Text: Psalm 73:1-28
Intro:
    A. Some of the greatest saints had struggles (times of doubt) with God
        1. They had a hard time understanding what God was doing in their life (Job)
        2. This Psalm is about Asaph’s struggles with God
            a. Why do good things happen to bad people
            b. Why do bad things happen to good people
    B. This Psalm is a testimony of the battle fought in the human soul
        1. It reveals a man’s struggle to keep his faith in God
        2. It is a struggle that brings him to the edge of despair
            a. The problem: how does a righteous God allow the wicked to prosper, and the godly to suffer
I. The biblical principle that causes the problem – v. 1
    A. Asaph believed that God was good to Israel to such as are of a clean heart.
        1. All true righteousness has its seat in the heart (Ps 51:10). Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
            within me.
        2. Israel’s history is a record of God’s goodness
            a. God is the "real" friend of the righteous.
            b. He has not forgotten them.
            c. He does not abandon them.
            d. He is not indifferent to them. He is not the friend of wicked people;
        3. Asaph was a faithful Jew, obedient to the Law; he had a pure heart and clean hands – 13
            a. But, he was not enjoying the goodness of God in his life.
            b. His godless neighbors were in better shape than he was.
            c. Asaph was so troubled, and so doubtful, that he had almost lost confidence in God as a wise and just moral
                governor. "[My feet were almost gone]
            d. This refers to his state of mind in regard to his faith in God, he was like a man standing in a slippery place, and
                scarcely able to remain upright.
II. He looked around – 2-12
    A. He became envious of their prosperity – Psalms 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the
        wicked.
    B. What a pitiful thing; an heir of heaven that is envious of the wicked
        1. They die well – 4 For there are no bands in their death; but their strength is firm.
            a. They have enjoyed this world, and a sinful life seems now to be followed by a peaceful death.
        2. They don’t suffer like other men – 5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men
            a. This is a one-sided view; for no one goes untouched by sorrow
        3. He saw their behavior – 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
            a. Pride and violence
            b. They seemed to go unpunished
        4. He saw their success - 7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
        5. He noticed their wicked speech – 8-11
        6. Asaph began to equate wickedness with success – Psalms 73:12  Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the
            world; they increase in riches.
    C. Notice the effect this had on him when he began to look within himself  – 13-16  (never compare your self with others)
        1. His first thought was that he had made a big mistake in trusting God and living right – 13 Verily I have cleansed my
            heart in vain, and washed my hands in inocency.
            a. Asaph questioned the value of holiness – 13 these were the real feelings of Asaph
            b. He was being honest with himself and God.
            c. He could have pretended that he was "living victoriously" (hypocrite)
            d. Men and women of the Bible had the same struggles in life that we do
            e. His life experience was that there is no advantage to living right – 14 For all the day have I been plagued, and
                chastened every morning.
        2. He was looking at things through the eyes of the flesh, and not God’s eyes
        3. Asaph was at a critical crossroads in his life
            a. He declared his theology: God is good
            b. He looked around and became envious of the wicked
            c. His theology did not seem to square with the hard facts of life
            d. Then he looked within, and found turmoil and a growing feeling of having made a mistake
    D. Then he went into the sanctuary of God and understood their end. Verse 17
        1. Nothing can ever take the place of personal fellowship with God
        2. Whatever we see in the marketplace of life, we must evaluate it at the throne of God
            a. When we walk by sight, we see the price tags of life.
            b. When we walk by faith, we find the true value and wealth of life
        3. Asaph’s visit with God helped him to see the truth about the prosperity of the wicked – 18-20
            a. He saw the future judgment of the wicked
            b. The important thing about life is not where we are, but where we are going Mark 8:36-37 For what shall it profit a
                man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? ~ Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
        4. Asaph’s visit with God helped him to put things in their proper perspective Psalms 73:21-22 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.
            a. He realized that he had been thinking and acting wrong
            b. When we walk by sight, and not by faith we start thinking like the people of the world
            c. We begin to use a different set of standards for measuring life
            d. Walking by sight minimizes the eternal, and emphasizes the here and now
            e. Asaph was not guilty of some gross sin just wrong thinking.
            f. Wrong thinking can lead to wrong living, (2 Cor. 10:4-5; Prov 23:7).
    E. Asaph’s faith was renewed – 23-28
        1. He had confidence for the present – 23 [I am continually with thee]
        2. He gained a true understanding of the past – 23 [thou hast holden me by my right hand [God is good]
        3. He gained assurance for the future – 24-26
            a. Guidance from God, and a hope of being in heaven – 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward
                receive me to glory
            b. He had God – 25-26 (the greatest wealth) Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I
                desire beside thee. ~ My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.
    F. The unsaved may have health, wealth, and success; but they don’t have God
    G. If you don’t have God, you don’t have anything
        1. Asaph realizes who has real wealth (compare v7 with v25-26)
    H. He understands that the wicked have nothing of eternal value – 27  For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou
        hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
        1. To be without God means death and destruction
        2. The worldly crowd may seem to have an easier time on the road of life, but they are heading in the wrong direction
            a. Asaph’s started out with slippery feet, but ends by standing firm in the faith Psalms 73:28 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.
            b. At first he thought he might have made a mistake, but now he affirms it is good to draw near to God
Conclusion: Lessons learned.
    A. Walk by faith, not by sight
    B. God’s Word is true no matter what our circumstance
    C. We need to spend time with God to keep things in their proper perspective.