The Deceitfulness of Wealth
Psalms 49
September 15, 2019
Surely everyone in here has heard of Bruce Lee.
In 1969 Bruce Lee wrote himself a letter.
My Definite Chief Aim
I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.
Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969
Four years later, he was dead.
https://qz.com/932799/bruce-lee-achieved-all-his-life-goals-by-32-by-committing-to-one-personality-trait/
Perhaps that sounds strangely familiar
To another story we have recently read.
Luke 12:16-21 “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
What you have in both cases were men
Who fell prey to the deceitfulness of wealth.
Wealth held for them an allusion of ease and comfort.
• The foolish farmer would say to his soul, “Soul, you have many good laid
up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”
• Bruce Lee would expect nothing less. “I will live the way I please and
achieve inner harmony and happiness.”
BOTH DIED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
Wealth had deceived them into the belief that it
Was the secret to happiness, peace, comfort, and security.
HOW WRONG IT PROVED TO BE.
WEALTH IS IN FACT A DECEIVER.
In 2005, 60 minutes correspondent Steve Kroft interviewed Tom Brady after he won his 3rd super bowl.
Here is what was said:
BRADY: …There’s times where I’m not the person that I want to be. Why do I have three Super Bowl rings, and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think: [Religious Exclamation], it’s gotta be more than this. I mean this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be. I mean I’ve done it. I’m 27. And what else is there for me?
KROFT: What’s the answer?
BRADY: I wish I knew. I wish I knew…
https://calvarychapelbiblecollege.com/home/theres-gotta-be-more-than-this-tom-brady/
It is just another testimony of one who expressed
The same sentiment that we see in Scripture
That success and money never produce
The satisfaction that they promise.
It is the DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH.
Jesus preached a parable about the heart typified by four types of soils.
One soil Jesus spoke of was depicted as WEEDY SOIL.
• It was a man who heard the word of God, but the weeds in his heart choked
out the message he heard and he never produced any fruit for eternity.
Specifically Jesus stated it like this:
Matthew 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
That man was plagued by “the deceitfulness of wealth”
He obviously reached a point in life
Where he was convinced that his earthly wealth
Was of more value that eternal hope.
He rejected the gospel message he heard
For the opportunity to keep his earthly wealth.
HE WAS DECEIVED.
We saw this same problem in our often discussed man known as The Rich Young Ruler.
• That was the man who was told by Jesus that he lacked one thing in
order to achieve salvation.
Luke 18:22-23 “When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”
Like the weedy soil he was taken in by the deceitfulness of wealth
And the gospel message was choked out of his life.
It is called the deceitfulness of wealth
This deceiver kept more than one person out of the kingdom of heaven.
Paul even warned that some who are seeking life
Can be PULLED AWAY by it.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, comes to mind here.
• Elisha healed Naaman the leper and Naaman wanted to compensate Elisha.
• Elisha refused, but Gehazi saw an opportunity.
• Gehazi chased Naaman and basically said Elisha needs the money after all.
But the Lord revealed all that happened to Elisha.
2 Kings 5:26-27 “Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”
THE DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH RUINED GEHAZI’S LIFE.
It’s no wonder then that Paul would give the FINAL WARNING to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
And there we get ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC of wealth.
Not only is it deceitful, but it is also UNCERTAIN.
Jesus Himself taught us that moths eat it, rust devours it, and thieves steal it.
It just never proved itself to be a satisfactory source of security.
Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.”
Part of the deceitfulness of wealth is its uncertainty.
When talking about money in Luke 16 Jesus spoke of a shrewd manager and how he wisely used wealth for future purposes.
But listen to what Jesus said:
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Did you catch that “when it fails” part?
It’s just so deceptive; it is not certain.
And yet so many hold out hope and pursue it
Like it is the chief source of satisfaction.
Psalms 49 is a song about that foolish mentality.
It is a song about the deceitfulness of wealth.
We can break the song down into 4 parts.
#1 THE RIDDLE ANNOUNCED
Psalms 49:1-4
We are first made aware of THE AUDIENCE to whom this song is given.
(1-2) “Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together.”
Much of the Bible is specifically addressed to the redeemed, or to the elect of God. This passage is addressed to EVERYONE.
The message about how deceitful wealth can be
Is for the redeemed and the unregenerate.
It is for the lost and the saved.
The Psalmist specifically announces that
It is for both the “rich and poor together”
We mentioned recently in our Sunday morning study in Luke 12
That greed and the deceitfulness of wealth is not limited to the wealthy.
Jesus taught us:
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
We know that greed comes in many forms.
• Hoarding is a form of greed, like the foolish farmer who tore down his barns to build bigger ones.
• Coveting is a form of greed, like the man who interrupted the sermon of Jesus to demand that his brother share the family inheritance.
• Worry is a form of greed, like the world in general who are consumed only with obtaining the basic necessities of the body.
You don’t have to have money to be consumed with money.
When we think of the greedy
• We often have this mind’s eye of the man in his bank vault swimming in his gold coins surrounded by luxury and surplus.
But it is far from simply a problem of the rich.
• You can see greed on full display simply by going to Allsups and watching the poor stand in line to buy lottery tickets in hopes of getting their next big break.
Agur saw the danger of greed in both poverty and riches:
Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”
The greed problem is for everyone.
Everyone needs to hear this song.
The Psalmist announces that he has A RIDDLE FOR THE WORLD.
(3-4) “My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.”
He has something that he wants every inhabitant of the earth
To consider or to contemplate.
He has announced his riddle.
#2 THE RIDDLE STATED
Psalms 49:5-6
“Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?”
The Psalmist asks: What is the purpose of fearing the success of his enemies in the evil day?
Perhaps I can shed a little more light on the subject.
The word for “fear” here is YARE
It is the most commonly used word
Because it so often refers to “the fear of the LORD”
Sometimes you will even see it translated as “reverential awe”
Just to give you some perspective,
Let me give you some other words for fear that are NOT used here.
MOWRA, which means “terror”
Deuteronomy 11:25 “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.”
PACHOD, which means “dread”
Exodus 15:16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.”
MACAN, which means “to melt”
Joshua 14:8 “Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully.”
Those are all words that speak of a person who is afraid of something.
The word the Psalmist uses is NOT one of those.
• He uses the word common for fear of the LORD.
• He uses the word that speaks of awestruck wonder.
• He uses the word that speaks almost of worship and adoration
And I think that sheds some light on this riddle.
• He is speaking about “days of adversity”
• He is speaking about being surrounded by his foes.
• And his foes are rich and they “trust in their wealth”
• And his foes “boast in the abundance of their riches”
The idea is that his foes are certain that they will overcome him
Because they have more resources than him.
And at that moment he is in
Awestruck wonder at the power of their wealth.
“If I could just get my hands on some wealth
Then I would not have to fear my enemies”
Certainly being afraid is involved but there is also
An element of being awestruck and the significance and power of wealth.
In that famous Psalms 73 we see Asaph with that same sense of awestruck wonder:
Psalms 73:3-9 “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.”
He just saw the wicked and their riches and was in awe of them.
But the Psalmist here is asking why do we do that?
“Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?”
That’s the riddle.
That’s the question he wants you to ponder.
That’s the reality he wants you to consider.
• Why are we so prone to think so highly of riches?
• Why are we so prone to see wealth as being of such power?
• Why are we so afraid of those who are rich if they oppose us?
The Psalmist asks, “Why is that?”
That’s the riddle announced.
#3 THE RIDDLE EXPLAINED
Psalms 49:7-15
Here the Psalmist answers the riddle.
Now, just for clarification purposes,
His MAIN ANSWER to the riddle is found in verse 12.
That’s the key verse (repeated in verse 20)
(12) “But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
So obviously the answer to the riddle is that
You should not fear or be in awe of those who are rich.
But let’s examine that statement a little further
Because the Psalmist spends verses 7-11 explaining it.
The Psalmist mentions “man in his pomp”
Let’s talk about that.
The Psalmist shows you what he means.
LOOK AT VERSE 6.
They are “those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches”.
That is “man in his pomp”
Look at verse 11
“Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations.”
It is just a man who thinks awful highly of himself because he has money.
• He thinks his wealth is a sort of security for he trusts in it.
• He thinks his wealth is a sort of status for he boasts of the abundance of it
• He thinks his wealth will never fail him seen in the fact that he thinks his house will be forever the land will always be his.
It’s just pomp
It’s just pure arrogance
That is how the psalmist sees these people.
But he also says that “man in his pomp will not endure”
If you look down to verse 20 where he restates this statement, he shifts it a little.
(20) “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.”
Obviously there the lack of understanding is seen in the fact that
HE DOESN’T REALIZE HOW TEMPORARY IT ALL IS.
He doesn’t understand that his wealth will not endure.
He just doesn’t understand how weak and useless wealth actually is.
BUT THE PSALMIST DOES.
Look at what the psalmist has to say about wealth.
(7-9) “No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him — For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever — That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”
That is sobering isn’t it?
And what a message for the church today.
Money has no power to redeem.
It’s remarkable that churches should put such a high stock
On budgets and financial security and cd’s
And the purchasing of insurance.
To what end?
Do any of those things aid in the redemption of the lost?
How much money can you give God for the salvation of a sinner?
• Let’s suppose at the judgment you see a dear friend standing before God and
he has never yielded his life to Christ.
• He is condemned as a sinner and God is about to cast him into the lake of fire.
• At that moment do you really suppose you can make a financial offer to God
for the salvation of your friend?
The Psalmist says you shouldn’t even try.
It can’t be done.
Do you remember the rich man in hades who was in torment in the flame?
• He couldn’t get Lazarus to dip his finger and water and touch it to his tongue.
• Nor could he get Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them.
• His money was powerless in hell.
Redemption cannot be bought with money.
We are taught that THE PRICE OF OUR REDEMPTION
Took much more than money.
1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Puny little things like silver and gold could not redeem us from our sin,
It took the spotless blood of Christ.
How often do we sing it: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”
And here you have the Psalmist indicating that
The pompous man doesn’t seem to know that.
He doesn’t seem to realize that money can’t redeem.
He is “without understanding”
He is seeking and storing and protecting his money
Like he thinks it is his ticket out of hell. How foolish!
A church should learn the dangers there too.
I’ve been in a church that thought the sole purpose of their existence was to maintain a large enough savings account to be able to make sure they always existed as a church.
As if having money would help us save even one sinner.
• Tell me, was there ever a more competent preacher than Jesus?
• Was there ever One more convicting than Christ?
• How successful was Peter at the day of Pentecost? (3,000 souls)
• How successful was Paul at planting churches?
And how much money did they have?
It’s a foolish assumption to assume
That money has anything to do with redemption.
We even recall Simon the magician offering Peter money so that he might be able to impart the Holy Spirit, and Peter was clear to him:
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
How ignorant to be pompous about money
When it has absolutely no value in regard to redemption.
But that’s not all the Psalmist references.
(10) “For he [the rich man] sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.”
What does he mean?
Well, wealth can’t save you, but maybe it can help you stay alive so that you never have to face eternity. WRONG!
Wealth won’t keep you from dying.
You can’t pay enough to escape the grave.
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
Ecclesiastes 9:3 “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”
I don’t care how much money you store, you can’t evade death.
You will die and you will leave your wealth behind.
The foolishness is seen in the fact that
The rich see this and yet it doesn’t seem to sink in.
Many a rich man even made his fortune by means of inheritance.
• He got his money because some other rich man died and left it behind and yet
he doesn’t seem to realize that he too will die and leave it behind as well.
We know he doesn’t realize this because of the pomp we read about in verse 11.
(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.”
It’s as though they think they will live forever.
How foolish.
But that’s not the only thing the Psalmist references.
• Not only can money not save you…
• Not only can money not keep you from dying…
• But once you die, money won’t help you escape eternity.
(13-15) “This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. 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. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.”
Money won’t help them get out of the grave after they die.
They are “appointed for Sheol” and “Death shall be their shepherd”
• There is no redemption.
• There is no evading of death.
• There is no escaping of death.
Money won’t help them out at all.
Redemption, as the Psalmist reveals, is only by the hands of God.
(15) “For God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me.”
There will be those who will come flying out of that grave,
BUT IT WON’T BE THE RICH.
It won’t be those who have money who will be received by God.
It will be “the upright” whom God will receive, not the rich.
The rich will be stuck in death and everlasting torment
With no hope of escape.
Listen to James describe this final chapter of their existence.
James 5:1-5 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
How foolish it was to walk around in pomp and arrogance
Trusting in your wealth to be some sort of a savior.
The Psalmist speaks of how foolish it is.
In fact:
(12) “But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
I hate to burst a lot of bubbles here,
But the Psalmist reveals a truth that many people aren’t going to like.
Animals aren’t going to heaven.
The Psalmist here uses them as an example of rich people who aren’t going to heaven either.
The Psalmist reveals that beasts “perish”
And the pompous man who trusts in his wealth
Will “perish” just like them.
That’s what Asaph said as well:
Psalms 73:21-24 “When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”
Asaph said that when he was consumed with wealth
He “was like a beast” before God.
How foolish.
So are those who trust in their wealth and who boast in their riches.
They are not powerful, they are in great danger!
They will perish!
Psalms 73:18-20 “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”
That’s pretty chilling isn’t it?
Well, that’s the riddle explained.
So the Psalmist wanted to know why people are in such awe of men
When they get rich like there is some great power in that.
Obviously any power that comes through wealth is a mere mirage.
IT only looks like power.
Whatever power it has, I can tell you what power it doesn’t have.
• It can’t redeem you from sin…
• It can’t keep you from death…
• It can’t release you from hell…
And if it can’t do those things then why are you in such awe of it?
That’s the Psalmist explaining the riddle.
One last point:
#4 THE RIDDLE APPLIED
Psalms 49:16-10
So now he gives us the new perspective we should have.
“Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased.”
Same word, don’t be in awe of a rich man.
Don’t be awestruck by how great it must be to be rich.
(17-19) “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.”
• I know…I know it looks appealing.
• I know…men congratulate themselves for all their success.
• I know…men praise you when you are successful as though you’ve really accomplished something.
Can you fathom the unspeakable sadness of your funeral and all they can do is list all your earthly success and reveal all the money you made?
How sad is that?
Go to the funeral of that FOOLISH FARMER, that’s not a happy event.
• And yet, there is the heir just licking his chops to have the inheritance.
Go to the funeral of BRUCE LEE and just ask if it was all worth it?
The problem is all that earthly glory doesn’t go with you into eternity.
“His glory will not descend after him.”
In an instant you go from being a “somebody” to being a “nobody”
The citizens of hell could care less how rich you were.
For crying out loud they use gold for asphalt in heaven.
And so the Psalmist says, don’t admire or fear the rich man.
And again he sums up his point.
(20) “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.”
All of that status us nothing but an allusion; a mirage. It isn’t real.
True riches are found in Christ and in Christ alone.
• Should we read again that parable of the treasure in the field and see the value of Christ?
• Should we read again that parable of the pearl of great price and see the value of Christ?
He is worth more than all the riches of this world combined.
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
