Psalm 73
I hate traveling. You have to pack and struggle to stay under the weight limit for baggage. Then you have to lug your bags to the airport and begin standing in line. After inching your way forward to the front of the line, you finally have your boarding ticket and now you go to sit in uncomfortable plastic seats, waiting for the boarding gate to open. You may go to buy some overpriced, unappetizing food to eat while you wait and then finally the boarding gate opens and you wait in another line for the x-ray of your personal, hand-carried items. You sit again in uncomfortable seats until the boarding agent opens the gate and there is another line in which to stand while you make your way to the plane.
Then it is into the plane and the slow march to your seat with people in front of you stopping to put their luggage in the overhead bins. Finally you get to your seat and try to stuff your bags in the space that is left and try to put your coat where it will not get crushed when the next person tries to cram his things in the overhead bin.
Then you sit down and wedge yourself into what will be your prison cell for the next number of hours and wait to see who will be cramming themselves into the seat next to you. If you are very unlucky, you have a middle seat and are jammed in from the left and the right with barely enough room to put your elbows on the seat rest with your neighbors elbows bumping yours. Then you take off and the person in front of you tilts his seat back, taking the little leg room you had away from you. As small as your prison cell seemed at the beginning, it has now shrunk.
Eventually the food service begins and you try to eat with tiny plastic forks and knives the food that if it was served in a restaurant, you would never go back for. You watch a movie on a dim little screen with earphones that donât give good sound and sometimes even that does not work. You make your way back to a tiny bathroom and wait your turn to use a toilet and sink that is filthy with the mess of the passengers before you.
Finally you land and wait in another line to exit the plane, stand in line to go through passport control, wait for your baggage to come off the plane and then have it cleared by customs. And then to cap off a terrible experience, sometimes your baggage does not come off the plane and you need to go stand in another line to describe your bag and hope that it will be delivered to you sometime soon.
Flying is a terrible experience.
There is a better way. Fly first class.
The weight limits on luggage are higher so you donât have to worry when you pack your bags. When you get to the airport, there is a special security line and someone meets you to take your bags and check them in for your flight. While someone takes care of your bags for you, they take you to a lounge with comfortable sofas and chairs where you can relax with free drinks and snacks until it is time to board the plane.
There is no need to stand in line, they take you before the other passengers board the plane and by the time they are struggling to find their seats and stow their luggage, you are already seated in a comfortable seat with a complimentary drink in your hand. The steward has already given you a fresh, steaming towel to wipe off the travel dirt and tiredness and taken your coat or suit jacket and hung it up neatly where it will not get wrinkled.
When the plane takes off, you lean back in your seat which supports your legs as well as the rest of your body. On some planes the seat becomes a bed and you can stretch out and go to sleep.
Service is wonderful and you have only to ask and they bring you what you want to eat or drink, when you want it. With your private TV with nice headphones, you can watch a variety of movies or shows. The food is served on nice dishes and the food is food you would pay to eat in a restaurant. The space around you is not crowded and the bathroom is kept neat and clean with a rose in a bud vase on the sink.
There is a buffet cart with nice snacks and drinks on it during the entire flight.
At the end of the flight, you arise without the tiredness of coach class and exit the plane first so you can get to the head of the passport and customs lines. And in some airports, even here you get preferential treatment and have shorter lines to go through.
First class luggage comes off the plane first so you donât have to wait so long for your bags. And what some people do is to pay a service that packs your bags and delivers them for you. You give them a supply of clothing and before you leave for your trip, you go to the computer and drag the items you want for the trip into your virtual bag. They take those items, pack them, have them delivered to where you will be staying, and at the end of your trip, pick them up, have them cleaned, and store them, ready to be sent to your next destination. Your bags appear and disappear without you having to pack or carry them.
If you have to change to another plane, there are special security lines through which you can go so you donât have to wait in line and there is another comfortable lounge to which you can go to relax until it is time to board the next plane.
I envy people who can fly first class. I envy people who can go to hotels and get the best suites and the best service. I envy people who can take off whenever they want to and go to the best vacation resorts and not have to worry about how much it will cost.
People envy the rich and they envy the life the rich enjoy. âOh, If I could just have a little of what they have,â we sigh.
This was the struggle of Asaph, one of King Davidâs three chief musicians, who wrote Psalm 73.
He looked at the rich and he envied:
the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.
We are preoccupied with the rich and powerful and we idealize their lives. The truth is that the rich and powerful are just as insecure and fearful as the rest of us. They struggle in relationships just as we do. But we ignore their humanity and focus on the glory of their lives. We follow the news that reports the events of their lives with great eagerness.
It is not just us, but the whole world that has this fascination with the rich and famous. Every culture is filled with magazines telling their stories, their romances, their vacations. Brad and Angelina had twins and CNN reported this as headline news.
Why do we focus so intently on the rich and powerful? It is because we want what they have for ourselves.
We are overwhelmed or bored with the routine of our lives and the infuriating limitations of our bank accounts that force us to say no to the cars and houses and vacations we want. We are tired of the ongoing struggle to find money to pay our bills and repair our old cars. We long for the carefree life of the rich and famous. We want to live and travel first class.
Asaph envied and then he became irritated.
Pretentious with arrogance,
they wear the latest fashions in violence,
Pampered and overfed,
decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill;
they bully their way with words.
Theyâre full of hot air,
loudmouths disturbing the peace.
With money comes power and Asaph did not like the arrogance of the rich who used their wealth and power to get whatever they wanted.
And he became irritated at the way people flattered the egos of the wealthy who are tempted to believe that because they have a lot of money, they are smarter and wiser than those who do not have a lot of money.
People actually listen to themâcan you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.
In the play and movie, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye speaks to God:
“Dear God, you made many, many poor people.
I realize, of course, that it’s no shame to be poor.
But it’s no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?”
And then he sings, If I were a Rich Man which has this lyric about how people surround the wealthy and like thirsty puppies, lap up their words.
The most important men in town would come to fawn on me!
They would ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise.
“If you please, Reb Tevye…”
“Pardon me, Reb Tevye…”
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi’s eyes!
And it won’t make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong.
When you’re rich, they think you really know!
The wealthy demand service from others and people hang around them, flattering them, hoping to benefit from their wealth.
Asaph envied the rich and powerful. As he observed them he became irritated at their behavior and then he began to doubt the goodness and justice of God.
Whatâs going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobodyâs tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
Iâve been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, thatâs whatâ
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
It was not just the behavior of the rich that irritated Asaph and made him doubt Godâs goodness, it was the fact that he saw wicked men and women prospering.
This past week I was in Tangier for a day. I sat in a cafĂŠ at a water park overlooking the harbor of Tangier. The water slides were packed with kids sliding down into the pool. This was a huge complex and I was told that the man who owned it made his money in the drug trade. All along the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, resorts and hotels and condominium complexes are being built and much of the money is coming from the twelve billion US dollar Moroccan drug trade that supplies Europe with 80% of its marijuana.
Not all developers are unethical. I met with a Christian who is involved in this development business. But there are a lot of unethical, wicked men making fortunes along the Mediterranean coast.
Asaph looked at people who did not follow the rules and made a fortune and complained:
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
Iâve been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, thatâs whatâ
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
The envy of Asaph led to irritation which led to bitterness and doubt.
Whatâs going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobodyâs tending the store.
This was also the prophet Jeremiahâs complaint:
Jeremiah 12
You are always righteous, O Lord,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
When we look at the rich and powerful and then at our own lives, we may well ask the same question. How fair is it that those who do not play by the rules prosper?
Asaph tried to understand how God could be a God of goodness and then allow the wicked to prosper and failed.
If Iâd have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache âŚ
But then Asaph had a revelation.
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road youâve put them on,
with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, andânightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes.âŚNothing.
Thereâs nothing to them. And there never was.
Iâm reading a book by John Ortberg titled, When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box. He talks about playing a game of Monopoly. In case you donât know this game, you roll the dice and move around the board. As you move around you land on properties. If they are unowned, you can buy them from the bank. If they are owned, you have to pay rent to the person who owns them. As you go along you can buy houses and hotels to put on the properties which makes the rent that has to be paid much more expensive.
Eventually someone gets to the position of having the most properties with houses and hotels on them and as you pay and pay and pay you eventually land on a property with a hotel and you go bankrupt. Toward the end of the game, the person in control of the board has a pile of cash that grows and grows and the remaining players roll the dice with fear that they will land on one of his properties. The person in control has no fears. He or she rolls the dice and does not care where he or she lands. Then the last person lands on the wrong property and loses everything and the game is over. One person owns it all.
It is a grand feeling of power to be in control, but then the game is over and all the pieces go back in the box. The title deeds go back in a stack. The hotels go in one bag and the houses go in another. The tokens and dice go back in another bag. The game is over.
This is what Asaph learned. At the end of the game, it all goes back in the box. All the wealth, property and influence accumulated in a lifetime delight the eye and then
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, andânightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes.âŚNothing.
Thereâs nothing to them. And there never was.
It all goes back in the box.
I saw on the news this week that Donald Trump in the US sold a property in Palm Beach, Florida for $100 million US that he bought as an investment four years ago for just $40 million US. Donald Trump has made a fortune in real estate and entertainment. But the time is approaching when in the blink of an eye, his life will be over and it will all go back in the box.
If he is able to take his gold with him, will God be impressed? As Nicky Gumbel from the Alpha Course points out, God might tell him, âThanks, but we already have more paving material than we need.â
Jesus told the story of a successful businessman who built a larger barn to hold all of his crops and that night God said to him (Luke 12:20)
You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
I am just 2 ½ years away from 60 and the older I get the more clear it becomes. Our pursuit of wealth is just not worth it. It will not last. We will die and it will do nothing for us. Only a fool pursues what will not satisfy and what will not help in the future.
There is a better way.
21â24 When I was beleaguered and bitter,
totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
in your very presence.
Iâm still in your presence,
but youâve taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.
25â28 Youâre all I want in heaven!
Youâre all I want on earth!
This is where real wealth is found, in the wisdom that accepts the hand of salvation God offers.
Iâm still in your presence,
but youâve taken my hand.
Real wealth is found in submitting to God and being led by him.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.
Real wealth is found in knowing that everything worth having is found in the presence of God in my life.
25â28 Youâre all I want in heaven!
Youâre all I want on earth!
There are so many ways we can apply this to our lives.
Asaph wrote:
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Men and women spend enormous amounts of money trying to deny the aging process. My daughter Caitlin kindly takes my hand and tells me I am getting old-man hands. But wrinkles are wonderful. Wrinkles are beautiful. Wrinkles allow me to know I am nearing the end of this life and help me prepare for my eternal existence.
John Ortberg writes
You can fight Old Man Wrinkle all you want. You can lavish time and money on the outer you: exercise it, starve it, Botox it, Rogaine it, stretch it, lift it, nip it, tuck it, tan it, dress it up at Neiman Marcus. One day it will just be very expensive worm food. Old Man Wrinkle will wait you out.
Spend as much time on the inner you as you do on the outer you. That work will never go to waste.
Asaph envied those who had money and power but with his new perspective he saw the reality.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, theyâll never be heard from again.
But Iâm in the very presence of Godâ
oh, how refreshing it is!
Iâve made Lord God my home.
God, Iâm telling the world what you do!
The writer of Hebrews encouraged us to
fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
and Paul wrote to the Philippians
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
On what prize are your eyes fixed?
The last couple weeks I have been speaking with a pastor who is planning to step aside from ministry and begin a business career. I have encouraged him in this because his gifting leads him in this direction and I have been tempted to work with him. Our skill sets complement each other and I think we could be successful in the growing real estate / development market in Morocco.
For eight and a half years I have been living off my savings and I like the idea of growing the size of my bank account.
So I weigh what I do as pastor of RIC, president of AMEP, the association of churches in Morocco, and my work on the board of the Village of Hope. I weigh this work in one hand and compare it to what I might be able to do with my bank account in the other and I am tempted. One is much more tangible than the other.
There is nothing wrong in being ambitious to make a lot of money. There is nothing wrong in being rich and powerful. There is nothing wrong in being ambitious for success. There would be nothing wrong in my choosing to move back into the business world.
But I encourage one pastor to pursue a career in business while I choose to stay in ministry.
One is not better than the other. One does not please God more than the other. The truth is that what we do in business or in ministry does not really matter that much. All we accomplish will go back in the box at the end of the game. What matters is how we do what we do. How we do what we do will carry with us into our future existence.
(I John 2:17)
The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way outâbut whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
What matters is whether you are doing what God is calling you to. It could be parenting or teaching, business or ministry. It could be working in the diplomatic corps or the military, the service industry, medicine or social work.
But if you choose to work in a field that has the potential to make you a lot of money or give you a lot of power, you have to be especially careful that you keep your eyes on the prize that will endure. The greater the reward the world can offer you, the stronger the temptation to take your eyes off the prize that will last for eternity.
Asaph began his psalm by talking about the goodness of God.
No doubt about it! God is goodâ
good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But, he wrote
I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Asaph was looking at the false prize, the temporary prize, the prize that will perish, spoil or fade. He found his faith in God when he began looking at the prize that will never be taken away.
At the end of his song, If I Were a Rich Man, Tevye asks God a question:
Lord who made the lion and the lamb,
You decreed I should be what I am.
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan?
If I were a wealthy man.
It will not spoil Godâs eternal plan if you are or become wealthy, but here is wisdom: at the end of the game, it will all go back in the box. It will not matter at the end how much or how little you have, it will all go in the box and then where will you be?
The box is the great equalizer. Rich and poor both go to the same grave.
So keep your eyes on the prize. Jesus is present with you and promises to take you to be with him at the end. Hold on to that prize, the hand of Jesus that will take you from your physical death to eternal life. Everything else will be left behind.
