Psalm 49:14-19 - May 29, 2009

Ps 49:14-19 "Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. 15 But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. 16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; 17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. 18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed — and men praise you when you prosper — 19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light [of life]." NIV

This passage from psalm 49 is a powerful insight into the eternal nature of God’s justice and the reality of eternal life. One of the most startling and revealing phrases in this whole section is found in verse 18-19; “Though while he lived he counted himself blessed — and men praise you when you prosper — 19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light [of life].” These verses so powerfully display the contrast between man’s values system and an eternal value system. Man’s nature is to relate material success with being blessed. The world sees a seemingly prosperous man and responds with praise for his accomplishments. He sticks his chest out with a measure of pride and self satisfaction, enjoying the glory that comes with the praises of men. His temptation is to wrap his identity around what he has gained and the things he has done. But what happens when all of that is taken away?
Jesus spoke about the nature of earthly treasures being that they corrupt and rust and fade away, but he pointed us to eternal treasures that never fade. Peter wrote about the eternal inheritance that awaits those who put their faith in Christ as he said in 1 Peter 1:3-4 “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you.” Psalm 49 laments the waist of life that takes place as a man finds his glory in the things of this earth and misses the true riches that are eternal and will never be taken from us.
Psalm 49 is such a clear statement about the reality of death and eternal life as well. In regard to the rich it states; “like sheep, they are destined for the grave." What an image of the very same wealthy people that men tend to honor in an inappropriate way. Our cultural tendency is to elevate the rich and belittle the poor but the psalmist sees right through all of the facades created by riches and identifies that a rich man is no different than a sheep. Each one will live and then go on to die! James presents a biblical values system in regard to how we should relate to the rich and the poor in chapter 2 of his epistle. He states in James 2:2-4 “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” The mindset of the kingdom is to relate to all men through the blood of Christ.
We must remember that everyone, both high and low in their earthly stature will stand before God and be judged not on their possessions, which were a gift from God, but on their degree of faithfulness to what the Lord had asked of them in this life. We must judge our own lives by the standard of heaven and if we do so then we will not need to be judged harshly on that last great judgment day. The psalmist makes two powerful statements that should help us to form our hearts in regard to what it truly means to be blessed both in this life and in the life to come. The first is simply stated in verse 16 & 17 “Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; 17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies.” The second principle is equally clear and full of hope and perspective as it encourages us in verse 15, “But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.” Spend your life in pursuit of what really matters. Place your affections and ambitions on eternal things and you will not wrongly esteem those who have earthly success but no eternal reward and you will find peace that will enable you to choose wisely how to spend this life that the Lord has given you.