As A Dream
As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. (Psalm 73:20 NKJV)
The word of God says clearly that God will despise the image of the wicked. This psalm talks about the destiny of the wicked. A troubled righteous man seems perplexed at the prosperity and success of the wicked. Lamenting and troubled, he pours out his confusion to God in holy communication.
Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment(Psalm 73:6 NKJV)
Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens (Psalm 73:7 – 73:9 NKJV)
A lot of the righteous are in this man’s shoes and state of mind. How many times have we wondered at the lifestyle and prosperity of the wicked. We see people who openly despise and scorn God and holiness, walk around with every kind of blessing – wealth, health, children, spouses, fame power, name it. They seem very happy and blessed, and men praise and celebrate them.
Though while they live they count themselves blessed– and people praise you when you prosper–Psalm 49:18
That is why they are called celebrities – celebrated people. They are worshipped and adored, and they are the darlings of the world. Of course, the world would love them as it’s own – they belong to the world. They follow the patterns and practices of the world. The world system has its own ways and pattern of thinking, different from the way of thinking of the righteous.
He will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord’s people ready for him.” Luke 1:17
God showed the psalmist the destiny of the wicked and he became calm. Holiness and righteousness require great sacrifice and discomfort. It is like a cross, that is why Jesus said we should carry our cross and follow Him. Initially, it seems like a burden but after a while, when your love for God is matured, it becomes a delight to actually do difficult things for God.
We forsake the pleasures of sin, and the world to become lovers of God, and sometimes it seems like there is no reward. That is faith. It is the substance of the unseen, like the unseen reward. We just believe every word of God without proof of reward.
We simply believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him even when we do not see the reward. Hebrew eleven lists some heroes of faith and one distinctive mark some of them had is that they were great pleasers of God and they worked righteousness.
For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:3 NKJV)
A lot of the righteous are also perplexed at the way that they don’t see any difference in terms of success and prosperity between the righteous and the unrighteous. Don’t forget that the devil is also called the deceiver. People also make covenants with sin and the devil.
Some unbelievers defer their punishments till after their deaths and they keep bribing the devil with human blood and blessings, however God is not mocked or deceived. He sees all and is much smarter than the devil worshippers. It is God Himself that permits them to be blessed just like He permitted adulterous Israel to be blessed and they praised their idols. All power belongs to Jesus.
At the end God’s purpose will prevail, and the unbelieving will realise too late that the God they mocked and despised so much, is the only God and judge, and nothing can happen outside His permission. The wicked cannot even get blessed without His permission. He even permits evil men to be deceived just as Ahab was deceived by a lying spirit through a false prophet. At that time all men will be forced to confess that He alone is God.
Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. Psalm 119:91
One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, psalm 62:11
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Mathew 28:18
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, Ephesians 1:22
who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:21 NKJV)
who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. 1 Peter 3:22
I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead. Revelation 1:18
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:9
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NKJV)
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:19
Even the creatures under the earth worshipped God – those creatures are certainly not Angels. The demons believe in only one God and tremble. Recall that all authority and power belongs to God, and everything is subject to Him, except human will power. For human will power, we must consciously give our wills to God, because He will not take it by force or deception.
The devil however, takes the human will captive by force, deception and fear. He is the god of this world, and he rewards his followers unto destruction, and their final destination is guaranteed as complete destruction.
The psalmist thought that the evil men were getting away with their evil and enjoying while he was just worshipping God in vain. May we never think we are worshipping God in vain.
God, however, being the gracious person that He is saw his dilemma and showed him the destiny of the wicked.
Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:13 NKJV)
When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me – Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Psalm 73:17
Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, (Psalm 73:16 – 73:19 NKJV)
Brethren, let us focus on doing good and never get weary or worry about the wicked. Our focus must be on the word of God, so that we do not get tired and discouraged. It is this discouragement and deception of thinking that there is gain and pleasure in sin, and there is no gain in holiness, that makes men draw back and stop following Christ.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12:3 NKJV)
May God’s grace be with us until we be behold Him face to face here, and in Heaven.
More Scriptures
Micaiah went on: “Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him. 20 The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?’ Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, 21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ 22 ‘How?’ the Lord asked. The spirit replied, ‘I will go and make all of Ahab’s prophets tell lies.’ The Lord said, ‘Go and deceive him. You will succeed.’”
23 And Micaiah concluded: “This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!”
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