Psalm 49

Psalm Category: Wisdom Psalm

Central Thought: Psalm 49 exposes the absurdity of placing one’s trust in money rather than in God.

Keyword: Hidah (v. 4). Hidah is translated as “riddle” in verse 4 (NIV). This word has two meanings. First, it could refer to a clever puzzle, much like our modern conception of a riddle (Judg. 14:12-19). Second, it could refer to a perplexing question of life. The latter meaning is employed in Psalm 49. Much like Psalm 73, Psalm 49 addresses the perplexing question of why the wicked seem to prosper. The answer given in Psalm 49 is similar to that given in Psalm 73: The wicked prosper only for a moment, while the righteous are blessed for all eternity.

If you examine any form of U.S. currency you will find on it the phrase, “In God We Trust.” This phrase first appeared on U.S. coins during the Civil War. It was adopted as means of acknowledging our national trust in God.

Today, the presence of this confession on our money is ironic. While our currency states that our nation trusts in God, the reality is that we trust in the currency itself. We have exchanged our trust in God for trust in money. Such an exchange is utterly absurd. In Psalm 49, the psalmist addresses this absurdity.

A Proverbial Psalm (vv. 1-4): The first four verses of this psalm seem like they were excerpted from the book of Proverbs. Like in Proverbs, the psalmist’s audience is a universal one. Wisdom is not something exclusive to Israel. Notice that this psalm contains no reference to the covenant, the temple, or Israel’s history. The universality of this psalm is reflected in verses 1-2, where we learn that its wisdom is directed to “all you peoples,” “all who live in this world,” “low and high,” and “rich and poor alike.” A second connection between this psalm and Proverbs is the presence of a sage who is seeking to instruct others in the ways of wisdom. In Psalm 49, the psalmist is the sage who seeks to “speak words of wisdom” and to “give understanding” (v. 3). Finally, this psalm is also connected to Proverbs because the psalmist self-consciously identifies his instruction as a “proverb” and a “riddle” (v. 4).

The Subject Matter (vv. 5-12, 16-19): In verses 5-6, the psalmist begins to reveal the nature of his subject matter. He does this in Socratic fashion by asking a question of his students: “Why should I fear…those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?” The psalmist’s goal is to prove to his students the utter absurdity of trusting in riches. He gives two overarching reasons.

First, trusting in money is absurd because money can’t buy you life (vv. 7-9). The psalmist tells us that no man can redeem his own life with money because “life is costly” and “no payment is ever enough” (v. 8). All attempts at achieving immortality through money will fail; even those who have lands named after them will end up dwelling in a tomb for “endless generations” (v. 11). Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world, but his wealth cannot extend his days.

Second, trusting in money is absurd because you can’t take it with you. In verse 10, the psalmist reminds us that when the rich man dies his wealth is left “to others.” In verse 14, the psalmist notes that the wealthy will “decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions” (emphasis added). Finally, in verse 17, he declares that the rich man “will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.”

In Whom Do You Trust? (vv. 14-15, 20): The psalmist’s point is clear. A man who trusts in riches rather than in God is a fool. He is no better than an animal, and his ultimate destiny is eternal death: “A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish” (v. 20). The psalmist makes this point even more vividly in the beginning of verse 14: “Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them.” The psalmist informs those who are trusting in their wealth that they have death as their shepherd.

The picture is entirely different for those who place their trust in God. If you place your trust in God, you have Jesus as your shepherd, and He “will redeem” your “life from the grave” and “will surely take” you to “himself” (v. 15). Therefore, the question for you is: In whom do you trust?

—Anthony Selvaggio