02/15/2022
When the enemy is approaching our gates do we fret over what is about to happen, or put our trust in God? If we see wicked people prospering, and living exceptionally well, are we envious of them? Well, when we are under attack our trust needs to be in the Lord because he is our strong tower, and will defend us against all forms of evil. As for envying the treasures of the wicked, He causes them to spoil in their warehouses, and on their vines. In other words, if we fear then we have doubt and our faith is weak, and if we envy then we covet, and fall into sin. We are taught to fear only the Lord, and are commanded never to covet. This is the message in our opening scripture today, but is this how we behave in our lives?
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.”
Psalm 37:1-2 ESV
No matter what it is, we are told not to covet, but it seems that we can be more easily tempted to rationalize our sin of coveting when it comes to desiring the possessions to those who are evil, or who have acquired their gain by wrongdoing. However, God gave us no leeway regarding when we could be jealous, and told us simply not to long for the physical possessions, or even the spiritual position, of another. We are never to do this, and Psalm 37 says that we are not to be envious; even of wrongdoers. This leaves us no room for any misunderstanding regarding the universal application that the Lord applies to coveting. Listen to this verse in Exodus…
““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.””
Exodus 20:17 ESV
So whether a person has ill-gotten gains, or rightfully acquired goods and possessions, we are not to look on them with a jealous eye, or desire to take them. The question we should ask ourselves is this… “Are we able to resist every longing for what another person has?” We can only defeat this evil successfully if we have fear, or more precisely the fear of God, and if our ability to apply it in our lives is strong enough to protect us from sins like this, and the others we are faced with. This is why fear and envy are tied together in a single verse… to show us the sin, and then point out our protection against it.
“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”
Proverbs 14:27 ESV
Moses told the Israelites this very same thing. He told them that they should not fear anything but God, and that the fear of God would protect them from sin. Listen to what he says, and then let’s ask ourselves what it is that we fear… is it God, or the other things, and is our faith and fear of God strong enough to ward off every sin that tempts us?
“Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.””
Exodus 20:20 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for instructing us in our fear of you. Thank you for teaching us to be fearless towards the world, and yet show a respectful fear of you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who we long to please, and desire to obey in every way. Praised be your name for every sin we resist by thinking of you, and remembering your Word, and commandments. Merciful are you who strengthens our conscience by reminding us of the consequences of sin, even those that we have justified, and for which we have not admitted our error, and come to repent. Your grace reveals itself in our obedience, and magnifies itself as our fear of you shields us from every manner of sin. Wash us in the blood of Jesus, and call us your children, your chosen. Pronounce us worthy as we stand before you in judgement, and let us sing your name, and worship you forevermore.
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
Proverbs 24:19-20 ESV
Rich Forbes