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Psalms 49-Why Fear?



God has use of the poor; He also has use of the rich. He attempts to lift the former as He tries to woo the latter. In God’s economy both have space; the poor one is down and so must be lifted up while the rich one is often satisfied and in need of little hence must be wooed. For God desires the heart of both.
Psalms 49 mainly dwells on the rich. Its final verse summarises the lessons we can draw from it. This treasure-trove of scripture proffers a life-skill that many a modern man, with his exaggerated capitalist mind-set can scarce understand. It says;
People who have wealth but lack understanding
    are like the beasts that perish. Vs 20
Like the fellow who listens to a good sermon and all the while wishes that his neighbour could be there to be rebuked by the preacher’s word so am I tempted to say, ‘ I wish our politicians could read this’.
What does the verse mean and where does it lead us? What does it mean to have wealth but lack understanding? For answers let us look at the rest of the chapter in stages. Lets start with verses 5-6
Why should I be afraid
    in times of trouble,
    when I am surrounded
    by vicious enemies?
6 They trust in their riches
    and brag about
    all of their wealth.. vs5-6 (CEV)
Why should I fear fellow men seems to be the question? Men may have power over us or gain unrestricted access into our affairs simply because they are wealthy but why should I fear if I honestly believe that the God I serve is much more powerful?
I recall one time in my career when a tension-filled restructuring process was going on and in the course of daily work, I declined a request from a particularly abrasive senior manager. The following day he summoned me to his office and demanded to know why I was not following ‘orders’. I was ticked off but what could I do? Don’t some say that to be employed is to be a slave? I had no voice here. I stood there and made some meek noises as this towering giant of a man lectured me for what seemed an eternity. As he wound up, he delivered the final blow;
‘You should know that I hold your future in my hands!’ he roared.
I stared at him blankly and slinkered away. I had no words. After all it was indeed true that the sword of Damocles had been hanging over our department for some time. I went to the restroom and prayed quietly. I figured that God would hear me.
 



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