Righteous? Rich?

Good Morning,

Psalm 37:16-17 (NIV)
A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.
Luke 16:19-20 (NIV)
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate."

Today I received both of these verses of Scripture and didn't immediately see what one might have to do with the other. But, something I've learned is that Scripture is really the best commentary on Scripture, if you know what I mean. After a bit of thought, I think I understand why these have come today.

In the first verses from Psalms that we read today, it's clear that God is telling us that righteousness is far better than riches and wealth. I don't think we really need much comment about that, really, as this is certainly one of those times when God is being extremely clear and straight forward in what He has to tell us and educate us about.

The second section of verses that Jesus spoke about in Luke are a little less clear though. Yes, we're all familiar with the parable of the "certain rich man" and "a certain beggar named Lazarus." We know that Lazarus was blessed with heavenly rewards for being a good, righteous man while the "certain rich man" was sent into the depths of hell to suffer for what he had done and allowed in his life. A simple parable of good being much, much better than evil.

However, that's not what struck me this morning about this parable. What struck me, what I was made aware of, doesn't seem like much, but in the grand scheme of things I feel it speaks volumes. You see, we don't know the name of "a certain rich man" but we certainly know the name of Lazarus. So, what did all the riches bring this rich, uncaring person? Damnation, hell, and the fact that his name isn't even remembered...no matter his wealth. But, Lazarus? Yes, HIS name IS remembered, because he was a righteous man.

So, what we read in Psalms about "the arms of the wicked" being broken while "the Lord upholds the righteous" is even more telling when we read what Jesus told us in the parable He related.

Riches or righteousness. Often...more often than we might like to think about...these two aren't compatible. One almost always gets in the way of the other. Yes, I know that there are exceptions to this, I'm not naive. However, for the most part, it appears that these two concepts are diametrically opposed to one another. Can a rich man be righteous? Sure. Does is happen often? No. Can a righteous man be rich? Again, sure. Does it happen often? Again, no.

Why is this? I would think that we see enough examples all around us in the world in which we live, that I don't have to go into the details here. But, we'll know the definitive answer when we meet the Lord and all things become clear.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David