When Good Things Happen to Bad People
Douglas Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
Psalm 73
Almost 30 years ago in 1981, Rabbi Harold Kushner published the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. The main question Rabbi Kushner addressed in the book is – if the universe was created and is governed by a good and loving God, why is there is so much suffering and pain in it? The book is dedicated to the memory of his young son, Aaron, who died at age 14 in 1977 of an incurable genetic disease. Many people ask why bad things happen to good people.
[powerpress]Far less asked, at least it appears to me, is why do good things happen to bad people? Why is it that things sometimes work out so well for some folks who are ignorant of, careless about or even defiant of God and so disappointingly for some people who love God and regard the Lord with the highest esteem?
Three wisdom psalms, Psalms 37, 49, and 73 are especially concerned with this problem that has puzzled people of faith through the centuries. The Book of Job also addresses this issue. Let’s listen to the rest of Psalm 73, picking it up at verse 13:
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,”
I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I perceived their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.”
The Psalm begins with the orthodox statement of faith,
“Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.”
That is followed by a big, “But.” “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” The writer of this Psalm was a man named Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs. He may not have been a wealthy man, but one who had dedicated his life to serving God. In 1 Chronicles 25:1-2 we learn that, “David and the officers of the army also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.”
Asaph was in a position of significant spiritual leadership in the temple, but like us, he had experienced some difficulties and questioned the injustice of it all. In his experience, the wicked seemed to be healthy, attractive, prosperous, prideful, cruel in their speech and regard for others, openly defying God with no apparent cost or consequences whatsoever. When Asaph saw the unfairness of life, his faith was almost destroyed (verses 2-16). He was ready to throw up his hands and say, “Why bother with God? What’s the point? What difference does it make?” I suspect the longer we have lived, many of us have had moments like that when tragedy strikes or we are knocked for a loop by unexpected news or when we are struggling to get by while others who have no regard for God live long lives or get rich through greedy or unethical practices. Many of us have had moments when like Asaph we throw up our hands and say, “C’mon God, if you’re there, why didn’t you do something to stop it or prevent it? If you’re there why don’t you answer my prayers?””
The only thing that restrained Asaph from speaking out his doubts and giving up on God was his concern for the effect it would have on the faith of other people. Asaph was a leader of worship and a teacher and he didn’t want his spiritual crisis and struggle to be the cause of many others losing their faith.
It’s like the story of the small Eastern European town that was shaken and stunned by the news that one of its most respected citizens, Abraham the cobbler, had become an out-and-out atheist. It was the sole topic of conversation all over. All said it had to be hearsay, they couldn’t believe it was true. No one had spoken directly to Abraham about it. It was still only a rumor, even though a shocking one.
On the following Sabbath, however, it became clear to everyone in town that for the first time in thirty years Abraham was not in his customary seat in the synagogue. Could he be sick? No, for when the service was over they found him walking quietly in the street, the very picture of health. All stared, and finally Yussel the tailor, with a sudden burst of bravery, pushed forward and accused the cobbler. “Abraham,” he cried, “there is a rumor you have become an atheist and you were not at the synagogue just now. Is this true? Are you indeed an atheist?” Abraham looked quietly at Yussel and turned away without saying a word.
Everyone looked at him in consternation. By the next day it was clear no work would get done in the town unless this matter was cleared up. So a delegation was appointed, with Yussel the tailor as its head, and it was understood that they were to face Abraham in his shop and insist on an answer once and for all. In they went, and Yussel said loudly, “Abraham we must have an answer. You cannot leave matters as they are. Tell me, are you now an atheist?” Abraham replied with certainty, “Yes.” Astonished at the quick and unequivocal answer, Yussel said, “Then why didn’t you say so when I asked you yesterday?” Abraham’s eyes grew wide with horror, “You wanted me to say I was an atheist on the Sabbath?”
Like Abraham in that story, there was still something inside Asaph that moved him to not want to cause other people’s faith to stumble. Searching for an answer to the problem of the success of the wicked was so much he was worn out by it. “But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,” he just couldn’t find the answer and here is the key, “until I went into the sanctuary of God.” While worshiping God Asaph receives a new and deeper sense of God’s presence and power. He gains a longer term perspective on the prosperity of the wicked that reminds him how temporary their success is and how quickly their fortunes can change and how in a moment it can all be swept away.
Psalm 73 is valuable because it illustrates God’s openness to hearing our complaints when good things happen to bad people as well as Asaph’s honesty in being able to admit that it was stupid and ignorant of him to be envious of the wicked and to be feeling sorry for himself that God wasn’t rewarding him enough for being good or punishing others enough for being bad as he wanted. That is something we are wise to learn in our own experience – not to focus so much on why God doesn’t do something to someone else, but to focus on our relationship with the Lord in the midst of our struggles or situations.
A friend of mine sent me the words to a new country song that expresses the feelings of someone who hasn’t been able to make the move from bitterness to a deeper understanding and experience of God in the midst of pain.
“Haven’t been in church since I don’t remember when
Things were going great Til they fell apart again
So I listened to the preacher As he told me what to do
can’t go hating others Who done wrong to you
And sometimes we get angry But we must not condemn
Let the good Lord do his job And you just pray for them
I pray your brakes go out Running down a hill
I pray a flower pot falls From a window sill
And knocks you in the head like I’d like to
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray your flying high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are
Honey, I pray for you
Really glad I found my way to church
Cause I’m already feeling better and I thank God for the words
So I’m gonna take the high road
And do what the preacher told me to do
You keep messing up
And I’ll keep praying for you
I pray your tire blows out at 110
I pray you pass out with your best friend
And wake up with his and her tattoos…
Just know wherever you are, near or far, in your house or in your car
Wherever you are honey, I pray for you.”
I am confident that this is not what God intends for us to do in praying for others rather we are to follow the example of Psalm 73. The Psalmist realizes the most valuable thing we can have in life is something the wicked or bad folks lacked – the Lord’s presence with us. When you get down to it, none of us can take shelter in believing that we are all good and that there are people who are all bad. Romans 3:23 reminds us “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” all humanity is in the same boat. None of us is perfect; none of us is without sin. When we focus on the wickedness or shortcomings of others to the neglect of our own relationship with the Lord, we are getting off the path.
That is why the key word in Psalm 73 is “Nevertheless.”
“Nevertheless (even though I don’t understand it all, even though I have poured out my complaint) I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel….” There is a continuity and closeness of relationship for Asaph that is conveyed through touch and wise counsel that is invaluable for him. The psalm begins in bitterness and estrangement with the problem of the success of the wicked and the disparity between faith and experience that requires a new and deeper understanding of God. It ends with words of great devotion and faith.
The turning point in Psalm 73 is “the great nevertheless” that doesn’t turn us away from the problems of life, but turns us toward the world with all its disparities and unfairness with the confidence that God is still present and at work. It is good to be able to say and affirm, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you…Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.”
The greatest thing we can have in life is a vital, real relationship with God that lasts forever, even after our body fails. While we may find it perplexing or even troubling, God is good to people both good and bad, sinner and saint. Jesus encourages us to an even higher spirituality than we see in Psalm 73 when he says in Matthew 5:43-48,
“43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Jesus wants us to pray for our enemies in a far different way than the country song I mentioned earlier. He wants us to pray for their salvation and transformation, for them to develop a relationship with God where they can one day say with Asaph,
26 “My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
28 For me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.”
No matter what your circumstances or situation, I hope that can be your statement of faith as well, that though flesh and my heart may fail, God is the strength of your heart and that it is good for you to be near God because you have made the Lord God your refuge.