Psalm 128: Struggling Against the Prosperity Gospel

Observation: Psalm 128 articulates what is, whether I like it or not, a view not uncommon in the Bible: For the one who fears the Lord and obeys God, life will be good and prosperous.

Application: 

Nope. Not always.

It is certainly a popular view among many people of faith, and maybe even people without faith, that it's just as simple as that: Do good things, good things will happen to you (e.g., the ludicrously simplified concept of "karma" from the show "My Name is Earl"). This is a hallmark of  the theology of many organizations that profess to be Christian. My wife tells me the story of a day as a chaplain in a state mental hospital in Columbus, Ohio, which is also home to a nationally televised prosperity mega-church.The patient was devastated because they had sent in more money than they could afford to this ministry, and had received an official letter saying "your financial blessing from God will come within the month." Sure enough, more than a month had passed. 

A fictional example of this phenomenon came in a 1996 episode of the Simpsons called "Hurricane Neddy," when everyone's favorite Christian stereotype, Ned Flanders, suffers the misfortune of being the only one in his neighborhood to have his home destroyed by a hurricane. In a climactic moment, Ned prays, 

“Why me, Lord? Where have I gone wrong? I've always been nice to people. I don't drink or dance or swear. I've even kept Kosher just to be on the safe side. I've done everything the bible says, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff. What more could I do? I feel like I'm coming apart here. I want to yell out, but I just can't dang-diddily-do-dang, do-dang-diddily-darn do it!”

There are, indeed, places in the Bible, like Psalm 128, that suggest God rewards faithfulness and obedience with prosperity. But there are many other places, including the entire Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, and most importantly, all four Gospels, that say sometimes even those we may consider "good", who have done nothing to deserve it, have bad things happen to them. God does not use a "smite" button to directly punish evildoers and reward the faithful and the kind. The chaotic reality of living in a world dominated by sin is that sometimes terrible things happen to people who don't deserve it--indeed, sometimes these things are so terrible that no one could deserve it--and when they do, God does not sit back with arms crossed, but sits with us in the pain. God did not push a button to make this happen. But God will weep with us and bear our suffering to the cross. 

I realize that simply saying "The Prosperity Gospel is against the Gospel of Jesus Christ", while satisfying for me, does not ease the grief or pain of those whose suffering seems random and unnecessary. It's an intellectual argument, when what God calls for is a compassionate heart. So that's my challenge for all of you today: whether or not you feel you can make sense of suffering, you can still sit with (and if needed STAND with) those who suffer. That is our duty as the Body of Christ.

Prayer: God, for those today whose suffering is needless, for those searching for meaning when no meaning seems forthcoming, for those deluded by simplistic notions of morality and prosperity, who follow you only because they feel it will directly benefit them, I pray for mercy and healing. Amen.