Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— for the redemption of their souls is costly. (Psalm 49:6-8)
Carnal men are generally unresponsive to the Voice of God and the warnings He gives through His Word and His deeds. People who are given over to their carnal nature will almost always focus on the more seductive things, which is to say the wrong things, and become hard-hearted and thick-skinned. In other words, this type of person becomes insensitive to the call of God to turn from evil and return to Him. Instead, to fill the void in their life and assuage the unavoidable insecurities that come with living in this world, they attempt to build a financial fortress for themselves. As one writer said, their temple of worship is the bank, not the House of Prayer.
And so it is that, as man’s faith in riches and wealth increases, man’s faith in and dependance upon God decreases. The more money the carnal man makes the more God is diminished in their lives until He is no longer considered or spoken of. The Almighty is displaced to make room for another god — the almighty dollar. Unfortunately for these people, the god of wealth will do them no good when the day of adversity visits their house. What is the worth of riches in the days of evil? It is written, “They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse. Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they will not satisfy their souls, nor fill their stomachs, because it became their stumbling block of iniquity” (Ezekiel 7:9).
Put simply, no amount of wealth will be able to save anyone or redeem a man’s fellow. In the time of redemption — which will be a day of wrath for the wicked — gold and silver will not impress the God some men so foolishly tossed aside. In that day, there is only one commodity that will continue to hold its value; it won’t be anything temporal or something man has the ability to purchase. As the psalmist said, the redemption of a man’s soul is costly, certainly more costly than gold and silver. The only thing that will count for anything in God’s economy will be whether or not you have been purchased and redeemed by the Blood of Messiah. Never put your trust in wealth; always trust in the goodness of God.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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