People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. – Psalm 49:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 2, 2016): Psalm 49

The name of Genghis Khan drove fear into the hearts of the known world during the later part of the 13^th Century. Even in Europe, the fear that maybe today the Mongolian hordes would ride over the horizon toward them reigned in the heart of the people. And there was a good reason for the fear. Khan’s Mongolian Empire threatened to take over the entire world. Many have tried to rule the world, but of all the pretenders, Khan, and the Mongolians came the closest to actually accomplishing the feat. And as the King over a vast empire, Khan was rich. And yet he seemed to understand what that really meant. The Mongolian army was maybe the first army that was forbidden from looting among the defeated peoples. What was taken from defeated nations was divided evenly among the military units. Khan took his portion, but even that was used to create goodwill and unity among the factions. The real secret among the Mongolians, as it has been among other successful empires, was unity.

But, eventually, Genghis Khan died. Even though he was rich, nothing could stop that moment that comes to all of us. Death is an equal opportunity event in which someday, unless Jesus comes back and we meet him in the sky, we will all participate. The Mongolian Empire gave way to the Yuan Empire, started by Kublai Khan, and the Yuan Empire disappeared because of internal bitterness and rivalry. Apparently they had not learned the secret of unity that Genghis Khan had possessed. Today we remember nothing really of the Khan’s other than their names, and even then we do not remember Genghis Khan because he was rich, but because of his military prowess and the empire that he had built. 

The psalmist does not intend to remind us that we are no different from the beasts of the field. His intention is that it is not our wealth that makes us different. If it was left to our wealth, then there would be no difference. What is different is that we have the ability to make connections and to understand the greater things in life. As far as this world is concerned, Genghis Khan may have actually discovered the initial stages of this understanding. Wealth only has importance in that it is a tool that can be used to bring unity among people. It can be spent to help those in need and to alleviate the pain that almost always results in division. And even as Christians, we can learn to appreciate this part of Khan’s wisdom.

But money can also be used to reflect the goodness and providence of God, going a step beyond Genghis Khan’s establishment of unity, to bringing health. And this is when we truly shine as a people – and when we prove that we are different from the beasts. It is no wonder that the psalmist concludes with these words - People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:20). Without understanding, wealth is wasted. And when wealth is wasted, in the end, we die - just like the beasts of the field.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 66 & 67