今天我們要集中思想詩篇七十三篇的其中一段，它告訴我們不敬虔的人繼續興盛是因為神睡著了。詩人說：「人睡醒了，怎樣看夢；主啊，你醒了也必照樣輕看他們的影像」（詩七十三20）。當然，事實上神並非在睡覺，但詩人使用了一個比喻，描述人類對神的行動那有限的認識。神並不睡覺，但有時祂卻似乎是睡著了。

但當神從「睡覺」中醒來時有甚麼事情發生呢？那些不敬虔的人本來似乎很顯要和興盛，現在卻好像夢一樣的消失，如同幻象或幻覺一般。今天的經文將整件事情清楚地陳列出來，它告訴我們列國對創造主來說只是「桶裡的一滴水」。他們現在可能顯得有能力和強大，儲備了核武器，但當神興起的時候，他們只是如同「蚱蜢」一般。

你記得在歷史課聽過亞歷山大大帝(Alexander the Great)嗎？他是其中一位最偉大的將軍，幾乎征服了整個世界。你知道聖經有提到他嗎？聖經裡面沒有他的名字，但在但以理書我們可以找到提及他的話。聖經稱呼他是一隻「山羊」（但八5-8）。瑞士作家陸蒂（Walter Luthi）這樣說：「對世界來說他是亞歷山大大帝，但對神來說他只是一隻公山羊。」當神興起的時候，世界的偉大都會變成烏有。

Now we come to look at a section of the psalm which suggests that the reason why the ungodly continue to prosper as they do is because God is asleep. Listen to the psalmist's exact words: "As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies" (Psa. 73:20). The truth is, of course, that God does not sleep, but the psalmist has used a figure of speech which pictures our limited human perception of God's actions. God does not sleep, but at times He appears to do so.

But what happens when God stirs from His apparent sleep? The ungodly man, who has seemed so eminent and prosperous, vanishes as a dream. It is as if he had been a phantom or an illusion. The passage before us today puts this whole matter in context when it tells us that the nations are but "a drop in a bucket" to the Creator. Now they may look powerful and mighty, with their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, but when God arises they are as "grasshoppers".

Do you remember being told in your history class at school about Alexander the Great? He was one of the greatest generals of all time and conquered almost the entire known world. Did you know that he is referred to in the Bible? You will not see his name written in the Scriptures, but reference to him can be found in Daniel. Look at what the Bible calls him - a "goat" (Dan. 8:5-8). Walter Luthi puts it like this: "He who to the world is Alexander the Great, is to God nothing more than a he-goat." When God arises, the great become nothing.