She’s as sharp as a tack! He’s as strong as an ox! We hear expressions like this every day. But when’s the last time you heard, “That’s as sound as a dollar”? Folks used to say that to emphasize the sturdiness or reliability of things. But since the United States abandoned the gold standard in 1971, the value of a dollar has steadily declined – in fact, it takes almost $750 today to buy what $100 could buy in 1970. And with inflation currently raging out of control, we have to admit that the dollar is anything but sound.

But let’s face it: no form of worldly wealth lasts forever. Jesus Himself said that we should not lay up for ourselves “treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). But even if our possessions survive all these threats, Psalm 49 reminds us that everyone eventually dies, no matter how rich or smart we may be (verse 10). And that means that everyone’s treasure will eventually belong to someone else. As verse 12 puts it, “Man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”

So, what can we do about the inevitability of death? We may try to delay it with diet and exercise, or by avoiding tobacco or alcohol or street drugs. But as verse 6 reminds us, no amount of wealth or riches can keep death from coming to us one day. And since we all eventually have to die, there’s no way any of us can protect our loved ones by offering to die in their place. In short, there’s no way we can pay a ransom to preserve anyone else’s life (verses 7-9).

But Jesus can. Because He was the only Man Who never sinned, He alone didn’t deserve the death penalty. So only He could offer up His life in our place. But because He is also the Son of God, His sacrifice is valuable enough to redeem all the lives of all the people throughout space and time who have placed their trust in Him as Savior and bowed the knee to Him as Lord. ¬

And the Psalmist got a glimpse of this truth in verse 15: “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol.” Through the cross of Christ, God has done what is impossible for us, placing our sin on Jesus, and allowing Him to suffer death for us. But because God has also credited the perfect righteousness of Christ to our account, He is also able to do what the rest of verse 15 promises, considering us worthy to be received not only into His presence, but into His family of faith.

So, does it really make sense to focus our lives on gaining worldly wealth? Does it make sense to envy those who have more material possessions than we do? Wouldn’t it be better instead to focus on an inheritance that is enduring? Wouldn’t it be better to trust in Jesus to give us everlasting life?

Psalm 49 (NASB)

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
6 Even those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No man can by any means redeem his brother, Or give to God a ransom for him–
8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever–
9 That he should live on eternally; That he should not undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish, And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thought is, that their houses are forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.
12 But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.
14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning; And their form shall be for Sheol to consume, So that they have no habitation.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For He will receive me. Selah.
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself– And though men praise you when you do well for yourself–
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light.
20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.