Am I Pompous in My Prosperity?
Psalm 49
One of the great blessings of Christ is that He came to give life both abundant and eternal. But honestly, sometimes that “and” feels more like an “or.”
Psalm 49 expresses a heart cry known all too well on earth: the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. This song is a proverb, a riddle set to music (4) to wrestle with this most vexing question: what are the righteous to do when the wicked prosper and use that prosperity to harm the righteous?
It is one thing to deal with the frustration of watching the wicked prosper, for their abundance (6), for their arrogance (12), for their cheating (5), for lands so big they bear their name (11), for the increasing glory of their house (16), for all the blessings of life (18), not to mention the praise of others when their lives are going well (18). But it is another thing for the wicked rich to use that wealth to oppress and cheat, to escape justice.
The answer to this prayer, at least the answer I want to hear, is that the Moral Ruler of the Universe will not let them get away with it. The Lord will rise up and smite the wicked and reward the righteous. The pomp of the wicked rich is a short lived parade.
Other psalms speak to this hope, but not this one.
The hope found in Psalm 49 lies in eternity. The wicked rich will get theirs, but there is no hint of it coming in this life. Instead, they are like the beasts that perish (12), they will leave their wealth to others (10), they will not remain (12), they are appointed for Sheol (14), they can’t take their wealth with them (17), and they will never see light again (19).
The hope for the righteous is also in eternity. The righteous will get theirs, too. God will ransom their soul from Sheol (15). God will receive them to Himself (15).
This simple truth is the answer to the question of the song itself: why should I fear in times of trouble (5)? You shouldn’t because it will be made right in the next life.
Does the fact that this answer brings little comfort to us who live in the lap of prosperity say something about us? Perhaps it means that we find ourselves on the wrong side of this prayer. While we may not be numbered among the “wicked rich,” could it be that we are among those who trust in their wealth (6), who count themselves blessed while he lives (18), who have foolish confidence (13), who are pompous (20)?
I know there are many believers around the world who pray this prayer from the side of the psalmist, struggling with the prosperity of the wicked and hoping in the Judgment to come to make things right. But this song challenges me from the other side.
Am I pompous in my prosperity, trusting in my wealth, foolishly confident, without understanding? Is this song about me?
Father, in Your gracious mercy, please don’t leave me in my pomp. Please search me and try me and see if there be any pomp in me and lead me in the everlasting way.