Topical Bible: The Happiness of the Wicked: Israel

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The concept of the happiness of the wicked, particularly in the context of Israel, is a recurring theme in the Bible. This theme explores the apparent prosperity and success of those who live in opposition to God's commandments, raising questions about divine justice and the ultimate fate of the wicked.

Biblical Observations:

1. Psalm 73: A Struggle with Envy
Psalm 73 provides a profound reflection on the happiness of the wicked. The psalmist, Asaph, candidly expresses his struggle with envy toward the arrogant and the prosperity of the wicked. He observes, "For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Psalm 73:3). The wicked appear to live lives free from common burdens, their bodies healthy and strong, and they are not plagued by human ills (Psalm 73:4-5). This observation leads to a crisis of faith, as Asaph questions the value of maintaining purity and righteousness.

2. Jeremiah's Lament
The prophet Jeremiah also grapples with the prosperity of the wicked. In Jeremiah 12:1, he questions, "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?" . Jeremiah's lament highlights the tension between the observable success of the wicked and the expectation of divine justice. This tension is a test of faith for the righteous, who may feel disheartened by the apparent lack of immediate retribution for the wicked.

3. Job's Discourse
The Book of Job further explores this theme. Job, in his discourse, notes the success of the wicked, stating, "Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?" (Job 21:7). He describes their homes as secure and free from fear, and their children established before them (Job 21:9). Job's observations challenge the simplistic notion that prosperity is a direct result of righteousness, and suffering a direct result of wickedness.

4. Ecclesiastes: A Philosophical Reflection
The Book of Ecclesiastes offers a philosophical reflection on the happiness of the wicked. The Teacher observes that sometimes the righteous get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked get what the righteous deserve (Ecclesiastes 8:14). This observation underscores the complexity of life and the inscrutable nature of God's justice from a human perspective.

Theological Implications:

The happiness of the wicked poses significant theological questions about the nature of God's justice and the moral order of the world. From a biblical perspective, the prosperity of the wicked is temporary and ultimately illusory. The Scriptures affirm that God is just and that the wicked will face judgment. Psalm 73 concludes with the realization that the wicked are on slippery ground and will be cast down to ruin (Psalm 73:18-19). Similarly, Jeremiah is reassured of God's eventual justice, and Job's account ends with a restoration that underscores God's sovereignty and righteousness.

Moral and Spiritual Lessons:

The happiness of the wicked serves as a test of faith for the righteous. Believers are called to trust in God's ultimate justice and to maintain their integrity despite the apparent success of those who defy God's laws. The Scriptures encourage the faithful to focus on eternal rewards rather than temporary, worldly success. As Asaph concludes in Psalm 73, "But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works" (Psalm 73:28). This perspective encourages believers to find their ultimate satisfaction and security in their relationship with God, rather than in the fleeting pleasures of this world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 11:33
And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Concerning Jeroboam King of Israel and Jonah the Prophet; and How ...
... cause of ten thousand misfortunes to the people of Israel. ... not do so, as esteeming
it a wicked thing to ... king had passed his life in great happiness, and had ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 10 concerning jeroboam king.htm

Reply to the Arguments of the Adversaries.
... us, which console us against the happiness of the ... the word and command of God, with
wicked conscience as ... The people of Israel had seen the prophets sacrificing ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 7 reply to the.htm

'Stout Words,' and their Confutation
... His commandments did not seem to hinder happiness, and 'they ... are not all Israel which
are of Israel,' And it ... gulf between the righteous and the wicked shall be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/stout words and their confutation.htm

The Heinous Sin of Drunkenness
... home, she said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today, who ... the glories of his
kingdom, is such an unspeakable happiness, that even wicked men, though ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the heinous sin of drunkenness.htm

Psalm LXXXII.
... who by their dissembling suffered such a wicked deed to ... mentioned blindness happened
in part unto Israel until the ... and set at nought the vain happiness of this ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxii.htm

Ahab and Naboth
... first sin was in having married this wicked heathen woman ... sin: 'Dost thou now govern
the kingdom of Israel? ... for others, to rejoice in their happiness, to grieve ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xi ahab and naboth.htm

How Zerah, King of the Ethiopians, was Beaten by Asa; and How Asa ...
... in the first place, tended to their own happiness, and, in ... he loves good men, and
hates the wicked, and destroys ... for many of these kings of Israel, they and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 how zerah king.htm

Plato's Opinion, that the Chief Good Consists in Assimilation to ...
... apart from corporeal and external objects, is sufficient for happiness. ... the idols
of the house of Israel, and hath ... draw near to you, let the wicked forsake his ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxii platos opinion that the.htm

Israel's Hope Encouraged;
... and happiness, I have said something already; wherefore it remains that now we come
and treat of this particular and special object of our hope: 'Let Israel ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/israels hope encouraged.htm

From Sinai to Kadesh.
... another and thus promote the highest happiness of all ... of disease and protected the
wicked or careless against its spread and thereby saved Israel from epidemics ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter vi from sinai to.htm