TRUST GOD, NOT WEALTH

Psalm 49

Sunday, 28 June 2026

But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;

He will surely take me to himself. -Psalm 49:15

The wisdom imparted through Psalm 49 is universal, as the psalmist addresses all people-high and low, rich and poor alike. The uncertainty of riches and the folly in trusting in them stands out in the Psalm. 

The Psalmist lists various obvious reasons why wealth fails people (Vs.6-20)

➢ Wealth cannot pay the ransom for one’s life

➢ When one dies, his/her wealth is left for another

➢ Man with all his pomp and wealth cannot secure his life with them

➢ All people will go to the grave no matter how rich they are

➢ The splendor of the rich will not go with them to the grave

While these observations are put forward by the Psalmist, he has the deep conviction about the godly man who puts his trust in the Lord than in riches. In V.15 he states: 

“But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;    He will surely take me to himself.” 

This is the hope of every person who puts his trust in God to save him from the power of death—his life does not end with the grave, but he will live thereafter with the Lord! 

Materialism—wealth, possessions, fame and name that comes with them may captivate people. But its transience is a reality that many fail to recognize until it hits them hard. The Psalmist calls out to all people of the world to learn wisdom from his words and gain understanding to live prudently.

Christ Jesus in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12), spoke of the stupidity of amassing wealth with a greedy attitude. He said: “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12: 15). If that night the rich man’s life was demanded by God, all his wealth would die with him! Jesus concluded the parable this way: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (v.21) Apostle Paul warned believers not to trust in riches in 1 Timothy 6. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. (1 Tim.6:9 NLT).To those whom God has granted riches, they are told not to be proud and trust in their riches but be rich towards good works and be generous to those in need, sharing with others; in this way they are storing up in heaven for a true life (1 Tim.6:17-19). 

More importantly, its placing one’s trust in God who can redeem one’s life beyond the grave, that is priority. The Psalmist says:

No one can redeem the life of another    or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly,    no payment is ever enough— so that they should live on forever    and not see decay.  (Ps.49:7-9)

But God has provided a ransom for life- for all who would receive it. Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all people (1 Timothy 2:6). His death on the cross on behalf of all men paid the penalty for our sin that we would be made acceptable to God- made righteous in His sight. John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. His life was given as a ransom for every man who believes in Him, so as to have life everlasting! If you haven’t received that eternal life through Him, today is your day. 

You too can say with assurance along with the Psalmist, “God will redeem me from the realm of the dead and surely take me to Himself!”

Listen: 'My worth is not in what I own'