Why Do Wicked People Prosper?

In Psalm 73, Asaph expressed his struggles and doubts which are similar to those we find in the book of Job. Why do wicked people prosper and the righteous suffer? In the first verse (Psalm 73:1), the psalmist affirmed that “God is” so he was not an atheist or an agnostic, and he was certain that the God he worshiped was good.

Furthermore, he knew that the Lord had made a covenant with Israel that promised blessings if the people obeyed Him (Leviticus 26:1-13; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Deuteronomy 30:1-20).

But it was these foundational beliefs that created the problem for him because he observed that the unbelievers don’t face problems “like everyone else” (Psalm 73:5). If the Lord was good and kept His covenant promises, why were His people suffering and the wicked prospering?

When the Wicked Prosper

How often do we see the ungodly shamelessly flaunting their perverted lifestyle during gay rights parades on the evening news? They neglect what God has to say about it (Romans 1:24-28). Take a look at this photo taken in Tel Aviv, Israel in a Gay Pride Parade. Yes, the very nation where Christianity started; God’s chosen nation. 

And what about those who support abortion and claim that a woman’s right to choose is greater than the life of “unwanted tissue?” They too, neglect what God has to say about life in the womb (Isaiah 44:2). Worse, there are people in the government today who have gone to the extreme of legalizing late-term abortions. 

Yet they seem to be worry-free and are enjoying a wonderful life compared to those who choose to live in accordance with what the Word of God says. When our system of justice seems to abandon all standards of morality, where do God’s people make their appeal?

While we cannot deny the goodness of God in our everyday lives, it is also undeniable that God is good (perhaps too good) to the wicked and proud, thus making it easy for some of us to envy the wicked and their prosperity.

If God is good and just, the plans of the wicked should not succeed, they should be punished and only the righteous should prosper. But that is not what Asaph saw (Psalm 73:12), and it is not what we see either. We see the wicked enjoying the same prosperity, oftentimes more prosperous than God’s people.

This then can cause one to question what the reward of godliness is.

Doubt vs. Unbelief

There is a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt comes from a struggling mind, while unbelief comes from a stubborn will that refuses surrender to God. The unbelieving person will not believe, while the doubting person struggles to believe.

Based on the evidence he saw around him, Asaph came to the wrong conclusion that he had wasted his time and energy maintaining clean hands and a pure heart. If he had ever read the book of Job, then he had missed its message, for we serve God, not for what we get out of it but because He is worthy of our worship and service regardless of what He allows to come to our lives.

Satan has a commercial view of the life of faith and encourages us to serve God for what we can get from Him, and Asaph bought into that philosophy. Although he knew that what he said about God in the first verse of his Psalm is true, it has always been and will always be true, still, his feet almost slipped (Psalm 73:2).

But before going public with his unbelief and resigning his office, Asaph paused to consider the consequences. How would the younger believers in the land respond if one of the three sanctuary worship leaders turned his back on the Lord, the covenants, and the faith (Psalm 73:15)?

To abandon the faith would mean undermining all that he had taught and sung at the sanctuary! The more he pondered the problem the more his heart was pained (Psalm 73:21-22). So he decided to go to the sanctuary and spend time with the Lord in worship.

Godly Life vs. Godless Life

Asaph got a new perspective on the problem when he considered, not the surrounding circumstances, but the destiny before him. He realized that what he saw in the lives of the prosperous, ungodly people was not a true picture but only pretense (Psalm 73:20).

As we continue to Psalm 73:23-28, we see the striking contrast between Asaph’s picture of godly life and the godless life described in Psalm 73:4-12). The ungodly impress each other and attract admirers, but they don’t have God’s presence with them.

The Lord upholds the righteous but casts down the wicked (Psalm 73:18). The righteous are guided by God’s counsel (Psalm 73:24) but the ungodly are deluded by their own fantasies. The destiny of the true believers is glory, but the destiny of the unbelievers is destruction (Psalm 73:19, 27).

True Riches Are Found in God Alone

The possessions of the ungodly are but idols that take the place of the Lord, and idolatry is harlotry (Exodus 34:15-16; 1 Chronicles 5:25).

Even death cannot separate God’s people from His blessing, for the spirit goes to heaven to be with the Lord, and the body waits in the grave for resurrection (Psalm 73:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Justice is Coming

Whenever we face problems and conflicts in our lives, we want to take control and make things happen. But we need to realize that God is just (Psalm 25:8) and vengeance belongs to Him (Psalm 94:1).

Do you feel bad seeing the wicked prosperous and they seem to get away with everything? Don’t fret! A day is coming when all will be set right. When we come before the Supreme Court of Heaven, there is no Fifth Amendment, no jury or evidence tampering, no deception, no fraud, and no dream team of lawyers.

In our Father’s Supreme Court, there is only truth and holiness. There, the Lord will be the defense and the Rock of refuge for the righteous, or He will bring on the wicked their own iniquity and cut them off in their wickedness.

Will God be your defender and refuge? Or will He cut you off? Find rest from adversity by following the laws of our Supreme Court Judge.