Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. (Psalm 49:1-3)
There is a conclusion drawn by Jewish commentators that this Psalm was specifically placed after the preceding psalm because of its subject matter — the allure of riches. Jewish tradition teaches that the sons of Korah saw how their father’s material wealth provoked him to pursue his unrealistic ambitions which led to his eventual downfall. Consequently they recognized, firsthand, how the love of money is the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). And so in this psalm, they shared wisdom and a warning that all men needed to hear. In fact, it is rather interesting that the last verse of the preceding psalm says that God was to be “our guide even to death” meaning that, in all facets of life and until the very end, God is to be our guide — not the futile pursuit of riches.
Thus the call to all people — great and small, rich and poor — to heed the message Wisdom proclaims: don’t put your trust in riches. Whether you already have money or whether you wish to attain great wealth, life’s pursuit should not be focused on amassing wealth and material goods but rather service to the Most High. By appealing to all people, the sons of Korah clearly assert that this message is not just for the rich — the same is true even for the poor. On one hand, the rich man will never be “satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase” (Ecclesiastes 5:10); yet the man without money can behold another’s wealth and become envious to the point that the pursuit of riches becomes their life’s mission.
I realize that all of us are acutely aware of this temptation but it is needful for us all to be reminded of just how seductive the pursuit of wealth can be. To be clear, wealth is not the culprit; the love of wealth is the enemy, and that enemy is something that potentially resides within us all. This enemy, if fed and coddled, has the potential to take over our lives and convince us of things that are just not so. If the tradition concerning Korah is accurate — that his wealth seduced him into thinking more highly of himself than he should and that he could take Moses’ position — then it demonstrates the love of wealth and the delusion that can accompany it is not just a malady affecting the unbeliever. If we are not diligent to resist it, the love of riches can find its way into the hearts and minds of God’s people too. And so, may we all give ear to the voice of wisdom and pursue the greatest of riches — a priceless relationship with the Almighty and the knowledge that our names are written in the Book of Life.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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