Psalm 49:20

Psalm 49:20

Wealth v understanding

So, here we have the conclusion to the Psalm. This is the writer’s final statement based on what he has penned here in Psalm 49. “People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.” You cannot help but wonder if he had been badly treated by someone wealthy and had some kind of grudge, can you? I mean, the wealthy are not that bad are they? Not everyone who has gained riches is bad, surely? 

That’s not what is being said here. Look carefully at the verse. It is those who have wealth BUT “lack understanding” that perish like the beasts. We need to remember that this Book of Psalms is inspired by the Lord God Himself, so what does it mean to lack understanding? I would suggest that it is possible to be incredibly blessed in this world, to have great riches, to live a life of comfort and ease and miss the two most important nuggets of gold that can ever be owned: -

1.     That all things belong to God and come from God. Therefore, if we have much, we have  a greater responsibility to be thankful to God than those who have little.

2.     That ownership of things brings huge responsibilities towards others, for nothing belongs to us permanently and wealth is only temporarily granted to us to enjoy and share with our fellow men.

Those who have understanding recognise the Giver and who He aims to bless with His giving. Those who have no understanding think only of themselves.  

It is foolishness to idolise or to envy or to pander to the rich but sadly our culture does it all the time. The only riches that are worth having are those that bless others. 

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