Ps. 73: 16-17, “But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.”
Today, we might say that the Psalmist is dealing with mental health issues. He is processing a lopsided world. He looks around and sees that the wicked are rewarded for their wickedness. Their bellies are fat, and they die in peace. They find power and riches through their oppression of the righteous. The Psalmist, in turn, feels that his faithfulness is vanity. He will not speak that way because that would betray the saints. Yet, he still does not understand what the Lord is doing. It is a wearisome task.
The plight of the Psalmist is often in the face of the success of the wicked. The wicked conspire against the righteous, or the anointed one of God, or the poor, or those who are free. The Psalmist’s distress often comes from the success of their conspiracy.
It’s, for this reason, I believe that today there are conspiracies against the church, the poor, and the freedom of the people in general. Men gather together an make plans to crush the poor, take power for themselves, and, especially, to attack the church. They attack the church because the message of the church, the declaration in the gospel that Christ is king, is an insult to their power. A careful study of history will reveal various conspiracies throughout history. It’s hard to imagine that these types of things do not happen today. It’s for this reason that I do not write off so-called “conspiracy theories,” even though I remain skeptical of any particular theory.
At the same time, I am not afraid. In the short term, a conspiracy may be successful, but God remains in charge.
Like the Psalmist, however, fear remains a temptation. I am tempted to focus on the power and the wealth of the wicked. I wonder at what wickedness they will accomplish. What suffering will they cause? In this way, I am like the Psalmist. In facing the evil of men who hold positions of power in our society, my feet almost slip. I grow envious of the arrogant and the prosperity of the wicked. The problem: I am caught focussing on what is earthly, rather than what is heavenly.
But then: I approach the house of God, I approach the word of God, I come into the courts of Mt. Zion by the power of the Spirit. And there, I see who is really in charge; Jesus Christ. He reigns. We can worry about micro-chips, forced vaccinations, new tyrannical powers in the time of Covid-19. The specter of technocracy or the rule of science is an imminent threat. These are legitimate worries, but these fears should not rule us. God is King. God has exalted Jesus Christ over all powers and principalities. Because he is a righteous king, we know that he will punish the wicked for their evil deeds. Even if they die with “no pangs in their death,” according to the Psalmist, their final end is certain.
God sets the wicked in slippery places; both physically and spiritually. Power and money easily slip away. Power and money that are taken by the sword or by fraud are susceptible to being taken by the sword or by fraud. The Psalms remind us that wicked men turn on each other. Evil men grow suspicious and envious of one another. According to Psalm 9: 15, the nations sink into their own pit; they are snared in their own net. The destruction of the wicked is not necessarily due to smart resistance of the righteous, but the self-destructive nature of wickedness. The nations may rage, but Christ is king.
And in all this, I am confident of my end. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
(A further note on conspiracy: with the attitude of distrust in our society today toward other groups and toward the elite, we must be very careful about bringing false witness against particular individuals. That is what I mean when I say that I am fairly confident that conspiracies exist against the church and against freedom in general, but I am much more skeptical of particular theories. A look at various quotes from prominent individuals in influential organizations should warn us that men are actively warring against the righteousness of Christ. Over the years I’ve seen statements from UN officials, from the WHO, and from members of the government of Canada that display an unhealthy attitude toward freedom and righteousness.
However, to jump from that to accusing individuals, in the civil government or otherwise, of wrongdoing with insufficient proof is highly offensive to our God in whom there is no lie. We must also remember the call of God to be patient with the weaknesses of those who rule over us. So let’s not be quick to accuse individuals of conspiracy.
It is also a big leap to go from that to a thorough condemnation of the whole government. The government is made up of a huge variety of different people with a variety of influences coming from every direction. Nobody can really control what “the government” does. Often a big part of their decision making relies on “the people” in general. For a great deal of “the government’s” foolishness, we only have ourselves to blame. Let us be very careful and thoughtful in dealing with things we know very little about. Particularly, as Christians who are called to value the truth)