What can we learn from Psalm 73:10 about the influence of the wicked? \Setting the Scene\ Psalm 73 follows a godly man wrestling with the prosperity of the ungodly. Verses 4–9 describe their arrogance; verse 10 shows the effect that arrogance has on everyone watching. \Psalm 73 : 10\ “Therefore their people return to this place, and waters of abundance are drunk by them.” \Unpacking the Word Picture\ - “Their people” – the followers, admirers, or hangers-on who identify with the wicked. - “Return to this place” – they keep circling back, magnetized by the lifestyle they see. - “Waters of abundance are drunk by them” – they gulp down everything the wicked offer: attitudes, words, justifications, and sins. \What We Learn About the Influence of the Wicked\ • Influence multiplies: one person’s rebellion quickly becomes a crowd’s norm (cf. Proverbs 13:20). • Attraction is repetitive: people don’t just sample evil; they “return,” forming habits. • Consumption is eager: they drink “waters of abundance,” showing how deeply bad ideas can saturate a heart (Isaiah 5:20). • Moral erosion feels refreshing to the flesh: it tastes like “abundance,” yet it poisons the soul (Galatians 6:7–8). • The stage is public: the wicked live loudly enough that many can hear and follow (Psalm 1:1). \Practical Takeaways for Believers\ - Guard your circle: choose companions who push you toward righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:33). - Recognize subtle marketing: sin often comes packaged as abundance, success, or freedom. - Stay anchored in truth daily so counterfeit waters lose their appeal (Psalm 119:11). - Measure influence by fruit, not flash; prosperity without godliness is short-lived (Psalm 37:7–9). - Be the counter-voice: live and speak so that seekers encounter living water in you (John 7:38). \Supporting Passages\ • Proverbs 4:14–15 – “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked…” • 2 Timothy 4:3 – People gather teachers “to suit their own desires.” • Ephesians 5:11 – “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” • Matthew 5:13–16 – Salt and light prevent decay and guide the wandering. \Living Differently\ We resist the magnet of wicked influence by continually tasting the superior goodness of God (Psalm 34:8). Filled with His Spirit, we become conduits of pure, life-giving water rather than participants in the stagnant pools of the ungodly. |
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