God shall likewise destroy thee for ever; He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] tent, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, [saying,] Behold the man that made not God his strength, but put confidence in the abundance of his riches, [and] strengthened himself in his avarice. But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I will confide in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever. I will praise Thee for ever, because Thou hast done [it]; and I will wait on Thy name, before thy godly ones, for it is good. Psalm 52:5-9
“Avarice, or greed (from the Latin averus, “greedy,” “to crave”), is the inordinate desire for riches, whether material, spiritual, or artistic. Note the word “inordinate.” It is a desire for things of this world that is out of order…The special malice of avarice, broadly speaking, lies in that it makes the getting and keeping of money and possessions an end in itself. The avaricious person does not see that these things are only valuable as a means to attain the goals for which God created him [or her]. These goods should be acquired according to a person’s needs and with due regard for the special social condition in which he finds himself [or in which she finds herself]. Goods have been given us by God to be shared for love’s sake. The avaricious person sins against this love…Greed can disguise itself as a virtue under the pretext of providing for the future, whereby a person hoards things that are not really needed for his [or her] future well-being…Generosity is the antidote to avarice.”
Emmerich Vogt in The Freedom to Love: Recovery and the Seven Deadly Sins (Minneapolis: Mill City Press, 2012) 63-67.
What we do with money not only communicates where we confide and place our trust, but also sends a message to God about whether or not we desire to make known His love. We confess that we sent God the wrong message for the first 16 years of our marriage, stockpiling money on earth “for the future” following the instructions of this world. It was not insignificant when we finally realized that wealth was “only valuable as a means to attain the goals for which God created” us, and that generosity was only antidote to avarice. Since then, over nearly 9 years, everything God has supplied beyond a three-month float we have either used for living or stored it up in heaven through giving.
In today’s Scripture, David, the psalmist, notes that while others may strengthen themselves with avarice, he resolved instead to confide in God. Regardless of what others are doing, we must join David in declaring, “But as for me…” This calls us to use any wealth God provides as a tool to make known His love. We must do this lest it worm its way into our souls and be the cause of our own destruction. We are learning that as we walk in obedience, we find ourselves like “green olive trees” that bear fruit in the house of God because of His goodness.