How does Psalm 73:5 contrast the lives of the wicked and the righteous?

◄ Psalm 73:5: Wicked vs. Righteous Lives? ►

Setting the Scene in Psalm 73

• Psalm 73 opens with Asaph wrestling over the apparent prosperity of those who dismiss God.

• Verse 5 captures his amazement: “They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.”

• At first glance, life looks effortless for the ungodly, while the faithful seem weighed down.

What Psalm 73:5 Says About the Wicked

• Externally untroubled

– No obvious “burdens”—financial strain, health crises, or social exclusion appear to plague them.

• Seemingly immune to hardship

– “They are not afflicted like other men,” suggesting an unusual absence of suffering.

• Misleading security

– Psalm 37:35-36 describes the same people: “I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, yet he passed away…”.

• Temporary advantage

– Their freedom from affliction is real in the moment but limited to this age (Psalm 73:18-19).

How God Describes the Righteous Elsewhere

• Familiar with trials

– “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” (Psalm 34:19)

• Loving discipline

– “For the LORD disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6); see also Proverbs 3:11-12.

• Enduring faith

– Hardship refines, producing “an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

True Comparison: Present Ease vs. Eternal Outcome

• Enjoy a present-tense lack of burdens

• Appear shielded from suffering

• Face sudden ruin without remedy (Psalm 73:19; Luke 16:19-26)

Righteous

• Feel the weight of earthly troubles

• Experience God’s loving correction

• Receive lasting reward and relief (Psalm 73:24-26; Revelation 21:4)

Why God Allows the Righteous to Experience Affliction

• Purification of character (James 1:2-4)

• Dependence on the Lord, not circumstances (Psalm 73:25-26)

• Public testimony that faith thrives even under pressure (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Living in Light of This Contrast

• Do not envy surface-level prosperity; see beyond the snapshot (Psalm 37:1-2).

• Welcome God’s discipline as evidence of sonship.

• Measure life by eternal outcomes, not momentary comfort.

• Rest assured that God’s justice will ultimately vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked (Psalm 73:27-28).