I get a lot of encouragement to care for myself, which is good advice in the right circumstances. But the focus goes too far when my love of self tramples over fear of God and concern for others.

The psalmist wrote of those who loved wealth and named estates after themselves—Their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. Many hope to establish a legacy. But after a few generations, no one remembers.

The author also points out that the grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. But another way to translate this line is their inward thought is their eternal home.

Intense self-focus constructs a prison for those who love themselves and disregard others. It may be that such lost souls teeter through eternity, locked inside their self-fabricated world, never noticing or experiencing the presence of God. How ironic to miss the greatest love of all while pursuing the shrunken love of self.

This is the fate of fools. If I treat myself and fail to notice the Lord as he extends his goodness all around me, then I might just find myself—with only myself—for a long, long time.

Psalm 49 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jen Theodore