Psalm 73:14

Psalm 73:14

Days of affliction

Read in isolation, this verse seems to suggest that Asaph is in some kind of trouble, that he is suffering, perhaps with depression or a physical illness. However, put into the context of the preceding, and subsequent, verses we realise that it is his sense of injustice that hurts so much. And the source of the injustice appears to be the Lord God! Why do the wicked get away with it? Why do the righteous get no rewards? Why does serving and living for Almighty God turn out to be so costly? Surely it should be the other way round – the righteous should be the prosperous ones and the wicked should be suffering? This dilemma bothers Asaph all day long and every morning he finds himself diving deeper into despair, plagued, as he is, by the unfairness of it all. 

These questions have bothered many over the centuries. There is no doubt that following the Lord God is costly, that in earthly terms you may lose out. Some have turned away from Christianity simply because the price is too much to pay. This Psalm was written for the advocates of the prosperity gospel and anyone else who thinks that following Christ takes you along a road paved with wealth and human comforts. Such a view is simply not true, the journey to heaven demands self-denial and the carrying of a cross.  We shall see however that the end of that journey is a different matter! 

 

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