Psalm 49:10-13 - May 28, 2009

Ps 49:10-13 "For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. 12 But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings" NIV

It is vanity to trust in ourselves! Even though many men carry with them a measure of wisdom, who is truly wise but the Lord? Isa 55:8-9 reminds us of the great contrast between the limited wisdom of man and the fathomless depths of God’s thoughts; "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” To trust in human wisdom is a snare to those who depend on it. James taught the church that there are two kinds of wisdom; that wisdom that is “earthly, sensual and devilish” and that wisdom that is above and as James 3:17 says is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” The true cry of Ps. 49:10-13 is a reminder to us that all men will die whether foolish or wise and that nothing that originates out of the heart of man is a safe hiding place from the power of death and the reality that this life is just a
passing shadow.
This passage is so simple and clear in its reminder to us that we were not created for this life. No matter how much we scheme to accumulate things, no matter how we plot and strategize to insulate ourselves and prolong our lives, in the end our life span is but a breath and all of our efforts if focused on the wisdom of man will fall to the ground and come to nothing. How many men have towers named after them but their name is not known in the Lambs book of life!? Riches will not lay up for us an eternal reward. Jesus spoke to his disciples strongly as he contrasted the values of this life with the values of eternity. In Matt 6:19-21 he said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
The powerful principle in these words of Jesus is that we bind our hearts to what we place value on. If we covet the things of this world, if that is where we are placing our focus, then our hearts will follow and our decisions will be corrupted by the fact that our hearts are bound to earthly things. If instead we, like Paul in Col 3:2 set our “affection on things above, not on things on the earth” then we will find that our hearts are free to hear and obey the Lord Jesus in those things that he invites us to do. When the rich young ruler came to the Lord seeking the Lord’s affirmation there was only one thing that held him back. When the Lord asked him in Mt. 19:21 to give all of his possessions to the poor and to come and follow after Him the word says that he went away sad because he had great possessions. Having his heart captured by the things that he possessed, he could not walk away in surrender to the Lord and give all he had to the poor. Too often we come to the Lord willing to follow as long as it doesn’t truly cost us but when the cross begins to be the center and the path of the Lord leads us to a place of costly obedience we stumble and walk away sad, but unwilling to pay the price that has been required of us. Today may we bind our hearts to the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”