Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

Scripture Reading: Psalm 73:1-28, Psalm 74:1-23, Psalm 75:1-10, Psalm 76:1-12

You don’t have to spend much time around kids before you hear the words, “IT’S NOT FAIR!” Whether it’s the seemingly uneven allocation of toys or the apparent inequality of punishments, kids have a strong sense of right and wrong, and they are not reluctant to tell you how things ought to be, sometimes accompanied by an indignant stomping of the foot.

As adults, we have grown out of tattling on our siblings (or most of us have, at any rate), but our sense of right and wrong persists. However, the more injustice we witness, the more we may start to wonder whether the good is worth pursuing. In Psalm 73, we see the psalmist struggling with this very issue. God is good to the “pure in heart,” we read in verse 1. But if that’s the case, why do the wicked seem to get everything they want? Why do they have an easy life as they act proudly, speak maliciously, commit violence, and get rich by cutting corners and exploiting the weak? Why do the right thing when those who do the wrong thing have it so good?

IT’S NOT FAIR!

When faced with this situation, we can be tempted in two ways. First, we can ask, if there are no consequences for doing evil, why not just do what we can get away with? Why not join the wicked in their schemes?

The other temptation is to try and use wicked means for a good end. “We need to fight fire with fire,” we say. Or, “We need to give them a taste of their own medicine.” Behind these words is the sound of feet slipping. Fighting evil with evil will not reduce the amount of evil in the world; it will only drag us into the pit the wicked have dug for themselves. The theologian Francis Schaeffer used to say, “The Lord's work must be done in the Lord’s way.” In other words, the means by which we seek goodness are every bit as important as the end.

Instead of becoming cynical and embittered, we need to do what the psalmist does in verse 17: enter God’s sanctuary. When we worship God, He gives us a more full picture of Himself and, therefore, a more clear picture of reality. In worship, we are reminded that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary. They will not get away with it forever. Stooping to their level, even if we tell ourselves it’s for a good end, is making a bargain with the devil.

We need our sight renewed. In worship we also see the truly innocent one, Jesus Christ, who resisted evil and suffered on our behalf. When we look at Him, we see how He went to the cross in spite of it seeming like a failure to the world and His own disciples. When we see that God Himself is our “portion forever” (v.26), it becomes clear that the wicked are not the prosperous ones. They are more worthy of pity than envy.

Written by Elliot Ritzema