Psalm 49
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm .
1
Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
2
both low and high,
rich and poor alike:
3
My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4
I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5
Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
7
No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8
the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
9
so that they should live on forever
and not see decay.
10
For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
11
Their tombs will remain their houses [b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had [c] named lands after themselves.
12
People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.
13
This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah
14
They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself. Selah
16
Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17
for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
18
Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19
they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.
20
People who have wealth
are like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 49:1 In Hebrew texts 49:1-20 is numbered 49:2-21. b Psalm 49:11 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew - In their thoughts their houses will remain c Psalm 49:11 Or generations, / for they have
Why does a person become a billionaire?
What motivates a person to seek that much wealth?
How must a person act in order to become a billionaire?
There was a certain rich man who loved having power and loved adulation and who despised constraints.
He sought and obtained the power of the highest office in the land.
In seeking the power of the highest office, he made a deal with the people of God that he would use his power in their favor, so they supported him.
These people of God had sought to make public laws against what they considered to be a sin but could not lead people away from committing. Rather than admitting this failure, repenting, seeking God’s forgiveness and restoration to bearing effective witness in the land, they sought political influence to make what they considered sin illegal.
God tested them by allowing the vain, boastful rich man to gain power and to offer his power to them in exchange for their support.
They sinned by choosing him rather than repenting, seeking God’s forgiveness and restoration to bear effective witness in the land.
As long as the rich man promised to make certain sins illegal, God’s people said nothing as he oppressed others and continued to live opposed to the spirit of Christ. They liked his tax policy, also.