“16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. 18. Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. 19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. 20. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”
The rich man is so magnified in this world. Why are people so focused on wealth? Its understandable when a lost person desires rich’s. Their lost, they are just looking for something to fill the void in their life; but why do believers get so entangled in money? Look at vs 17 again, “For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.” We can look to the account of Matthew when Jesus told the disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Wealth can be used to glorify God in a great way, but God is not concerned about how much money you make and what everyone thinks of you. A very high percentage of wealthy people will spend an eternity in hell because they feel they don’t need God. Notice vs19, “He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.” Hell is full of darkness and torment. Wealth should never be a desire in our life, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” When you die, what will you have to offer God? In this passage the rich man is magnified in the eyes of man, but yet he will open his eyes in hell. If you’re a born again believer, don’t set your hearts desire upon what the lost crowd thinks happiness is. Psalm 62:10 “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” The last verse in this passage is talking about those that have made it to wealth and fame, but never accepted God’s love and mercy. ” Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” How many dead animals have you seen in your life? There was a man that recently said he has taken hundreds of deer throughout his life time. Animals die everyday, whether by a car, bullet, arrow, or even old age. When a hunter takes an animal, its exciting at the moment, but in just a short time, that animal is in the past and the desire for the next one is now at hand. Its not really thought about much more. The memory may last, the big buck may hang on the wall, but the actual existence of the animal is forgotten about. The Bible is telling us that just like animals that perish are forgotten about, so are those in honor, meaning everyone looks up to them, but yet don’t understand that life is about Jesus Christ and not themselves. Maybe today God has blessed you with wealth, that’s a good thing, but it must not be the focal point of your life. Maybe today you don’t have much, but truthfully, if you have Jesus, He is all you need! Don’t worry about the wealth of others. Walk with the Lord and let Him use your life for His glory!
Memory Verse
Psalm 49:20
“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”
