Rich Fools

Psalm 49:10-20

10Those who are wise must finally die,

just like the foolish and senseless,

leaving all their wealth behind.

11The grave is their eternal home,

where they will stay forever.

They may name their estates after themselves,

but they leave their wealth to others.

12They will not last long despite their riches—

they will die like the animals.

13This is the fate of fools,

though they will be remembered as being so wise.

Interlude

14Like 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.

15But as for me, God will redeem my life.

He will snatch me from the power of death.

Interlude

16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich,

and their homes become ever more splendid.

17For when they die, they carry nothing with them.

Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.

18In this life they consider themselves fortunate,

and the world loudly applauds their success.

19But they will die like all others before them

and never again see the light of day.

20People who boast of their wealth don’t understand

that they will die like the animals.

Jesus told a story of a rich man who was far too concerned with his wealth (Luke 12:16-21). He had more grain than his barns could handle, so he decided that he would tear down the barns and build bigger ones. (Why didn’t he just build more barns? That’s part of Jesus’ mockery of the wastefulness of wealth.) This man figured that once he did this he would be set for life. He could sit back and “eat, drink, and be merry.”

But God had a different plan. The man would die that very night, leaving all his great wealth for others to take. “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God,” Jesus concluded.

In this world people measure things in money, but God has a far different yardstick. As the old adage goes, you can’t take it with you. The only thing you can take with you is your “rich relationship with God.” So, in the psalmist’s words, “Don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich.” Just take a moment to think about where your true treasure lies.

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,

Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care;

Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,

And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

JAMES M. BLACK

Notable Quotable

“It is foolish as well as dangerous to put one’s trust in something which is even less stable than man himself.”

JOHN I. DURHAM