Verse of the Day (March 1, 2020)

Verse of the Day (March 1, 2020) #BMSeminary – Happy Lord’s Day! This psalm is another dealing with the problem of the prosperity of the wicked. Unlike Psalm 37, however, it does not emphasize the brevity of that prosperity. The author observes that sometimes the bounty achieved by the wicked does in fact last throughout life (v. 4). He emphasizes every believer’s need to test his own personal relationship with God. That alone provides the ultimate satisfaction available to the believer who witnesses the affluence of the wicked. The psalm contains two key parts: first, the psalmist describes the problem of the wicked’s prosperity (vv. 1–16). Not only is it an objective fact (vv. 4–12), but it almost caused him to stumble spiritually and lose his faith (vv. 1–3, 13–16). The second part of the psalm is prompted by the content of verse 17. Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem (vv. 17–28). He saw the destiny of the wicked (vv. 17–20); therefore, he repented of his foolishness (vv. 21, 22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vv. 23–28). The point of the psalm is driven home even more dramatically when remembering that Asaph, the author, was a spiritual man who grew up with deeply religious training (1 Chr. 15:16–19; 16:4–7; 2 Chr. 5:12; 29:30). (KJV Study Bible, HarperCollins)