Whom Have I But You?

Passage: Psalm 73

To this point our reading of the Old Testament has focused on God’s early dealings with his chosen people, the Israelites. God makes an audacious promise to his people – a promise that is repeated throughout the first five books of the Bible. The promise is this: “If you obey my commandments, things will go well for you. You will succeed, even prosper, in your work, your relationships and your communities.” God makes an accompanying commitment: “If you disobey my commandments, things will go badly for you.” Which seems plausible enough until God’s people start looking around. They are surrounded by pagan nations. And within those nations they see plenty of people who thumb their noses at God and enjoy a greater level of prosperity than they do. How does this mesh with God’s promises?

Psalm 73 addresses this dilemma. The Psalmist begins,

…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 the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

The implied question is this: “What gives, God? How is it that I, who have done everything by the books, am suffering while my neighbor, who has done nothing but malign you and disregard your commands, has it all?” This is a question God’s people ask today. How is it that some of the most immoral people in our culture, and some of the most ruthless people in other cultures, are the ones who have the most?

The Psalmist answers his own question, and answers ours, too.

Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

It’s easy to conclude that someone who is wealthier, more powerful, or more popular than you is prospering. The writer of Psalm 73 concludes otherwise. The true measure of prosperity is based not on indicators that come and go and change over time. The true measure of prosperity is eternal: the love and favor of God. So the Psalmist concludes,

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Don’t get so hung up on whether someone is “doing better” than you. Focus on the true measure of well-being and success: a relationship with your Heavenly Father.