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Sermon | Psalm 49:1–20 | 2026 March 08
Title: Sermon | Psalm 49:1–20 | 2026 March 08
Scripture: Psalm 49:1–20 (ESV)
Date: 2026 March 08
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Translated by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)
Theme Sentence: Christians must live a godly life by understanding the different paths of the wise and the foolish.
Question: How can Christians overcome the temptations of the world?
Transition Sentence: We must learn, understand, master, and apply the following aspects of knowledge.
Key Word: Aspects.
Introduction: All peoples, the inhabitants of the world, whether high or low, rich or poor, must listen to these words. The words the psalmist intends to speak are important words, words that all people must hear. These are words of wisdom, matters of understanding; they are proverbs and riddles (1–4).
I. Receiving the Comfort of the Wise
1. The primary purpose of this psalm is to comfort the saints, and this is something many people have not noticed. Because the saints often experience afflictions, they need the comfort and protection of God's Word.
The entire psalm can be divided into four parts.
Verses 1–4 form the introduction. The psalmist declares to the listeners the importance of this psalm.
Verses 5–12 are comforting the saints, telling them that when they encounter the surrounding of wicked people, they need not be afraid. Then the psalmist gives the reason why they should not be afraid, which is the ineffectiveness of money. From this we can infer that in the circumstances of that time, the saints were probably mocked because of their poverty and lowliness.
Verses 13–14 reveal two paths: the wicked move toward destruction, while the righteous obtain eternal life.
Verses 16–20 again comfort the saints. When they see the wicked becoming rich and their households increasing in glory, they should not be afraid. Then the psalmist again gives the reason why they should not be afraid, which is that the wealth of the wicked cannot be brought into eternal life. From this we can once again conclude that the condition of the saints was likely very poor.
Therefore, the main theme of this psalm is to comfort God's people and to help those saints who are in suffering and poverty to have the correct perspective regarding wealth. They must not be lured by the world, nor should they covet money that cannot bring redemption.
From this we can see that the people of God on earth often experience various afflictions and hardships. When we obey the law, our hardships come. We may face financial loss, the contempt of others, the loss of employment, the threat of remaining single, the pressure of difficult living conditions, and many other similar things. Yet the sons of Korah comfort the people of God.
2. In days of trouble, when being persecuted, why should we be afraid? (5). This refers to hard persecution, a kind of coercive oppression. It shows that these wicked people forcibly oppress and mistreat the poor righteous. As the saying goes, even a hero can be troubled by the lack of a single coin.
3. When the foolish prosper and their households increase in glory, do not be afraid (16). This refers to soft persecution, which is temptation. Money can indeed solve many problems in our lives, but Christians must hold fast to the law rather than violate the law in order to gain money.
II. Understanding Thoroughly the Path of the Foolish
1. The words and actions of the foolish (6–11).
The worldview of the foolish: the foolish rely on wealth, boast of their abundant riches, and call themselves blessed. Here several behaviors of the foolish appear.
What do the foolish rely on? (6 — they rely on wealth and boast of their riches.) These foolish people rest their heads upon wealth, look at the deposits in the bank and laugh loudly, taking it as their reliance in this life, feeling secure in their hearts, and living with great energy in this world.
What do the foolish see? (10 — they see that people die, yet property can be left to later generations.)
What do the foolish think in their hearts? (11 — their houses will last forever and remain to all generations.)
What do the foolish boast about themselves? (6, 18 — abundant wealth, calling themselves blessed.)
What do the foolish say? (18 — if you prosper, people will praise you.)
What is the attitude of the world toward the foolish? (13 — people approve their sayings and follow their ways.)
If you prosper, people will praise you. The people of this world praise wealth and celebrate wealth.
Seeing that all people die and that property remains behind, they fall in love with this present life and accumulate extensive possessions.
The wealth of the world appears able to accumulate and pile up endlessly.
They possess rich dwellings and hope their homes will last forever. They call their lands by their own names. They become famous and possess many dwellings. In this psalm, the words dwelling and house are very interesting. The foolish want their houses to last forever, they want their dwellings to remain for all generations, and they want to call their lands by their own names. Yet in verse 14 they will have no dwelling any longer.
2. The limitations of wealth.
However, the psalmist quickly points out the limitations of wealth. This wealth cannot redeem a brother and cannot pay the ransom price. The psalmist says the ransom price is costly, but the true meaning certainly is not that the price is merely high. Rather, it indicates that redemption can only come from the Lord Jesus Christ, who possesses two natures in one person, both God and man. Only the precious blood that He shed has true saving power.
Wealth cannot cause a person to live forever and not see corruption. From the moment a person is born, it is like standing in a line moving toward death.
3. The end of the foolish (17–19).
When he dies, he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
He will go to the generation of his fathers who were foolish and will never again see light. Darkness means separation from the light; it means separation from the Lord who created all things. There there is only the eternal wrath of God.
4. The final conclusion concerning the foolish (13–14). Verse 13 reaches a climax.
The world follows the path of the foolish and approves their words.
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd. To follow foolishness is to have no spiritual life at all.
In the morning the upright shall rule over them. After the resurrection they will continue to undergo judgment.
Their form shall be consumed in Sheol; they will have no dwelling any longer.
Man cannot remain in honor; if a man has honor yet lacks understanding, he is like the beasts that perish.
Repeated twice: beasts that perish. These foolish people have no wisdom at all. They only know how to grasp wealth on earth and never consider their own end. Truly they are like beasts that perish.
III. Understanding the Path of the Wise
1. God will redeem the soul of the wise from the power of Sheol (15a). Verse 15 is also a climax. This means that in this life the wise can be freed from the power of sin and live a holy life that obeys the law. Although we may suffer economic poverty and material lack, we can live a life freed from the power of Sheol and from the bondage of sin.
Romans 8:1–2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
In this present life, the wise no longer present their members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness but can present their members to righteousness as instruments.
2. God will lead us into eternal life (15b).
Even more precious is that through the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ we can enter eternal life and obtain true light. The limitations of money precisely reveal the preciousness of Christ.
The precious blood of Christ can redeem our brothers. The saints will not see corruption. Christ can lead us into the true and eternal light, and Christ can give us eternal and true riches.
The hope of eternal life has already been revealed in the Old Testament, and it must become the foundation of the Christian life. Without the hope of eternal life and the new heavens and the new earth, it would be difficult for us to overcome the temptation and pressure of wealth. We would easily follow the world, pursue riches, and forget the law of God.
IV. Trusting in the Redemption of the Lord Jesus
1. We are justified by faith. The key to everything lies in the true proverb and riddle. This riddle first points to the reality that life itself is like a riddle. Who can understand the meaning of life? The meaning of this riddle is that life is like a puzzle. The visible world is the surface of the riddle, but the answer lies in the judgment after death. Without God's special revelation, this riddle cannot be solved by anyone.
Another direction of this riddle points to the coming Messiah. This Messiah would bear the sins of His people and would die on the cross for them to accomplish this beautiful salvation.
The reason the wise are willing to endure the sufferings of this life and bear material poverty for the sake of obeying the law is that they look to the Messiah who is the founder and perfecter of our faith.
He has accomplished everything. His precious blood has eternal efficacy. He leads us out of eternal death. Therefore we must trust in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in His precious promises.
2. We possess the works of faith.
Because we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must live a life of faith. We must no longer love this world, nor pursue the wealth of this world, but instead live a godly life on earth. The true meaning of a godly life is to obey God's law with all diligence in every aspect of life so that the name of God may be glorified.
Although Christians may suffer persecution, affliction, and poverty because they obey the law of God, the grace of God is sufficient for us. Our hope rests in the eternal kingdom of heaven.
Conclusion: May God lead us to see clearly the vanity of money so that we may hold firmly to the true way with all our strength and not fear the persecution of the foolish.
Questions:
1. What is the structure of this psalm?
2. What words and behaviors do the foolish display in this life?
3. How do the wise view the wealth of the foolish?
4. How do the wise live a godly life in this present world?
Psalm 49 belongs to the group of psalms attributed to “the sons of Korah.” In the Old Testament, the sons of Korah were a Levitical family responsible for temple worship and music (1 Chronicles 6:31–38). Several psalms (e.g., Psalms 42–49) are associated with this guild of temple singers.
The expression “proverbs and riddles” in Psalm 49:4 reflects the Hebrew wisdom tradition. In the Old Testament, “riddles” (Hebrew: חִידָה, ḥîdāh) often refer to deep sayings or wisdom puzzles that require reflection to understand their spiritual meaning.
The phrase “Sheol” in Psalm 49 is a Hebrew term referring to the realm of the dead. In the Old Testament context, Sheol represents the grave or the place where the dead go, often emphasizing the power of death over human life rather than a fully developed doctrine of final judgment.
The statement that wealth “cannot redeem a brother” reflects the Old Testament concept of ransom or redemption (Hebrew: כֹּפֶר, kōpher). In biblical theology, this term refers to the price paid to secure release or deliverance, a concept later fulfilled in the redemptive work of Christ in the New Testament.
The reference to “two natures in one person” reflects the classical Christian doctrine of the person of Christ. According to historic Christian theology, Jesus Christ possesses both a fully divine nature and a fully human nature united in one person, a teaching historically articulated in the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451).
The phrase “the founder and perfecter of our faith” echoes Hebrews 12:2 (ESV). In the New Testament, this expression refers to Jesus Christ as the one who initiates and brings to completion the faith of believers.
The contrast between “the wise” and “the foolish” in this sermon reflects a central theme of biblical wisdom literature. Books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and certain psalms use this contrast to distinguish those who live according to the fear of the Lord from those who live according to worldly understanding.
1. Receiving the Comfort of the Wise Among your relatives, friends, and colleagues, is there someone like this: a person with roughly the same level and ability as you, yet they keep getting promoted step by step while you remain ordinary? Suddenly they become wealthier than you and achieve a lea… Read more
1. Receiving the Comfort of the Wise
Among your relatives, friends, and colleagues, is there someone like this: a person with roughly the same level and ability as you, yet they keep getting promoted step by step while you remain ordinary? Suddenly they become wealthier than you and achieve a leap in social status. Then they begin to look down on you. As the saying goes, “It is not that we fear our brothers suffering, but that we fear our brothers driving a Land Rover.” We often find this very hard to accept.
Therefore the psalmist says that what follows must be heard by all humanity, indicating that this psalm is extremely important.
Verses 5–12 comfort the saints, telling them not to be afraid when they are surrounded by the wicked. Verses 13–14 reveal two different outcomes: the wicked move toward destruction, while the righteous move toward eternal life and will rule over them. Verses 16–20 form another section that comforts the saints. The wealth of the wicked cannot be brought into eternal life. The entire psalm is essentially saying one thing: it tells Christians not to be afraid. Its central purpose is to comfort the saints.
The psalmist observed that Christians often experience many troubles in this world. When they see others prospering and their families flourishing, they easily become anxious and fearful. Verses 13–14 therefore reveal the two final destinies of the wicked and the righteous so that Christians will not love the world.
Christians are called to use their money to help the poor. There are ways of making money that people in the world may pursue but that Christians cannot. When Christians share the gospel with the world, they may face danger. On Sundays, while others do not take leave and continue working, you must take time off to worship God. In the church there can also be the pressure of remaining single, because Christians must marry fellow believers. Ministers may also face financial hardship in life. When you have no money, no matter how capable you are, there are many things you cannot do. When you are poor, the wicked may even oppress and mistreat the needy.
In past decades, in regions where the rule of law was weak, if you wanted to get something done without offering a bribe, people would not treat you with respect. This kind of subtle pressure can become a form of soft persecution, causing Christians to have even more worries.
Yet the psalmist tells us not to be afraid. God is sovereign. God encourages His people to worship Him above money.
So how, specifically, can we receive this comfort?
2. Seeing Clearly the Path of the Foolish
The foolish are those who trust in the abundance of their wealth. Have you ever seen someone who laughs with satisfaction simply because they have a large amount of money in the bank, and who constantly shows it off to those around them? Yet the psalmist observes that everyone will die, and in the end their wealth will be left to others—usually their descendants. What they think is that as long as their family estate is passed down, it will last for generations.
In China there are many businesses that call themselves “century-old brands,” and this becomes a source of pride for them. The foolish believe that as long as you have money, people will praise and affirm you. The psalmist says that even though we know they are foolish, the world itself loves wealth, so people continue to praise them.
A few years ago in China there was a “housing boom,” because people hoped their homes could remain for generations. Some even name their land or their businesses after themselves, hoping their name will endure forever. This is very similar to what the psalm describes. Yet the psalm declares that “they will have no dwelling forever.” The end of such people is that they will have no place in the grave.
At the same time, the psalmist points out that wealth is limited. The riches that wealthy people boast in are worthless. They cannot even redeem their own brothers with it. Before the judgment seat, money cannot be exchanged for salvation. The world has misunderstood the issue. The real question is not whether one has much money or little, but whether one has the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Those who trust in wealth are like sheep that go down to the grave. When the foolish die, they take nothing with them. Even if they wear fashionable designer clothes in life, they cannot bring any of it with them after death. They will be forever separated from the light. They will be eternally separated from the Lord who created all things and will experience everlasting judgment.
Verses 13–14 form the climax, like a refrain. Their shepherd will lead them—but our Shepherd leads us beside still waters, while their shepherd leads them to the slaughterhouse for judgment. “The morning” refers to the resurrection. The upright shall rule over them and judge them according to God’s law. Meanwhile, their bodies will decay and perish.
If they do not awaken and repent, they are like “beasts that perish.” This is a very harsh expression—like dead pigs or dogs. The psalmist uses this metaphor to describe them. These wealthy people could have used their riches to do many things that glorify God, yet instead they use them merely to build houses and secure earthly comfort.
When we see the end of the people of the world, what should we think? We should feel pity for them. From our perspective, when they boast, they are actually boasting about their final destiny. If we do not connect what they possess with where they are heading, we too may easily follow their path.
3. Understanding the Path of the Wise
In such a situation, God has rescued us from their power. Although we may experience economic hardship, we have been delivered from a life bound by the power of sin. In Jesus Christ we are no longer enslaved in this way. We can truly live a life set apart for God, so that even if we lack materially, we are not people threatened by death.
People in the world think that in order to survive they must have an estate or possessions to secure their future. But for Christians, the real question is this: do we—and do our children—have a Savior who has borne their sins?
“God will receive me.”
God will surely receive us into eternal life. Through Jesus Christ we have the way to be connected with God. Only the hope of eternity can keep us from being tempted. God could certainly give Christians more money, but He wants us to understand that such a path leads to destruction. Therefore He reminds us to press on toward eternity.
4. Trusting in the Redemption of the Lord Jesus
What should a person do in this life? What is the meaning of life? The psalmist gives a very clear answer: everything in this world ultimately has no lasting meaning. Yet people in the world cannot even solve this riddle.
If that is the case, what should we do? Christians have a better answer: in the future a Messiah would come, and He would impute His righteousness to His people. The true value that we ought to seek has already been accomplished by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has died for us, which shows that God knows everything we lack.
Therefore we should not worry about what we will eat or drink. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us. What we truly need is not money or the things of this world, but the hope of eternity. We should not be afraid, because God delights to give us the kingdom. In that kingdom, God will dwell with us forever.
Only with the hope of eternity can we understand how we ought to live in this present life. We should not pursue wealth or boast in riches, but live a life of genuine godliness. What we should truly be concerned about is whether our children have received Jesus Christ—not where they will work in the future or whether their careers appear respectable. We must never reject Jesus Christ.
Perhaps one day we may lose family members, security, or even our lives for the sake of our faith. But the grace of God is sufficient for us.
How then should we speak to those who boast about themselves? We should tell them to repent. May God help us see clearly the emptiness of money and not fear the oppression of the foolish.
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