In this Psalm, the writer Asaph speaks of the apparently easy and prosperous lives of the wicked people. Asaph perceived that the wicked had no hardships or pains as did Asaph. The wicked people were rich and lived lives of abundance. Asaph considered becoming wicked like them. He did not perceive any advantage to being righteous.
Then, Asaph’s eyes were opened. Asaph said, “It was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God. Then I perceived their end. Surely, Thou dost set them in slippery places. Thou dost cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment.”
What Asaph didn’t understand was that God disciplines those who are righteous. As a father, God was correcting His children, those who would reside with God in Heaven. On the other hand, those who were given over to evil and wickedness were not disciplined. They were allowed to live their lives without interruption. However, in the end they would be destroyed suddenly and without mercy. They would be placed in eternal torment and pain. Whereas the righteous would be allowed to live in paradise forever.
