Why do the Wicked Prosper? What Job noticed during the time of his testing by the LORD.

Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
102818

Our Final Commandment is given in EXO 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Now, as we continue with this Final Commandment we need to remember that the last command, the Ninth Commandment had to do with “not speaking against others or not bearing false witness against your neighbor in a Jewish Court “ and therefore it dealt with the sins of the tongue as well. In fact, it is one thing to speak evil of others but it is totally another thing when “what you say” is determined by Jehovah Elohim (the Lord-God) to be a crime.

In fact, in TIT 3:1, the apostle Paul said to TIT 1-7, Remind the people to respect the government and be law‑abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and {His} love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to {the} hope of eternal life.

So much then for the Ninth Commandment.

The final commandment, #10, deals with the mental attitude  sins of jealousy or envy as one enters into the sin of covetousness which resides in a believer's soul and therefore rejecting any mental attitude sins of the heart. So, the Ninth Commandment deals with the tests of the sins of the tongue while the Tenth Commandment deals with the tests of the mental attitude of  believers,  both of which have a negative attitude on the believer's spiritual life. The Final Commandment which deals with the Tenth Commandment found in EXO 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Now, I really want you to concentrate upon this last commandment that basically deals with the Doctrine of Covetousness. First of all, what does it mean to covet? Coveting means to have a “longing for something or a strong desire for someone or something that does not belong to you.” In fact, this also includes the “way you think,” and therefore in this final commandment, it is our mental attitude that will be tested. Our Lord emphasized this principle of the mental attitude by teaching His followers that not only is it a sin to touch a woman sexually but it is also a sin if we lust or think about it in that realm as well.

Just because a person may have rejected the physical touching of the opposite sex, the LORD says that this lust or covetousness is just as guilty as the ones who committed the sin of adultery. This means that in the mental attitude you can commit adultery. And so, the carnal believer may not touch a woman physically but even if all you do is to lust after her in your heart, then you have sinned mentally before the LORD.

MAT 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Coveting produces actions and usually it is the action to take something without permission or even to go so far that in some cases, they end up as a thief themselves stealing what others have. And, may I say that what may have looked inviting to the average believer is really trouble in your soul with the mental attitude thinking like a carnal believer. Now again, I cannot stress this point is that if you are not content with what the Lord has given you now, whether you have a lot or a little, then you are not living the spiritual life. If you're lusting after something or someone, you're saying in effect I am not content with what the LORD has given to me.

Coveting what others have also can reveal your lack of gratitude and thankfulness for that which the LORD has given you. We all have a tendency to forget how many blessings the LORD has given to us in our lifetime. We also seem to forget that humbling attitude concerning what we have and who we are and how all things are gifts from the LORD.

Now, remember that we are still studying a principle which answers “Why the wicked prosper” while the adult believer doesn't seem to enjoy what God has given them.” Therefore, what is the divine solution? Watch and listen! I think it is fantastic what Job began to notice during the time of his testing by the LORD.

ROM 13:14, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Now, what does the apostle Paul mean by saying we should not make provision for the flesh? HE means that we should not be fool enough to feed the old self that is in you. Do not be fool enough to lead yourself into situations of temptation! Do not make provision for your flesh! In fact, don't even put your flesh in a position where you know it will become stimulated or excited in the realm of carnality. This includes being around certain people that have a bad influence upon you! Avoid them! Because if experience teaches you that certain people bring out your sin nature or have a bad influence upon you, avoid them.

What does the word of God say about these principles? In this passage, we are told by the apostle Paul concerning believers who have NVTD. In 2TI 3:5, the apostle Paul says, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

Look at ROM 16:17-18, Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

So, in ROM 13:14, Make no provision for the flesh!

Avoid that which seems to harm you and drag you down at times! Let's look at what Job tells us. In JOB 31:1-7, “I Have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin? Here is the exact same sin that our Lord warned us about. And what is the portion of God from above Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high? Is it not calamity to the unjust, And disaster to those who work iniquity? Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps? If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot has hastened after deceit, Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way” it's because his heart walked after his eyes.

Note that your heart goes after your eyes! Your eyes are the trouble because of what you keep focusing in on. This is why our Lord says in MAT 5:27-30, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.”

The point here is that the eyes of the soul reveals the perception of the individual who because of having the right mental attitude of the soul, can glorify the LORD. Be careful, however, what you allow to reside in your soul. You see something and your heart goes after it.

Look at PRO 4:20-27, My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they (the words or the doctrines from God) are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it {flow} the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. We have the answers needed to deal with the distractions that come the believers way; Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

Now, this means that if there is something that is enticing to you or inviting to you, do not even look at it. Do not think that you can do anything without the LORD. Make a covenant with your eyes! Look straight on! Do not let your eyes wander! Do not let them lust after certain things! You don't just pray about it, although that is important, you stop looking! Keep your eyes from things that are likely to entice you or attract you. Whatever they are, make a covenant with your eyes not to look! What we really need to understand is how to put to death or mortify our flesh, that is a biblical truth.

ROM 8:13, For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. You have got to do it! You can't pray for it to be done!

We have to engage in this work of mortification or denying our flesh whatever it wants. We are to put to death the deeds of the body! However, this is to be done only through the power of the Spirit.

Now, PSA 73 is a long Psalm but very easy to adjust to in the spiritual life. The PSA describes some of the frustrations that many believers have had at times as they seek to fulfill the PPOG and their very own PSD. Once again we see God's people observing those believers and unbelievers who seem to be prospering. They make positive decisions regarding their relationship with God and then they see friends, family members and relatives making negative decisions, getting ahead in life, and even receiving prosperity as they rebel against the PPOG for their life.

And so there's a frustration that can actually take place because things are not working out in your life the way you and I thought they would, and then we see and observe how the wicked prosper in spite of their wickedness. Let me show you what others have done and said as they were tested by the Lord regarding their own spiritual life.

HEB 11:31-12-3, By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed {acts of} righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received {back} their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill‑treated. Men or women of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes [there's the eyes again] on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

Now then: Many individuals are not blessed by the Lord because they lack the capacity to receive the divine blessings from the Lord. Key word = capacity. We all need to remind ourselves of a principle of doctrine that we see constantly which is the fact that the Lord is blessing us with a gift not with a payment for serving HIM. And so continuing now in PSA 73,  a long Psalm but very easy to adjust to in the spiritual life.

Now in PSA 73, we have a Psalm that describes some of the frustrations that many believers have had at times as they seek to fulfill the PPOG and their very own PSD. They make positive decisions regarding their relationship with God and then they see friends, family members and relatives making negative decisions, getting ahead in life, and even receiving prosperity as they rebel against the PPOG for their life. And so there's a frustration that can actually take place because things are not working out in your life the way you and I thought they would, and then we see and observe how the wicked prosper in spite of their wickedness. Many individuals are not blessed by the Lord because they lack the capacity to receive the divine blessings from the LORD. We all need to remind ourselves of a principle of doctrine that we see constantly which is the fact that the Lord is blessing us with a gift not with a payment for serving HIMm.