The Folly of Riches

God is Just and Merciful

Jesus Teaches about Justice

Psalm 49 Amplified Bible

The Folly of Trusting in Riches.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all peoples;
Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together:
3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb;
On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the wickedness of those who would betray me surrounds me [on every side],
6 Even those who trust in and rely on their wealth
And boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
8 For the ransom of his soul is too costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
9 So that he should live on eternally,
That he should never see the pit (grave) and undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even wise men die;
The fool and the stupid alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever,
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God].
12 But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident,
And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the netherworld, the place of the dead);
Death will be their shepherd;
And the upright shall rule over them in the morning,
And their form and beauty shall [a]be for Sheol to consume,
So that they have no dwelling [on earth].
15 But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah.
16 Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,
When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never again see the light.
20 A man [who is held] in honor,
Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

For Reflection

"Oh, I am so blessed," I overheard one man bragging about the quality of his life. What was the implied meaning in his statement I asked myself? Is it the same statement that Job may have made before his suffering? Does the boaster think that God was the bestower of the quality of his material life?  Does he also believe that others who are not as well off are somehow punished for some unnamed sin?

I remember hearing another say, "I made my way. I worked hard for what I have. Those other losers just don't want to work hard." One thinks that his success is related somehow to a reward for his level of righteousness, a sign of God's approval.  The other thinks his success is due only to his effort. One is blinded by his stubborn self-determination and the other blinded by his spiritual point of view. Conversely, those that have little may blame God and jealously curse those who appear to have more than they and blame them for their predicament.

So listen, all you haves and have-nots. Abiding in God is not about the material world.  There is no inherent shame in wealth or poverty. There is no intrinsic blessing either. Living a life that God intends for us is about finding spiritual rest in God's desire for us to be good stewards of God's universe and each other. It is about God's desire for us to be perfected by mimicking God's love and grace.

"Have a blessed day," we say. What if we don't have a "blessed" day? I appreciate the sentiment, but have we used these phrases so often that we have lost the spiritual meaning of blessing? For me, I would rather see opportunities to love, to be humble, to be rich in spirit and a witness to the gospel as a blessing.

So for Heaven's sake, please don't bless my sneezing!

Pray

Pray so that your soul grows in humility and grace.  Pray so that you can be the one through which others see the love of God actively working for good.  Pray so that God can grab you by the collar, yank you into God's grace, and bestow God's blessing to you in the service of God's Kingdom.

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