Good morning, and welcome to another beautiful day.
As a preacher, when I write a sermon, I often have an image of various individuals within the congregation. I’m not writing the message about or even for them. Rather, I know where they sit on Sunday morning, and out of respect for their biblical knowledge, I imagine their expression as I make each point.
As an author, it’s more challenging. I don’t have a relationship with my audience; their faces remain hidden. Some may challenge my points on social media, often just to promote their own viewpoint, but I may never know them on a personal level.
In either case, my duty to God is to convey the message He gives me and to make every provision to ensure its accuracy. I use many tools to test the theology and measure it against accepted doctrine. Regardless of whether the message is enjoyable or well-received by the reader is not my primary concern.
Jesus taught we are all sinners, for which they crucified Him. What happens within a person’s heart after contemplating the words I write is up to God. It is by faith that I believe He will use them for His glory. I have no deeper desire.
Today, we will read Psalms 49-54. There was a lot to choose from: David’s great sin (Psalm 51), the betrayal of Doeg (Psalm 52), deliverance from Saul (Psalm 54). Psalm 53 had a personal appeal to me, as it speaks to those lost in atheism, as I once was. However, it mirrors Psalm 14, which we have already discussed.
Instead, I am drawn—by the Spirit—to Psalm 49. Let’s begin with verse 2:
“both low and high, rich and poor alike:” (Ps. 49:2 NIV)
The Levite’s Perspective on Wealth
Here, the Sons of Korah address all the people of Israel. They had grown up in a Levitical family, a unique position in Israelite society. The Levites shared in the sacrifices that the people offered to God. They did not have a land inheritance, as God Himself was their inheritance. God established this system to provide all they needed without setting them up to become materialistic. Their sustenance came from the offerings of the people.
Often, success is a person’s greatest undoing. We might start out humble and focused on doing the right things for the proper reasons. As God blesses us, we accumulate wealth, and soon, wealth can become our master. We must remember, as Hannah proclaimed, “The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts” (1 Sam 2:7 NIV).
My family was poor for a period. We lived in the back of a station wagon on the side of Highway 1. Our parents slept in a makeshift tent on the beach while the children stayed in the back of the car. We gathered soda bottles to redeem for bread money.
Part of that experience imprinted on me a deep desire to obtain wealth and, perhaps, a resentment toward those who had it. I didn’t trust the wealthy; I felt they couldn’t understand my perspective. Meanwhile, I wanted to change my station in life. I wanted to know the opulence that wealth could bring.
Changing One’s Stars
As the character William Thatcher repeats throughout the movie A Knight’s Tale, “A man can change his stars.” ¹ Toward the end of the movie, he finds his way back to his father’s house and tells him he has followed his feet home, achieving his dream of becoming a knight. Many common people, like myself, resonate with this theme because it gives us hope. If we work hard and God blesses the work of our hands, maybe we, too, can change our stars.
This Psalm, however, points out that the rich and the poor share a common, inescapable problem: We are all sinners, and we will all one day perish (Rom 6:23). God will judge us on that day and show no favoritism, as He owns everything. If anything, He will look at the wealthy and imply they had their blessings on earth, judging them more strictly (Matt 6:2, 5, 16; Luke 6:24).
It is for this reason that Paul writes to Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment,” (1 Tim 6:17 NIV).
Death: The Great Equalizer
Since we all sin, we will all face death (Rom 6:23). Yet, we are all eternal, and our souls will live on—the rich and the poor, the wicked and the just. It would be tempting to say there is no difference in their eternal fate, but that would be profoundly wrong. There is a monumental difference.
God will judge those who trust in their riches or their own righteousness for their sins (Ezekiel 33:13). However, those who trust in Jesus will have their names written in the Book of Life; God will judge them based on how they used the life Christ gave them.
When I look at the billionaires in this world, I pity them. I hope they know more than financial wealth. If they know the Lord, I trust He has placed upon their hearts the desire to use their wealth for the good of all.
None of us can take our possessions into the next world. In hell, the fires surrounding them would consume them. In heaven, God’s glory would render them worthless trash.
What is your station in life today? The only way to “change one’s stars,” in an eternal sense, is to place your faith in the Lord. Are you trusting in Him today?
Tomorrow, we will read Psalms 55-60.
Notes
A Knight’s Tale, directed by Brian Helgeland (2001; Hollywood, CA: Columbia Pictures, 2001), DVD.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. All biblical citations refer to this version unless otherwise noted.
Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1968).
Charles J. Ellicott, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1959).