Psalm 49
Psalm 49, What Money Can’t Buy
Psalm 49 is titled, “To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.” This psalm is a wisdom psalm that addresses all people, rich and poor, low and high, and teaches the limits of material wealth. It confronts one of the oldest temptations in the human heart, the temptation to fear, envy, admire, or imitate the wealthy wicked. The psalm teaches that money cannot redeem the soul, cannot prevent death, cannot purchase eternal life, and cannot follow a man into the world to come. True wisdom is to trust God, not riches, because God alone can redeem the soul from the power of the grave.
The sons of Korah were Levites from the family of Kohath. By David’s time, they were associated with the musical ministry connected to temple worship.
2 Chronicles 20:19, “And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, And of the children of the Korhites, Stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.”
Psalm 49 is not only a song of worship, but also a sermon of wisdom. G. Campbell Morgan described its teaching as simple, sublime, present, and perpetual. Alexander Maclaren said that this psalm touches the high water mark of Old Testament faith in a future life. That is important because Psalm 49 looks beyond earthly success and brings every man before death, judgment, redemption, and eternity.
Psalm 49:1 to Psalm 49:4, Introduction to This Psalm of Wisdom
Psalm 49:1, “Hear this, all ye people; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:”
Psalm 49:2, “Both low and high, Rich and poor, together.”
Psalm 49:3, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.”
Psalm 49:4, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.”
The psalm begins with a universal summons, “Hear this, all ye people; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.” The message is not limited to Israel. It is not limited to the poor, nor is it limited to the rich. It addresses mankind in common humanity. Every person, regardless of class, wealth, education, background, or station, must face the truths taught in this psalm.
The psalmist specifically names “both low and high, rich and poor, together.” Death makes this audience universal. The poor man dies, and the rich man dies. The unknown man dies, and the famous man dies. The laborer dies, and the king dies. The psalm therefore speaks to everyone because no one can escape the issue it raises. Money may separate men in life, but death brings all men to the same unavoidable doorway.
There are different kinds of riches. A man may be rich in what he has, meaning possessions, money, land, accounts, and property. A man may be rich in what he does, meaning skill, productivity, service, and usefulness. A man may be rich in what he knows, meaning wisdom, learning, knowledge, and understanding. A man may also be rich in what he is, meaning character, integrity, faith, holiness, and godliness. Psalm 49 mainly addresses those who are rich only in the first and least important sense, those rich in possessions, but poor toward God.
Morgan noted that the psalmist was conscious of the greatness of the subject because he began by calling all people of every class to listen. Kidner observed that, like much wisdom literature, this psalm speaks to men in their common humanity, not only to Israelites in their special covenant relationship with God. That is the nature of wisdom. It looks at life under God’s rule and tells the truth about what matters and what does not.
The psalmist says, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.” This psalm differs from many psalms that mainly praise, lament, confess, or pray. Psalm 49 teaches. It brings wisdom. It exposes folly. It corrects false values. It places earthly prosperity in the light of eternity.
The psalmist is not speaking carelessly. His mouth speaks wisdom because his heart has meditated on understanding. The mouth and heart are joined. This is important. True biblical teaching should not be shallow verbal noise. It should come from meditation, thought, prayer, and submission to God’s truth.
Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom: And with all thy getting get understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
The psalmist says, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.” The phrase “dark saying” carries the idea of a riddle, something difficult to understand at first glance. The psalmist is not claiming mystical secret knowledge. He is addressing a hard problem, the apparent prosperity of the wealthy wicked and the temptation to fear or envy them.
The riddle is this, why do ungodly men often prosper, while righteous men sometimes suffer? Why do those who trust in riches appear secure? Why do men honor wealth as if it were ultimate? Why does the world admire those who are spiritually bankrupt but materially successful? Psalm 49 answers by taking the long view. It looks past the bank account to the grave, and past the grave to the redemption only God can give.
The psalmist opens this dark saying “upon the harp.” Music helps carry truth into the memory. This is wisdom set to song. The purpose is not entertainment, but instruction. Truth sung well may lodge deeply in the heart.
Trapp noted that the doctrine of eternal life and coming judgment, clearer here than almost anywhere else in the Old Testament, is a mystery. Psalm 49 gives a strong Old Testament testimony that death is not the end of the issue. The grave is not the final word for the redeemed. God will receive His own.
Psalm 49:5 to Psalm 49:9, What Money Cannot Buy
Psalm 49:5, “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?”
Psalm 49:6, “They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;”
Psalm 49:7, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him:”
Psalm 49:8, “For the redemption of their soul is precious, And it ceaseth for ever:”
Psalm 49:9, “That he should still live for ever, And not see corruption.”
The psalmist asks, “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil?” The question is important. The prosperity and power of the wicked can make the righteous afraid. Evil days can surround a man. Iniquity may seem to press at his heels. The world may appear to reward those who ignore God and trust money. Yet the psalmist says he has no ultimate reason to fear.
F. B. Meyer observed that days of evil to others cannot be so to the man of God because the presence of God transforms the evil to good. This does not mean trouble becomes painless. It means trouble cannot become ultimate for the one who belongs to God. The righteous man must not interpret life by present danger alone. He must interpret life by God, redemption, death, and eternity.
The psalm identifies the specific kind of rich man in view, “They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.” The Bible does not condemn every possession of wealth. Abraham was wealthy. Job was wealthy. David and Solomon possessed great wealth. Joseph of Arimathea was rich and used his position to honor Christ. The issue is not possession, but trust and boasting.
A man may possess wealth without worshiping it. Another man may possess little and still idolize wealth. Psalm 49 speaks of those who trust in wealth and boast in riches. This is idolatry. Their sense of security comes from accounts, land, holdings, business, status, and abundance. Their glory is in what they own.
A man can test whether he trusts in wealth by asking what gives him peace. Does he rest more in God or in his account balance? Does he feel spiritually secure because the LORD is his shepherd, or materially secure because his holdings are strong? Does he despair when wealth declines as if his god had fallen? The issue is not whether financial loss hurts. It does. The issue is whether financial loss destroys the foundation of the soul.
A man can test whether he boasts in riches by asking what gives him deepest satisfaction. Does he take pride mainly in what he owns, earns, drives, wears, displays, or controls? Does he use wealth to magnify himself? Does he measure his worth by net worth? If so, he is boasting in riches.
God’s answer to this danger is often radical generosity. Generosity declares that God is trusted more than wealth. It weakens the grip of material idolatry. It reminds the soul that money is a tool, not a master.
1 Timothy 6:17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, That they be not highminded, Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”
1 Timothy 6:18, “That they do good, That they be rich in good works, Ready to distribute, willing to communicate;”
1 Timothy 6:19, “Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, That they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Boice connected Psalm 49 to the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Jesus warned against covetousness and told of a man whose land produced abundantly. The man planned to build bigger barns, store his goods, and say to his soul that he had many goods laid up for many years. But God called him a fool because his soul would be required that very night.
Luke 12:15, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
Luke 12:16, “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:”
Luke 12:17, “And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?”
Luke 12:18, “And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, And build greater; And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.”
Luke 12:19, “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”
Luke 12:20, “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
Luke 12:21, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, And is not rich toward God.”
Psalm 49 gives the reason wealth is such a poor god, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him.” Money can buy many things in this world. It can buy houses, land, medicine, comfort, influence, labor, privacy, education, transportation, and human honor. But it cannot buy redemption. It cannot purchase the soul. It cannot bribe God. It cannot ransom a man from death and judgment.
The redemption of the soul is “precious,” meaning costly beyond human payment. The price is too high for silver, gold, land, or inheritance. No man has enough wealth to redeem himself, much less his brother. The soul requires a spiritual redemption that only God can provide.
The Bible teaches redemption through substitutionary sacrifice from the beginning. After Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them with coats of skins, implying the death of another in order to cover their shame.
Genesis 3:21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, And clothed them.”
The same principle appears when God provided a ram in the place of Isaac.
Genesis 22:13, “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, And behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: And Abraham went and took the ram, And offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”
Genesis 22:14, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: As it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
The sacrificial system later established the principle of atonement through blood.
Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: And I have given it to you upon the altar To make an atonement for your souls: For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
All of this pointed forward to Jesus Christ, the final and perfect sacrifice. He alone could redeem the soul because He alone offered the sufficient ransom.
Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; He hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, He shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”
Isaiah 53:11, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, And shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities.”
Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, But to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
1 Peter 1:18, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, As silver and gold, From your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;”
1 Peter 1:19, “But with the precious blood of Christ, As of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Hebrews 10:12, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, Sat down on the right hand of God;”
Trapp strongly applied the point by noting that all money given for masses, dirges, and religious payments cannot redeem a soul, because Christ is the only Redeemer, and money has no mastery in the other world. That is exactly right. No church payment, religious ceremony, human merit, family name, or financial gift can ransom the soul. Redemption belongs to God and is accomplished through Christ alone.
Boice mentioned the death of Voltaire, the French atheist and enemy of Christianity, who became very wealthy through his writings. When dying, Voltaire reportedly cried to his doctor in desperation that he would give half of all he possessed for six more months of life. Whether rich or poor, no man can buy time from death when God requires the soul.
Verse 9 describes what money cannot secure, “That he should still live for ever, And not see corruption.” Money cannot make a man live forever. It cannot prevent corruption. It cannot stop the grave. It cannot deliver from the Pit. The Pit here is more than a burial place. It points toward the empty and dreadful destiny of those who reject God. Trapp noted that some understood it of hell, to which the wicked man’s death is like a trapdoor.
The conclusion is plain. Money is powerful in earthly transactions, but powerless before death, judgment, and eternity. It cannot redeem. It cannot ransom. It cannot save.
Psalm 49:10 to Psalm 49:12, Unreliable Wealth and Limited Honor
Psalm 49:10, “For he seeth that wise men die, Likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, And leave their wealth to others.”
Psalm 49:11, “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.”
Psalm 49:12, “Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.”
The psalmist now points to an obvious fact that men strangely refuse to consider, “wise men die.” Wisdom, education, planning, discipline, and intelligence cannot prevent death. Likewise, “the fool and the brutish person perish.” The thoughtful man dies, and the senseless man dies. The wise and the foolish may differ greatly in life, but both face death.
When they die, they “leave their wealth to others.” This echoes Ecclesiastes, where Solomon grieved over the vanity of laboring to accumulate what another man will possess after death.
Ecclesiastes 6:1, “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, And it is common among men:”
Ecclesiastes 6:2, “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, So that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, Yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, But a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”
A man may spend his life building wealth, but he cannot take it with him. Trapp said, “Money is the monarch of this world, but not of the next.” That is the point. Money may open doors in this life, but it cannot open heaven. It may influence men, but it cannot influence God’s judgment. It may delay discomfort, but it cannot defeat death.
Yet there is a sense in which wealth can be sent ahead, not by accumulation, but by kingdom minded generosity. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell what he had, give to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven.
Mark 10:21, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, And said unto him, One thing thou lackest: Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, And thou shalt have treasure in heaven: And come, take up the cross, and follow me.”
The way to make earthly wealth matter eternally is not to hoard it, boast in it, or trust it, but to use it in obedience to God. Wealth can be used for good, but it cannot be worshiped without destroying the soul.
Verse 11 exposes the inward thought of the wealthy fool, “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.” Men hunger for permanence. They want a kind of immortality. Since they cannot keep their bodies alive forever, they attempt to preserve their names through estates, buildings, monuments, companies, foundations, lands, and legacies.
Trapp observed that many care little whether their names are written in heaven, yet they strive to preserve them on earth, like Nimrod with his tower, Absalom with his pillar, or Alexander with Alexandria. But Scripture says the name of the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 10:7, “The memory of the just is blessed: But the name of the wicked shall rot.”
Spurgeon said that men may make their lands bear their names, but they might as well write their names on water. Even countries have been named after men, but what real profit is that to the dead man? A name may remain on a sign, map, building, or deed, while the soul stands before God.
Absalom provides a vivid example. He had no son to preserve his name, so he built a monument for himself.
2 Samuel 18:18, “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, Which is in the king's dale: For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: And he called the pillar after his own name: And it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.”
Verse 12 gives the conclusion, “Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.” Honor cannot make a man remain. Rank cannot keep him alive. Fame cannot preserve him. Wealth cannot exempt him. If he does not understand eternity, he dies like a beast in the sense that his earthly life ends and his body returns to the dust.
This does not mean man is only an animal. Scripture teaches that man is made in the image of God. The point is that a man who lives without eternal understanding behaves like a beast, concerned only with earthly appetite, survival, territory, and immediate gain.
Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, And over the fowl of the air, And over the cattle, And over all the earth, And over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, In the image of God created he him; Male and female created he them.”
Boice rightly said that the ability to think and reason sets human beings apart from the rest of creation, but we become animal like when we fail to consider the shortness of our days and prepare for eternity. The truly wise man does not trust riches or boast in wealth. He prepares for eternity by trusting God and boasting in the LORD.
Psalm 49:13, Two Paths to Perish
Psalm 49:13, “This their way is their folly: Yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.”
The psalmist now labels the path for what it is, “This their way is their folly.” The way that values material things above spiritual things is foolish. The way that trusts wealth is foolish. The way that boasts in riches is foolish. The way that ignores death is foolish. The way that seeks immortality through property, monuments, and reputation is foolish. The way that does not prepare for the world to come is foolish.
Yet the folly does not die with the first generation. “Their posterity approve their sayings.” Their descendants approve their worldview. They repeat the same values. They admire the same idols. They honor the same false measures of success. They inherit not only wealth, but also foolishness.
Spurgeon said, “Grace is not hereditary, but sordid worldliness goes from generation to generation. The race of fools never dies out.” That is a sober statement. A godly father cannot pass salvation biologically to his children. Each generation must personally trust the Lord. Yet worldliness can easily be transmitted by example, values, priorities, habits, and admiration.
VanGemeren notes that those who agree with the words of the rich and benefit from their power and prestige will also die and be no more. This means there are two foolish paths. One is to be the man who trusts and boasts in riches. The other is to admire and approve that man’s worldview. A poor man can share the rich fool’s heart. He may not have wealth, but he worships the same idol.
The verse ends with “Selah.” The reader must pause and consider. What worldview am I approving? Whose sayings do I admire? What kind of success do I praise? What values am I passing to the next generation?
Psalm 49:14 to Psalm 49:15, The Dominion of the Upright and the Redemption of the Soul
Psalm 49:14, “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall consume in the grave From their dwelling.”
Psalm 49:15, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: For he shall receive me. Selah.”
Verse 14 gives a grim image, “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them.” The wealthy wicked may have lived with honor, luxury, reputation, and influence, but death treats them like helpless sheep. They are laid in the grave, and death consumes them. Their bodies decay. Their beauty fades. Their earthly glory ends.
Caryl, cited by Spurgeon, explained that they are compared to sheep not because of innocence, but because of helplessness in death. When death takes them, they can resist no more than a sheep can resist a lion or a wolf. The image is meant to strip away illusion. Death is not impressed by wealth. Death does not negotiate with reputation. Death is not bribed by honor.
The verse says, “their beauty shall consume in the grave.” Much of what men admire is temporary beauty, physical appearance, social polish, outward success, impressive houses, fine clothing, and visible status. But if that is all a man has, the grave consumes it. The upright possess a better beauty, a spiritual beauty that death cannot destroy.
1 Peter 3:3, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, And of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;”
1 Peter 3:4, “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, In that which is not corruptible, Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, Which is in the sight of God of great price.”
The psalm also says, “the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.” This points to a coming reversal. In this life, the wealthy wicked may appear dominant. They may control land, institutions, markets, offices, and reputations. But “in the morning,” when God’s judgment and redemption are fully revealed, the upright will be vindicated. The morning represents the dawning of God’s final justice.
Morgan said that there is a mastery over Sheol and death, and it is found in uprightness. This does not mean uprightness earns salvation apart from grace. It means those who truly belong to God, who do not trust riches, who walk by faith, and who are made righteous before Him, will be vindicated beyond death.
Verse 15 is the great turning point, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: For he shall receive me.” The words “But God” are the hinge of hope. Man cannot redeem his brother. Man cannot give God a ransom. Wealth cannot buy the soul. Death consumes the body. But God can redeem.
Kidner called this “But God” one of the mountain tops of Old Testament hope because it brings into the open an assurance of victory over death that Ecclesiastes often leaves concealed. The psalmist sees beyond death. He knows the grave has power, but God has greater power.
God Himself later declared a similar promise through Hosea.
Hosea 13:14, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”
The New Testament reveals the fullness of this victory in Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, Christ defeated death for His people. Therefore Paul can taunt death in the language of victory.
1 Corinthians 15:54, “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, And this mortal shall have put on immortality, Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
1 Corinthians 15:55, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin; And the strength of sin is the law.”
1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The word “redeem” is a commercial term meaning to buy, buy out, or purchase freedom. Spiritually, it refers to God buying His people out of sin’s marketplace and setting them free. Boice rightly asks, who can do this? No one but God. Redemption is not self improvement. It is divine purchase. It is accomplished by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 1:7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Colossians 1:14, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, Even the forgiveness of sins:”
The psalmist says, “For he shall receive me.” This is personal. Salvation is not at arm’s length. Kidner noted that the words “he” and “me” confirm that this is face to face. The word “receive” is also strong. It recalls the language used of Enoch.
Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch walked with God: And he was not; for God took him.”
God will not merely rescue the psalmist from something. He will receive him to Himself. That is the hope of the righteous. The grave is not the final home of the redeemed. God receives His own.
Psalm 73:24, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.”
The verse ends with “Selah.” The reader must pause here. Money cannot redeem. Man cannot ransom. Death is strong. The grave is real. But God will redeem the soul of His servant from the power of the grave, and God will receive him.
Psalm 49:16 to Psalm 49:20, Practical Application of This Wisdom
Psalm 49:16, “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased;”
Psalm 49:17, “For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: His glory shall not descend after him.”
Psalm 49:18, “Though while he lived he blessed his soul: And men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.”
Psalm 49:19, “He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.”
Psalm 49:20, “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.”
The psalm now applies the lesson directly, “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.” At first, this may sound strange. Why would someone be afraid when another man becomes rich? Yet this fear can appear in subtle ways.
A man may fear because he thinks the wicked prosper at his expense. He may fear because wealth seems to prove that material things matter more than spiritual things. He may fear because the success of the wicked makes him wonder whether God truly governs the universe. He may fear because it appears there is no moral order, no reward for righteousness, and no judgment for wickedness. He may fear because he wonders whether the arrogant will ever answer for their lives.
Psalm 49 says, do not be afraid. The apparent triumph of the wealthy wicked is temporary. Their glory is fragile. Their house may increase, but their soul remains accountable to God.
Verse 17 gives the reason, “For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: His glory shall not descend after him.” Death strips the man of his earthly glory. He may die with titles, property, accounts, influence, and reputation, but none of these descend with him in any saving sense. His possessions remain behind. His body enters the grave. His soul stands before God.
1 Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, And it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
Job 1:21, “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, And naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
For the upright, the opposite is true. Their earthly honor may be small, but their glory is ahead. Hebrews says Christ brings many sons to glory.
Hebrews 2:10, “For it became him, For whom are all things, and by whom are all things, In bringing many sons unto glory, To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Paul says believers are called to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:14, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, To the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For the man who trusts riches, this world is the best he will ever have. For the redeemed, this world is the worst they will ever have. That difference should govern the heart.
Spurgeon stated the matter bluntly, saying that earthly titles and honors become ridiculous in the tomb. Hell knows no aristocracy. The grave does not preserve human rank. The banker rots as fast as the shoeblack, and the peer becomes as putrid as the pauper. Those words are hard, but they are true. Death humbles all flesh.
Verse 18 says, “Though while he lived he blessed his soul: And men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.” During life, the wealthy fool congratulates himself. He blesses his own soul. Others praise him because he has done well for himself. The world often worships success without asking whether it is righteous. Spurgeon noted that the generality of men worship success however it may be gained, caring only that the horse wins, not what color it is.
This is still true. The world praises men for accumulation, expansion, influence, luxury, fame, and self promotion. It rarely asks whether the man is rich toward God. It rarely asks whether he has prepared for eternity. It rarely asks whether he has redeemed his time, served his neighbor, obeyed God, or humbled himself before Christ.
Verse 19 says, “He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.” He joins the dead who went before him. He enters the company of those who lived and died without true understanding. “They shall never see light” points to judgment, darkness, and exclusion from the blessed presence of God. The psalmist may not give the full New Testament detail of eternal punishment, but he clearly knows that the destiny of the wicked is darkness, not light.
Matthew 8:12, “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jude 13, “Raging waves of the sea, Foaming out their own shame; Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
The psalm ends by repeating the warning from verse 12, “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.” Honor without understanding is worthless. Wealth without wisdom is dangerous. Reputation without redemption is vanity. A man may be honored by the world and still be a fool before God.
The key issue is understanding. The man in honor does not understand that wealth cannot redeem. He does not understand that death is coming. He does not understand that the soul must be ransomed by God. He does not understand that the grave consumes earthly beauty. He does not understand that God will receive the redeemed. He does not understand eternity.
This is why Psalm 49 is needed. It gives understanding. It teaches men not to fear the rich, not to envy the wicked, not to trust possessions, not to boast in wealth, and not to live like beasts who never consider eternity. It teaches that God alone redeems the soul from the power of the grave.
Theological Summary
Psalm 49 teaches that all people need wisdom concerning wealth, death, and eternity. Rich and poor, low and high, must listen because death comes to all. Wealth may divide men in life, but it cannot exempt anyone from death.
Psalm 49 teaches that wealth becomes idolatrous when men trust in it and boast in it. The problem is not merely having money. The problem is making money the source of security, identity, satisfaction, and glory. Godly wealth may be used in obedience to God, but ungodly trust in wealth destroys the soul.
Psalm 49 teaches that money cannot redeem. No man can redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him. The redemption of the soul is too costly for silver and gold. Only God can redeem, and He has done so through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Psalm 49 teaches that death exposes the vanity of earthly glory. The wise die, the fool dies, the rich die, and all leave their wealth to others. Lands, houses, monuments, and names cannot preserve the soul.
Psalm 49 teaches that men often seek earthly immortality through reputation, property, and legacy, but this is foolish if the soul is not right with God. A name on land or stone means nothing if the name is not written in heaven.
Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, That the spirits are subject unto you; But rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
Psalm 49 teaches that worldliness can be passed from generation to generation. The descendants of the foolish often approve their sayings. Therefore, parents and leaders must be careful not merely about what they own, but about what they teach others to value.
Psalm 49 teaches that the upright will be vindicated in the morning. The present order will not last forever. Those who trusted wealth will be brought down, and those who trusted God will be vindicated.
Psalm 49 teaches one of the clearest Old Testament hopes of redemption beyond death, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: For he shall receive me.” The grave is powerful, but God is greater. Death is real, but redemption is stronger.
Psalm 49 teaches that the righteous should not fear when the wicked prosper. The rich man carries nothing away when he dies. His glory does not descend after him. If he has honor without understanding, he is like the beasts that perish.
Psalm 49 ultimately points to Christ, the only Redeemer. Money cannot ransom the soul, but Christ gave His life a ransom for many. The believer’s hope is not in wealth, honor, inheritance, or earthly glory. The believer’s hope is in God, who redeems the soul and receives His people to Himself.
