Psalm Meditation 1332 ¶First Sunday After Christmas ¶December 28, 2025 ¶Psalm 49 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2049&version=NRSVUE ¶It is pretty common to wish that we could be rich. Some even say that being rich would not change them. I have come to believe that this is true of each of us. Money does not have the power to make us different, it accents who we are. People who are selfish use their money for themselves, those who are wasteful will waste a lot of money as quickly as they wasted a little, people who are generous will be as generous with a lot as they are with a little, and bullies will bully people with their money. Some will be a bit more lavish in their types of spending, and some will take John Wesley’s advice, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” ¶The psalmist tells us that money doesn’t change things for very long, because each of us is going to die. No matter how much a person may have it will do them no good when they are dead. We may have an ostentatious burial place, however that will not make us any more or less alive. “Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life; there is no price one can give to God for it.“ People will be impressed with our riches while we live and may well forget about us soon if all we had to offer was riches without relationships. ¶“Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.” We can live a lavish lifestyle for as long as we live, however, once we die it no longer matters how grand our lives were, what will matter is what kind of relationships we leave behind. Will we be in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind, as well as in the heart and mind of God, or will we be a warning to others that wealth will only buy things? ¶December 22, 2025 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1177 ¶First Sunday After the Epiphany ¶January 8, 2023 ¶Psalm 49 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+49&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶It seems that those who brag most loudly about their abilities and accomplishments are the ones who are least likely to be accurate in their self assessment. Any number of performers who are top in their field are humble about their craft. Yep, there are exceptions, people who are the best and will say so at any opportunity. For the most part though, the folks who brag the loudest are deluded about their abilities, want to delude others, or a combination of the two. ¶The psalmist knows that those who make a big deal about themselves are not going to last long in the public sphere. There is no reason to be afraid of those folks, except those who have hitched their star to the braggart’s wagon. Those folks will fall just as hard. The rest of us do not need to be afraid of any of them. They will not be remembered for very long at all, except perhaps as a bad example. There are examples of the kind of folk the psalmist deals with in many realms from athletes, to pastors, to politicians, and performers. No endeavor is exempt from those who want to intimidate through braggadocio. ¶When we are tempted to brag about ourselves and our deeds, we do well to consider this psalm and its reminder that greatness is not in bragging and bravado; greatness is in humility and service. A bit of sincere humility is much better than convincing ourselves and others that we are something we are not. Learn to lean on God, who will redeem us from the slings and arrows of our lives and set us on a path to joy and peace. ¶January 4, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1123 ¶First Sunday After Christmas ¶December 26, 2021 ¶Psalm 49 1 Hear this, all you 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 harp. 5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it. 8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice, 9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave. 10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own. 12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish. 13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah 14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home. 15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah 16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases. 17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them. 18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy—for you are praised when you do well for yourself— 19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light. 20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish. (NRSV) ¶When athletes make millions of dollars, there are folks who say that no one is worth that kind of money to play a game. When business people make billions of dollars running a company, there are folks who say that it is shameful to make that kind of money. Other folks believe that at least one of these types of wealth is justified. I find myself in the ’if someone is willing to pay that much, that is the justification for the pay scale. Are we envious of the skill that commands that kind of money, or do we echo Luke 26: 8-9, “Why this waste? For this ointment [salary] could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” ¶Many of those who earn or win large amounts of money end up with even less than they had at the beginning within five years after their windfall comes to an end. In the event that one has the wherewithal to have money left to pass on the heirs, they will often use it as if it is an eternal fountain of cash without doing anything to replenish the funds and will be penniless soon. The psalmist joins in this chorus, reminding us that no matter how much money there is, it does no good after a person dies. They are neither rich nor powerful in death. If they were generous in life, we may remember them a little longer than those who were not, but not forever. ¶The psalmist lets us know that it is better to depend on God than on riches in this life so that we have a life far into the future in the presence of God. Money, influence and power are nice in this life, however they will not buy us a future of any consequence. Better to practice kindness, work for justice, and build a relationship with God. “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” ¶December 20, 2021 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 837
Proper 9
July 3, 2016

Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you 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 harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)

At some point in each of our lives we convince ourselves that the rules by which everyone lives do not apply to me. I will be the one lives forever. At the very least, I will be the one who gets to take all I have with me when I die. Whether I live forever or take my stuff with me, I will have bested everyone else through my life. It is a delightful fantasy in which to engage, however the psalmist reminds us that each of us will die and when we do we take none of the wealth of the world with us. While fame, fortune and long life are a good thing in this life those credits don’t transfer into the presence of God.

Wealth that lasts from one life to the next is the wealth of relationships. To know and be known by God is more important than all the years and all the wealth we can amass in this life. Loving relationships with others gives us another kind of immortality as those who survive us remember us fondly and do all in their power to preserve our memory for those who come after us. It is much better to be remembered by God and by those around us than to have great stores of treasure and many years to enjoy those treasures.

Given the choice between piles of treasure and treasured relationships the psalmist reminds us to make the choice that carries over into the fully realized presence of God. Yes, people are praised for having great stores of treasures in this life, however there is so much better available to us. It is better to create memorable relationships, especially a relationship with God.

June 27, 2016
LCM

Psalm Meditation 690
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 8, 2013

Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you 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 harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)

In the psalmist’s time, it was believed that there was a limited amount of wealth available so the only way anyone could get rich was at the expense of someone else. In order for me to get rich I would have to take the resources out of your hands, land out from under your feet, food out of your mouth and so on. The folks who did get wealthy around the psalmist were thought to be guilty of great evil since they had, for all intents and purposes stolen their wealth from others.

We know that, while wealth is an ever expanding pool, it is often true that folks become rich by using the labor and resources of others. Sometimes those others are compensated for their labor and resources, fairly or not. Other times the resources are claimed in a way that requires no reimbursement, even though fairness might dictate otherwise.

The psalmist tells us not to worry about the folks who get rich because their wealth will not last beyond their own lifetime. When they die the riches they have worked so hard to attain will remain here on earth while they will be lost to Sheol. Since the psalmist and the folks addressed by the psalm have spent lives laboring after the things of God they know they will be redeemed from Sheol into the presence of God.

Eventually, we reap the reward of our efforts. Those who seek wealth will achieve that and will die. Those who seek a relationship with God will find that and will live in the presence of God.

September 3, 2013

Psalm Meditation 623
Pentecost
May 27, 2012

Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you 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 harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. (Selah)
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)

In the time of the psalmist folks believed that there was a limited supply of wealth so that if one person became wealthy it was at the expense of someone else. The psalmist reminds each of us that whether wealth is limited or unlimited, no one holds it forever. The richest person in the world does not have enough money to buy eternal life. Sooner or later the biggest pile of money and resources will pass from the control of the person who amassed it back into the stream of wealth from which everyone partakes.

The same holds true for those who are wise. Their wisdom will last if they have shared it with others but it will not help them live forever. Those who are wise and those who are foolish will each die. As the money of the wealthy will not buy them eternal life neither the wisdom of the wise nor the foolhardiness of the fool will be enough to earn eternal life. When we depend on our own skills and treasures we have no hope of anything beyond death.

If we can’t buy our way into eternal life or think or act our way into eternity, what can we do to receive eternal life? Life is not about wealth or wisdom, it is about relationship. As we turn ourselves over to a relationship with God we discover that God is waiting to give us the gift of eternal life. It is not through our skills at amassing wealth or wisdom, or our total disregard for our health, wealth and safety that we can find a key to eternity. It is only as a gift from God that we find ourselves redeemed from this life into a fuller life in God. It is not in the ‘stuff’ of this life that we find wholeness, it is in the relationship with God and others that we are given the gift of life.

© May 21, 2012