Psalm 73 "Why do the wicked prosper"?

Psalm 73 Why do the wicked prosper?
The Psalmist enters the sanctuary of God and by revelation he hears about judgment. We evaluate and make sense of life in light of judgment.
If prosperity keeps is from God it may be the biggest curse in the world. Is your heart (aeros) set on the net of hell, slippery slope, quick fall to destruction.
Boethius- The consolation of Philosophy
Everything you do you souse it brings you happiness. Your love gets you were you end up. Somehow this is going to make me a happier person. Philosophy without reason gets you to common grace. The denial of God is unreasonable. How can you reason with the unreasonable? It must be done through revelation.
Boethius is a journey into mid evil thought. God is the highest good and if you want to have peace or be Blessed you must do it through God.
Dante is almost a rewrite of Boethius Dante shows the limits of reason
Biography –Context of Boethius “True Roman” 480 A.D Family in the faith for 100 years. Anicius Manlius Severenus Boethius -Aristocratic Roman family
Aristocrat- ealth and education- orphaned young and taken into household of a Christian aristocrat Symmachus (Pious Godly man) –blessings of the covenant.
Rusticianna (Symmachus’ daughter) marries Boethius. Boethius was the most educated man of his day and most brilliant mind of his age. Arithmetic, Geometry, Logica, Music, Theology and Philosophy His book on music was the standard ( master of the disciplines. Studied in Athens and had a command of Greek. Aristotle and Plato translated into Latin. His goal was to show the synthesis of Aristotle andPlato (agreement). Commentary- Inflenced by Plato and the Stoics- Marcus Arelious. Neo Patonism. If you can show this through reason how much more can we get through faith.
- Fall of Rome 476 AD Agustun is dyig during the fall of Western Rome. Rome was sacked by the Goths and Boethius is living under the regime of Theodoric. Fighting for Orthodox Christianity as well as Roman inflence. Boethius wrote on God as one essence and three persons.
- Boethius on the theological tract (defending the trinity and Othodox Christianity.) Choosing right in spite of what it costs-
Latin- Magister Oficiorum- Head over all things for the government and the court services Joseph under the King. His 2 sons were made joint councils in 522 A.D. Boethius was the star of the day (Prominenec, Power, wealth) within a ear he is plunged into the depth of the Abyss….loses everything, near despair. In spite of all he was a just man and put his neck on the line for Christian truth.
Justinian came to power in the east to reunite the Roman Empire. Justinian is an Orthodox Christian. Constantinpole. Justinian and King Theodoric are at odds and Theodoric
Albiinius is framed but Boethius defends him and claims his innocence. The Political enemies start pulling false evidence out. At the height there is still an idea that you stand up for justice despite the consequences. If your that Just God must surely defend you yet his world crashes down as goes to prison for a year. 525- 26 Boethius writes about why he benefits from Philosophy. Horifically executed by having a cord twisted around his head and beat him with a club. Killed his father. For the sake of truth his wife ended up a widow and an orphan. The execution of Boethius- fought for truth.
King Theodoric- ostro Goth dies. He died from being tormented by injustice. People wo commit crimes have a weight of guilt tormenting them.
The Consolation of Philosophy and its influence- Everybody knew the work and to not know it was to make you a level of Brut. The last great Classical work and he is an old Roman writing in the classical Latin becoming medieval Latin. Plato, Aristotle, Genesis, Job, contributed to the conversation. Dante dreamed of returning to Florence Italy.
J.R.R Tolkien- Hobbits quote Boethius, influenced Machiavelli. The devil is a chisel in God’s hand. Single most influential work on devil and Renaissance Christianity.
C.S Lewis Discarded Image- If you nderstand Boethius you understand the middle ages. Plato would enjoy the book.
For the 1,000 years after the book (520-1526) Most translated book next to scriptures. King Alfred, Jeffrey Chaucer, Queen Elizabeth modern English. Kings and Queens needed this information. The best statement Dante: The blessed soul who exposes the deceptive world to anyone who gives ear to them (The deceitfulness of the world and worldly things. Boethius exposes the vanity of the things of this world. If you set your heart on anything under the son its wasted. You need to look to the city of God for meaning.
The doctrine of the judgment needs to be put back into the church. The knowledge of reckoning is hy they run from God.
Is the Consolation of Philosophy a Christian work or not?
It is not a Christian work but it is written by someone who is clearly Christian
(The Chronicles of Narnia) –It is a Christian work if it has a Christian worldview.
Politically incorrect guide to western civilization Anthony Esolen
Orthodox Christian scholar- (The wicked do not prosper and the just cannot be harmed by the evil men do to them. )
Based on reason alone the life without the pursuit of God is foolish. How if there is a sovereign God that good men could suffer. (There are no good men.) Christian Martyr- Catholic church until the reformation- still saved by faith. Faith alone by the grace of God Orthodox Christian under heretic King Died because he wasn’t an Arian (Champion of Orthodoxy). Why would Machiavelli attack him- there is only happiness in God.
You know a man by his enemies.
1. Not Christian
2. Is Christian/ not a Christian work
3. He is Christian/ The work is Christian

By reason we know that the wicked do not prosper.

The blessed soul who exposes the deceptive world to anyone who gives ear to him – Dante
Philosophy is a remedy for the soul. The project of Aristotle- ethics- the nature and habits of the soul
Ethics- Politics- The philosophy is the handmaiden of theology. Theology is a part of Philosophy- not just pagan but Christian- they both deal with ethics as well as theology- Theology and Philosophy gives us perspective. People that live without stopping to think have sick souls.

The soul that is sick and never stops to contemplate his relationship with God is the man who had a severed leg but refused to go to the emergency room. The man’s soul is sick.

If God is on his throne , Why
1. Do wicked prosper
2. Righteous suffer?????
How can it be that God is on his throne and things can be so backwards?
Philippians 4:6- the peace of God will guard or set up a fortress if you give him all things in prayer. Boethious was at the top of the wheel, but at your height comes the fall. Philosophy comes and unveils lady fortune for what she is. Now you know the truth, fortune doesn’t favor anyone for long, but you know the truth. TRUTH.
1. Lady wisdom unveils the nature of fortune. 2 cities feminized
2. Wisdom unveils the nature of fortunes goods. (wealth, fame, power) they don’t lead to happiness and they might be false goods that are actually evils. Misguided people seek happiness through these goods.
Man between God and beast – reason +God Sin+beast
The purpose of man is to master reason+ We have been given reason.
Dante ends his books by looking at the stars.
The nature of fortunes goods prevent you from having the greatest joy- te blessings of God before God himself.