But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
The wicked enjoy prosperity while God's people suffer affliction, which tempts the faithful to despair. But the Psalmist means to check their envy and moderate the pride of the ungodly by showing that worldly happiness, however grand it appears, is vain and evanescent, whereas the godly, tried though they be, remain the objects of divine regard and shall be delivered from their enemies.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 49:1-20
Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not. He is but a lodger for the hour, and does not stay a night: even when he dwells in marble halls his notice to quit is written out. Eminence is evermore in imminence of peril. The hero of the hour lasts but for an hour.
The worldly man sets his heart on riches as though they were the best things, making gold his hope and his god. He trusts his wealth to secure him from all evil and supply all good, believing he needs nothing else, not even God Himself. Yet abundance in the hands of the wicked does not prove riches are good; it proves they are not the best things, for God would give them chiefly to His best friends if they were. A man's riches make him worldly only when he loves them more than He loves the Lord.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 49:6-14