The psalmist concludes that a good life has not brought him wealth or freedom from troubles (verse 12) and therefore has been “in vain” (verse 13). But this unmasks his heart. His obedience was not a way of pleasing God but rather a means of getting God to please him. When we say to God, “I’ll serve you only if X happens,” then it is X that we love, and God is just a necessary apparatus for obtaining it.
