Summary: Psalm 49:1-20 teaches us how to live in light of the certainty of death, particularly in a world consumed by wealth.

Introduction

“What is the most significant problem that faces each person in the world?”

This is the question that I typed into Microsoft’s Copilot.

Here is Copilot’s answer:

“Great question, Freddy. While many global challenges affect humanity, the most significant problem that faces each person individually—regardless of wealth, nationality, or circumstance—is death itself.”

That is a great answer.

The most significant problem that each person faces is indeed death.

The Bible addresses the question of death in many places.

Psalm 49, the psalm we are examining today, also addresses the question of death.

Scripture

Let’s read Psalm 49:1-20:

1 Hear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2 both low and high,

rich and poor together!

3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

6 those who trust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7 Truly no man can ransom another,

or give to God the price of his life,

8 for the ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

9 that he should live on forever

and never see the pit.

10 For he sees that even the wise die;

the fool and the stupid alike must perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves are their homes forever,

their dwelling places to all generations,

though they called lands by their own names.

12 Man in his pomp will not remain;

he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.

Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will receive me. Selah

16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed

—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again see light.

20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Lesson

Psalm 49:1-20 teaches us how to live in light of the certainty of death, particularly in a world consumed by wealth.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. A Call to Pay Attention (49:1-4)

2. A Warning That Death Comes to All (49:5-12)

3. A Promise That Death Is Not the End (49:13-20)

I. A Call to Pay Attention (49:1-4)

First, let’s heed a call to pay attention.

We sometimes think that the Bible is written only for God’s people.

While it is true that much of the Bible is addressed to the people of God, the fact is that God intends for all people to hear his word.

Sometimes, he makes that explicit, as he does here in verses 1-2, where we read, “Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together!”

God calls all people to pay attention to what he is about to say through the psalmist.

The psalmist goes on to say, “My mouth shall speak wisdom” (v. 3a).

Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm.

Examples of wisdom psalms include Psalms 1, 19, 37, 49, 50, 73, 78, 112, and 119.

This summer series of sermons is on the wisdom psalms.

What is a “wisdom psalm”?

A wisdom psalm may be described as a type of psalm that is addressed to people rather than to God. It offers counsel about relating to God. It explores themes like prosperity, destruction, wealth, poverty, and the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

Psalm 49, then, is a wisdom psalm addressed to all people that teaches us how to live in light of the certainty of death, particularly in a world consumed by wealth.

The psalmist also notes in verse 4a, “I will incline my ear to a proverb.”

He indicates that he will first listen to God’s instruction before passing it along to all people.

He then said in verse 4b, “I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.”

This psalm was set to music to facilitate learning.

The point of the psalmist, however, is an urgent call to pay attention.

What he has to say will teach people how to live in light of the certainty of death, particularly in a world consumed by wealth.

Although this psalm was written over three millennia ago, it remains vitally relevant for you and me today.

So, please pay attention to what we are going to learn in Psalm 49.

II. A Warning That Death Comes to All (49:5-12)

Second, let’s heed a warning that death comes to all.

All people know that eventually death comes to all.

The oldest known living land animal is a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan.

He was born in 1832 and lives on the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic.

Jonathan is 193 years old today, but even he is going to die.

All creatures eventually die.

In verses 5-12, the psalmist gives us two warnings.

A. Wealth Cannot Redeem a Life (49:5-9)

The first warning is that wealth cannot redeem a life.

Wealth cannot prevent a person from dying.

That is why a wise person should not be distressed by the wealth amassed by others, as the psalmist said in verses 5-6, “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?”

There is nothing wrong with having wealth.

The concern is not in having wealth but in trusting in wealth and boasting in the abundance of riches.

James Montgomery Boice tells the story in his commentary about the French atheist and scourge of Christianity, Voltaire, who was a wealthy man.

He was one of the most famous figures of the European Enlightenment in the sophisticated eighteenth century, and his writings, particularly his satirical attack on Christianity, Candide, were widely read.

Yet when Voltaire came to die, it is reported that he cried to his doctor in pained desperation, “I will give you half of all I possess if you will give me six months more of life.”

But, of course, it was beyond the doctor’s ability to do that, and all Voltaire’s great wealth could not slow death’s advance.

He died in great despair (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 410).

The psalmist continues by ridiculing those who try to buy their way out of death: “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit” (vv. 7-9).

About six months ago, I read a story about a man named Bryan Johnson.

He is a 48-year-old tech entrepreneur trying to reverse the aging process.

His efforts include a vegan diet, numerous supplements, and a rigorous exercise routine.

He even injects himself with his teenage son’s blood to regain his youth.

He has a team of 30 doctors working with him.

Johnson believes that humanity is on the cusp of significant advancements in longevity and that the problem of aging can be solved.

Johnson spends $2 million a year trying to live longer.

The psalmist’s warning, however, is that wealth cannot redeem a life.

B. All People Will Die (49:10-12)

The second warning is that all people will die.

The psalmist says in verses 10-12:

“10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.”

The classic statement that all people will die, regardless of their wealth, was given by Jesus in Luke 12:13-21.

A wealthy man had more goods than he could store, so he built bigger barns to store all his grain and goods.

He then said to himself, ”Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19).

But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (v. 20).

Jesus’ conclusion was a warning to all people, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (v. 21).

Let me ask you to examine yourself.

You may not think you are wealthy, certainly not like the rich man in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool.

The fact is that we are very comfortable in the United States.

Even those of us who struggle with meeting our financial obligations are wealthy in comparison to people in other parts of the world.

There are millions of people in the world who would love to have the income that you and I have at our disposal.

The point for us is the same as that for the rich man in the parable: For whom are you laying up treasure?

Are you laying up treasure for yourself?

Or, are you rich towards God?

To put it differently, in what are you investing your time, talents, and treasure?

Are you serving yourself?

Or are you serving God?

I am pressing these questions upon you because I want you to take an earnest look at your soul.

Bryan Johnson wants to live forever, or at least until he is 150 years old.

But he may contract cancer tomorrow and die in a month.

Similarly, you don’t know how long you will live.

You don’t know if you will make it home today after worship or live to be 100.

You must make sure that your soul is right with God.

Do it now!

III. A Promise That Death Is Not the End (49:13-20)

Third, let’s heed a promise that death is not the end.

The Psalmist gives us two promises.

A. Wealth Does Not Determine Your Destiny (49:13-15)

First, wealth does not determine your destiny.

The psalmist has been speaking of people who trust in their wealth.

But they are not the only foolish ones.

The psalmist now speaks of others who follow the wealthy people.

They may not be wealthy, but they are just as foolish as wealthy people.

The psalmist says in verse 13, “This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah.”

Then the psalmist compares such foolish people to sheep destined for slaughter. He said, “Death shall be their shepherd” (v. 14b).

The psalmist may have been thinking of King David’s Twenty-third Psalm when he wrote this line.

David said in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Here, the psalmist says that “death shall be their shepherd.”

Alexander Maclaren preached a sermon on this verse.

He compared the two shepherds: death and the Lord Jesus.

The foolish person has death as a shepherd.

The wise person has Jesus as a shepherd.

The most remarkable part of this psalm is verse 15, which begins with the words “But God.”

In grammar, the word “but” functions primarily as a conjunction, specifically a coordinating conjunction. It is often used to show a contrast or exception.

The phrase “but God” appears 43 times in the English Standard Version of the Bible.

Here in verse 15, it is one of the great “but God” contrasts in the Bible: “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.”

James Montgomery Boice says that this verse teaches “that those who trust riches will die, be buried and soon be forgotten, but those who trust God will be redeemed by him and be taken to him to enjoy personal life and fellowship with him forever” (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005], 412–413).

Commentator Richard D. Phillips says that the significant difference in death between unbelievers and followers of Christ is illustrated by the differing experiences of two prominent men who died in 1899.

The first was Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll—for whom the Ingersoll Lectures on Immortality at Harvard University are named—who gave his brilliant mind to the refutation of Christianity.

Ingersoll died suddenly, leaving his unprepared family utterly bereft. So grief-stricken was his wife that she would not allow his body to be taken from their home until its threat to the family’s health required its removal.

His remains were then cremated, and his funeral service was such a scene of dismay and despair that even the newspapers of the day commented on it.

Death came to this man, and there was no hope, but only an irredeemable tragedy.

The other famous man who died that year was Dwight L. Moody, the Christian evangelist.

Moody had been declining for some time, and his family had gathered around his bed.

On his last morning, his son heard him sigh, “Earth is receding; heaven is opening; God is calling.”

“You are dreaming, Father,” said his son.

But Moody replied, “No, Will, this is no dream. I have been within the gates. I have seen the children’s faces.”

Moody seemed to revive, but then started to slip away again.

“Is this death?” he was heard to say. “This is not bad; there is no valley. This is bliss. This is glorious.”

His daughter had now come, and she began to pray for him to recover.

“No, no, Emma,” he said. “Don’t pray for that. God is calling. This is my coronation day. I have been looking forward to it.”

Moody died not long after, his family confident of his entry into heaven.

His funeral was a scene of triumph and joy.

Those attending sang hymns and exalted God.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” they exclaimed with radiant faces (Richard D. Phillips, Psalms 42–72, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Iain M. Duguid, Reformed Expository Commentary [Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2019], 73).

Wealth does not determine your destiny.

Your destiny is determined by your relationship to Jesus.

B. Wealth Does Not Follow Your Death (49:16-20)

Second, wealth does not follow your death.

The psalmist presses the point home that we should not be awed by those who are obsessed with wealth.

He says in verses 16-17, “Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.”

When John D. Rockefeller died in 1937, his estimated net worth was $1.4 billion. In today’s dollars, that would be approximately $29.7 billion.

It was said that after Rockefeller’s death, his accountant was asked, “How much did John D. leave behind?”

The accountant replied, “All of it.”

“For though,” says the psalmist, “while he lives, he counts himself blessed—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light” (vv. 18-19).

Everyone will die.

Wealth does not follow your death.

Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was a pivotal figure in European history who ruled as King of the Franks from 768 to 814, King of the Lombards from 774 to 814, and Emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 800 to 814.

His reign was characterized by extensive military campaigns, significant political and cultural reforms, and the establishment of a vast empire that laid the groundwork for modern Europe.

Charlemagne was also a committed Christian.

He believed in sharing the good news of Jesus with those who did not know him.

Charlemagne died on January 28, 814, and was buried in the chapel at Aachen.

His remains were exhumed by the Roman Emperor Frederick in 1165 and reinterred in a new casket by Frederick II in 1215.

When Charlemagne’s casket was opened, it was reported that his skeletal finger was pointing to Mark 8:36, which reads, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Even in death, Charlemagne wanted people to know that a person’s soul is far more important in eternity than wealth.

Conclusion

Wealth, riches, ease, and pleasure may give you great comfort in this life.

But you will live for eternity.

Your wealth will not help you then.

Your riches will not ease your way in the next life.

Your pleasure will be meaningless to you in eternity.

The apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:15-17:

“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

And what is the will of God?

The will of God is to trust in Jesus alone for the gift of eternal life.

If you have never done so, I urge you to do so now—before it is too late. Amen.