Psalm 123:3-4
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Revolutions historically have been about starvation. The people were hungry while those in power grew fat. The American Revolution, seeking liberty, was a notable exception. The French and Russian revolutions, on the other hand, were predicated on these two verses from the psalmist, with one extremely important difference. Those revolutions were godless. They rejected the church and placed reason and equality at its center. The result was neither reasonable nor equal. Bloodshed was rampant. The psalmist cried out for mercy to God because he knew he could trust in God. Rather than revolt against the comfortable and proud, this man turned to the source of all things, the Holy God. He would not be disappointed nor envious of those who were rich.
For over 200 years, we have been living in an envy culture, where everyone fits into two camps, the oppressor, or the oppressed. This breeds a discontent and envy that, left unchecked, usually leads to violence as the “oppressed” is justified in murder and theft. It makes for a chaotic world, much like ours. Those who trust in the Lord for their needs are under no such illusion. Followers of Christ know they deserve death, not what the other guy has. He has shown us all the mercy we need by sending Jesus to the cross. May others envy us for that!
O Heavenly Father, you own the cattle on a thousand hills and we own only our sin. Thank you for the mercy you showed through Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.