Envy and Escape

Psalm 73
While the book of Proverbs is the classic example of wisdom literature in the Bible, forms of the genre actually appear in other parts, as well. Here, we examine some of these themes in one of the psalms, where the psalmist recounts his struggle with the problem of evil, in the fact that the wicked often prosper in this life. In relating his struggle, the psalmist reveals the ugliness and peril at the heart of envying the wicked, and we are invited to share in his experiences, first of the humbling truth about ourselves, and ultimately of the astonishing grace of God.