The Contentment Psalm
For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked Psalm 73:3
Envious – Robin Leech introduced all of us to the “Lives of the Rich and Famous”. We watched them entertain in splendor, board their private jets, sail on their yachts, slip away to their island homes and spend like there was no tomorrow. And all the while we thought, “Why can’t I have that kind of life?” We are a culture of envy. It saturates our press. It is displayed without embarrassment in advertisement after advertisement. “Live famously” says the Las Vegas enticement. Be like the stars. See what the good life really means.
Asaph, the author of this psalm, felt that same envy. He uses the Hebrew qana, a very strong word. We can understand just how strong this word is when we see that its basic meaning describes jealousy in marriage. The bond between husband and wife was to be jealously guarded so that no one could interfere with the relationship. The fact that breaking the vow carried the death penalty shows how strong a term qana is.
What is good for marriage is not good for the desire to have what someone else has. Qana as envy shows up as intense desire to possess the favor granted to someone else. When I see the lives of the wicked rich, I am stirred to want what they have. That desire can easily possess me and alter my behavior in order to gain what I see. But God warns us (Psalm 37:1) All of this is temporary. Appearance is not reality. And when Asaph realized just how much his envy was affecting him, he suddenly remarked, “I was like a beast before You”. The animal instinct of envy drives us away from true humanity. The more we desire to possess what others have, the more we become like beasts.
Why is this remarkable confession of Asaph a contentment psalm? Because we will never find contentment in this life until we confront the animal desire of envy within us. As long as the beast prowls in our souls, we will feel the rage of envy. It is the beast that must die if we are to be free to enjoy God’s gifts. This psalm is special because it is confessional. It touches what all of us have felt. And it shows us the way out of the cage of the beast. “God is my portion forever”, says Asaph. All the rest is temporary appearance. What I want is what will last. And that, says Asaph, is the nearness of God.
Have you confronted the envy lurking in your life? Have you looked into the face of the beast and said, “God is my portion. You can go away”?
The lives of the rich and famous don’t seem so rich or famous after that.
