What Is More Important?

(Ps. 37:6)

Mike Johnson

David probably wrote Psalm 37 in the latter stages of his life.  This psalm’s intent seems to be to encourage God’s people who are facing difficulties in life.  Verse 16, which is more like a proverb, says, “A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.” The Bible does not teach it is wrong to be wealthy.  It cites various wealthy people as righteous, such as Abraham, Lot, Job, Zacchaeus, and Joseph of Arimathea.  David was also wealthy; thus, he could have made this statement from personal experience.  The contrast here is between a righteous person having little and a wicked person having much.  Consider some similar passages. Proverbs 15:16-17 says, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.” Proverbs 16:8 says, “Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice.”

What if someone today, who has little, has the opportunity to swap places with a wealthy person?  Would they do it?  The answer would generally be “yes.”  What if the one who has little is righteous and the wicked person is wealthy, and there was no way to change this.  Would the poor person still swap places?  In some cases, the answer would still be “yes.”  However, “swapping places” would be very unwise for the poor person.  It would be much better to live our lives on this earth poor and then be saved eternally than it would be to have riches and be lost eternally.  The righteous person is laying up treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21) and, after a less comfortable life on earth, has the joys of heaven waiting for him.