Reading 12—How Fleeting is Fame?
Psalm 73
READ PSALM 73
This prayerful song—for psalms are both prayer and song—paints a vivid picture of those who are “righteous” and those who are “wicked.” The author tells God that although he tried very hard to be righteous, it appeared that all around him people who were flouting both the laws of the land and God’s laws were appearing to prosper. “Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence” (Ps. 73:12-13).
We know that the Psalms were composed many thousands of years ago, yet these two verses could just as easily have been a social media post today. So too could be the conclusions that the author draws: “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 perceived their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!” (Ps. 73:16-19).
The German word for this is schadenfreude, which means taking some pleasure in the discomfort or downfall of others. In person when conversing with friends, how often do you and I speak ill of a mutual acquaintance not present? Even more do social media and reality-television shows encourage this. The psalmist appears to have had all his questions resolved: God punishes people who have appeared to have been getting away with bad stuff!
Scholars classify Psalm 73 as a Wisdom Psalm, because it shares features with the Wisdom Tradition of the Old Testament (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes). These psalms often address the injustices of life and the justice of God, choosing the righteous or correct path in life, and the relative and fleeting value of wealth. Some suggest that the event that prompted the composition of Psalm 73 was the fall of King Sennacherib and the guidance of the prophet Isaiah to his successor, King Hezekiah (II Kings 18:13-19:37).
To Consider
How has our use of the Internet and social media influenced our tendency to find pleasure in, and converse about, the ups and downs of people in public life?
How does it affect our individual relationship with God when we attribute to God or God’s will or God’s actions the misfortunes of other people? What does that do to our own heart and our own journey?
O God, Creator of the Universe, you alone love each person you have created with fierce, unconditional, and truly equal compassion. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we might see each person we encounter, in person or on social media, with the eyes of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, in whose name we pray. Amen.
The Rev. Beth Woodard is the chaplain at Trinity Elms, a senior-living campus of Lutheran Services Carolinas, in Clemmons, NC, and the part-time interim pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in High Point. She lives in Greensboro, with her husband, son, miniature dachshunds, and cat. Pastor Beth knows she is not the boss of anyone in that household.
