Skip to main content

Psalm 49-Why Die II


 
 
For all can see that the wise die,
    that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
    leaving their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses[
b] forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,
    
though they had[c] named lands after themselves. Psalms 49:10-11
I like sequels. Particularly those that involve a hero saving some girl he loves. Tragedy and love form an explosive mix!
So today we briefly consider ‘Why Die II’. And I do hope that I don’t come across as a little morbid.
Before we consider the scripture above allow me to share a story. Some time ago one of our lecturers (Dr. Iraki) asked us an interesting question in the form of a class assignment. He asked whether we would prefer fame or wealth. The answer had to come in the form of an essay and the best would be read out in class. It was an interesting debate we had that day. One clever chap even argued that for him fame would follow wealth. He would use his wealth and power to have roads and buildings named after him.
The scripture above is not far off the mark when it describes men who named lands after themselves not only for fame but also as a way of keeping their names alive long after they are gone. In a sense such men and women are on a quest for immortality. The scripture describes how all men, regardless of their status, are equalised by death. The rich, the poor, the wise and the foolish all have an irrevocable appointment with the grim reaper at some point.
"Aeroplanes will be too afraid to crash, yoghurts will wish you good morning before being eaten and human consciousness will be stored on supercomputers, promising immortality for all - though it will help to be rich." Ian Pearson, head of the futurology unit at BT.
 
Throughout man’s history, he has searched diligently for ways to cheat death. Of course many have preferred doing it away from God’s prescribed way (John 11:25). Many have wished that they could stare death in the face and thumb their noses at Christ and yet sing with Paul;
“Where, O death is your victory?
    Where, O death is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15.55
 
There is simply no immortality apart from God. Wealth and fame and naming lands after oneself are simply vain glorious ways to achieve eternal recognition. The creator calls you back to Him. His promise is that those who come to Him in child-like faith will be granted eternal life.
40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6.40
 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Reverence Part III

  I once found myself in the company of our former youth pastor (now senior pastor of a medium-size church in Parklands). He is generally a very simple, humorous and approachable man unlike some of our raucous tele-evangelists. More than once I have visited the church where he pastors just to listen to him.  Having grown up in the rough in a tough Nairobi neighbourhood, his language is often tinged with heavy slang giving his sermons an authenticity that is both hilarious and refreshing. On this particular day I had arrived early for a training at some other venue and as I sat down to wait I spotted the man some distance away. All week, I had felt compelled to remember him in prayer. Now I felt a strong urge to tell him that I had been praying for him. As I approached him a sudden unease gripped me. By the time I was telling him that I had been praying for his safety, I was trembling like a leaf. However, in his usual genial ma...

Benny Hinn _My Testimony

Why Benny Hinn? Someone asked me this question last week. Today let me endeavor to give you the background story to this, as a member of the organizing secretariat. Sometime last year, a group of servants of God was praying, seeking the face of God as to why the foretold revival in Kenya seemed never to really come, and even the massive crusades we used to have at Uhuru Park seemed to have quietly fizzled out. It was obvious also that there were no megachurches in Kenya and any servant of God who tried rising was hit with scandal after scandal. Why? Our preachers never really get invited to top platforms internationally, our Gospel musicians are mostly only local while Nigeria, Tz, even Rwanda are shaking the continent. The Lord answered them. Our grievous sin had closed the heavens over us. And this sin was how we, as a nation, had treated the servants of God who had been sent here with these graces. They all left in tears, shaking dust off their feet at Kenya. Pst Benny Hinn came t...

DIY ToolBox-Resist the Devil -2

  “My style was impetuous, my defenses were impregnable, and I was ferocious.” -Mike Tyson. Tyson is considered one of the best heavyweights of all time. In his boxing career he won 50 of his 58 fights- 44 of the 50 won through knockouts. He was also a man of supreme self-confidence as the quote above implies. When it comes to spiritual battles, I wish I had the faith and courage to match Mike Tyson’s confidence. How can I do this? How can I, a mere man, contend with this seemingly invincible enemy? Indeed, how can anyone on earth resist him?  You see my friend, God has put in our hands, portent tools that we can use against the Adversary. Paul put it this way; For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought t...