#DailyDevotion Don’t Let Death Be Your Shepherd
Psalm 49 10No, God looks at wise men and they die. He gazes on fools and brutish men and they perish, leaving their wealth to others.
No one escapes dying. The penalty for sin is death. We all sin. We all die. It doesn’t matter how rich you are. It doesn’t matter how wise you are. It doesn’t matter how often you go to Church and how much you give to God. We live our lives thinking we aren’t going to die. We may give lip service to the fact but rarely do we believe it in our everyday lives. Yet, die we all will and we will leave everything we have earned and saved up to others. Were we at least rich towards God by being generous to others while we lived?
11Their graves become their long term homes, their dwellings for all the generations. They call their lands by their names. 12But man with his precious things can’t go on living; he’s like the animals that perish.
When we get to our graves we are leaving them any time soon, unless, of course if Christ returns soon. It normally seems the grave is our home for quite some time. Those in power leave their names behind on countries, towns and businesses. Nevertheless, they will not live forever. They are like animals that perish. We all become food for worms.
13This is the fate of confident fools and those coming after them who like what they said. 14Like sheep they have to lie down in the grave with death as their shepherd; and honest people will tramp on them in the morning. Their limbs will be consumed in the grave, away from their princely homes.
The grave is the fate for all those who put their trust in their wealth and power. Many follow the wisdom of these people and they too will make the grave their homes. But the grave isn’t the worst of it. Death is their shepherd. He will lead them beyond the grave to the Lake of Fire which is the second death.
15But God will ransom me from the power of the grave because He will receive me.
Man cannot ransom himself. God will ransom all who put their trust in Him. Jesus tells us in Matt. 20, “28…the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” If this is so, then Jesus is God. He ransomed us by giving His soul unto death. But death could not hold Him because He is innocent. Jesus rose victoriously from the grave and promises to raise to eternal life all who believe this.
16Don’t be afraid when a man gets rich and his household becomes more and more wealthy. 17When he dies, he can’t take anything with him; his wealth can’t follow him down there. 18While he’s living, he may think he’s happy and be praised for doing well for himself; 19but he will join his fathers who lived before him, never to see the light. 20A man with precious things but no understanding is like the animals that perish.
So don’t fall into fear as you see men grow in power, wealth and might. It’s short lived. Think of the rich man in Luke 16. He, and those like him, have no comfort, not even a drop of water in the Lake of Fire. He, and those who trust in wealth, will share in that fate. If you have precious things, then have understanding and share all good things with the others who lack comfort in this world.
Heavenly Father, give us wisdom to share our good things with those who have none and give us faith in Christ so we may share in His resurrection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.