The Universal Riddle Text: Psalm 49:1-4
Introduction: The Great Equalizer
We live in an age that is absolutely besotted with the topic of wealth. Our culture is saturated with it. We have financial news on a twenty-four-hour cycle, endless online gurus promising the secrets to financial independence, and a pervasive envy that eats away at the heart of our society. The world divides itself neatly into two camps: those who have wealth and are terrified of losing it, and those who do not have it and are consumed with the desire to get it. Both are idolaters. Both are enslaved to the same master, Mammon.
Into this frantic and covetous environment, Psalm 49 speaks a word of profound and unsettling wisdom. This is not a psalm for a particular tribe or a specific economic class. The psalmist, one of the sons of Korah, throws open the doors and issues a universal summons. He is about to address a fundamental human problem, a riddle that has perplexed mankind since the fall, and so he calls everyone to attention. This is a word for Wall Street and for Main Street. It is for the board room and for the break room. It is for the gated community and for the housing project. Hear this, all peoples.
The central question of this psalm, which will be posed in the verses that follow, is this: why should the righteous fear when the wicked, who trust in their riches, seem to have all the advantages? Why should we be intimidated by men whose only credential is the size of their bank account? The world tells us that money is power, that wealth is security, and that the man with the most toys in the end wins. This psalm is God's definitive refutation of that entire worldview. It is a potent expression of the biblical take on the blindness of wealth in the face of the one reality that no amount of money can bribe: inexorable death.
Before we can understand the answer, we must first understand the summons. The psalmist is not just offering his opinion. He is a prophet, speaking wisdom from God. He is about to untangle a "dark saying," a riddle, and he is doing it on the harp, which tells us that this is not just an intellectual exercise. This is worship. This is truth set to music. The answer to the world's frantic pursuit of wealth is not found in better economic theories, but in the worship of the one true God, who holds the keys of life and death.
The Text
Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth will speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be discernment.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will express my riddle on the harp.
(Psalm 49:1-4 LSB)
A Global Summons (v. 1-2)
The psalm begins with a sweeping, universal call to attention.
"Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together." (Psalm 49:1-2)
This is not a message for Israel alone. The psalmist is speaking to the entire human race. The scope is as broad as humanity itself. This is because the problem he is addressing is a universal human condition. The deceitfulness of riches is not a culturally specific problem. It is a human heart problem. Every man, in every station of life, is tempted to believe that his life consists in the abundance of his possessions.
Notice the pairings. "Low and high" refers to social status. "Rich and poor" refers to economic status. God's truth cuts across all our man-made distinctions. You do not need to have money to be utterly consumed by it. In fact, the poor can be just as enslaved to Mammon as the rich, sometimes more so. The rich man is tempted to trust in the money he has, while the poor man is tempted to place all his hope in the money he does not have. Both are looking for salvation in the wrong place. Both have their eyes fixed on the horizontal plane.
This universal address is a direct challenge to the pride of both the rich and the poor. The rich man thinks he has nothing to learn because he has already "made it." The poor man often thinks wisdom is a luxury he cannot afford. The psalmist says that both are fools if they do not listen to this word. The wisdom that is about to be spoken is the great leveler. It applies to everyone because death, the subject of this psalm's riddle, applies to everyone. The grave makes no distinction between the CEO and the janitor. This psalm is for everyone that breathes, because everyone that breathes will one day stop.
The Source of True Wisdom (v. 3)
Having summoned his global audience, the psalmist now declares the nature of his message.
"My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be discernment." (Psalm 49:3 LSB)
The psalmist is not just sharing his personal reflections or offering some folksy advice. He claims to be speaking "wisdom" and "discernment." In the Old Testament, these are covenantal terms. True wisdom is not about being clever or shrewd in the world's eyes. It is not about knowing how to play the stock market. True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). It is the skill of godly living, of seeing the world as God sees it.
The source of this wisdom is twofold. It comes from the "mouth," indicating a public proclamation, and from the "meditation of my heart," indicating deep, internal reflection on God's truth. This is the pattern for all faithful teaching. It is not enough to simply repeat slogans. The truth must be chewed on, digested, and assimilated until it becomes a part of the teacher's very being. The heart meditates on God's law, and from that overflow, the mouth speaks.
This verse is a quiet rebuke to the "wisdom" of the world. The world's wisdom is all about acquisition and self-preservation. It is about climbing the ladder, protecting your assets, and securing your legacy. But the psalmist is about to show that this is the height of folly. True discernment, true understanding, is to see the utter futility of this project in the face of eternity. The man who gains the whole world and loses his soul has not made a shrewd bargain; he has made the most foolish trade in history.
The Riddle and the Harp (v. 4)
Finally, the psalmist describes his method. He is going to solve a puzzle, and he is going to do it as an act of worship.
"I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp." (Psalm 49:4 LSB)
First, he inclines his ear. Before he can speak for God, he must listen to God. He is a student before he is a teacher. The "proverb" here is not a pithy saying, but a parable or a truth that requires careful thought. He is receiving divine revelation. This is the posture of humility that must precede all genuine understanding. We do not invent truth; we receive it.
Second, he will express his "riddle" on the harp. The Hebrew word for riddle is hidah, a dark or enigmatic saying. The riddle is this: why do the wicked prosper, and why should we not fear them? It seems like a contradiction. They have power, influence, and comfort, all built on a foundation of godless materialism. The world looks at them and sees success. The psalmist looks at them and sees a profound and tragic puzzle.
And he unpacks this riddle with a harp. This is crucial. The answer to life's deepest problems is not found in a sterile, academic formula. It is found in worship. By placing this wisdom in the context of music and praise, the psalmist is teaching us that the ultimate answer is theological. The solution to the problem of evil and the injustice of worldly wealth is not a political or economic one, but a doxological one. It is only when we are rightly oriented to God in worship that the apparent chaos of the world begins to make sense. The harp reminds us that God is sovereign, that He is beautiful, and that His justice will ultimately prevail. The song of the redeemed drowns out the boasting of the rich.
Conclusion: Preparing for the Answer
These first four verses, then, are the introduction to a master class in biblical economics and eschatology. They set the stage for the answer to one of the most persistent questions that troubles the hearts of believers. We are called to listen, regardless of our station in life. We are promised wisdom and discernment, not the cheap knock-off version the world offers.
And we are invited to approach this problem not with anxiety or envy, but with a harp in our hands. We are to approach it as worshippers. The world is full of riddles that can tie our minds in knots if we try to solve them on the world's terms. The prosperity of the wicked is one of the chief ones. But when we incline our ear to God's proverb, when we listen to His Word, the dark saying becomes clear.
The answer, as the rest of the psalm will show, is that wealth cannot redeem. It cannot purchase an extension on life. It cannot bribe the judge of all the earth. The rich man who does not have understanding is like the beasts that perish. He lives, he eats, he dies, and he is gone. But the righteous have a different hope. "God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me" (v. 15). That is the answer to the riddle. And that truth is not just a fact to be known, but a song to be sung.
This is the ultimate wisdom. Our redemption was not purchased with corruptible things, like silver or gold, which the rich trust in, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). He is the one who paid the ultimate ransom, a price too costly for any man. He solved the riddle of death by dying and rising again. Therefore, we have no reason to fear the man whose glory is in his house. His glory will not descend after him. But our Redeemer lives, and because He lives, we shall live also. That is a truth worth singing about.