Psalm Meditation 834
Proper 5
June 12, 2016

Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)

The people who begin businesses usually do so to provide a service for the people around them. If they provide a service that a lot of people want they end up making a lot of money doing it. With good business sense or good advice the service grows beyond the first location to become a multiple branch provider. For the original owner operator the business is about service more than money. As that owner retires or gets bought out the vision slowly shifts from product and service to profit and loss.

The founder of the company is interested in making money, however the top priority is providing the service that is the heart of the business. At some point investors place making money as the top priority with the service as a secondary concern. What started as a service has become a product and the interest of the higher ups shifts from providing a welcome service to accumulating maximum profits for the shareholders. The product begins to suffer and people move on to the next thing as the profiteers squabble over the business.

These are the folks the psalmist reminds us not to be. If we ever get to the point at which our desire for wealth is stronger than our desire for God, it is time to reconsider our priorities. While the psalm mentions those for whom wealth is a priority, there are other concerns as well. Anyone whose top priority is not God has some reconsidering to do. Trusting in the steadfast love of God is harder than it looks until we form the habit. Once it becomes a habit we can give God thanks in all times and places and situations.

June 6, 2016
LCM