May 23, 2012 – Psalms 72 – 73

Psalm 73 really had me thinking about what happens to us when we look at the world.  The world is full of people making it just fine without any real sense or morals.  At least we see them doing fine or they appear to have everything their heart desires.  We actually don’t know what is going on in the hearts of anyone else.  But this, at least from reading this Psalm, has that same feel you get when talking about scandal.  The Psalmist sees people, evil people, getting the benefits from their evil, not paying for it, and living the high life.  By seeing this, he is tempted to leave the way of God in search for this “happiness” by the worldly way.  2 – 3 “my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped, because I was envious of the arrogant”  13 – “Is it in vain that I have kept my heart pure”.  We see this going on around us, the people who do not live Godly lives getting everything we think we deserve and need and we get none of it and we long to cross over into that other lifestyle and get it for ourselves.  That temptation may not be for big things, bigger house, nicer car, better job.  But it may.  Where I think the real struggle lies in the smaller things.  Nicer phone, better cloths, more popular friends, more awards, etc.  We feel if we just do it that one time, just to get a taste, we will come back and we will have something nice and won’t be “that” wicked.  18 – “You set them, indeed, on a slippery road; you hurl them down to ruin”.  That road goes quickly in the wrong direction because we are weak and as they said in the potato chip commercial (I forget which) you can’t eat just one.  You will continue to sneak, cheap, lie, grab for every benefit until you do become what the world would call “successful”.  And those that are trying to live moral lives will look at you and become jealous because you got there doing the wrong things and you will lead them astray and the cycle continues.  There is only one way to end a cycle.  Get out of it.  We are called not to look with jealousy at those that benefit from evil, but with pity and mercy and pray for their conversion.