The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and pine away; the desires of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 112 is a regular listing of advice that could be tendered today – Be generous in lending, manage affairs with justice, give freely to the poor. The conclusion of this list of upstanding advice is that the wicked will see this good behavior and be angry, gnashing their teeth, and pining away.
How sad it is that when seeing good behavior in others, some people are angry. Why should it matter if someone else is just or generous? And yet, we get petty, when someone else benefits from such good behavior and we don’t!
When people whom I’ve judged to be unworthy are the recipients of good luck, or benevolent offers, it is sometimes hard to be happy for them. That sounds very petty in writing it, but it’s honest. It’s hard to remember that kindness and generosity are inherently good, and in fact, not owed to me, ever.
There is hope for me, though. I’m reminded of a call I got a call from a dear family friend. They were calling to tell me they were extending incredible generosity to another of my family members. They were afraid I was going to be upset, because I was not going to receive the same benevolent offer. Their reasoning was perfectly reasonable, and the action was incredibly kind. Momentarily, I contemplated being put off by the generosity of someone, and then realized that made no sense. I was able to be deeply grateful for their generosity, and for the good fortune of my family member.
I can’t say that I always can be trusted with similar good responses, but I am capable of them. And all I need to do is think of this psalm, and the absurdity of thinking that good will should cause anger.
This morning, I’m thinking about ways to be gracious and grateful for the kindness and goodness and generosity of others, even if it’s not directed to me. I never want to be caught pining or angry about good things in this world.
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