Psalm 73. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they
are not stricken like the rest of mankind. (ESV)
The honesty of the Bible is staggering. I heard this
quote the other day: Church is a lot like
Halloween; people dress up and pretend to be someone else… Not Asaph, the
author of this psalm, he flatly admitted it: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly
slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the
wicked. (Vv. 2-3)
Sometimes, it’s easy to wish we had more money, more
time, and more freedom to do whatever in the heck we want to do. Of course, we’d
live upright and godly lives if we did, but man, it sure would be nice to have
money left over at the end of the bills (or a stinkin trip to the grocery
store!).
Asaph made the comparison of the well-to-do and said, They are not in trouble as others are; they
are not stricken like the rest of mankind. And it’s true, at least in part.
Many in this world don’t have enough (however much that is). Many are sick.
Most have never heard of such a thing as health insurance (let alone Obamacare). Disease, poverty, and
oppression are the only choices on the menu for billions of people on this planet.
And yet in the midst of all of this there are the rich, the uber-rich and the
unbelievably rich.
Money cannot and will not pay one’s way into heaven; God
isn’t interested in money. Money, more often than not, causes more problems
than it resolves. Hosea said, “Israel is
a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more
altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.” (Hosea
10.1) Money and riches drove Israel away from God. And that is Asaph’s point: “…I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked…” He was tempted to see wealth, affluence, and
riches, not God, as a way out.
For the faithful, the way out is whichever way God leads,
and the truth is the have-nots of this world are troubled and stricken. Trouble
and strife, although seemingly unpleasant, have marvelous redemptive qualities.
Affluence on the other hand insulates one from dependence. God’s way out is
simply this: trust only in Him, never in money.
It used to be I would say something like this in response
to what I just wrote: there is nothing
wrong with money, or having money. I would say that to assuage my own
conscience and to lessen the risk of offending the have’s. Today, I don’t give
a crap about what you think – I think much of the problem of the past world and
the present is money, and the pursuit thereof. I think the have’s are in
trouble and the have not’s are as well if they think money is the way out.
Our world tells us that more money is the answer for
everything and our experience shows us that isn’t true; more affluence, most
always, leads to a pursuit of more affluence. More God, said Asaph, leads to a
life of contentment and peace.
Asaph was sorely tempted to believe there was another
way. It was only in the presence of God he came to his senses and saw the horrific
folly of such belief. My prayer is that I honor God with what I have; and
please Him with a life offered in pursuit of Him – He is the Only Way…
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