Psalm 73

What's Happening?

The psalmist Asaph believes God is good (Psalm 73:1). But he doesn’t understand why God tolerates evil and arrogant people. The corrupt not only avoid punishment for their evil, they often flourish and live long lives because of their evil (Psalm 73:4–5). And since God has not punished them yet, they assume he never will. Emboldened, the wicked grow increasingly violent and callous (Psalm 73:6-7). They even claim they have fooled God (Psalm 73:11). For Asaph, it’s difficult to believe God is good if evil is never judged. 

Worse, God’s tolerance of evil makes the moral code Asaph has lived by seem pointless (Psalm 73:13). He is frequently punished for taking the moral high ground (Psalm 73:14). Every day contains new persecutions and fresh suffering (Psalm 73:14). The question these facts raise seems unanswerable (Psalm 73:16). If God lets moral people suffer while he tolerates evil, how is he good?

But then, Asaph takes his question into the temple of God and he sees the answer (Psalm 73:17). On the altar an animal has been slaughtered and its blood has pooled on the floor. It’s a symbol that no one gets off the hook. No one fools God (Psalm 73:18-19). What looks like success and affluence now, will be nothing more than a dream that is quickly forgotten upon waking (Psalm 73:20). Evil humans have not fooled God. God has kept a meticulous record of their pride and violence. Their bill will become due. 

Asaph realizes his questions are short-sighted (Psalm 73:21-22). Asaph neglected to acknowledge that God was with him in his suffering (Psalm 73:23). God was even guiding him to a life of wealth, power, and glory (Psalm 73:24). Asaph’s question betrayed that he had forgotten God was with him (Psalm 73:26, 28). But since God is with him, he now knows there is nothing the proud, evil, and corrupt can ultimately do to harm him.

Where is the Gospel?

When Asaph entered the temple he learned his questions about God’s goodness did not account for the facts that God will punish evil soon and God is with his people. We learn these same facts in the life of Jesus. 

Like the dead animal Asaph saw in the temple, Jesus’ bloodied body on the cross is a symbol that no one gets off the hook and no one fools God. But Jesus wasn’t overpowered by evil and pride. Jesus wanted to become a sacrifice (John 10:18). Jesus willingly embodied the consequences of human evil and pride, so that we can know that human evil and pride are always and inevitably judged. God is good because Jesus willingly died to prove that the bill for evil always comes due. 

And in Jesus, God is present with his people in a way Asaph never imagined. God suffers like us and with us. But Jesus’ resurrection also demonstrates that he has the power to guide his suffering people into a life of eternal wealth, power, and glory beyond our imagining. God is not indifferent to the suffering of good people. Instead, he enters into it so that he can raise us out of the hands of the proud, evil, and violent. There’s always more to be said about the problem of evil. But for now, remember that we have been given something better than satisfied curiosity. We have been given God himself.

See For Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who is with his people. And may you see Jesus as the one who enters our suffering and announces the end of evil.