the great equalizer

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 

Psalm 49:16-17

Rich and poor share the same earthly end. The grave is the great equalizer. No amount of wealth will stop the ground from swallowing you up! That is the fate of every person. Death does not pity the poor nor does it placate the wealthy. Everyone is mortal. No person can buy their way out of the inevitability of life's end.

I have seen elaborate funerals, but in the end, the hearse never hauls a trailer behind it for the final destination. This is meant to be a moment of reflection for the living. We will fade and be gone. Our days are as grass which grows and then fades with the winter cold. We cannot stop this. We may think that we will delay it. But nothing and no one can ever stop it.

What matters then is a two-fold understanding: 1) God can deliver from the "end" of death. He will receive the ransomed into His presence (Psalm 49:15). 2) How we live now is important. We need not fear death neither should we respect riches. We need to be balanced in the worship of The Lord, recognizing eternal realities and living for God as His ransomed children.

As Christians, we know that the gift of God in Christ is eternal life. We live beyond death. We are ransomed to be received into Christ's presence. And He gives abundant life now so that we can live with joy, wisdom, and perspective beyond our mortality.