Late afternoon: a great stone house on a hill, its fine cedar door standing open, weeds growing through the paving of its empty court, a calm empty sky above.

Wisdom · Sons of Korah

Psalm 49

Before you envy the rich man down the street, read what happens next.

20 verses≈ 3 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

1–41Book IDavid's prayers: 'The LORD is my shepherd'
42–72Book II'As the deer pants'; the throne under pressurePsalm 49
73–89Book IIIAsaph and Korah: the kingdom falls
90–106Book IVBack to Moses: the LORD reigns
107–150Book VSongs of ascents, and the last Hallelujah

The Evanescence of Wealth

A town gate at midmorning: a merchant in a gold-bordered cloak and a barefoot laborer with a load on his back pass side by side in the same dust, neither looking at the other.

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all you peoples;

listen, all inhabitants of the world,

both low and high,

rich and poor alike.

My mouth will impart wisdom,

and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will express my riddle with the harp:

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Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when wicked usurpers surround me?

They trust in their wealth

and boast in their great riches.

No man can possibly redeem his brother

or pay his ransom to God.

For the redemption of his soul is costly,

and never can payment suffice,

that he should live on forever

and not see decay.

Question

Quick question

The psalm leaves a debt on the table.

No one can pay God a ransom for a life. Who does the New Testament say paid it?

Seen from above and behind: sheep going in a long file down a narrowing gorge into blue-black shadow, no one with them, pale rock above.

This is the fate of the foolish

and their followers who endorse their sayings.

Selah

Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.

Death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule them in the morning,

and their form will decay in Sheol,

far from their lofty abode.

0:18

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

But God will redeem my life from Sheol,

for He will surely take me to Himself.

Selah

Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases.

For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;

his abundance will not follow him down.

Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—

and men praise you when you prosper—

he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light of day.

Reflect

What you check first

What do you check first when you’re afraid? An account, a plan, a person? What would it mean to fear less?

You’ve experienced

Psalm 49

0 of 150 psalms read

A verse to carry with you

But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself.

Psalm 49:15

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