Salmi 49:10 Commento

This psalm is a sermon, and so is the next. In most of the psalms we have the penman praying or praising; in these we have him preaching; and it is our duty, in singing psalms, to teach and admonish ourselves and one another. The scope and design of this discourse is to convince the men of this world of their sin and folly in setting their hearts upon the things of this world, and so to persuade them to seek the things of a better world; as also to comfort the people of God, in reference to their own troubles and the grief that arises from the prosperity of the wicked. I. In the preface he proposes to awaken worldly people out of their security (Psa 49:1-3) and to comfort himself and other godly people in a day of distress (Psa 49:4, Psa 49:5). II. In the rest of the psalm, 1. He endeavours to convince sinners of their folly in doting upon the wealth of this world, by showing them (1.) That they cannot, with all their wealth, save their friends from death (Psa 49:6-9). (2.) They cannot save themselves from death (Psa 49:10). (3.) They cannot secure to themselves a happiness in this world (Psa 49:11, Psa 49:12). Much less, (4.) Can they secure to themselves a happiness in the other world (Psa 49:14). 2. He endeavours to comfort himself and other good people, (1.) Against the fear of death (Psa 49:15). (2.) Against the fear of the prospering power of wicked people (Psa 49:16-20). In singing this psalm let us receive these instructions, and be wise. To the chief musician. A psalm for the sons of Korah.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 49 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Aben Ezra says this psalm is a very excellent one, since in it is explained the Light of the world to come, and of the rational and immortal soul; and Kimchi is of opinion that it respects both this world and that which is to come: and indeed it treats of the vanity of trusting in riches: of the insufficiency of them for the redemption of the soul; of the short continuance of worldly honour and substance; of the certainty of death, and of the resurrection of the dead. And the design of it is to expose the folly of trusting in uncertain riches, and to comfort the people of God under the want of them.

For he seeth that wise men die,.... This is a reason convincing the rich man, that with all his riches he cannot redeem his brother from death; since he must see, by daily and constant experience, that none are exempted from dying, no, not even the wise man; and therefore, not the rich, since wisdom is better than riches, and is said to give life, Ecc 7:12; and yet wise men die, yea, Solomon, the wisest of men, died. Worldly wise men, such who are wiser in their generation than the children of light, know how, to get money and estates, and to provide for futurity, and yet cannot secure themselves from death: men that are wise in natural things, know the secrets of nature, the constitution of human bodies, what is proper to preserve health and life, as philosophers and physicians, and yet cannot deliver themselves from death: wise politicians, prudent magistrates, instructors of mankind in all the branches of useful knowledge, who are profitable to themselves and others, and are the most deserving to live because of usefulness, yet these die as well as others: such as are spiritually wise, wise unto salvation, who know themselves, and know Christ, whom to know is life eternal; and the wisest among them, such as are capable of teaching others the hidden and mysterious wisdom of God; even these wise men and prophets do not live for ever. The Targum interprets this of wicked wise men, condemned to hell; or as it is in the king's Bible, "the wicked wise men, who die the second death;'' see Rev 2:11; and are condemned to hell; likewise the fool and the brutish person perish; the worldly fool, who trusts in his riches, and boasts of them; his soul is at once required of him. The atheistical fool, who says there is no God, no judgment, no future state; has made a covenant with death, and with hell is at an agreement; this covenant does not stand, he dies, and finds himself dreadfully mistaken: the fool that is so immorally, who makes a mock at sin, a jest of religion, and puts away the evil day far from him; his great wickedness, to which he is given, shall not deliver him from death. Every man is become brutish in his knowledge; but there are some among the people more brutish than others, who are as natural brute beasts, and shall utterly perish in their own corruptions. The wise good man dies, but perishes not; he inherits eternal life; but the wicked fool and brute not only perish by death, but are punished with everlasting destruction in soul and body; and leave their wealth to others; they cannot carry it with them, so that it will be of no service to them after death any more than at it: if the Judge could be bribed by gold, as he cannot, they will not have it with them to do it; they came into the world naked, and so they will go out, and carry nothing with them, but leave all behind them; either to their babes, their children, and heirs, Psa 17:14; or to strangers, they know not who; and if they do, they do not know whether they will be wise men or fools, or what use they will make of it, Psa 39:6, Ecc 2:18.

A fool has no discernment, and his thoughts are stupid. The unwise person can think, but what he thinks is bad: “The unwise person has said that there is no God.” He is culpably wicked because he knows what goodness is. Yet, though he knows it, he commits iniquity in the evil of his own heart. He is also dishonest. Again, not because he does not know what honesty is but because he is so twisted that he would wish to destroy honesty.

"For he shall not see death, though he shall have seen wise men dying" [Psalm 49:10]. The man who laboured for ever and shall live till the end, "shall not see death, though he shall have seen wise men dying." What is this? He shall not comprehend what death is, whenever he shall have seen wise men dying. For he says to himself, "this fellow, for all he was wise and dwelled with wisdom and worshipped God with piety, is he not dead? Therefore I will enjoy myself while I live; for if they that are wise in other respects, could do anything, they would not have died." Just as the Jews saw Christ hanging on the Cross and despised Him, saying, "If this Man were the Son of God, He would come down from the Cross:" [Matthew 27:40, 42] not seeing what death is. If they had seen what death is; if they had seen, I say. He died for a time, that He might live again for ever: they lived for a time, that they might die for ever. But because they saw Him dying, they saw not death, that is to say, they understood not what was very death. What say they even in Wisdom? "Let us condemn Him with a most shameful death, for by His own sayings He shall be respected;" for if he is indeed the Son of God, He will deliver Him from the hands of His adversaries: He will not suffer His Son to die, if He is truly His Son. But when they saw themselves insulting Him upon the Cross, and Him not descending from the Cross, they said, He was indeed but a Man. Thus was it spoken: and surely He could have come down from the Cross, He that could rise again from the tomb: but He taught us to bear with those who insult us; He taught us to be patient of the tongues of men, to drink now the cup of bitterness, and afterwards to receive everlasting salvation....

All those great, wise and outspoken will die, not only the foolish and those who gather riches. They are unwilling to have mercy on the ones in need, and they leave their riches behind for others. Although they have many houses, their tombs are their house for eternity. Wretched person. He does not understand that while he is in this body he begins to die.

"He shall not see." Above, the Psalmist showed that there is cause to fear on account of sin, because there is no remedy for escaping punishment; here, however, he treats of the evils that threaten them on account of their improvidence. And concerning this he does three things. First, he commemorates their improvidence regarding future evils. Second, he commemorates the evils that threaten, at "They shall leave to strangers." Third, he sets forth the hope in God by which he hopes to be freed from these evils, at "Nevertheless." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he shows their improvidence. Second, the cause of their ignorance, at "When he shall see." He says, therefore, that such a person to whom so many evils threaten "shall not see," that is, shall not consider "destruction," that is, his own damnation. For it belongs to the just to remember their last end, Sir. 7. But of these it is said, Dt. 32: "A nation without prudence and without counsel." And why do the unjust not provide for themselves? The reason is given in Eccl. 9: "This is the worst among all things that are done under the sun: that the same things happen to all." And therefore they do not consider what may befall them in the future. And therefore, "when he shall see even the wise dying"; but seeing bodily death, they do not consider their glory. Wis. 4: "They shall see the end of the wise man and shall not understand what God has designed for him." There is a difference between the foolish and the stupid. The foolish man is one who has human knowledge but does not consider eternal things; the stupid man is one who does not consider even present things. Or the foolish man is one who does not attend to present evils but to future ones; the stupid man is one who attends to them but does not avoid them. Hence he says, "The foolish and the stupid shall perish together." According to Jerome, there is a twofold cause of the contempt of the unjust: length of life, and the fact that they see the wise and the foolish die together.

"And they shall leave." Here he sets forth the evils that befall sinners. And first he sets forth the evils that occur in the present. Second, he sets forth the evils that will come in the future, at "Like sheep." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth the evils that occur in the present with respect to extrinsic goods. Second, with respect to intrinsic goods, at "When he was in honor." And he shows first what the wicked man loses through death. He says that he loses riches; hence he says, "They shall leave their riches to strangers." Jer. 17: "He has made riches, and not by judgment; in the midst of his days he shall leave them." And he says, "their own," as if possessed by themselves; or because he did not use them for the benefit of others. Phil. 2: "All seek the things that are their own." And he says, "to strangers," because often strangers, that is, those unrelated according to the flesh, receive their riches. Ps. 38: "He stores up treasure and knows not for whom he gathers it." Even if sometimes he leaves riches to his children, they are nevertheless strangers, as is said in Lk. 10: "That one is a neighbor who showed mercy to him." And it happens that children and grandchildren do nothing good for the dead; but two things remain for them of the things of the world: a tomb and human reputation.

This Psalm instructs and consoles. It teaches that earthly advantages are not reliable for permanent happiness, and that, however prosperous worldly men may be for a time, their ultimate destiny is ruin, while the pious are safe in God's care. (Psa. 49:1-20) All are called to hear what interests all. world--literally, "duration of life," the present time.

For he seeth--that is, corruption; then follows the illustration. wise . . . fool-- (Psa 14:1; Pro 1:32; Pro 10:1). likewise--alike altogether-- (Psa 4:8) --die--all meet the same fate.