Only Envy is Absolutely No Fun at All
Psalms 73:1–14
“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 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. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.”
The Apostle Paul has written to the Corinthians, “no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to all. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (I Cor 10:13).” A good transition from I Corinthians into Psalm 73, after all, these are both very much alive in our experience and both offer practical wisdom. This is one of those moments, the psalmist Asaph sings of a heartfelt struggle we all face often, envy, discontent, and a sense of injustice. Envy is such a pernicious manifestation of sin. I have a set of notes which I forgot where I got from but I think are instructive in dissecting the issue. Envy hides in self-pity (self-pity: “I'm superior to you because my life is harder than yours” or “why me? why is my life hard?” Envy: “Why not me? Why is their life so good? Why them not me?” Envy hides in our consumerism, products sell a lifestyle. Envy hides in our television shows such as lifestyles of the rich and the famous, the hills, cribs, keeping up with the Kardashians, gossip girl. Envy hides in our compliments – we tread lightly on flattery, we compliment what we would like to have in other people. Envy hides in our relationships with people who are slightly better off –those close to us, our neighbours, not Steve Jobs, not Beyonce, not Tiger Woods nor Beckham, not across the world but, the Joneses across the street. Envy hides in our daydreams, "must be nice...". Envy says “I can't have joy until this or that." Indeed, as American essayist Joseph Epstein wrote, “of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all. Sloth may not seem that enjoyable, nor anger either, but giving way to deep laziness has its pleasures, and the expression of anger entails a release that is not without its small delights. And lust, and greed, and pride bring quite a bit of pleasure for quite a long time. Only envy, is absolutely no fun at all. It drains all joy from a person from its very first moment. In recompense, envy may be the subtlest—perhaps I should say the most insidious.” This first half of the psalm tells us about the problem: It appears life isn’t fair, because the wicked prosper and the godly suffer, and tomorrow, the resolution. There is always hope amidst our most common struggles, and that is found in Christ in whom we may find ultimate satisfaction in life. St. Paul encouraged us to trust and have faith, and as the Bible says, “let us hold resolutely to the hope we confess, for He who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23).” The LORD said through a vision of the Apsotle John written to the church at Philadelphia, “since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth (Rev 3:10).” For today, may I leave you with the Living Life prayer: “Father God, help me to persevere in this life full of suffering. Help me not to be deceived by the prosperity of the wicked but to always fix my eyes on Your cross. Your grace is enough for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 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. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.”
The Apostle Paul has written to the Corinthians, “no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to all. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (I Cor 10:13).” A good transition from I Corinthians into Psalm 73, after all, these are both very much alive in our experience and both offer practical wisdom. This is one of those moments, the psalmist Asaph sings of a heartfelt struggle we all face often, envy, discontent, and a sense of injustice. Envy is such a pernicious manifestation of sin. I have a set of notes which I forgot where I got from but I think are instructive in dissecting the issue. Envy hides in self-pity (self-pity: “I'm superior to you because my life is harder than yours” or “why me? why is my life hard?” Envy: “Why not me? Why is their life so good? Why them not me?” Envy hides in our consumerism, products sell a lifestyle. Envy hides in our television shows such as lifestyles of the rich and the famous, the hills, cribs, keeping up with the Kardashians, gossip girl. Envy hides in our compliments – we tread lightly on flattery, we compliment what we would like to have in other people. Envy hides in our relationships with people who are slightly better off –those close to us, our neighbours, not Steve Jobs, not Beyonce, not Tiger Woods nor Beckham, not across the world but, the Joneses across the street. Envy hides in our daydreams, "must be nice...". Envy says “I can't have joy until this or that." Indeed, as American essayist Joseph Epstein wrote, “of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all. Sloth may not seem that enjoyable, nor anger either, but giving way to deep laziness has its pleasures, and the expression of anger entails a release that is not without its small delights. And lust, and greed, and pride bring quite a bit of pleasure for quite a long time. Only envy, is absolutely no fun at all. It drains all joy from a person from its very first moment. In recompense, envy may be the subtlest—perhaps I should say the most insidious.” This first half of the psalm tells us about the problem: It appears life isn’t fair, because the wicked prosper and the godly suffer, and tomorrow, the resolution. There is always hope amidst our most common struggles, and that is found in Christ in whom we may find ultimate satisfaction in life. St. Paul encouraged us to trust and have faith, and as the Bible says, “let us hold resolutely to the hope we confess, for He who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23).” The LORD said through a vision of the Apsotle John written to the church at Philadelphia, “since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth (Rev 3:10).” For today, may I leave you with the Living Life prayer: “Father God, help me to persevere in this life full of suffering. Help me not to be deceived by the prosperity of the wicked but to always fix my eyes on Your cross. Your grace is enough for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
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