June 11, 2023

Psalm 49: 16, 17 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies.” (NIV)

Riches were never true to any that trusted to them.*

While we are doing our time on earth, it’s hard to think in eternal terms. If you’re hungry – or worse, if your children are hungry – it’s not much comfort to remind yourself that “you can’t take it with you.” Our suffering consumes us today. Eternity – we’ll think about that another day. 

In this passage, I don’t think the psalmist is addressing the afflicted or the prosperous so much as the envious. Those who get by with less in life like to remind the well-to-do of the temporary nature of their riches. Telling them, “You can’t take it with you,” puts them in their place. But it doesn’t stop the “have-nots” from wishing they were the “haves.” 

So don’t be looking at that lottery winner with envy. Don’t be jealous of inherited wealth. Don’t be overawed when you grow rich, when the splendor of your house increases. View riches from an eternal perspective. “Money can do many things, but it simply cannot buy an escape from the grave.”*

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.*