/25/2012 7:33:28 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Futility of Wealth
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 49:5-
Message of the verses: At the end of his introduction we read in the last SD what Dr. Wiersbe writes: “The writer gives us three reminders to help us keep our perspective in a world obsessed with wealth and the power it brings.”
“Wealth Cannot Prevent Death (vv.5-12): “5 Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, 6 Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? 7 No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him- 8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever- 9 That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay. 10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. 12 But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
“5 Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? 6 They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. 7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. 8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough 9 to live forever and never see the grave. 10 Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. 11 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, 12 but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals.” (NLT)
I think that many people think that it is a sin to be wealthy, but that is not the case for we read in 1Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Jesus said these words in His Sermon on the Mount, “"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’” The problem is not wealth but it can be a problem what wealth can do to a person when he tries to become wealthy.
The psalmist is saying that even those who are wealth will die some day and wealth cannot redeem anyone. Peter writes about what it took to purchase salvation, “18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” We realize that the psalmist did not know that it would be Jesus Christ who would purchase salvation through his blood, but I think that it would be safe to say that he did realize that sacrifice and blood did have to do with the purchase of salvation because of the sacrifices in the OT that pictured what Christ would do.
Dr. Wiersbe writes these words that are worth repeating, “It’s good to have things that money can buy, if we don’t lose the things money can’t buy. It’s sad when people start to confuse prices with values. Jesus concluded a sermon on riches by saying ‘For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’ (Luke 16:15, NKJV)
I want to make a brief comment on the last phrase in verse 12 where we read, “They will die, just like animals.” The psalmist is not writing about animals being on the same level as humans, but only that both face ultimate death and decay.
“Wealth Will Not Determine Your Destiny” (vv. 13-15): “13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. 14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. 15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.”
13 This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude 14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.15 But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude” (NLT)
Dr. Wiersbe points out that the writer is talking about rich people here. Jesus also spoke about how hard it would be for the rich to enter into heaven and the reason for this is because they trusted in their riches and loved the nice things that people would say about them because they were rich. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day thought that riches were a blessing from God, and yet many of them did not have trouble getting rich by hurting others. James speaks of this when he writes, “Jas 1:10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. Jas 1:11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Jas 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Jas 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.” Now again we must remember that it is not a sin to be rich, however riches can cause a man to sin if he is trusting in his riches.
Dr. Wiersbe writes of the believer’s death, “For the believer, death is only a valley of temporary shadows, and Jesus is the Shepherd (Psalm 23:4). There is coming a ‘morning’ when the death in Christ will be raised and share the glory of the Lord (1Thes.4:13-18; see Ps. 16:10-11; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:3). We can’t ransom someone who is about to die (vv. 7-8), but the Lord has already ransomed us from sin and the power of the grave (v. 15; 1Cor. 15:20ff). When we die God will receive us to Himself (Ps. 73:24; 2Cor. 5:1-8; Gen. 5:24), and when Jesus returns, He will raise our bodies from the grave. Decision for Christ, not the possession of great wealth, determines our eternal destiny.” I have heard many times that when a person is about to be buried we never see a “U-Haul) following the hearse. “A vehicle in which a coffin is carried to a funeral or a dead person is transported to a funeral home immediately after death.”
“Wealth Must Not Increase Your Desires: (vv. 16-20): “16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; 17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. 18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself-And though men praise you when you do well for yourself- 19 He shall go to the generation of his father’s; They will never see the light. 20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”
“16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. 17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. 18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. 19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. 20 People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.” (NLT)
I have to say that this psalm sounds like Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes.
We see in verse 16 these words from the NLT “So don’t be dismayed” and this can apply to us when we see the wealthy buying bigger houses and cars, for all their wealth will be left behind when they die and ultimately lose it value. I have to go back to something that I learned while studying the creation, especially the creation of planet earth. I learned that it took God six days to create the earth just the way He wanted to for when He would create man. The important thing to remember is when you look out and see the stars and this beautiful earth, when you look up at the moon and everything that God has created the only thing that will be left when God “un-creates the earth will be man, so all of the so called wealth will be destroyed, burned up as 2Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” When we think about this then how important is wealth anyway, for it is more important to tell others how they can have eternal life through Jesus Christ for it is people who will live forever and not things.
Dr. Wiersbe writes in conclusion to his commentary, “The writer penned this psalm so we would have understanding! We need to understand that wealth cannot prevent death or determine our destiny, and that we must not become covetous when we see others prospering in this world. It isn’t a sin to have wealth, provided we earned it honestly, spend it wisely and invest if faithfully in that which pleases the Lord.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: This has been a wonderful study for me in that I did not become a believer until age 26 and during that time I had surely developed many bad habits that had to be death with, and one of them was thinking that money could solve all problems. It was a good reminder and this psalm brings renewed perspective to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. 1Ti 6:6 “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”
2. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
3. 11 ¶ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
4. 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
2/25/2012 9:16:37 AM
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