Do you look around and see wicked people doing fine … even prospering? Have you ever thought, “Why bother doing what is right?!” or “I’ve been good for nothing!” Those were the Psalmist’s thoughts. Psalm 73 has a powerful message for every believer who has ever struggled with those kinds of thoughts and feelings about wicked people.

And speaking of wicked people, we’ll read about a grandmother so evil she had her own grandchildren murdered. We’ll, also, consider the influence wives and mothers can have on their children, grandchildren, and the world around them … for good or for evil.

And read about the foolishness of judging when you only hear one side of the story and the danger we run of taking sides without knowing the facts.

Today’s Readings:

2 Kings 11-13
Psalm 73.1-9
Proverbs 18.16-17
John 19.23-42

When It Seems Wicked People Prosper

Psalm 73.1-28:

When We Envy the Proud & Wicked 

Have you ever felt like the psalmist in Psalm 73? Verses 1-3 in the New Living Translation say this:

Even though the Psalmist Asaph knew the truth, that God is good to His children, he got his eyes off God and His promises. Instead, he got into self-pity, thinking how much easier life was for those wicked people who were not following God.

Who among us has not asked, “Why bother doing what is right? Look at so and so, she isn’t even trying to live right and she has a great husband and a nice home!”

Or “He lies and climbs over everyone and continues to get promoted. It’s just not fair!”

I hope I’m not the only one who has ever thought something like that.

But let’s go on.

The Wrong Focus

As the psalm goes on, Asaph continued to focus on the challenges of serving God and the supposed ease of a life spent rejecting God.

The Danger of Bitterness & Self-Pity

Focus on Eternity

Back to Asaph’s words:

¹⁷ Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
    and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.

If all we focus on is the here and now, it may seem that wicked people, those living apart from God, can do whatever they want, prosper through ungodly means, live for ease and pleasure, and that somehow things always turn out well. But when we read God’s Word, we realize:

¹⁸ Truly, you put them on a slippery path
    and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
¹⁹ In an instant they are destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors.
²⁰ When you arise, O Lord,
    you will laugh at their silly ideas
    as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

Galatians 6.7-9 says it this way:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

God is not mocked. There are laws of sowing and reaping and God, who is patient and merciful, is also just. One day He will judge those who have never surrendered their lives to Him.

And even when ungodly people appear to have it all, appearances can be deceiving. If money and fame brought the happiness, peace, and joy the world thinks they do, Hollywood should be the happiest place on earth. Instead, many who have achieved their dreams, find them empty. They hop from one bed to another or turn to drugs, alcohol, and other dangerous behaviors, trying to find what eludes them. And as we have read many times, sometimes end their own lives in hopelessness.

Even When We Struggle & Fail

Verses 21-26:

The psalmist was convicted over his own sinful attitude (vv. 21-24), but also aware of God’s amazing grace. So, when we struggle with envy, bitterness, and self-pity, let’s pause, turn to God, meditate on His Word, and spend time with the people of God. But let’s, also, remember His mercy and grace.

Note: If you are following my regular one-year reading plan, you may have noticed this post included more than today’s reading. I wanted to comment on this powerful psalm in its entirety.

Today’s Other Readings:

2 Kings 11-13:

A Woman’s Influence

I talked a lot yesterday about God’s judgment on Ahab and Jezebel and the gruesome end of the woman whose name is still synonymous with wickedness. But like all sin, their evil choices, the example they set, and the idol worship they promoted didn’t stop with them. And it wasn’t limited to the Northern Kingdom where they reigned.

Their daughter, Athaliah, married Jehoshophat’s oldest son Jehoram. Jehoshophat was the king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Instead of serving God as his father did, Jehoram and his son Ahaziah were two of Judah’s most wicked kings. We can’t help but ponder the influence these two women, Jezebel and Athaliah, had on their husbands, their children, and their nations.

But we should also remember that we too have a profound influence on our families no matter what our circumstances. The question is what kind of influence will it be?

Sanctioning Evil

After her husband’s death, Athaliah became her son’s counselor (2 Chron. 22.3-4), leading him in the worship of Baal. After his death, she was anxious to grab power and see to it that Baal worship continued in Judah. So much so, that she was willing to kill her own grandchildren!

Athaliah didn’t just want Baal worship allowed, she wanted it sanctioned by the one in control, in this case, her. It seems she learned a lot from her mother.

That Attitude is Still Alive

As I listen to the news and hear the homosexual, gay-marriage, pro-abortion, and other anti-God proponents, it is easy to see that, like Athaliah, they are not happy to be allowed the freedom to make their own personal choices. They want the sanction of government and society, in general. They want their belief system to prevail throughout the nation and the world.

But God is faithful to His promises. He protected one-year-old Joash (Jehoash) from his grandmother. God then saw to it that he was anointed king at the age of seven fulfilling His promise that a descendant of David would rule.

Even though God may allow our nation to suffer the judgment that comes from turning away from Him, He will protect His own people and there will be a remnant who will take a stand for what is right in God’s eyes like the priests of Judah who protected and then declared Joash king.

Proverbs 18.16-17:

The Other Side of the Story

The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him (v. 17).

I always have to keep this in mind as a counselor, but it’s also an important principle for parents and others to remember. It’s especially important for parents of grown children.

For example, if our child comes to us complaining about his or her spouse, we must remember that we only hear one side of the story. No matter how much we love our child, we are not doing him or her any favors by automatically taking their side or just telling them what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear.

We need to remember there is another side to the story, but more importantly, we need to be on God’s side. That means encouraging our son or daughter to go to God and their spouse and to work through the problems biblically.

John 19.23-42:

Secret Followers

In John 19.38-39, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two well-respected men, risked their reputations and possibly their lives to claim the body of Jesus and see that it was handled respectfully. Although they may have been secretive about Jesus during His life, they took a stand in the end.

How many “secret followers” are there today? What might happen in our nation if we all stood up for Christ and His Word?

What about You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:

Are you a “secret follower” or do others know of your commitment to Christ?

How do you respond when friends or loved ones complain or gossip about others in their lives? Do you “pick up their offenses”? Do you join in the attack? Or do you encourage them to do what is biblically right?

Have you ever been tempted to get into self-pity because it seems like people who want nothing to do with God or just aren’t living right get away with murder? Have you been tempted to envy their prosperity? How do you need to respond in the future and what should you remember?

Finally, what kind of influence do you have on those around you? Are you seeking to have a godly influence? And how can you do that better?

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of godly friends, family feuds, spiritual ditches, and how to tell if our Christianity is just on the surface.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.