Psalm 49 preaches about the vanity and futility and wealth, and in making this assessment it sounds a lot like Ecclesiastes. For example:
For he sees that even the wise die;
the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and leave their wealth to others.
And also:
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.
For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again see light.
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Psalm 49 isn't as bleak as Ecclesiastes. Where Ecclesiastes often sounds agnostic about the fate of the dead, Psalm 49 expresses confidence that God will remember the faithful:
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me.
Still, Psalm 49 is similar to how Ecclesiastes uses death to expose idolatry, in this case our trust in wealth. As I've argued before, I think Ecclesiastes shares the Old Testament concern about idolatry. And yet, Ecclesiastes is unique in the Old Testament in how it attacks that issue. Specifically, while the prophetic tradition describes idolatry as infidelity, Ecclesiastes describes idolatry as futility. Death destroys every false idol upon which we might trust. Psalm 49 displays this same approach in using death to expose our futile and idolatrous trust in wealth, riches, and possessions.
For when we die we carry nothing away.
