Fret Not, Envy Not

PSALM 37:1-2
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
It is a very common thing for one to fret when witnessing undeserved prosperity, this is to say, wicked people prospering when they should be receiving justice for their wicked deeds. It is not only a very common feeling, it is a strong emotional passion. From the recorded expressions of men like Job, we see that this attitude is characteristic of even the best of men. Job asked, “wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?” He goes on to further elaborate in Job 21:7-15. This feeling of desire to see justice done does not need to be completely set aside from our minds and hearts, it simply needs to be put under the Holy Spirit’s control. The Spirit will direct us to look to and wait on the Lord for retributive justice. We know by faith in God’s Word that the Lord will overtake the wicked person in his deeds and he will receive his due. “Fretting” about it will not help, to fret implies becoming frustrated and concerned overmuch about the matter, thus allowing unbelief and self-will to enter the heart.
The other extreme would be to envy the wicked. This is foolish and dangerous. It is foolish because, “they shall soon be cut down like the grass.” When God’s time comes, they will be mown down like the grass, “and wither as the green herb.” They are full of life now, but soon, they will be as dead as mown grass.
It is also dangerous to envy them, we may begin to gaze at their material prosperity and be deceived, as many have. We must take the long view, eternity’s view, and realize that the wicked person’s prospering is very short-lived. To men, their prosperity may seem to continue for a long time, but when we consider eternity, it is very short, comparatively. We can determine the wise course we should take, we are told to "trust in the Lord and do good and we shall be fed.” We must be “content with such things as we have, for He (Jesus) shall never leave nor forsake us.” We have the Giver of all ‘good and perfect gifts’ and He is willing and able to meet all of our needs.
Under His Wings,
Pastor Ed Bowen