Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. – Psalm 86:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 2, 2025): Psalm 86

I recently got sucked into a social media conversation over how much money Volodymyr Zelenskyy has. According to a social media meme, Zelenskyy was a multibillionaire, likely richer than President Trump. Zelenskyy supposedly owns a few mansions in Ukraine as well as property in Florida (maybe because President Trump owns property in Florida, so all rich people must own a mansion there as well). Admittedly, I was intrigued, but something about Zelenskyy being that rich didn't pass the smell test.

So, I decided to do some detective work and see if I could come up with any numbers for the Ukrainian President. Admittedly, I would not guarantee anything I found during my research. I can't be positive that anything I came up with is definitely true, but the numbers I came up with made more sense to me than the social media meme did. The result of my research suggests that President Zelenskyy makes somewhere around $300,000 a year. He is making more money than most of us, but not as much as the meme suggested. The Ukrainian President also seems to own some stock in an entertainment company, which again rings true for a former actor, and a couple of apartments in Ukraine. The apartments would be of a luxury grade when compared to the average Ukrainian flats; however, when compared to North American condo units, they would be pretty average. As far as value, as long as there is a conflict going on between Russia and Ukraine, not much of what Volodymyr Zelenskyy possesses is worth very much; definitely, not as much as his possessions were worth before the war. Nothing suggests that Zelenskyy would ever be considered a multibillionaire or that he would ever make the Forbes 100 list of the wealthiest people in the world. And I found no indication that he owned anything in Florida.

The meme was intended to cause a public reaction against the money that the countries of the West are spending to defend Ukraine against its Russian aggressors. The overwhelming message is, why would we defend Ukraine when that is something that Zelenskyy could do with all of his money? I am old enough to recognize that it is a retread argument, meaning that it has been used before. I remember the same accusation being placed at the feet of the leadership in Vietnam near the close of the Vietnam War back in the early 1970s. As a kid, I accepted that accusation as accurate, and maybe it was in Vietnam, but it does not seem to be true when applied to the Ukrainian President.

In the end, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy is richer than I am, he is not rich enough to stand up against the Russians all by himself. And as I mentioned, Zelenskyy is definitely not as rich as he once was.

David writes, "I am poor and needy" (Psalm 85:1b). Was the king poor and needy? Probably not when he compares himself with the people who gathered around him. He was perhaps one of the wealthiest men in the nation. But the reality is that he did not have enough to do as he needed to do either politically or militarily for the country. He was rich compared to others, but he needed the help of God to be a success as the King of Israel. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) comments that this is not something that a proud man would ever say (could you imagine President Trump writing down in his diary that he is poor and needy?) which says a lot about David, But it is an admission that is true for most of us when it comes to the essential things in life; we are poor and in need of help from the One who created us. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 101