Foolish Arrogance


Psalm 49

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2both low and high, rich and poor together!
3My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
8for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
9that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
10For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
11Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.
12Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
13This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
17For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
18For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.
20Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

This psalm is written to people, not to God. It derides the foolishness of trusting in your riches. And this psalm applies to every single one of us because we are all subject to death. Since death is inevitable, it is foolish to trust in riches. You can’t take them with you.

God does get an honorable mention, for He alone can ransom my soul from death. He alone is not reliant upon wealth to accomplish His goals because – He owns it all! Since He is our God, we need fear nothing or no one; the richest among the rich mean nothing to someone who belongs to God. Our focus remains on Him alone and we are able to rest secure in His provision and His power. I guess the focus verse for today must be “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”

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