Smoke and Mirrors

Remembering the transience of the wicked

“O sons of men, how long will my glory become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and seek falsehood? But know that Yahweh has set apart the holy one for Himself; Yahweh hears when I call to Him.” (Psalm 4:2–3, LSB)

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One of the temptations facing faithful Christians in our current culture is the temptation to view our enemies as absolute. That is, to see the forces opposing Christ and His kingdom as ultimate, immovable, and unassailable. We feel this temptation because, in some ways, our intuitions are correct: humanly speaking we possess about as much cultural firepower as a leaky garden hose and our enemies really do outgun us a thousand to one. The battle we are engaged in is thus a battle heavily stilted in the other team’s favour. Feelings of resignation and defeat, when viewed against the backdrop of our present situation, are not entirely unwarranted. 

The problem, however, is that these sentiments by themselves don’t reflect the whole picture — and they don’t at all reflect the attitude of the Scriptures. It might very well be true that Klaus Schwab and his cronies have “infiltrated the cabinets” of various world governments; it might also be true that our culture is being manipulated by invisible tech giants and that the commies really do run the show. But to view these realities as indomitable forces that can never be overcome is to ascribe far too much solidity to them. It is to give them a place of preeminence the Scriptures simply do not yield. 

According to God, such men are fools who have their hearts set on “what is worthless” — literally, on emptiness and vanity — and they seek after falsehood (v. 2). Thus, despite their showboating, the schemes of godless elites are really nothing more than smoke and mirrors. They have an appearance of power, but lack any real substance. 

Moreover, the reason for their impotence is because “Yahweh has set apart the holy one for Himself; Yahweh hears when I call to Him” (v. 3). God, not man, is the one calling the shots. And God has chosen His holy one for Himself. He listens when he calls. 

The principle for us, then, is twofold. First, we need to avoid giving more veneration to the wicked than we ought; not because their raging lacks ferocity or threat, but rather because they themselves are transient and illusory. They have their hearts set on a vain hope. Thus, when viewed against the backdrop of God’s sovereign purposes for the world, the wicked are no more of a threat than withering grass or a bad dream (Ps. 37:2; 73:20). No matter how permanent they appear, their house will be destroyed while the tent of the upright will flourish (Prov. 14:11). As Jesus said, it is the meek who will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Thus, we ought to esteem them according to their station — which is to say, not much. As the psalmist put it elsewhere: “Do not fret because of evildoers” (Ps. 37:1). We need to recover this outlook.

The second thing we need to remember is that the church’s real strength and vitality does not rest in clever strategies or human ingenuity, but in humble, Spirit-wrought devotion to God. Yahweh has set apart the holy one for Himself. He hears when he calls.

In an age given to frantic schemes and anxious busyness, we need to get this truth into our bones. The church has not survived all these centuries, teetering at many points on the precipice of extinction, because it has been carried along by the cleverness of its leaders. No, the church has survived, and indeed thrived, because it has been chosen and redeemed by the God of all grace. Christ is the captain at the helm, and He has preserved His vessel through many a storm.

Thus, if there is any strategy we ought to engage ourselves with in these evil days it is simply this: “Trust in Yahweh and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness” (Ps. 37:3).

It might not seem like much to carnal eyes, but this one simple truth turned the world upside down.

So don’t fret over evildoers today, Christian. Delight yourself in the Lord and get busy. He will carry us through the storm.