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”When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you. Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:21-26
In a moment of self-reflection, such moments being all too rare when busy-ness is the standard of worth, the psalmist realizes the toxicity of bitterness and envy. As Voltaire observed in Candide, “Even in those cities which seem to enjoy the blessings of peace, and where the arts flourish, the inhabitants are devoured by envy, cares and anxieties, which are greater plagues than any experienced in a town when it is under siege.”
Envy tends to be as constructive as setting your house on fire and waiting for your neighbor’s villa to burn. Some will claim that envy produces the motivation that will drive you to success, yet I would observe that such achievements or victories tend to be Pyrrhic because you have measured your value against others instead of realizing your value in the eyes of God. Padding a resume or having more stuff than a neighbor does nothing to transform a jerk into a noble spirit.
Before the psalmist comes to an awareness of the folly of envy, he rehearses with perfection the bitter jealousies that had stoked his resentment. “I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people … Therefore, the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.” You can almost hear the gnashing of teeth as the psalmist chews on his bitter envy. In a Eureka! moment, the psalmist realizes the self-destructive nature of envy. “When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was stupid and ignorant … Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Fullness of life is not discovered in acquisition, nor in dueling the frenemy for acclaim. Fullness of life is realized in the nurture of a gracious God, and the gift of a loving heart. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
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