WHY BOTHER?
Opening Prayer
Lord, open my eyes and my heart today to receive from You.
Read Psalm 49
Psalm 49[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5 Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever
and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses[b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had[c] named lands after themselves.
12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.
20 People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 49:1 In Hebrew texts 49:1-20 is numbered 49:2-21.
b Psalm 49:11 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew In their thoughts their houses will remain
c Psalm 49:11 Or generations, / for they have
d Psalm 49:13 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 15.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do you think someone would be willing to pay for you, as your ransom? How much would be too much?In some ways this psalm is depressing. It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 1:2—“Meaningless! Meaningless!… Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Foolish or wise, we all die like the wild animals (10,12). All our wealth is left to others (17). What’s the point?
Believe it or not, this psalm is meant to be an encouragement: even rich, wealthy oppressors will not last forever. What good will their riches do when death comes a-callin’?
A friend was telling me recently what it was like sorting out her late father-in-law’s affairs. His house was cleaned and stripped bare so it could be sold, most of his things given to family members or sold. After a few weeks, there was little evidence left of his life. She told me she saw in a new way what Jesus meant when he said, “Store up treasure for yourselves in heaven” (Matt. 6:20).
The psalmist recognizes that to ransom a life is costly—so costly that no one could ever have enough to buy back their life from death (8,9). No one, that is, except God himself (15).
Apply
Jesus gave his life for you to redeem you. What are you willing to give back to him in gratitude? Jesus asks for your whole life. Take some time to dedicate or rededicate your whole life to Christ today.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, all I have and all I am are Yours. Help me to live that way.
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