My Food for Thought with Psalm 62:10
I was going back to regular Bible reading. I'll be going back to cover-to-cover Bible reading like I did in my later years of my Christian faith. I decided to give pause for Psalm 62:10 which says the following:
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them]. (KJV)
Other translations commonly used by other Baptist and Protestant groups would also render Psalm 62:10 as the following:
Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. (ESV)
Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. (NIV)
For me, I still feel the KJV renders it with oppression though the word extortion still works. The NIV does translate robbery as stolen goods. I was thinking about how the COVID-19 pandemic had released the wickedness of the hearts of people. Some people are still all too inconsiderate even during a time of crisis when people need to work together. You can see some people try to rip off a profit with COVID-19 at the cost of other people. We can still see such behavior before the pandemic and during times of disasters worse than COVID-19.
I confess that I tend to trust in oppression or get tempted to do so. It's very easy to get tempted to think that it's better for me to be a tyrant than to be just to gain control. However, the Bible commands masters to treat their slaves properly because they serve a greater master (Colossians 4:1). A person who relies on oppressive means is not to be trusted. Why should I not trust in oppression? Ruling by fear will only work well in the short run. However, some people will eventually have enough and would decide that death is better than bondage or even fight back against an abusive employer or teacher. An authority figure who trusts in oppression is bound to be justly overthrown. It's because when God anoints people in power - He too removes them from power should they prove to be wicked. Businessmen too can end up trusting in oppression when they decide not to treat their employees properly as God commands it. Communism, Nazism, and other forms of tyranny trust in oppression only for them to end up suffering chaotic backlash almost on a daily basis. History has also shown that while torture may help put people in fear but others will eventually rather get tortured to death than bow down to oppression.
Many people enter into robbery not just because of poverty but also out of greed. Why is robbery vain? It's because when money is easily gained then it's usually easily lost. I was thinking about the life of a robber. Robbing is when steals with the use of force. Sure, a robber can easily make millions in a day by robbing a bank but can they truly enjoy it? Can a robber who steals expensive goods truly enjoy it? Sure, they can enjoy it for a while but there's that looming fear that they will soon get into trouble. They can sure afford illegal protection but it doesn't last forever. There are still honest authority figures who will eventually drop the curtain on them. If the law doesn't get them into trouble then think that they could lose their riches in a gangster war. I've noticed how often gangsters end up stealing from rival gangsters. They are simply reaping what they sow - they do robbery and they become victims of robbery. Robbery in itself is the easy way out. Working hard and learning to manage one's money well will eventually let one enjoy the money better in the long run.
How often is it easy to set my heart upon riches! I would confess that there are times I make stupid mistakes like thinking about returns instead of considering the risks. I was thinking about how often financial prosperity can take my heart away. Financial prosperity in itself is not wrong. It's when you decide to love money instead of God (1 Timothy 6:10). It's not money but the love of money that's evil. Having riches is not wrong until I decide to set my heart on them. Either you're in control of your money or your money controls you. Money is a good servant but a horrible master. A good example of me getting arrogant or when I get tempted to do wickedly for money. There are even times I feel like I want to earn money through illegitimate means. However, thank God that I end up repenting of even thinking of it. True, riches are wonderful but only if they are used for the good of others. That's why I believe that God sometimes allows me to suffer failure and financial difficulty to help me not take the riches for granted. Instead, those failures and financial difficulties are among the stepping stones of some people who have earned a lot of money through honest effort. Then I think of how I can raise not my standard of living but my standard of giving for the work of the Lord.
As the year ends, I'm thinking about Psalm 62:10. There are some losses. There's a lot of oppression and robbery going on. I think of whatever financial gains there are for people. Am I really living up to this advice by King David or am I shrugging it off as mere opinion when it's in the Word of God?