says, surely
thou did set them in slippery places. Slippery places. Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon
years ago that became to be a famous sermon, marking what many believe
to be the beginnings of what's called the Great Awakening. And
the title of the sermon was Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
And the text that he took was from Deuteronomy. It says, I
believe Deuteronomy. Anyway, the scripture is, their
foot shall slide in due time. And that's what the same thing
the psalmist says here. Thou hast set their feet in slippery
places. Now they think they're standing
pretty strong. You know, like a lot of these
politicians on both sides of the aisle, they think, buddy,
we're strong and all that, but I'm telling you, their feet are
set in slippery places. And their foot shall slide in
due time, because when it pleases the Lord, He will put them down,
even as He did with Pharaoh. Why did the Lord prosper Pharaoh? He tells us very clearly in the
Word. He said, For this same cause
have I raised up Pharaoh, that I might show my judgment in the
earth, that I might magnify my name, that I might set forth
my people, that the earth may know that I am the Lord and I
have a people that are set apart unto me. Yes, their Lord has
a purpose for the wicked. Surely thou didst set them in
slippery places. Thou castest them down into destruction. Now, you want to make some folks
mad, you start preaching on that for a while. That the Lord has
created some people unto destruction. But the Scripture plainly says
that they are ordained unto this end. Now, that'll take a man's breath
away pretty quick. It'll make him mad. What do you
mean? What are you saying? I'm saying
that the Lord our God is one God, that He will do according
to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth. And if He creates one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor, it's because it pleased Him.
He didn't say He did it because it pleased me or you or anybody
else, but He said it's because it pleased Him. They'll cast
them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation
as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors? as a dream when one awaketh.
So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. The Lord, he shall awake from
what we feel like sometimes is that he's sleeping. Remember
the disciples, whenever he was sleeping in the bow of the boat,
and they said, Lord, we're about to be destroyed. You better wake
up. They weren't about to be destroyed.
He said, what are y'all worried about? Listen, the boat can't
sink when the Lord's in it. I mean, God's people can't be
destroyed when the Lord's in their presence. Now, we do desire
for Him to awake, but as a dream, when one awakens, so Lord, when
Thou awakest, Thou shalt despise their image. The purpose of God
shall be done, and He will destroy the wicked. Thus my heart was
grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and
ignorant I was as a beast before thee." When I thought on these
things, when I thought of the fact that these whom I have lamented
their prosperity, I should have pitied. We should pity. those whom we
sometimes are envious of because if a man is not in Jesus Christ
by the grace and mercy of God, his plight is to be lamented. I mean, we should pity him because
it is the mercy of God, dear brethren, that causes any man
to know him. to love His way. You know, it
causes us to tremble when we think of it. As we take this
bread and wine this morning and remember that but for the grace
of God we'd have no interest in it. We'd not be here. We'd be pursuing all sorts of
other things that would be much more important to us. But because
of His grace and His mercy and His kindness revealed towards
us, He has given us this to remember Him and we delight therein. Why is that? Because of His mercy
and kindness to us. And so when there are some who
have no regard to it, do we grow angry at them? We shouldn't. Except for the grace of God,
there go I. And that's what he said here. I was grieved, I was
pricked in my heart that I thought ill towards those whom the Lord
prospered. You know, we should be glad that
the Lord prospers men, because you see, the prosperity of the
wicked is all they've got in the present time. I mean, that's
the end, brother, for them. I mean, when They've laid down
their last breath. It doesn't make any difference
if they had all the money in the world. If they're without Christ, they
have nothing in God's people. Though they be born barely in
the world, if they have Christ, they have everything. And so
he says, I was pricked in my reign. So foolish was I and ignorant.
I was as a beast. How stupid. Nevertheless, I am
continually with thee. Thou shalt hold me by my right
hand. See, that's the blessedness of
the hope that's in Christ. Thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. So why would I be
concerned about the prosperity, the wicked, or the things that
happen in the world that I don't understand? You know, a lot of
people, they want to sit around and try to figure everything
out. Well, you can't figure it out, number one. But you can
rejoice in the mercy of God if He's given you an eye to see
Christ as the Savior of sinners. He shall guide us and afterward
receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. See,
that's the place for the people of God. I mean, men don't have
anything in this world for us. I mean, what does the world have
to offer to us? My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God's the strength of my heart and my portion forever. He is that one who holds us up. And you know, the older we get,
the more we understand the reality of that. My flesh and my heart
faileth. I can't think on the things of
God apart from the mercy of God that caused me to do so. And
my flesh is failing. It's getting weaker every day. But God is the strength of my
heart, my portion forever. For lo, they that are far from
thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed all them
that go a-whoring from thee. Those that have no regard unto
the Lord, those that have no delight in the things of God,
they shall perish. But it is good for me to draw
near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord
God, that I may declare all thy works. Faith is the gift of God. And if a man can say, I have
trust in the Lord, it's because God has favored him. A man doesn't believe in order
to get the favor of God. a man that believes demonstrates
that he has the favor of God. I mean, that's the big difference,
you see, between what the world considers faith to be and what
the scriptures reveal it to be. A lot of people think that men
believe in order to get something from God. But dear brethren,
if a man believes, it's because he's already received something
from God. Faith is the gift of God, not
of words, lest any man should boast. And so when we say we
trust in the Lord, we're not touting some activity that we
have performed, but we are rejoicing that we, who by nature are the
enemies of God, have been brought by His mercy and kindness to
confess that He is our Lord and our Master. And that's what we
do when we come to this table this morning. And remember the
Lord's death till he comes again. We don't just do it to be doing
it. You know, it's just not just
a religious observance, but because it is a thing that we desire
to be a part of. We want to be found in the blood
and the righteousness of Christ.