Worship
in the Psalms
By Stephen
Terry
“But as for me, my feet
had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the
wicked.”
Psalm 73:2-3, NIV
We live in a highly polarized world. The wealthy seem to continue to attract ever
more of the world’s riches with little concern for living a life of responsible
stewardship of that wealth. Meanwhile
the great mass of humanity struggles with the daily task of subsistence living…a
task that far too often meets with failure. The great stabilizing force of a
strong middle class that has existed since the rise of the merchant class in
the Middle Ages has seen diminished influence and waning fortunes in the
twenty-first century. With the
diminished power of trade unions and compromised effectiveness of socialist
based political parties in many countries, the plight of the poor and under
privileged seems dire. As college education
programs and employment opportunities dry up, upward mobility, the foundation
of the American dream, dries up with it.
In this “enlightened” time, many see religion
as a tool of the upper class to control the lower classes. Those who advocate for the lower classes from
a secular perspective align themselves with the views of Karl Marx that
religion is an “opiate” that keeps the masses from revolting against
exploitation by their oppressive and rich neighbors. Taken to its logical
conclusion, such a belief almost compels revolution once the restraints of religion
are cast aside. Recently we have seen such results in the riots in
It doesn’t have to be. While religion has often
been in bed with those who oppress the people, with appeals to humble
acceptance of suffering and sacrifice, it should also be a model for restraint
and responsibility to the wealthy. All
too often modern evangelical denominations have supported those who want to gut
the very social programs the poor depend on. For “thirty pieces of silver” in
the form of anti-abortion or anti-gay legislation, too many religious leaders
are eager to urge their parishioners to vote for the very party that will nail
them to a cross of suffering and hardship.
While it is time that the wealthy share their fair share of the tax
burdens for the social programs that sustain the society that sustains them, it
is also time for religious leaders to speak openly and honestly about the
responsibilities of the rich toward the poor.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of hope.
To take away someone’s hope is to take
away the very thing that God wants each of us to have. The philosophy of “I’ve
got mine. Too bad for you. Maybe you should try harder,” is not the gospel of
Christ. The Bible teaches that when a poor man’s cloak is taken in pledge for a
debt that it should be returned to him each evening that he might sleep
comfortably and not be shamed. (See Exodus 22:26 and Deuteronomy 24:13) But today, the rich, operating through
impersonal multi-national corporations not only eagerly exploit the poor
through usurious interest for credit that often exceeds twenty percent, they
readily cast the unemployed out of their homes, devaluing every home in the
neighborhood as well. Creating a
descending spiral of shame and shrinking wealth for entire communities, states
and nations, they party on as usual with little concern for personal liability
as they sit snugly behind the shield of corporation law which creates a solid
wall between their personal assets and those of the corporation.
In spite of all, the rich have successfully
ingrained a fear in those who remain of the vanishing middle class that it is
the poor who are their enemies. That what small wealth they have accumulated is
threatened by the very social programs they rely on. Sadly, in one respect,
they are right. Since the rich refuse to shoulder a fair tax burden, the needed
taxes can only come from one place…the middle class. But it is not the poor who
place this burden on them. It is the rich who refuse to shoulder one ounce of
the load. When a poor man pays no income tax it is understandable. When a rich
one does not pay, it is reprehensible.
Jesus came with the gift of life, and not just
a future hope but life here and now more abundantly. (See John 10:10) For the few to deny that fullness of life to
the many is to work against the very gospel they would urge upon the poor. While they tell the poor to be content with
what they have and look toward a future hope, they themselves enjoy every fine
thing they can lay their hands on. As
the lot of the poor becomes more desperate, it becomes a simple matter to
decide whether living without is to be preferred over risking taking what has
been denied when the only cost is three meals a day and a dry, warm cot in a
jail cell.
So what is a Christian to do in such a world? First
the Christian should recognize his responsibility is to all men. He should uplift
the poor, but he should also instruct the wealthy regarding their
responsibility. While this may risk the
loss of political favor and the halls of power may be closed to him, it is the
only honest course for the follower of Christ. A religious leader at any level
who praises the rich to secure his own advancement is neither religious nor a
leader, but a sycophant hypocritically betraying the very flock he has been
called to shepherd. While it may be
impressive to have photo ops with presidents and legislators, the temptation to
power at the expense of ministry is far too strong for most, and the power is
never given for free.
Second, the Christian is not called to rise in
anarchy, burning the world around him to ashes. God himself will one day take
care of that. (See Revelation 18, Malachi 3:5, and James 5:1-6) He says “It
is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot
will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes
upon them.” Deuteronomy 32:35, NIV The Christian is to live a life of faith. He must have a faith that the promises of God
are true. He must live with an understanding that while the mercy of God will
make sure that all have a fair chance at salvation, mercy cannot exist without
justice. God’s justice will out.
Finally, the Christian should not “envy the
arrogant.” Many have stumbled at the
temptation that wealth offers. “Those who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge
people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered
from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy
6:9-10
Whether it is the rich man coveting everything
he does not yet own, or the poor man at the casino gambling his meager means on
a vain hope to become one of the rich, too many are willing to overlook the
sins of the rich thinking that they may one day be welcomed into their
fellowship. But there is no fellowship
there as each tycoon covets the wealth of the others and in turn feels
threatened by their coveting of his own. In their desire for security, they never have
enough. (See Ecclesiastes 5:10) But their hope for security through wealth is a
false hope according to the Bible. “You
say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do
not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation
3:17, NIV
Since the Bible tells us that God has knit us
together in the womb (See Psalm 139:13), we should be assured that He has left
nothing out of all that we will need to fulfill His sacred purpose for our
life. He will also place people and resources along our way to accomplish that
purpose. Therefore, we should live a life of faith trusting that He has already
provided all. As Jesus repeatedly told us, every one of our needs is known and
God’s care will not fail us. The man or woman who understands that and lives
accordingly has all the wealth he or she will ever need. (See Psalm 1:1-3) A
life of faithful trust in God is a life of devoted worship that will glorify
our Heavenly Father. I want to live a life of faith in Him. Don’t you?
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
If you
do not have the current Bible
Study Quarterly, you may purchase one by clicking here and typing the word
"quarterly" into the search box.