Christians Like Animals

“Man is in honor, but does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish… A man who is in honor, but does not understand, is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:12, 20).

A Christian like an animal is a fool (v. 13). And the fool says in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 53:1). In other words, a foolish Christian may say with his lips that he trusts in God, but in his heart, he does not rely on God as his strength. Instead, he depends on the abundance of his wealth (Psalm 52:7). That is, a Christian like an animal is someone who relies on his wealth and boasts of his riches (Psalm 49:6). To such Christians like animals, God teaches, through three reasons, why trusting in wealth is foolish:

First, trusting in wealth is foolish because we cannot take it with us when we die.

Look at Psalm 49:17: "When he dies, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him." This life, where we come with empty hands and leave with empty hands, should not cause us to fear or envy when someone becomes rich or when their house becomes more glorious (v. 16). The reason is that when we die, we cannot take our wealth or glory with us (Psalm 49:17). Even if, in his lifetime, a person says, "I am truly blessed" or "I am truly successful," and receives praise from others (v. 18), in the end, when he dies, he will return to his ancestors and never again see the light (v. 19). Therefore, we should not trust in wealth.

Second, trusting in wealth is foolish because, when we die, we will see that our wealth will be left behind for others.

Look at Psalm 49:10: "But he will see that both the wise and the foolish perish together, and their wealth is left to others." We do not need to envy the prosperity of the wicked, nor should we covet the wealth of the wicked. The reason is that "the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous" (Proverbs 13:22). Therefore, we should not trust in wealth. Wealth is not eternal (Psalm 27:24). Wealth is vain (Psalm 23:5). Just when we think our wealth is secure, it will fly away, like an eagle spreading its wings and flying into the sky (Psalm 5). We should not focus on vain wealth. We should not rely on the abundance of wealth.

Lastly, in third place, the reason it is foolish to trust in wealth is that we cannot redeem our life with our wealth.

Look at Psalms 49:7-8: “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.” No matter how much wealth one has, it cannot redeem a person from death. The redemption of our life is far too precious. It cannot be done with money. We cannot live eternally in heaven without decay, and it cannot be achieved with vast wealth. Since wealth cannot redeem our life, we should not rely on it.

The Christian who is like a beast is foolish and ignorant (Psalm 73:22). The foolish and ignorant Christian, like a beast, looks at the prosperity of the wicked and envies the arrogant (v. 3). Seeing the abundant income (v. 7) and increasing wealth (v. 12) of the wicked, the Christian like a beast compares themselves to their own constant disasters (v. 14) and thinks that purifying their heart has been in vain (v. 13). As a result, the Christian like a beast serves both God and wealth (Matthew 6:24). The Christian like a beast idolizes wealth. The Christian like a beast loves money (1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:2). Not only can they not take their wealth with them when they die, but they must leave it behind for others. Nevertheless, the Christian like a beast trusts in wealth and boasts of their riches (Psalm 49:6). Are you and I, perhaps, Christians like beasts?

"What is this, that the Lord died for me, for a worm like me? How did He suffer so greatly for me?"
(Hymn 141, verse 1).

I have redeemed my life through the death of Jesus on the cross,

James Kim, Pastor
(Confessing that I am a pastor no better than the Jonah mentioned in Jonah 4:7, who was less than a worm).