What does Psalm 39:6 mean?
David's frustration psalm comes from wanting to speak out to wicked people but choosing instead to hold his tongue (Psalm 39:1–2). Most likely, he did not want to sin by saying something unwise or untrue out of anger. This led to frustration. When David chose to speak, he did so by praying for God's work on his own heart (Psalm 39:3–4). He asked God for a reminder of his own limited life; to be reassured that David's experiences were no catastrophe for God. Compared to God's eternal perspective, our concerns are tiny, so we can trust His goodness when frustration sets in (Psalm 39:5).The wicked persons David noted might have been scrabbling for power and wealth. Scripture notes that chasing money is a foolish plan (Psalm 37:16–17; Proverbs 23:4–5; Ecclesiastes 5:10–12; Matthew 6:19–24; Luke 12:13–21; 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). A common English proverb is "you can't take it with you." This implies that worldly wealth is left behind when someone dies. Here, David notes that someone who "heaps up wealth" is ultimately collecting it for his survivors—whoever they might be.
The Bible clearly emphasizes the value of investing one's life in spiritual pursuits instead of spending it in the pursuit of material wealth. Jesus taught His followers to lay up treasures in heaven. He pointed out that treasures on earth are subject to ruin or theft, whereas treasures in heaven never wear out and are not subject to theft (Matthew 6:19–20). The apostle John, a devoted follower of Jesus, counseled believers to invest their lives in doing God's will instead of spending their lives in worldly pursuits. He wrote: "The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). Proverbs 23:4–5 depicts wealth as flying away as soon as a person tries to look at it.
