Envy

"For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills" (Ps 73:3-5).

It sure seems that way, doesn't it?  We see polluted politicians, lying lawyers, crooked corporate raiders, rancid rappers and the like - all prospering, enjoying life free of restraint and living on the crest of abundance.  It seems the more they sin, the more they prosper and the more life opens the gateway to Easy Street.  So it seems.

That is precisely what the psalmist David noted in the passage above: The wicked prospering and enjoying life to the full.  But, in reality, they enjoy the life of a fool.  Notice David's conclusion of the matter as we return to Psalm 73:

"When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!  They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies" (16-20).

The lives of the prosperous sinners don't just seem like fantasies, they are fantasies.  They are not real for they are not lasting.  They are only a "mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (Js 4:14).  They have fallen prey to the lie that the treasures of this world are of true value and worthy of primary pursuit.  They are wrong:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt 6:19-20).

And, we would be foolish to envy them for, while they may prosper here on earth for what seems a very long time, life here is only a moment compared to eternity.  The time we spend here only has value in so far as it glorifies God and prepares us for the life to come.  The prosperity of the wicked is as fleeting as the mouse who finds a tasty morsel of cheese just before the trap is sprung.

Whether on not their lives are as prosperous and trouble free as it seems is not truly relevant.  And for the faithful, how difficult your life may be is not truly relevant.  What is important, the only thing of true value is a life in Christ.  To envy the sinful who prosper now is to envy the hog being fatten for slaughter.  He's eating at the top of the trough now only to be skewered on the top of the pit later.  Jus' Say'n.