Deliver my life from the wicked … O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes. As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (Psalm 17:13-15)
As David concludes this psalm, once again, he prays for protection from those who would love to see him dead. In so doing, he calls attention to what these wicked men hold dear — the luxuries and pleasures of this world. They seek to satisfy themselves with all that the world has to offer with no consideration for the world to come. Apparently, according to David, many of them succeed in this venture because, as he noted, they have enough worldly possessions to leave to their descendants.
As for David, he was not focused on the material trappings of this world but was looking ahead to what happens after death. That is why, in contrast to the goals of wicked men, he said, “As for me … I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” In other words, David speaks of the resurrection that will occur and his expectation of beholding God, face to face, and being transformed into His likeness. To awake in His likeness is to say, being restored to what all mankind was to be before the fall — made in the image and likeness of God as an eternal being.
There is nothing wrong with accumulating wealth in this world, in fact, God is the One who gives power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). However, it was never His intention for wealth to be what we lived and longed for — it was never to be our idol. Like Abraham and so many others, David understood that. As king, David wasn’t hurting financially but understood that the amenities of this world are nothing compared to what the righteous will enjoy in the world to come. Nothing in this existence can compare to what God has prepared for those who love Him, and so, we are not to live just for this life; we are living this life with an eye on eternity. For those in Messiah, we have the promise that when we awake from our sleep, we will be transformed from mortal to immortal. On that day, we shall see His face in righteousness and be conformed, for all time, to the image of the Son. What a glorious day that will be!
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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