When Envy is Undone
When envy is undone, burdens are lifted. When envy is undone, the lies and distortions it often produces are dismantled, and truth is made clear.
Asaph acknowledges the overwhelming effects of envy; how confusion, heavy burdens, feelings of oppression, and I dare say depression, drove him into a deep, dark, nightmarish head space. But, when he entered the sanctuary… when he went into a place and time of communion with God, the Lord lifted Asaph’s continence and mind. The Lord removed the weight of everything that plagued Asaph’s heart and head… his emotions and mind, thus delivering him from envy’s oppressive hold. It was then that Asaph was able to see the true state of the wicked… their true condition, from the vantage point of God. Through God, Asaph was made to see beyond the trappings of “success”… he saw behind the proverbial curtain that envy used to veil the truth that the unrepentant wicked are already undone, they just don’t know it yet. But the reality of where they stand will come upon them suddenly, and their destruction will be certain.
When envy is undone, truth is made clear. We do not merely see the fault in others, but we see the faults in ourselves. Most striking in today’s focal text is how through Asaph’s encounter with God, the psalmist was able to see himself. Verses 21-22: “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you, [Lord God]”.Asaph lets us know that envy will not only place us in danger of slipping and falling, but envy’s hold can change our hearts and our spirits. Envy’s grip can alter our minds and stir us to do things in ways that who we are and whose we are is unrecognizable… do things in such a manner that who we are and how we act is ungodly: is sin. And there, but for the grace of God, go us all.
Let Us Pray
Lord God, we are forever grateful for the outpouring of your mercy, the abundance of your grace, and your unfailing love. There is nothing in us nor about us that, in and of ourselves, we could ever be worthy of anything that you do for us. We recognize, O God, that all you do is because of who you are, for you are GOD…FAITHFUL… and TRUE! Lord God, we pray that daily we rid our hearts and minds of anything… everything that could threaten our relationship with you. Continue, LORD GOD, to renew your dwelling place in our hearts.